The incident occurred minutes after 11 a.m. on Wednesday when a T-2 fighter jet was conducting a training exercise in Kalamata.
Witnesses reported a sudden loud bang, followed by the explosion of the aircraft in mid-air.
Immediately, searches to identify the wreckage commenced, and an alarm was sounded by all the authorities.
The aircraft was eventually found a few meters north of 120 PEA, with the pilot on board deceased. As a result, the area continues to be cordoned off.
According to an announcement by the General Aviation Authority on Wednesday, December 27, 2023, at 11:28 a.m., a T-2E Buckeye aircraft belonging to the 363rd Air Training Squadron of the 120th Air Training Wing met a devastating fate. The incident unfolded during a routine training flight, merely half a nautical mile northwest of Kalamata airport. Tragically, the pilot identified as Commander (I) Epaminondas Kosteas, a seasoned aviator aged 40, suffered fatal injuries in the crash.
