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Polish F-16 crashes during Radom air show; first details on pilot emerge - Watch
Following the accident, the Radom Airshow planned for the weekend has been cancelled.
A pilot died after a Polish Air Force F-16 fighter jet crashed during a rehearsal for an airshow in Radom, central Poland, on Thursday. Following the accident, the Radom Airshow planned for the weekend has been cancelled.
The plane crashed into the runway around 1730 GMT and damaged it, reports said. Adam Szlapka, the government spokesperson, confirmed the death of the pilot on X, and said that defense minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz was on his way to the accident site.
Details of the pilot emerge
Videos circulating on social media showed the plane go down in a fiery blaze.
Hindustan Times has not been able to independently verify these videos.
The defense minister confirmed the death of the pilot on a X post, and added that he was on the scene. “I am at the scene of the tragedy. In the F-16 plane crash, a Polish Army pilot died – an officer who always served the Fatherland with dedication and great courage. I pay tribute to His memory. To the family and loved ones, I offer my deepest condolences. This is a great loss for the Air Force and the entire Polish Army,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
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The pilot is believed to have been Major pil. Maciej, SLAB” Krakowian. The Radom airshow site states Tiger Demo Team with their F-16 Fighting Falcon would be part of the airshow and the man flying the plane would be Krakowian, who has been described as “one of the most experienced and well-known air display pilots in Poland.” Several X handles also began to mourn his demise. Hindustan Times has not been able to independently confirm if it was Krakowian at the wheel when the plane crashed.
Meanwhile, the Polish military has confirmed that nobody on ground was hurt, AFP reported.
The Radom air show was to take place about 100 kilometres (62 miles) south of Warsaw.
