WATCH: Polish F-16 fighter jet nosedives and crashes during air show rehearsal, pilot killed

Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz confirmed the death and praised the pilot’s service. “A Polish Army pilot died in the crash of an F-16 aircraft – an officer who always served his country with dedication and great courage. I pay tribute to his memory,” he wrote on X after visiting the crash site.

⚡ BREAKING: F-16 fighter jet crashes during training for the Radom Air Show in Poland. Pilot killed

Aircraft crashed into the runway around 1730 GMT and damaged it. The Radom Airshow planned for the weekend has been cancelled.

Government spokesman Adam Szlapka confirmed the… pic.twitter.com/E3wFl6MKIP

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The crash took place at around 7.30 pm local time (11.00 pm IST), with no injuries reported among bystanders, as per local media reports. Firefighters and emergency crews were immediately deployed, but the pilot, who was part of NATO’s elite “Tiger Demo” unit, did not eject before impact, they added.

The crash prompted organisers to cancel AirSHOW Radom 2025, which had been scheduled for this weekend. The event, one of Poland’s largest aviation displays, regularly attracts international participants and audiences.

Tributes pour in from NATO partners

Italy’s Defence General Staff expressed “profound sorrow” in a post on X, while Latvia’s defence minister, who was visiting Polish troops earlier in the day, wrote that he was “deeply saddened” by the pilot’s death and extended condolences to his family and colleagues.

Poland purchased its first US-made F-16s in 2003, a jet considered a key part of NATO’s air defence strategy. The country has accelerated defence upgrades and military spending since Russia’s 2023 invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.

(With inputs from The Independent, Al Jazeera)