Olek and Mikołaj will now grow up without their father, who died in service as an aviator. Poles are showing remarkable solidarity, and the amount raised is increasing rapidly.
On Thursday evening, during training flights ahead of the AirSHOW at the Radom airfield, a Polish F-16 crashed. Major Maciej “Slab” Krakowian—one of the most decorated Polish F-16 pilots and leader of the Tiger Demo Team—was killed in the crash. The weekend’s scheduled shows were canceled.
For years, Major Krakowian’s air displays amazed thousands, and his recent “As the Crow Flies” award at RIAT 2025 was just one of the many visible signs of recognition he earned both at home and within the international aviation community.
Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, visiting the 31st Tactical Air Base in Poznań–Krzesiny, where Major Krakowian served, said on Friday that his family has been provided with appropriate support. In addition, an online fundraiser has been launched to help the sons of “Slab” through this difficult time. Just 4 years old, Olek and Mikołaj suddenly lost their beloved father.
The death of Maciej is not only a tremendous loss for the Polish Armed Forces and the entire aviation community. Above all, it is a family tragedy—the grief of a wife and children who lost their whole world in a single moment: their beloved husband and father.
“All proceeds from the fundraiser will go toward this purpose and to support the major’s sons. We are asking for your help for two little boys who will now have to grow up without their dad. Every gesture of support is a tribute to Maciej’s courage and sacrifice, a way to honor his memory and his service. It is a building block toward the future of his children, so they may grow up with a sense of safety and support—the very things their father always wished for them,” reads the fundraiser’s description.