A Polish Air Force F-16 fighter jet crashed on Thursday evening during a rehearsal for the Radom Air Show in central Poland, killing its pilot and igniting a fire on the runway, the General Command of the Armed Forces said. No injuries were reported among spectators or ground personnel at Sadków Airport, about 100 kilometres south of Warsaw. The single-seat F-16C, assigned to the 31st Tactical Air Base near Poznań, was flown by Major Maciej “Slab” Krakowian, commander of the service’s Tiger Demo Team. Video published by local media shows the aircraft performing a barrel-roll manoeuvre before striking the tarmac at roughly 17:30 GMT (19:30 local time) and breaking apart in flames. Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz travelled to the crash site and offered condolences, while government spokesperson Adam Szłapka confirmed the death. Military prosecutors have opened an investigation to determine the cause of the accident. The two-day Radom Air Show, which was expected to feature aircraft from about 20 countries this weekend, has been cancelled.