Hellenic Air Force F-16 crash-lands at Zakynthos airport after technical fault

Hellenic Air Force F-16 crash-lands at Zakynthos airport after a technical fault; crew safe, investigation underway into the incident.

Hellenic Air Force F-16 crash-lands at Zakynthos airport after technical fault
Liberal TR Haber Merkezi
Publish: 09.07.2026
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The Hellenic Air Force reported that an F-16 on a training flight crash-landed at Zakynthos airport on Thursday at about 13:45 local time (10:45 GMT), and the pilot was reported to be in good health while the cause is under investigation.

According to the air force, the jet developed a technical fault during the flight and landed without deploying its landing gear, sliding dozens of meters along the runway before catching fire, Greek media said.

Local reports indicated the aircraft showed an onboard fire warning prior to touchdown; video circulating on social media captured the jet ablaze as firefighters worked to extinguish the flames.

The damaged aircraft belongs to the 335 Squadron of the 116th Combat Wing based at Araxos Air Base in western Greece, the air force said.

Airport operations were disrupted after the incident. The runway was closed and arrivals and departures boards indicated delays for remaining Thursday flights until 21:00, affecting services during the start of the summer season.

Firefighters and airport personnel responded immediately on the scene. A specialist air force team was expected to travel to Zakynthos to remove the aircraft and allow normal operations to resume.

No injuries to the pilot have been reported and official investigations into the technical fault and sequence of events are ongoing.

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Liberal TR Haber Merkezi
Liberal TR Haber Merkezi
A digital news platform delivering developments in Türkiye and the world to its readers with an objective and principled perspective. Liberal TR Haber Merkezi.
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