Tragic midair collision at Portuguese air show claims pilot’s life

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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.

 

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