During an air show performance in southern Portugal on Sunday, two small planes collided midair, according to the air force.
In a brief statement, the air force said, “The Air Force regrets to announce that at 4:05 pm (1505 GMT), at the Beja Air Show, two planes were the victim of an accident during an aerial demonstration” involving six aircraft.
According to Portuguese media, one of the aircraft’s pilots had passed away. They identified the planes as two Yakovlev Yak-52s, a Soviet-designed aerobatic training aircraft.
According to the air force, emergency services were on the site, and the show at Beja airport has been cancelled.
A spectator’s video, released on social media, showed a formation of six planes in flight, with one climbing, appearing to contact one of the others, and then plummeting to earth.
According to Portuguese newspapers, the six planes were members of an aerobatic group known as the “Yak Stars”.
Witnesses stated that the event’s organisers advertised it as the largest civil aerobatics group in southern Europe.
(With inputs from agencies)