Polish F-16 Crashes During Airshow Rehearsal, Pilot killed

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Warsaw: A Polish Air Force F-16 fighter jet crashed during a rehearsal for an airshow in Radom, central Poland, and the pilot died, the army said on Thursday.

“A Polish Army pilot died in the crash of an F-16 aircraft -an officer who always served his country with dedication and great courage. I pay tribute to his memory,” Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote on X after arriving at the crash scene.

The General Command of the Armed Forces said that the accident involved an aircraft from the 31st Tactical Air Base near Poznan and that there were no injuries to any bystanders.

“Rescue operations were immediately initiated at the scene,” it said in a statement.

Footage obtained by Polish media showed the F-16 performing a barrel roll aerobatic manoeuvre, and then crashing in flames as it slid on the ground.

Local media said the aircraft crashed into the runway around 1730 GMT and damaged it, and the Radom Airshow planned for the weekend has been cancelled.

Reporting by Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk, additional reporting by Karol Badohal, Barbara Erling, Alan Charlish; Editing by Leslie Adler, Cynthia Osterman and Nick Zieminski