Polish F-16 Fighter Jet Crashes, Pilot Killed

Polish F-16 Fighter Jet Crashes, Pilot Killed

A Polish Air Force F-16 fighter jet crashed during an airshow rehearsal in Radom on Thursday evening, killing its pilot, officials confirmed.

The aircraft went down at around 19:30 CET after hitting the runway, according to local media reports. Government spokesperson Adam Szłapka announced the death of the pilot in a post on X, but provided no further details.

W katastrofie samolotu F-16 zginął polski pilot. Cześć Jego pamięci! Rodzinie i bliskim składam z całego serca najgłębsze wyrazy współczucia.

— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) August 28, 2025

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, who had earlier spoken with Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Air Force Commander Major General Adam Rzeczkowski, visited the crash site.

The rescue operation was launched immediately, led by the airport fire brigade and reinforced by units under the Ministry of the Interior and Administration.

Authorities have not yet disclosed the cause of the crash, while investigations are expected to be launched by military and aviation experts.