A Hellenic Air Force F-4 Phantom crashed during a flying display at Athens Flying Week in Tanagra, north of Athens, killing both pilots and forcing organisers to halt the airshow immediately. The aircraft went down at Tanagra air base, about 55 kilometres from the Greek capital, as spectators watched the demonstration.
Eyewitnesses reported a loud bang and thick black smoke rising from the crash site. The annual event has been held every September at Tanagra for 12 years, and organisers said no accident had previously occurred there. The cause of the crash was not immediately known.
Video images showed emergency crews responding at the scene as the display programme was abandoned. The incident involved a twin-seat Phantom operated by the Hellenic Air Force, one of Greece’s older frontline fighter types still appearing in ceremonial and display roles.