Greece downed Turkish fighter aircraft in 1996 incident: former general

spacewar.com ^ | May 19, 2003 | AFP

[Destro]

Greece downed Turkish fighter aircraft in 1996 incident: former general

ANKARA (AFP) May 19, 2003

A former Turkish general on Monday said Ankara should ask for compensation for an unprecedented incident in which Greece shot down a Turkish fighter aircraft over the Aegean Sea in 1996.

The Turkish newspaper Milliyet said former general Ahmet Corekci, who was Turkish air force chief at the time of the incident, confirmed press reports about the clash to the paper.

A Turkish airforce F-16 was lost over the Aegean Sea during a training mission in October 1996 in what Ankara said was international airspace north of the Greek island of Samos, close to Turkish mainland.

One of the pilots managed to eject after the plane was hit by a missile but his co-pilot, Captain Nail Erdogan, was killed.

The two NATO members have long been at loggerheads over the limits of their respective airspace and repeatedly accuse each other of violations.

Greece claims a 10-mile (16-kilometer) airspace limit around its long coastline but Turkey only recognizes six miles, arguing that under international rules Greece's airspace should be the same as its territorial waters.

In 1996 the two neigbors were also at the brink of war after a dispute over a barren Aegean islet. Tensions dropped after US mediation.

[Destro]

Molon Labe!

[Publicus]

I wonder how much US taxpayer funded baksheesh was paid by US officials to "mediate" and keep the incident from escalating?

[Destro]

I doubt bribe money was paid to either side.

[Phatheon]

The pilot was then Flight Lt.Thanos(Athanassios)Grivas of 332 Sqn.

Let us note that the F-16D in questin violated Greek national airspace and refused to leave the area, engaging the Mirage 2000 into tight descending turns. As soon as the pilot felt his commit criteria were reached, he shot down the bogey with a Magic II missile.