A midair collision between two Yakovlev Yak-52 acrobatic aircraft during an air show in southern Portugal resulted in the death of one Spanish pilot. The incident occurred at the Beja Air Show around 16:05 local time on Sunday, involving a performance by the Spanish-Portuguese Yakstars team.
The collision was captured by spectators on video, showing one plane (reg. EC-IAS) plummeting to the ground in a fireball while the other (reg. EC-NGZ) managed to land.
The videos suggest that one aircraft (Yakstar 4) descended from the six-ship formation and made a steep climb in front of the Vic-formation of the remaining five aircraft. During this manoeuvre, the aircraft struck the propeller of the aircraft in the left wing position (Yakstar 3). Yakstar 4 suffered severe damage to the tail, lost control and crashed. A post-impact fire erupted.
Emergency services responded promptly, and the event was cancelled immediately following the accident. The identity of the deceased pilot has not yet been released.
Pilot killed after two Yakovlev Yak-52 aircraft of the Spanish-Portuguese Yakstars formation team collided during the Beja Air Show in Portugal. pic.twitter.com/fKAczVQH8A
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) June 2, 2024
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