Greece says goodbye to F-4 Phantom pilots: funerals for Blesias and Petrou will be held on September 10

On Thursday, September 10, Greece will say goodbye to two air force pilots, Ioannis Blesias and Dimitris Petrou.who died during F-4 Phantom crash during Athens Flying Week in Tanagra.

Both officers were on board the double F-4E Phantom IIwhich crashed on September 5 during a demonstration flight at Tanagra airbase.

Ioannis Blesias: ceremony in Pyrgos

Funeral Ioannis Blesias will take place on Thursday, September 10, in his native Ilia.

The funeral service will begin at 10:00 in the Metropolitan Church of St. Nicholas on the central square of the city Pyrgos.

Relatives, friends, colleagues of the deceased officer, representatives of the Armed Forces and residents of Ilia are expected at the temple to come to say goodbye to the pilot.

The Greek Minister of National Defense is also expected to attend the ceremony. Nikos Dendias.

After the funeral service is completed, the body of Ioannis Blesias will be taken to First cemetery of Pyrgoswhere the burial will take place.

Dimitris Petrou: funeral in Ioannina

On the same day, Greece will say goodbye to the second crew member of the deceased F-4 Phantom – Dimitris Petrou.

His funeral will take place in Katsikase, Ioannina. A funeral service is scheduled for 16:30 in the Church of Saints Constantine and Helena.

The officer’s body will be taken to the temple approximately an hour before the ceremony begins, followed by burial in a local cemetery.

Dimitris Petrou left behind a wife and little daughter.

The funeral had previously had to be postponed because the procedure for identifying the remains of the dead pilots had not yet been completed.

Two pilots – one tragedy

Ioannis Blesias and Dimitris Petrou were crew members of the F-4 Phantom that crashed on September 5 during an international airshow. Athens Flying Week in Tanagra.

#Τανάγρα συντριβή #Phantom Athens Flying Week 2026. pic.twitter.com/GEHQsnlToP

— Matheol (@SMatheol) September 5, 2026

The plane crashed shortly after the demonstration flight began. After the fall, a large fire broke out. Both officers were killed.

The causes of the disaster have not yet been officially established. The investigation into the incident continues.

Thus, September 10 will be the day of farewell to two Greek Air Force officers: in the morning the funeral ceremony will take place in Pyrgos, and in the afternoon in Ioannina.

For the Greek Air Force, this will be the last military duty to two pilots, whose death during a demonstration flight in Tanagra became one of the most difficult tragedies of Athens Flying Week in recent years.

Source link