A Hellenic Air Force F-4 crashed during an airshow routine near Athens on Saturday, killing both crew members. The Phantom was taking part in the annual Athens Flying Week at Tanagra Air Base, about 40 miles from Athens, when it went down outside the main viewing area. The Vietnam-era fighter had just taken off when it disappeared from view behind some trees and crashed, starting a large fire. There were no parachutes.
The fire spread to nearby bush and prompted a major response from wildfire crews. Both bodies were recovered from the wreckage. Greece has ordered a three-day mourning period for the service members. Greece has used Phantoms in a variety of roles since the 1970s and modernized 39 of them in 1998 to take modern missiles and bombs. There are only 16 in service and they will be retired as deliveries of 40 F-35s begin. The country also operates 142 F-16s.
