POLAND. A Polish Air Force F-16 fighter jet crashed during a rehearsal for an airshow in the city of Radom, killing the pilot, government spokesman Adam Szłapka confirmed.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk extended his condolences to the pilot’s family.
Footage shared on social media shows the aircraft rapidly losing altitude before hitting the ground and exploding.
According to Polish media, the jet was part of the Air Force fleet and was performing a scheduled flight in preparation for the international AirShow Radom, set for August 30–31. It remains unclear whether the event will now go ahead.
AirShow Radom is one of the largest aviation events in Eastern Europe, regularly drawing more than 150 aircraft from 20 countries and thousands of visitors.
The cause of the crash has not yet been determined. The military prosecutor’s office and Polish Air Force investigators have launched an inquiry. Some reports suggest the pilot may have miscalculated altitude while performing a loop maneuver.
This marks the third major accident in the history of the Radom airshow. In 2007, two pilots from a private aerobatic team were killed in a mid-air collision involving Zlin Z-526 aircraft. In 2009, a Belarusian Su-27 fighter jet crashed, killing both crew members.
