A F16 fighter jet has been filmed as it nosed dived and then crashed in a ball of flames during practice for a world famous airshow.
The horrific accident occurred at around 7.25 pm local time today and involved a member of the Tiger Demo team. Firefighters rushed to the scene in Radom, Poland, after the aircraft did not recover after arrowing down to the runway and hit the ground.
Local reports state that the pilot was not seen ejecting the plane during rehearsals for the Radom International Air Show by Radom Airport.
Follow our live blog on the incident here:
Footage shows the plane nosediving and then crashing on the runway
The tragic moment the F16 fighter jet plummeted towards the ground and then hit the runway as it attempted to sweep away has been caught on video.
Immediately after the plane hit the runway it burst into flames and wouldn’t have given the pilot time to eject.
F16 pilot has tragically died following horror crash on runway
A pilot whose F16 fighter jet crashed during rehearsals for an airshow this weekend in Poland, tragically died, confirmed a government minister.
“A tragic evening for the Polish Air Force, the crash of an F-16 aircraft. I just spoke with Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, the Minister of Defense, who is traveling to Radom. (…) The pilot did not survive,” the Minister of Special Services, Tomasz Siemoniak, told TVN24.
Thousands of plane enthusiasts flock to biggest air show in Poland
Thousands of plane enthusiasts visit the biennial air show which is the biggest in Poland to see the displays.
The International Air Show Radom this year is due to take place this coming weekend August 30-31 at Radon airport, and is a sell out with 90,000 tickets sold.
“This is undoubtedly the largest aviation event in Poland, both in terms of the programme and the number of spectators,” said spokesman Lieutenant Marcin Helak.
Crashed fighter jet is understood to belong to Polish Air Force
The F-16 fighter jet which crashed is believed to belong to the country’s air force.
The Tiger Demo Team Poland is the official air display team of the Polish Air Force.
It is based at the Poznań-Krzesiny military airfield, where the F-16 Jastrząb aircraft of the 31st Tactical Air Base are also stationed.
Plane crashed into a fireball on the runway at the event in Poland
A witness has told of seeing an F-16 aircraft from the Tiger Demo team nosediving over the runway, failing to recover, and then hitting the ground.
The plane immediately burst into flames with firefighters rushing to the scene.