On Thursday, July 9, 2026, a Hellenic Air Force Lockheed Martin F-16C Block 52+ Advanced multirole fighter made a gear-up emergency landing at Zakynthos International Airport “Dionysios Solomos.” The pilot was uninjured, but the aircraft caught fire. It belonged to the 116th Combat Wing, based at Araxos Air Base near Patras.
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According to available information, the aircraft suffered a mechanical failure during a training flight and was diverted to the nearest airport, Zakynthos International Airport. The pilot may then have made an error during the landing, causing the landing gear to fail to deploy properly. The aircraft made a belly landing and subsequently caught fire. It appears that both the primary and backup hydraulic systems for the landing gear may have failed.
The pilot was able to exit the cockpit unaided. Airport firefighters extinguished the blaze and covered the wreckage with foam. The cause of the accident is under investigation by a commission, and the airport was temporarily closed.
Hellenic Air Force F-16 performed a gear-up landing at Dionysios Solomos (ZTH) airport on the Greek island of Zakynthos due to a landing gear malfunction today.
The F-16 caught fire on the ground and the pilot safely egressed without ejecting. pic.twitter.com/blKgZGseP2
— Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) July 9, 2026
Video posted online captured the moments immediately following the emergency landing of a Hellenic Air Force F-16C Fighting Falcon today at Zakynthos International Airport in Southern Greece, with flames seen under the aircraft being quickly being extinguished by firefighters at… pic.twitter.com/2dGQqE3J7y
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) July 9, 2026
✈️🇬🇷 Greek F-16 fighter jet caught fire on the tarmac of the Zakynthos International Airport after conducting an emergency landing.
The pilot is said to be alive and well. Shortly after take-off from the Araxos Air Base, the F-16 experienced an unspecified technical issue,… pic.twitter.com/YBvXZTT5FJ
— Status-6 (War & Military News) (@Archer83Able) July 9, 2026
Before the accident, the Hellenic Air Force (Elliniki Polemiki Aeroporia, EPA) operated 154 F-16 multirole aircraft. Of these, 83 newer F-16C/D Block 30/50/52/52+ Advanced aircraft are undergoing modernization to the F-16V standard. On April 15 this year, Lockheed Martin announced that its local partner, Hellenic Aerospace Industry (HAI), had delivered the 50th upgraded aircraft to the customer.
The modernization program was approved by the Greek government on April 29, 2018, and was originally intended to cover 85 aircraft rather than the 123 previously planned. However, after the technical condition of the individual aircraft was assessed, one was removed from the program, followed by another. Today’s accident will probably reduce the modernization program once again, this time to 82 aircraft.
Greece strengthens NATO-ready airpower with 50th F-16V! 🇬🇷✈️
As one of Europe’s most active fighter upgrade programs, the F-16 “Viper” upgrade enables pilots to see, track and respond faster across complex, allied operations. pic.twitter.com/FOoeV35zPr
— Lockheed Martin Europe (@LMEuropeNews) April 15, 2026