A Hellenic Air Force F-16C executed a gearless emergency belly landing at Zakynthos International Airport on 9 July 2026, igniting immediately upon runway contact due to a technical malfunction that triggered a fire indication mid-flight. The aircraft, assigned to the 335 Squadron of the 116 Combat Wing and departing Araxos Air Base for a training mission over the Ionian Sea, touched down at 13:45 local time after landing gear failed to deploy. Firefighters had pre-spread foam on the runway; the jet slid onto it before flames erupted beneath the fuselage, though crews extinguished the blaze before breaching fuel tanks. The pilot escaped unharmed, while the airport remained closed during peak summer tourist season until wreckage removal, causing significant operational disruption. The HAF launched an investigation into the root cause, with normal schedules resuming after runway clearance.