Fighter jet crash lands at Greek holiday island airport after mysteriously bursting into flames in mid-air
A military aircraft caught fire in mid-air before making an emergency landing at a Greek holiday island airport.
The plane touched down at Zakynthos International Airport with flames still visible before the fire spread on the runway, according to local reports.
Footage shows the aircraft on the tarmac engulfed in flames as emergency crews douse it with jets of water.
The pilot landed safely and was unhurt, according to reports.
The runway remains occupied by the stricken aircraft, disrupting operations at the airport, with flights reportedly cancelled or delayed.
The cause of the emergency landing and subsequent fire has not yet been confirmed.
Authorities are assessing the damage to the aircraft, which may have experienced a problem with the landing gear.
The jet belongs to the 116th Combat Wing and had taken off from the Araxos Air Base, in northwestern Peloponnese.
A military aircraft caught fire in mid-air before making an emergency landing at a Greek holiday island airport
Footage shows the aircraft on the tarmac engulfed in flames as emergency crews douse it with jets of water
It comes after a combat plane crashed in a huge fireball explosion killing the pilot as horrified crowds watched on at Dubai Air Show in November.
The Indian HAL Tejas, a combat aircraft used in the Indian Air Force, crashed while attempting to perform a vertical loop.
Dramatic footage showed the warplane hurtling towards the ground at Al Maktoum International Airport before it crashed in a massive fireball having failed to pull up in time.
Shahad Alnaqbi, an onlooker at the show, recalled the ordeal to local media. ‘We were watching the display when suddenly we saw smoke and an explosion. People started running and screaming, and then the ambulance arrived quickly,’ she said.
Visitors quickly began fleeing the scene as emergency and firefighting teams scrambled to manage the devastating incident.
Clips shared on social media show dozens of people, including children, dashing from the area as a column of smoke rose, drawing gasps from the crowds.
‘It was a wonderful show until this tragic accident occurred, shocking all of us watching the airshow. From the way the flight turned before it went down, I strongly feel the pilot tried to save the spectators,’ Shajudheen Jabbar, who witnessed the accident along with his wife Shiny and daughter Ashley, told Gulf News.
‘It’s so unfortunate that he couldn’t escape. We are deeply saddened that someone died before our eyes, and the pain is even greater knowing it was an Indian fighter jet pilot’.
