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A Hellenic Air Force F-16 fighter jet that made an emergency belly landing at Zakynthos International Airport last week has been transported back to mainland Greece as investigators continue examining the cause of the incident.<\/p>\n
The damaged aircraft was loaded onto the Levante Ferries<\/strong> vessel Kefalonia<\/em> at the Port of Zakynthos shortly before 2 a.m. on Wednesday before beginning its journey to Araxos Air Base<\/strong>, where it will undergo further inspection.<\/p>\n A specialised technical team from the Hellenic Air Force arrived on the island shortly after the emergency landing and spent several hours removing the aircraft from the airport runway. Engineers later dismantled the jet by removing its wings, allowing it to be transported by road from the airport to the port under police and coast guard escort.<\/p>\n Senior Hellenic Air Force officers, local authorities and civil protection personnel oversaw the operation.<\/p>\n The F-16 belongs to the 335 Squadron<\/strong> of the 116th Combat Wing<\/strong>, based at Araxos Air Base in western Greece.<\/p>\n The fighter was conducting a routine training mission when it experienced what preliminary assessments suggest was a landing gear malfunction.<\/p>\n Unable to deploy its landing gear, the aircraft landed on its fuselage and skidded along the runway for dozens of metres. The friction sparked a fire, which was quickly brought under control by the airport\u2019s firefighting teams.<\/p>\n The pilot safely evacuated the aircraft and was not injured.<\/p>\n Authorities have launched an official investigation to determine the exact cause of the malfunction and whether any technical or mechanical issues contributed to the emergency landing.<\/p>\n The aircraft will now undergo a detailed examination at Araxos Air Base as the investigation continues.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n