The Greek Air Force F-16 fighter jet that crash-landed at Zakynthos Airport last week was transported by a common ferry from the island early Wednesday. The aircraft is expected to be returned to its base at Araxos Air Base in western Greece.
The fighter jet was removed from the airport’s runway, dismantled, had its wings removed, it was covered and there it was loaded on a passenger and car-ferry, imerazante.gr, reported.
According to the local news website, the F-16 fighter jet was loaded onto “Kefalonia” ferry, a vessel operated by Levante Ferries, at the port of Zakynthos shortly before 2 a.m. Wednesday.
A large technical team arrived on the island on Thursday, shortly after the incident, and removed the damaged aircraft from the runway in an operation that lasted several hours. The jet was later dismantled, with its wings removed, before being transported from the airport to the port under police and coast guard escort, accompanied by senior Greek Air Force officials, local authorities and civil protection personnel.
The aircraft, assigned to the 335 Squadron of the 116th Combat Wing based at Araxos Air Base in western Greece, was conducting a training flight when the incident occurred on July 9. Initial assessments suggest the F-16 may have suffered a malfunction involving its landing gear.
The pilot was not injured.
The fighter landed without its landing gear deployed and skidded for dozens of meters along the runway. The intense friction between the aircraft’s fuselage and the pavement caused a fire, which was quickly extinguished by the airport’s firefighting crews.
An investigation into the cause of the accident continues.
