Turkish F-16 in emergency
Fears grew yesterday that repeated incursions into Greek air space by Turkish fighter jets, which have been conducting low-altitude flights over inhabited Greek islands, would soon lead to a tragic accident after a plane ran into trouble over the eastern Aegean. According to the Hellenic Air Force, six Turkish F-16 jets entered Greek air space at 4.11 p.m. Two of these airplanes broke off from the formation and flew at a height of 3,000 feet over Farmakonisi, then at 1,000 feet over Agathonisi and 3,300 feet over Fournoi. Two Greek fighters approached the Turkish planes in a bid to force them away from the islands but, at that point one, of the Turkish F-16s issued an emergency warning due to problems with its flight-control system. Turkish air force officers immediately made contact with their Greek counterparts in a bid to secure a clear and quick route for the F-16 to return to its base in Eskisehir, in Turkey’s northwest. The plane left Greek air space after flying at 15,000 feet over Icaria.
