Australia’s biggest airshow will resume following a serious crash in front of tens of thousands of spectators that left an experienced pilot fighting for life.
The man aged in his 50s was attempting a solo aerobatic manoeuvre at the Avalon Airshow on Friday afternoon when he lost control.
His aircraft crashed and skidded along the ground and he was airlifted to Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital with serious injuries to both his upper and lower body.
He was in a critical but stable condition on Saturday morning.
Paul Bennet Airshows confirmed the pilot is a member of its Sky Aces aerobatics team.
“We confirm there has been an incident involving one of our long time Sky Aces pilots during (Friday’s) aerobatic display at the Avalon Australian International Airshow,” the organisation said in a statement.
“Our thoughts are with his family and we are grateful for the emergency services who responded quickly.
“Our team and families appreciate the well-wishes and support.”
Avalon Airshow reopened its doors at 8am on Saturday but the flying display was pushed back to a later start time.
The show was abandoned late on Friday and tens of thousands of spectators sent home so the Australian Transport Safety Bureau could investigate what happened.
The incident happened away from onlookers and no one else was injured.
Andrew, a witness who did not give his surname, said the plane came down in a loop and could not recover.
“We’re OK … everyone was a bit stunned,” he told AAP.
The wreck of the orange plane – a Wolf Pitts Pro aircraft capable of travelling at a top speed of 414km/h – came to a stop near the tarmac and sparked a small grass fire.
The circumstances surrounding the crash were yet to be determined, Victoria Police said.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is probing the crash and officials are on their way from Canberra to examine the site.
They will also look at flight tracking information, pilot and aircraft maintenance records, weather and other data.
Anyone with video footage of the plane in the air or the crash has been urged to contact investigators.
A Jetstar flight due to fly from Sydney to Avalon late on Friday was diverted to Melbourne’s Tullamarine airport due to the crash.
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