A Greek two-seat F-4 Phantom military fighter jet crashed on September 5, 2026, during an air show at Tanagra airbase, located about 60 kilometers north of Athens [1, 2]. The jet crashed shortly after takeoff when it suddenly lost altitude during a flight demonstration at the annual Athens Flying Week event attended by thousands [3, 4, 2]. An ERT journalist at the scene said, "The aircraft had just taken off when it suddenly lost altitude and crashed" [3].
Both pilots onboard the aircraft died in the crash; no ejection occurred [3, 4, 2, 5]. A Greek Air Force official confirmed that "a search and rescue operation is under way" to recover the pilots' bodies [1]. The crash ignited a fire and triggered explosions near the spectator area, prompting evacuation of parts of the viewing zone [1, 3, 4, 2]. No injuries were reported among spectators [1, 2].
Emergency response involved 85 firefighters and 11 firefighting aircraft and helicopters dispatched to contain the fire at Tanagra airbase [2, 6, 7]. The air show was canceled following the crash and ongoing firefighting efforts [3, 2, 8].
Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias canceled a planned trip to Thessaloniki’s International Fair to visit the accident site in person [3, 4, 8]. The cause of the crash remains unclear and is under investigation [3, 4, 8, 7].
The crash occurred approximately 9 kilometers north of Athens near the Tanagra base [2, 6]. Authorities continue fire suppression and investigation at the scene following the accident.
