Greek fighter pilot killed in crash after Turkish intercept mission

ATHENS:A Greek fighter pilot died Thursday when his plane crashed in the Aegean while returning from a mission to intercept Turkish jets, officials said.

“A Greek pilot (has entered) the pantheon of heroes,” Defence Minister Panos Kammenos said in a tweet.“He fell... fighting to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said the pilot, a father-of-two named as Georgios Baltadoros, died “in the line of duty.”The Greek armed forces will observe a three-day period of mourning over the accident, the defence ministry said.

The Greek airforce said Baltadoros was fatally hurt when his Mirage 2000-5 fell into the sea while preparing to land “after concluding an operational mission.”Reports said the pilot may have blacked out during a combat exercise on the return home.

A Greek general staff source told AFP that the plane was returning from a mission to intercept Turkish fighter jets.“The mission was over and the plane was returning,” the source said.

“We still don’t know if there was an actual engagement with the Turkish airforce,” the officer added.Citing military sources, state TV ERT said there had been no engagement with the Turkish airforce.