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Two military jets crashed into each other while practicing stunts in France on Tuesday, resulting in both jets descending to the ground and erupting into a large ball of fire, as captured in a dramatic video.
The collision caused three pilots and one passenger to eject and parachute to safety, the French Air and Space Force wrote on X.
The jets were part of a coordinated flight team, consisting of seven aircrafts, working with the Patrouille de France (PAF), a renowned precision aerobatics team, close to an air base situated in Saint-Dizier, in the northeastern part of France, around 3:40 p.m. local time.
Two Alpha jets collided in midair during a training session in France on Tuesday, subsequently crashing to the earth and bursting into a significant fireball, as shown in a striking video.
Video shows the seven aircraft turning in unison while emitting colored smoke, but at least two of the jets collide with one another.
The two jets then spiral towards the ground while the crew can be seen immediately ejecting and activating their parachutes. The jets crash to the ground and ignite in a fiery plume.
“At BA 113 in Saint-Dizier, two Alphajets from the Patrouille de France collided during a 7-plane training flight,” the post on X reads. “The three pilots, including one passenger, were able to eject in time and are safe. There are no casualties to report at this stage in the crash zone.”
Alpha jets flying during an aerobatic air show in the Greek sky at the Athens Flying Week at Tanagra Military Airbase near Athens, Greece on September 22, 2019. (Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Sébastien Lecornu, France’s minister of the Armed Forces, also confirmed the incident and wrote on X that emergency services responded to the scene.
“Slightly injured, they were taken into care,” he wrote. “Thanks to the emergency services mobilized, thoughts for our pilots of the Patrouille de France.”
Quentin Brière, the mayor of Saint-Dizier, said that one of the jets crashed into a silo and the other in a marshy wooded area just behind it, according to Le Parisien, citing AFP.
It is unclear what caused the aircraft to come together.
The Alpha Jet is a light attack and advanced trainer aircraft developed jointly by Dassault Aviation of France and Dornier of Germany in the 1970s. The jets come with two seats and are typically used for pilot training and aerobatic stunts.
The PAF was founded in 1953 and is considered a prestigious aerobatic unit famous for its displays during the Bastille Day parades, according to the French news outlet Le Parisien. The PAF is made up of hand-picked fighter pilots and accidents are rare among the unit.
Alpha Jets of the Patrouille de France during a rehearsal on the eve of the D-Day Air Show, over Arromanches-les-Bains, France, on June 07, 2024. (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
