An Italian Air Force fighter crashed while participating in an air show, and the wreckage of the plane hit a civilian car, killing a 5-year-old girl. Which prompted the country’s senior officials to comment and offer condolences on the tragic incident.
The British newspaper The Daily Mail said on Saturday, September 16, 2023, that the plane fell after a bird collided with it, and stated that the incident occurred in front of people who gathered to watch the show, which was held by the “Tri-Colour Arrows” team in Turin.
The audience captured dramatic footage of the Italian Aermacchi MB339 fighter falling from the sky. The plane appears in the video clip as it flies in a formation consisting of several other planes, but it quickly loses its balance and falls away from the rest of the planes participating in the show. .
The video clip also shows cars moving in the vicinity of the place, before the impactful moment of collision occurs, and the pilot exits the plane before it hits the ground and turns into a fireball due to the explosion.
The pilot escaped unharmed and was taken to the nearby Giovanni Bosch Hospital in Turin, but paramedics were unable to save the girl. Officials said her brother was also seriously injured in the tragic accident. Her parents escaped unharmed but were being treated for shock.
Italian Air Force plane #crashes during practice run for air show, killing 5-year-old girl on the ground. Pilot ejected on time.#crash #planecrash #accident #AirForce #fire pic.twitter.com/DbCjwJ6wLQ
— Chaudhary Parvez (@ChaudharyParvez) September 17, 2023
The display was part of the celebration of the centenary of the Italian Air Force. All participating aircraft landed safely, and it was decided to stop the display immediately.
For their part, investigators are investigating the possibility that the plane collided with a bird while flying, which led to it losing balance and eventually falling.
Italian Defense Minister Guido Grosseto also expressed his “deep condolences” to those injured in this tragedy, and said: “We are horrified by the news, and we are deeply saddened by the tragic accident that occurred to a member of the Frecci Tricolore team, and the involvement of his plane in a car crash that was carrying it.” family”.
Grossetto added: “The Ministry expresses its condolences to the family members. There is no doubt that there are irreparable losses, and we never want to receive such news.”
Following the incident, the nearby Turin Airport was temporarily closed after the accident, to allow the display team to land, and would reopen later.
The “Frecchi Tricolori” team was established in 1961 and is affiliated with the Italian Air Force, works in an aerobatic display and is stationed at the Air Force Base in the province of Udine.
According to the British newspaper, since the formation of the team in 1961, Frecci Tricolori planes have been exposed to many accidents, the most serious of which was in 1988 during an air show in Ramstein, Germany, where 3 planes collided, in an accident that killed the pilots and injured 67 others on the ground with debris.
