A Polish Air Force F-16 fighter jet crashed and burst into flames during a late-afternoon rehearsal for the AirSHOW Radom 2025, killing the pilot, authorities said. Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz arrived at the scene and confirmed that no bystanders were injured. The weekend airshow has been canceled.
The jet belonged to the 31st Tactical Air Base in Poznań-Krzesiny and was performing a demonstration maneuver when it hit the runway. The crash occurred around 19:25–19:30 local time (17:25–17:30 GMT), according to early official briefings. Emergency responders secured the area and halted all further practice flights.
The military identified the victim as Major Maciej “Slab” Krakowian, a veteran display pilot and instructor with 17 years’ service in the Polish Air Force. Krakowian, 35, led the F-16 Tiger Demo Team Poland and was recently honored with the “As the Crow Flies” trophy at the Royal International Air Tattoo 2025. Tributes from Poland’s armed forces hailed him as one of the country’s finest aviators.
A formal investigation is underway by military police and prosecutors. Video posted online shows the jet rolling before impact; aviation reporters and local outlets, citing early internal assessments, say the aircraft may have stalled at low altitude during a barrel-roll-type maneuver—an assessment officials have not yet finalized. Investigators cautioned that definitive conclusions will follow evidence collection and analysis.
President Karol Nawrocki and Prime Minister Donald Tusk offered condolences to the pilot’s family. The President’s Chancellery said he is receiving continuous updates from the National Security Bureau (BBN); the bureau dispatched Lt. Gen. Adam Rzeczkowski, Director of the Department for Command over the Armed Forces, to Radom.
At an evening briefing in Radom, Defense Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz announced the cancellation of AirSHOW Radom 2025, saying the focus now is on supporting the pilot’s family and conducting a thorough investigation. Local organizers indicated ticket refunds will be arranged.
Krakowian was widely known within Europe’s air-display community. Beyond instructing on the F-16, he accumulated more than 1,400 flight hours (about 1,200 on the F-16) and trained in the United States. Military leaders and colleagues described him as an ambassador for Polish military aviation, with recent performances drawing international praise.
Prosecutors from Warsaw’s military division and crash investigators will map wreckage, analyze flight-data sources where available, review maintenance records, and interview witnesses and ground crews. Authorities said they will release further information once preliminary findings are ready.
