Parts of an F-4E Phantom II that crashed during an air display at Tanagra were found inside the body bag carrying one of the two dead pilots, raising new questions about the investigation into the tragedy.
According to a document obtained by Ta Nea, investigators discovered several objects linked to the aircraft while forensic authorities in Ioannina prepared the body of 37-year-old Squadron Leader Dimitrios Petrou for burial.
The findings reportedly included several parts, mainly from the aircraft’s cockpit. Initial examination also suggests that one object may form part of the aircraft’s altimeter, an instrument considered important to determining the Phantom’s flight path shortly before it lost control while flying at low altitude.
The discovery has raised concerns among state officials and relatives of the dead pilot about how the objects ended up inside the body bag and why experts from the Hellenic Air Force did not identify and examine them earlier.
Questions also surround whether the failure resulted from an oversight or whether someone deliberately left the objects unexamined.
The items travelled hundreds of kilometres from the crash site to Ioannina, potentially placing evidence from the accident at risk of being lost or destroyed.
The discovery has also prompted questions about whether similar aircraft components may have remained unidentified during the transfer and burial of the second pilot, 40-year-old Squadron Leader Ioannis Blesias, whose funeral took place in Pyrgos.
What happened in the Tanagra crash
The crash occurred at midday on Saturday, September 5, during an air display at Tanagra.
The aircraft, an F-4E Phantom II operated by the 338 Squadron of the 117 Combat Wing, crashed approximately three nautical miles southeast of the 114 Combat Wing, according to an official Hellenic Air Force announcement.
Both experienced pilots died in the crash. Blesias, 40, and Petrou, 37, had each accumulated more than 1,500 flight hours.
Authorities initially carried out forensic examinations of the two pilots in Athens before sending their bodies to Ioannina and Pyrgos for burial.
Document reveals discovery inside body bag
In a document dated September 10, 2026, the head of the Epirus Forensic Service, Ioannis Aivatidis, described the discovery made while he carried out the legally required embalming of Petrou’s body.
The document states that officials found several objects inside the body bag that had travelled with the body, including a partially burned Hellenic Air Force survival manual containing numerous pages.
Aivatidis said he immediately notified police in Ioannina. After taking his sworn statement, police seized the objects so authorities could formally preserve them as evidence from the aircraft crash.
Possible aircraft components
Initial examination of three or four pieces reportedly recovered from the body bag has identified several objects that could relate directly to the Phantom.
One green-coloured object appears likely to be part of an electronic circuit board, possibly featuring a card-edge connector. Analysts identified regularly arranged contacts resembling the “teeth” of a board connector, together with remnants of electronic components and soldering.
F-4 Phantom aircraft contained numerous removable electronic boards used in radar, communications, navigation and weapons systems.
Another object is now being examined for similarities to an aircraft altimeter mechanism. It reportedly resembles part of a rotating drum and scale marked “meters”, with figures including 4,000 and 8,000.
A separate metal component appears to be a military-style strap adjustment buckle, potentially from flight equipment such as a parachute or seat harness, or an oxygen-mask strap. Its pin-and-release design reportedly resembles a quick-release mechanism.
Investigators also identified a glossy black fragment that may have formed part of a cover or insulating casing. The piece appears to show signs of exposure to heat and burning.
The discovery could provide investigators with additional physical evidence as they examine the circumstances surrounding the fatal Phantom crash at Tanagra.
