(Components of image compilation from EPRA Skyline/siepomaga/EPRA Skyline)An F-16 pilot was killed Thursday when his fighter jet crashed during rehearsals for an airshow in central Poland, according to Reuters. The crash was caught on camera, showing the F-16 bursting into flames upon impact with the runway.The pilot was identified by the Airshow Radom Facebook page as Major Maciej “Slab” Krakowian.Poland’s Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz confirmed the death in a post on X, saying, “I am at the scene of the tragedy. In the F-16 plane crash, a Polish Army pilot died — an officer who always served the Fatherland with dedication and great courage. I pay tribute to his memory. To the family and loved ones, I offer my deepest condolences. This is a great loss for the Air Force and the entire Polish Army.” A Polish fundraising page through the Siepomaga Foundation said Major Krakowian was an experienced fighter and instructor pilot at the 31st Tactical Air Base in Poznan-Krzesiny and a member of the Tiger demo team.He was 35 years old and left behind his wife and 4-year-old twins.The Armed Forces said the accident involved an aircraft from the 31st Tactical Air Base, according to Reuters. No one else was injured.The Radom Airshow, planned for the weekend, has been canceled.RELATED ARTICLES:Plane entered sharp descent, engine steady, in crash that killed Anh-Thu NguyenLast flying WWII-era Douglas A-20 Havoc crashes during airshow, injuring pilotNTSB concludes pilot failed to maintain airspeed in 2023 crash that killed 2 in Oshkosh
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