AT LEAST one pilot has been killed in a horror mid-air collision at an air show in Portugal.
Two small planes crashed during the Beja Air Show infront of thousands of horrified onlookers as harrowing footage caught the moment the plane plunged to the ground before exploding.
XThe horrific moment the planes crashed, leaving one dead[/caption]
XA fireball erupted as the plane hit the ground[/caption]
XMoments before the low flying plane flew upwards and crashed into another air craft[/caption]
Five other stunt planes were involved in the aerobatic accident with one pilot also being injured, the air force said.
They announced: “The air force regrets to announce that at 4:05 pm (1505 GMT), at the Beja Air Show, two planes were the victim of an accident during an aerial demonstration.”
The event was quickly cancelled after the crash as more than 30 emergency vehicles rushed to the air field.
Scary footage caught the moment the group of planes were soaring through the sky in formation before one lost control and flew upwards into the other five.
After it clipped an aircraft it continued to fly upwards before it began to tumble towards the ground.
The jet suffered severe damage to its tail that caused it to lose control and crash.
Horrified onlookers can be heard screaming “oh no, oh no”, before a giant fireball erupts when it smashes into the ground.
The pilot was of Spanish nationality.
The Portugese Air Force said in a statement: “It is with an enormous feeling of regret and consternation that the Air Force pays the greatest condolences to family, friends and acquaintances, being deeply supportive in this hour of loss.”
The plane that was clipped could also be seen plummenting towards the ground but is believed to have succesfully avoided disaster and landed, say local media.
Both planes were Yakovlev Yak-52 aircrafts used by the Spanish and Portugese Yakstars formation teams at air shows.
The event was celebrating the 72nd anniversary of the Air Force with almost 100,000 visitors expected throughout the weekend.
Public Security Police have started to investigate the accident alongside the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Office for the Prevention and Investigation of Aircraft Accidents and Railway Accidents.
It comes just days after a British Royal Air Force pilot died after a Spitfire plane crashed during a Battle of Britain event.
The aircraft came down at around 1.20pm on Saturday during a display at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.
Photos from the scene show emergency services gathered around the wreckage of the plane just feet away from a house.
It had been taking part in a civilian airshow just nine miles from the base to commemorate the RAF’s role in fending off German attacks during the Second World War.