A pilot has been seriously injured after his plane crashed into the ground in front of thousands of shocked onlookers at an air show.
The crowd at the Avalon Airshow in Victoria were watching a performance by the Sky Aces Formation Aerobatic Team on Friday at about 5.15pm when one of the aircraft hurtled to the ground during a manoeuvre.
Organisers later announced through a loudspeaker that the pilot was alive, met with cheers from onlookers.
Emergency services have since confirmed that he is in a serious condition and has been airlifted to hospital.
An eyewitness from Melbourne, Matthew, told Daily Mail Australia he couldn’t believe his eyes at what unfolded.
‘The orange plane was doing a loop and didn’t pull up. He just went straight into the ground,’ he said.
‘I said to my mate before coming I had a bad feeling a plane would crash and then it happened.’
He said the crowd had been keen to watch the father and son team perform at the show.
‘The crowd just fell silent. It was weird.
‘I think most people were watching the other three planes which were doing separate acrobatics.
‘The one that crashed was doing a loop separately from the other three planes. If he had another 2-3 meters he would have made it.’
Two emergency vehicles could be seen driving to the incident. An Ambulance Victoria spokesperson said paramedics responded at about 5.35pm.
‘There is one patient with upper and lower body injuries, in a serious condition,’ the spokesperson said.
‘An air ambulance has been dispatched.’
Victoria Police also said officers responded to the crash.
‘Emergency services were called to reports the plane, which was conducting a demonstration during an air show, had lost control and crashed into the tarmac about 5.15pm,’ a spokesperson said.
‘The pilot and sole occupant of the aircraft sustained serious injuries.
‘The incident occurred a significant distance away from spectators and there have been no reports of further injuries.
‘The exact circumstance surrounding the crash are yet to be determined.’
The rest of today’s flights at the airshow have been cancelled.
