[Updated] Greek F-16 has reportedly crashed on TLP apron during take off from Albacete. Other aircraft reportedly hit

Photos from Albacete airbase, in Spain, show fire on the flightline.

According to the reports coming from Albacete airbase, home of the Tactical Leadership Program, an F-16 belonging to the Hellenic Air Force has crashed on take off.

Photos emerging on social networks seem to suggest the aircraft may have hit the flightline: two Italian Air Force AMX jets seem to be quite close to the burning wreckage of the Greek two-seater F-16D. However, more aircraft are believed to be involved, since several explosions were heard following the impact of the HAF fighter jet.

www.rtve.es

Screenshot from rtve.es website

Spanish media outlets have been issuing updates since the incident occurred around 3.00 PM LT: according to the latest reports, 2 people were killed and 10 injured as a consequence of the crash.

Update 18.30 GMT

10 casualties and 13 injured people, according to the latest reports from the crash scene. At least one French Alpha Jet seems to have been hit by the F-16D; U.S. F-15E aircraft appears to be parked close to wrecked Fighting Falcon.

According to the Italian MoD 9 Italian military injured in the Greek Air Force F-16D crash at Albacete in Spain. The Italian contingent taking part in TLP includes 2 AMX jets from 51° Stormo (Wing) of the Italian Air Force from Istrana airbase and 5 AV-8B+ Harrier II of the Italian Navy from Grottaglie airbase.

 

Top image credit: @MotorAire

 

About David Cenciotti
David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.

5 Comments

  1. The latest news are : 2 Greeks and 8 French dead, 9 Italians and 10 French wounded.

    Aircraft involved : 1 Italian AMX Ghibli , 2 French Alpha Jet, 2 Mirage 2000D and 2 Rafale

  2. In the second picture behind the F-15E is a wrecked Alpha Jet and in the background the tail of the lost AMX: no F-16 there to be seen. Check the smoke column and it will look exactly as the one in the first image, seen form another angle: there is also the small ground just behind the tail for the first AMX that can be seen in the first image.

  3. For the OP, casualty is the wrong word to use. The sentence should state: 10 fatalities and 13 injured people. The word casualty includes fatalities and injured.

  4. Seems like a very unusual accident. I wonder what went wrong. Problems during takeoff usually result in crashes in the fields off-base and in takeoff direction. For the jet to turn so radically towards the flightline something must have happened to the controls i guess. Anyway, it’s a tragedy.

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