The pilot of a Polish air force Lockheed Martin F-16C fighter died on 28 August during rehearsals for an upcoming air show.
The incident occurred in the city of Radom, which was set to host the Radom airshow from 30-31 August. The event has since been cancelled.
Local media reports and video circulating on social media indicate the single-engined jet impacted the runway at Warsaw-Radom airport, where the air show is held, around 19:30 local time.
Polish defence minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz confirmed the fatality in an X post after the crash. “This is a great loss for the air force and the entire Polish military,” he says. Prime minister Donald Tusk also confirmed the loss of the F-16 and pilot.
In video purportedly showing the crash, an F-16 dives toward the tarmac at a shallow angle of attack. Exhaust from the jet’s single Pratt & Whitney F100 engine suggests it may have been producing substantial power.
The F-16 impacts the runway at high speed, ignites and slides along the ground while trailing fire. No signs of a pilot ejection can be seen in the video.
Another video appears to show the aircraft performing an inside-loop aerobatic manoeuvre. The F-16 takes off, ascends vertically and turns back toward level flight by completing an inverted rotation, then impacts the runway and erupts in fire.
Several other aircraft are seen parked inside the airport fence line along the runway, including an apparent line of F-16s.
A number of military demonstration teams were set to perform at the Radom show, including the Red Arrows from the UK Royal Air Force and the Finish air force’s Midnight Hawks display team.
The crash represents the first loss of an F-16 by the Polish air force, which had a 48-strong fleet of C/D-model examples prior to the accident.
