Video shows drama near Turin
Aerobatic team pilot crashes – child dead
September 16, 2023, 8:42 p.m
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An incident that is somewhat reminiscent of the Ramstein disaster in Germany in 1986: In Italy, an aerobatic team aircraft crashed while flying in a formation. A five-year-old is killed and her parents are taken to the hospital. The pilot can save himself.
According to media reports, a five-year-old girl was fatally injured when an Italian aerobatic team plane crashed near Turin. The pilot of the plane was able to save himself because he catapulted himself out of the plane with his parachute in time, the Ansa news agency reported. Two adults and a nine-year-old boy were also injured and taken to hospitals in Turin with burns. According to the information, the dead woman is the daughter of the two adults. Pictures from the scene of the accident show rubble from a burned-out car.
During a rehearsal by the Italian Air Force’s aerobatic team (“Frecce Tricolori”) for a performance to mark the 100th anniversary of the air force, the plane crashed shortly after take-off. On a video On social media, the plane can be seen separating from its formation and flying towards the runway at high speed.
Shortly before touching the ground, the pilot jumps out with his parachute and the plane bursts into flames. A long, huge cloud of fire and dark smoke stretches across a field. According to an initial reconstruction, a burning part of the plane hit the family’s car, which was driving on a nearby country road, Italian media reported.
The exact circumstances of the incident near Caselle airport are unclear. However, the Turin newspaper “La Stampa” reported that the plane may have collided with a flock of birds and that the pilot may have lost control of the aircraft as a result.