A tragic event unfolded during an air show in Portugal on Sunday, leading to the death of one pilot and injuries to another after a midair collision between two small aircraft, as reported by the AFP, citing information from the Portuguese Air Force (PAF). The PAF expressed sorrow over the incident at 4:05 pm (1505 GMT) at the Beja Air Show, involving two of the six aircraft in an aerial demonstration.
The pilot who tragically lost his life was from Spain, according to an Air Force spokeswoman quoted by AFP. This pilot was flying one of the planes involved in the mishap. Meanwhile, the other Portuguese national pilot sustained minor injuries but was promptly attended to and then transported to Beja Hospital for further treatment, as confirmed by the Air Force.
The PAF hosted the event at an air base in Beja, 180 km (110 miles) south of Lisbon. It occurred during a performance by the YAK STARS aerobatic team. The planes involved in the collision were identified as Yakovlev Yak-52s, a type of Soviet-era aerobatic training aircraft.
A spectator captured the collision in a video and shared it on social media. The footage, posted by an aviation news account on X, shows six planes flying in formation before one plane rises and appears to collide with another, resulting in one plane crashing to the ground amid a cloud of smoke.
President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa reflected on the incident, noting what was intended to be a time of enjoyment turned into a moment of sorrow. The Defence Minister, Nuno Melo, labelled the event a “tragic accident” and announced that an investigation would be initiated to pinpoint the exact cause of the collision.