Polish Army Pilot killed as F-16 jet crashes during airshow preparation

A Polish Army pilot died after his F-16 jet collided as Poland’s defenses were preparing for a global air show.

An aircraft from the 31st Tactical Air Base near Poznan, western Poland, the General Command of the Armed Forces claimed in a statement on Thursday that the accident was caused by. No one was hurt by the bystanders.

An F-16 crash resulted in the death of a Polish Army pilot who had always served his country with great courage and dedication. Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, the defense minister, addressed the crash scene at Radom airport in central Poland to X on behalf of the president.

After the aircraft crashed down the runway and hitting the ground, the aircraft failed to recover. A firefighter arrived on the scene. The accident happened at around 19: 30 local time (17: 30 GMT).

The F-16 fighter jet crashed during a practice session before this year’s Radom Air Show after nose-diving and then erupting into a ball of flames in a video posted on social media.

I was in Latvia when I went to visit Polish soldiers.
I learned the tragic passing of the Polish F-16 pilot who died on the demonstration flight in Radom this evening. His family and his fellow soldiers are in my thoughts.

najszczesne wyrazy moje…

According to local reports, the pilot, a member of a prestigious elite group of NATO air units known as “Tiger Demo,” was not seen ejecting from the aircraft prior to the collision.

The AirSHOW Radom 2025, which was scheduled for this weekend, has been postponed.

In response to Russia’s decision to invade neighboring Ukraine in 2023, Poland purchased US-made F-16s, a crucial component of NATO’s defense strategy, in 2003. It has since been working on upgrading its fleet.

General #Portolano, the commander of Italian defense, expresses his deep regret for the tragic death of the Polish pilot who was killed today in an F-16 collision.

General Portolano extends his sincere condolences to General #Kukula, to the… pic on behalf of the Italian Armed Forces. twitter.com/Hw0jf5xjLV

The Italian Defense General Staff, a member of NATO, expressed “profound sorrow” following the crash in a post on X.

The Latvian defense minister, who earlier on Thursday made a visit to Polish troops stationed in the Eastern European nation, also stated on X that he was “deeply saddened” by the death.