A horrific moment when a plane crashed to the ground and burst into a gigantic ball of flames, killing the pilot, is captured on horrifying video.
The movie shared on Twitter On Sunday’s first flight, one of the two aircraft is flying too low and crashes into a field as it races through the Reno mountains.
Thousands of spectators at the event watched in terror as it swiftly burst into a ball of fire as it slid over the grassy hill, sending flames soaring in its path. Many more people saw the tragedy live online.
As it seemed like parts of the plane were falling off, the aircraft bounced many times.
The announcer exclaims, “Oh no, oh no,” as his Jet Gold Race co-host announces, “There was an issue, we’ve got a tragedy here, Thomas.”
As smoke is shown rising from the accident in the footage, a judge then raises the red flag, and the National Championship Air Races were subsequently halted.
Later, authorities revealed that the pilot had perished in the disaster but did not provide his identity.
At a subsequent press conference, Reno Air Racing Association CEO and President Fred Telling revealed that the Jet Gold Race collision occurred on outer pylon five on lap three of six.
The Racing Association board “offer our heartfelt sympathy to the pilot’s family and friends, as well as the race spectators,” he said, noting that “all other pilots landed safely.”
The collision is now being looked into by the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board.