A Frecce Tricolori aerobatic aircraft hit a family car near Turin
A 5-year-old girl was killed while her sibling and parents suffered severe burns following a horror crash near Italy’s northern city of Turin on Saturday, according to local media reports.
Footage of the incident showed multiple Aermacchi MB-339 aircraft flying in V-formations, before one of them loses altitude and plunges down with its pilot seen ejecting shortly before the impact.
The crash caused a huge explosion of the ground, with photos of the aftermath showing the debris in a field and an overturned wrecked car on the side of a road. Local media reported that a family of four suffered burns, while their young daughter succumbed to her injuries. The pilot’s condition remains unclear.
The incident apparently happened shortly after takeoff from the Turin Caselle airport as the jets were flying to participate in an air show in Vercelli, as part of celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the Italian Air Force. The show has been canceled as authorities investigate the cause of the crash.
The Frecce Tricolori is Italy’s top aerobatic team, created by the Italian air force in 1961, which often stage spectacular shows at important events.
The team suffered multiple accidents during its long history. The most horrific crash happened during an air show at Ramstein Air Base in Germany in 1988, when three aircraft collided killing three pilots and 67 spectators, and injured hundreds on the ground after falling on a 300,000-strong crowd.
