Terrifying moment ‘out of control’ fighter plane flies straight into spectators during Turkish air show
This is the heartbreaking moment a fighter plane appears to lose control and flies straight into crowds at a Turkish air show.
You see the plane rocking in the air before the pilot suddenly pulls the nose up just before it reaches the spectators.
The terrifying incident happened on October 3 during the TEKNOFEST air show in Adana, southern Turkey, local media reported.
It is understood the near miss occurred at the end of a demonstration flight by the SoloTurk, the Turkish aircraft acrobatics team, involving an F-16 fighter jet.
According to reports, an investigation has now been launched into the incident, with experts examining the aircraft’s video recordings and other flight information.
This is the heartbreaking moment a fighter plane appears to lose control and flies straight into crowds at a Turkish air show
You see the plane rocking in the air before the pilot suddenly pulls the nose up just before it reaches the spectators
It is thought that the F-16 may have suffered a flight control system malfunction that led to an uncontrolled dive to which the pilot responded.
A former fighter pilot told it TWZ that the distance between the aircraft and the ground at its lowest point seemed ‘a small number of wingspans’.
“It could be that the pilot wanted to do a hesitation roll and actually paused at 180 degrees – but still that requires you to really dial in your speed vector,” the pilot added.
MailOnline has contacted TEKNOFEST for comment.
The SoloTurk F-16 display is one of the most highly regarded on the European circuit and has a strong safety record.
As of March 2023, the team consisted of two pilots, two support staff and nine maintenance staff.
It comes as a World War II air show pilot was killed when his plane crashed into the sea in front of shocked spectators in France in August.
French authorities confirmed that his body was found on the evening of August 16 after an intensive search off the coast of Le Lavandou, near Saint Tropez.
The pilot, whose name was withheld, was due to fly a Fouga Magister aircraft at the Patrouille de France air show commemorating the 80th anniversary of the 1944 Provence landings.
You can see the plane shooting through the air at high speed before crashing into the water and narrowing and missing several boats.
French authorities have launched an investigation to investigate the cause of the crash.
