Greek F‑16 Crash‑lands at Zakynthos Airport

Mon Sep 14 2026 06:34:58 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Hellenic Air Force F-16 catches fire during landing at Zakynthos, closing runway and delaying flights during the busy summer holiday season.

A Hellenic Air Force F-16 crashed during a training flight, landing on Zakynthos’ runway at 13:45 local time. The jet landed without deploying its landing gear and caught fire, prompting an emergency fire response. Airport operations were halted, affecting dozens of flights scheduled for the evening, causing delays into the night. Authorities are investigating the fault that led to the incident, while a specialist team is expected to remove the aircraft.

On Thursday afternoon, a Hellenic Air Force F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight at Zakynthos airport, Greece’s busiest island terminal for summer visitors.

The aircraft landed around 13:45 local time after a technical fault, reportedly indicating an onboard fire before touchdown. Fire alarms were sounded and airport firefighters doused the jet, which caught fire while sliding across the runway after failing to deploy its landing gear.

The crash caused the runway to be closed, disrupting arrivals and departures throughout the afternoon and evening. Flight boards showed all remaining Thursday flights delayed until 21:00, including those that had been scheduled to leave hours earlier.

The Hellenic Air Force said the jet belonged to the 335 Squadron of the 116th Combat Wing based at Araxos Air Base in western Greece. A specialist air force team is expected to travel to the island to remove the aircraft and restore operations.

Video posted on social media captured the jet ablaze as firefighters worked to extinguish the flames. The cause of the incident remains under investigation.