The pilot of a Hellenic Air Force T-2 Buckeye training jet that crashed Wednesday near the Kalamata airbase in the Peloponnese has been confirmed dead. The pilot was the only person aboard the aircraft, Paralel.Az reports citing ekathimerini.

In a statement, the Hellenic Air Force Air Staff identified the deceased pilot as Squadron Leader Epaminondas Kostas, aged 40.

The causes of the crash remain unknown.

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A search-and-rescue operation was initiated on Wednesday following the crash of a Hellenic Air Force T-2 Buckeye training jet near the Kalamata airport in the Peloponnese. The pilot’s condition is currently unknown, Paralel.Az reports citing ekathimerini.

Reports suggest that an explosion was heard before the crash.

Further details are not yet available.

The T-2, a twin-engine training aircraft built in the United States, serves as the sole training jet aircraft for the Hellenic Air Force, primarily utilized in the concluding phase of young pilots’ training. These T-2s are stationed at the Kalamata airbase’s 120 Air Training Wing and are part of the 362 squadron “Nestor” and 363 squadron “Danaos.”