Air present pilot dies as aircraft crash lands into sea in entrance of horrified public

A French pilot died after he crashed his plane during a Second World War air show.

Authorities confirmed they found the body of an unnamed pilot flying a Fouga Magister aircraft. He was performing at the Patrouille de France air show which marked 80 years since the Provence Landings in 1944.

Following the landing, a thorough search of the area was conducted, which led to the discovery of the body. Viewers were left stunned at the show and shared several social media videos of the event.

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In the video, which was filmed off the coast of Le Lavandou, near Saint Tropez, the aircraft can be seen zooming through the sky at high speed. Unfortunately, the pilot appears to lose control and the plane starts dipping dangerously close to the sea.

At the end, the aircraft crashes into the sea and only narrowly avoids several anchored boats. Horrified gasps could be heard by onlookers at the collision.

Emergency services quickly arrived at the scene to rescuers became quickly concerned due to the old model which does not usually feature ejection seats. The local port authority officially confirmed the show was cancelled after the incident and several beach dwellers were encouraged to go home.

The organisers claimed it was due to “tragic circumstances.” Prefect du Var, who act like the local council for Var, released a statement later that night.

“The body of the pilot has been recovered. The prefect of Var, the maritime prefect and the mayor of Lavandou present their condolences to the pilot’s family,” they concluded.

X user Maxime Govare shared a video to X, showing the horror plane crash and shared a first hand account. “Crash of a plane of the Patrouille de France in Lavandou just now. Hoping that the pilot is unharmed,” she captions her post.

The angle revealed a huge splash as the plane entered the sea and an impact wave, which moved dangerously close to the stationary boats.

A performance from the French Airforce elite acrobatic flying team was due to take place after the aircraft flew, but was subsequently cancelled. Reuters reported that the crash did not concern one of their aircrafts.

“The pilots and the entire Air Force community would like to express their solidarity at this difficult time,” their official statement detailed.

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