French air show pilot dies after his plane crashes into the sea in front of horrified spectators

By Olivia Christie and Francine Wolfisz 16:43 16 Aug 2024, updated 23:30 16 Aug 2024

• Crash happened at Patrouille de France airshow off the coast of Le Lavandou
• The aircraft narrowly missed hitting several boats as it crashed into the water
• An airshow had been organised to mark 80 years since the Provence Landings 

A Second World War air show pilot died when his plane crashed in the sea in front of horrified spectators today. 

French authorities confirmed his body was found this evening after an intensive search off the coast of Le Lavandou, near Saint Tropez in southeastern France.

The pilot, who has not yet been named, was thought to be flying a Fouga Magister aircraft at the Patrouille de France air show commemorating the 80th anniversary of Provence Landings in 1944.

A series of videos shared on social media show the aircraft crashing shortly before 5pm local time into the sea off the coast of Le Lavandou, near Saint Tropez in southeastern France. 

The private Fouga Magister aircraft can be seen shooting across the sky at speed before crashing into the water and narrowing missing several boats.

Rescuers had been concerned that the pilot was trapped, as that type of plane does not have an ejection seat. 

Emergency services swiftly arrived at the scene and the show was subsequently cancelled, the local port authority confirmed.

Officials said the show had  been halted due to the 'tragic circumstances'.

'The body of the pilot has been recovered,' officials of the Prefect du Var, the local authority responsible for the Var region in southern France, said in a statement released tonight.

French authorities added that an inquiry was underway to examine what caused the accident. 

'The prefect of Var, the maritime prefect and the mayor of Lavandou present their condolences to the pilot's family,' the statement said.

The aircraft - used in the French air force from 1964 to 1980 - was performing at the airshow just before a demonstration by the French air force's elite acrobatic flying team, a French air force spokesman told AFP. 

In a statement released tonight, the French Air Force said that the crash did not concern an aircraft of the airforce's Patrouille de France aerobatics team, but instead involved a Fouga Magister belonging to an association, Reuters reports.

It said: 'The pilots and the entire Air Force community would like to express their solidarity at this difficult time.'

This latest incident comes just days after two French pilots died after their Rafale fighter jets collided mid-air in eastern France, in a rare accident involving France's leading military jet. 

A spokesperson for the district of Var where the crashed occurred said: 'Rescue operations to find the pilot are currently being coordinated by the Mediterranean Regional Operational Surveillance and Rescue Centre (CROSS). 

'Resources from the Var Departmental Fire and Rescue Service and the Maritime Gendarmerie are deployed in the area.'

Built after World War II, the Fouga Magister was for many years used by the French army as a trainer jet and aerobatic plane.

Experts say it has a top speed of 715 km/h (386 knots) and can reach 36,000 feet.

Designed for speed, the powerful aircraft has two Turbomeca Marbore turbojet engines, which provide 880lbs of thrust each.

The Patrouille de France had only just started when the incident occurred and the plane involved in the crash was the second to go past, Le Figaro has reported. 

Hundreds had come to watch the airshow, which was organised to mark 80 years since the Provence Landings, also know as Operation Dragoon, when Allied forces launched an invasion of the region on 15 August, 1944. 

Originally the Provence Landings were designed to be part of Operation Overlord, which was launched on D-Day, on 6 June 1944, but was cancelled due to a lack of resources. 

The campaign was successful in pushing the weakened German forces northward and an eventual withdrawal from southern France.

On Wednesday, two French pilots died after two Rafale fighter jets collided in mid-air in eastern France, in a rare accident involving France's leading military jet.

A third pilot ejected following the crash over Colombey-les-Belles, a town in northeastern France.

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