The final moments of the “highly skilled” pilot were filmed on video before crashing at a South African airshow over the weekend.
The fatal incident involving James O'Connell unfolded on Saturday at an airfield in Sardanha Bay, outside Cape Town. The footage shows an airplane that operates in the air before hitting the ground, generating fireballs and depicting screams from attendees.
“It is deeply saddened that the organizers of the West Coast Air Show pilot pilot James O'Connell, a highly skilled and respected test pilot involving South Africa, when they piloted the Impala Mark 1 aircraft during today's exhibition in Saldana,” the event organizers said in a statement.
“O'Connell was running a routine display aimed at demonstrating the capabilities of the Impala Mark 1, a beloved warbird of deep historical significance for many South Africans. It was a particularly big moment as the Impala had not been played at airshows for many years,” they added. “The operation was being carried out as part of the official airshow programme witnessed by thousands of spectators.”
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“He rolled the aircraft… he turned the aircraft, the masked ones went up. Then he came out and clearly saw that he had lost his height,” airshow commentator Brian Emenis was quoted by organizers. “He went out towards the hangar, he was in that stage on a serious, deep dive, and he went straight to the ground.
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“The emergency services responded quickly, the crowd stayed behind the barrier, completely unsettled, and the crowd was handed a doctor's appointment,” he added.
No audience members were injured in the crash. The South African Civil Aviation Authority and Air Show are currently under investigation.
“The organizers express the deepest sadness of O'Connell's family, friends and aviation colleagues,” they added.
Original Article Source: Video shows the final moments of a “highly skilled” pilot before the fatal airshow crash
