The 29-year-old Sub-Commander managed to get out of the F-16 safely, which was falling in the area of Psathoura, south of Halkidiki. The pilot abandoned the fighter aircraft in time and for an hour and a half he was fighting in the sea. The flyer sent out an SOS and so the super puma found him and initially transported him to Lemnos.
He was later transferred to Athens at the 251 General Aviation Hospital where he remains for precautionary reasons.
It was 33 minutes past one in the afternoon when the alarm went off at the air force operations center. The pilot of an F16 block 52 plus was forced to abandon his aircraft.
The aircraft had taken off from the 110th Fighter Wing in Larissa. The pilot was forced to abandon it near the islet of Psathoura in the Northern Sporades. Fortunately the pilot was able to successfully use the aircraft’s ejection system and crash into the sea.
A search and rescue helicopter immediately took off from Limnos, while coast guard and parasailing vessels rushed to the area.
Two minutes after three the rescuers located and pulled the operator from the sea. The pilot who struggled in the sea for 1.5 hours was immediately transferred to the 251 General Aviation Hospital and underwent a series of tests. As reported by SKAI journalist Louisa Krondiris, the axial and magnetic scans came out clean. According to information, the doctors estimate that there is no cause for concern. However, he will remain hospitalized for at least 24 hours for preventive reasons. According to the report, he is in a good psychological condition, while his wife is by his side from the first moment, while his father is also expected to arrive at the hospital.
The father of the F-16 pilot who crashed at noon, Mr. Apostolakis, spoke to mega while he was traveling from Larissa to Athens to see his son.
The pilot’s father, who was picked up earlier after the F-16 crashed and taken to a hospital, spoke on the live news show.
The father of the pilot of the fighter plane said that at this time he is coming down from Larissa to Athens to see his child and that he does not know the details yet, but in a short communication his son told him that he is fine. Mr. Apostolakis added that he is not in a good psychological state to speak more.
We remind you that the Air Force was alerted at 1:29 p.m. for the F-16 fighter jet crash on the island of Psathoura, south of Halkidiki.
The pilot was fortunately able to use the seat ejection system and exit the aircraft. He was found in good health by rescuers. The rescuers managed to get the pilot on board the Super Puma and took him to the 251 General Aviation Hospital in Athens.
The chronicle of the fall of the F-16 in Halkidiki
The pilot managed to eject from the aircraft, as nearby eyewitnesses saw a parachute close to the crash site.
A Super Puma helicopter was immediately raised from Lemnos, to begin locating him. The F-16 had taken off from the 337th “Ghost” squadron of the 110th combat wing, in Larissa…
The Coast Guard was also informed of the incident at the same time, with five vessels rushing to assist in the search and rescue.
The General Air Staff announced that: “On Wednesday, March 20, 2024 at 1:29 p.m., an F-16 Block 52+ single-seater aircraft of the 337th Squadron, 110th Fighter Wing (FM), which was performing a training flight, crashed in the maritime area of Psathouras.
The second announcement of the General Air Staff
“The operator of the F-16 Block 52+ aircraft of the 337th Squadron of the 110th Fighter Wing, which crashed in the Psathoura maritime area, on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, was picked up alive at 15:02 by a Super Puma helicopter of the 130th Fighter Wing, of Aviation and is directed to the 251 General Hospital of Aviation”.
The Minister of Defense, Nikos Dendias, in a post on Twitter, wished the pilot a speedy return to his duties. “We express our most sincere wishes for a speedy return to his duties, to the pilot of the F-16 fighter aircraft of the Air Force, which crashed today in the Aegean sea area. Congratulations to those who participated in the successful and speedy rescue operation.”
We express our most sincere wishes for a speedy return to his duties, to the pilot of the F-16 fighter aircraft of the Air Force, which crashed today in the Aegean Sea. Congratulations to those involved in the successful and speedy operation…
— Nikos Dendias (@NikosDendias) March 20, 2024
F-16 Block 52: What is the downed fighter – Its characteristics
According to the official website of the Air Force, the Greek Air Force is the first air force in the world to be equipped with the specific F-16 version.
The aircraft in question is an improved version of the BLOCK 50 with advanced electronic systems and a sophisticated engine. The Greek BLOCK 52+ belong to 340, 343 and 337 degrees with callsigns “Fox”, “Star” and “Ghost” respectively. They operate from the air bases of Souda (115 AM) and Larissa (110 AM).
Technical characteristics/Performance
Crew: 1 (C model), 2 (D model)
Engine: 1 Pratt & Whitney F100-PW 229/Thrust: 29,100 lbs
Wingspan: 9.96m
Length: 15.06 m
Maximum speed: 2,173 km. per hour or Mach 2.05
Maximum height: 15,240m. or 50,000 feet
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