 On 8 October 1996, during an air-to-air confrontation over the Aegean Sea in the Athens FIR, a Greek Mirage 2000 fired an R550 Magic missile and shot down a Turkish F-16D.The Greek government claimed that the Turkish aircraft had violated Greek airspace, however, the Turkish government claimed that it had been on a training mission north of the Greek island of Samos, close to the Turkish mainland.The Turkish pilot died, while the co-pilot ejected and was rescued by Greek forces.