Child (5) dies after Italian Air Force stunt team plane crashes into car: footage shows plane crashing and catching fire | Abroad

The older brother of the deceased child was admitted to a hospital with serious burns. The children’s parents were also taken to a hospital with burns.

The accident happened in the municipality of San Francesco al Campo, close to a runway at Turin airport. The aircraft of the special and famous demonstration unit Frecce Tricolori (Tricolored Arrows) crashed shortly after take-off. The Frecce Tricolori were the highlight of an aviation festival at the airport this weekend and they were also due to close the event on Sunday. That event was part of celebrations for the centenary of the Italian Air Force, but was canceled immediately after the tragedy.

According to the newspaper ‘La Repubblica’, the pilot reported to his team leader that he had an engine problem. Immediately afterwards he allegedly initiated the procedure to abandon the plane so that the plane would not crash above San Francesco al Campo. According to the newspaper, initial reconstructions show that a burning part of the plane broke off and landed on the family’s car.

Turin airport was closed for some time as a result of the dramatic accident, the cause of which is not yet known. Some eyewitnesses spoke of a flock of birds hindering takeoff, but this has not been confirmed.

Images of the crash are circulating on social media. It shows that the pilot used his ejection seat just before the plane crashed. Then fire and clouds of black smoke can be seen. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini also shared the video on X, the former Twitter. He calls the accident “a terrible tragedy”.