On Camera, Polish F-16 Crashes Into Fireball During Airshow Rehearsal, Pilot Dead (WATCH)

A Polish F-16 fighter jet crashed Thursday while preparing for an air show in the central city of Radom, killing the pilot, a government spokesperson said. "Tragedy in Radom, during preparations for the air show, a F-16 jet crashed. Unfortunately, the pilot has died," Adam Szlapka wrote on X. The defence minister headed to the site of the accident, it added.

Poland, Aug 28, 19:25 local: a Polish Air Force F-16 from the Tiger Demo Team crashed during rehearsal at Radom Air Base. The pilot, Maj. Maciej“SLAB” Krakowian, was killed. Clips show a descending pass at full power, no ejection, no injuries on the ground. The Radom Air Show... twitter/APkdS1QIPu

- Collectivistica Messorem (@PRWarRoom) August 28, 2025

No one on the ground was injured in the crash, according to a statement from the Polish military.

Videos on social media, showed the aircraft performing an acrobatic manoeuvre before crashing onto the runway in a ball of fire. The Radom air show, about 100 kilometres (62 miles) south of Warsaw, is scheduled to take place this weekend.

Polish F16 aircraftCrashed during low level aerobatics practicePilot passed away in the crashPSCan't understand why people use such under powered aircraft for aerobatics, even with full after burners it slammed the ground twitter/OkUWAynMdY

- Dr MJ Augustine Vinod 🇮🇳 (@mjavinod) August 28, 2025

Poland Deputy PM Expresses Grief

Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, Deputy Prime Minister of Poland, confirmed the news and expressed grief over a "great loss for the Air Force."

Through a post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz informed that they are at the incident location. "In the F-16 plane crash, a Polish Army pilot died - an officer who always served his country with dedication and great courage. I pay tribute to his memory. To the family and loved ones, I offer my deepest condolences."

Jestem na miejscu tragedii. W katastrofie samolotu F-16 zginął pilot Wojska Polskiego – oficer, który zawsze służył Ojczyźnie z oddaniem i wielką odwagą.Składam hołd Jego pamięci i bliskim składam najgłębsze wyrazy współczucia wielka strata dla Sił Powietrznych i...

- Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (@KosiniakKamysz) August 28, 2025

"This is a great loss for the Air Force and the entire Polish Army," they added.

The cause of the crash is yet to be ascertained.

(With inputs from AFP)

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