Airshow Accidents



2002 November 10th. USA, South Carolina, Columbia: An F4U built in 1945 crashed after departing from a local air show. The pilot was killed


2002 November 4th. Dominican Republic, San Isidro Air Force Base, Caribbean Air Show: A vintage F-86E Sabre crashed shortly after take-off. The pilot died.


2002 October 6th. USA, Texas, Midland International Airport, CAF Airshow: A SM 1019 turboprop, built for the Italian army in 1969, experienced engine failure and crashlanded on a highway near the runway. The two pilots were injured.


2002 July 27th. Ukraine, Lviv, Skniliv airfield: A Russian Sukhoi Su-27 warplane clipped the ground during a display, cartwheeled into the crowd, and exploded. The two pilots ejected from the plane before it crashed, escaping unharmed. On the ground, 83 people, including 19 children, died and more than 115 were injured.


1999 June 6th. Slovakia, Bratislava: A British Aerospace Hawk 200 crashed during an air show. Its RAF pilot and a woman on the ground died.


1997 Juli 26th. Belgium, Ostende: A light aircraft participating in an aerobatics display at an airshow crashed into a crowd near a Red Cross tent at an air show. Nine people died, and 57 were injured.


1993 Mai 9th. Russia, Ural, Nischni Tagil: A JAK-52 crashed during a celebration of the 48th. anniversary of the end of World War II. At least 18 people died, and approximately 20 were injured.

1989 October 22nd. Ecuador, Port City Guayaquil: An Ecuadorian combat fighter plane Jaguar crashed during an airshow into a residential area, killing 10 and injuring 7 others.

1988 August 28th. West-Germany, Rhineland-Pfalz, Ramstein Air Force Base: During an air show, three jets from the Italian Air Force display team "Frecce Tricolori" collided in mid-air. One crashed into the crowd. Seventy spectators died, and more than 450 people sustained often very severe injuries.


1988 June 26th. France-Swiss Border, Mulhouse-Habsheim: A new Airbus A320 crashed on a low-level demonstration flight during an air show. Of the 136 people aboard, 3 died and 133 survived.


1983 Mai 23rd. Germany, Frankfurt/Main: During an airshow a Canadian combat plane crashed onto the Autobahn, destroying a passenger car. All 6 occupants of the car died; the pilot was able to eject safely.

1982 September 11th. Germany, Mannheim: During the airshow "Mannheimer Internationale Luftschiffertage"a US-Military helicopter Giant Chinook CH 47 carrying sky divers from several nations (i.e., France, U.K., Germany) crashed on the Autobahn Mannheim-Heidelberg. All 46 people aboard were killed.


1982 September 5th. Germany, Bad Dürkheim: During an aeronautical show, the pilot of a US double decker lost control and crashed. Five spectators on the ground died; the pilot sustained severe injuries.


1973 June 3rd. France, Paris: A prototype Russian Tupolev Tu-144 supersonic airliner - dubbed "Concordsky" - exploded in mid-air during a demonstration at the Paris air show and crashed into a nearby village. The crew of 6 and 9 people on the ground died.


1972 September 24th. USA, California, Sacramento: The pilot of a jet fighter lost control shortly after take-off and crashed into an ice cream shop. Twenty-two people died, including 10 children; the pilot survived with minor injuries.


1965 Juni 19th. France, Paris, Le Bourget Airport: During the international airshow, a prototype of the Italian combat fighter plane Fiat G-91 missed the runway and crashed into a parking lot. More than 50 vehicles were destroyed. Nine people died, 12 were injured.

1952 September 6th. United Kingdom, Farnborough: a British combat jet exploded in mid-air and crashed into the visiting crowd. At least 65 people died.





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