Eurofighter crashes at air show, pilot dead

ROME - A military plane of the Italian Air Force crashed while taking part in an air show in central Italy on Sunday, killing the pilot on board. The Eurofighter jet was flying over the sea before Terracina, a town lying about 110 kilometers south of the Italian capital, when it suddenly plunged into the sea.

Thousands of people gathered on the coast at Terracina watched in horror as the jet completed a loop but then failed to get enough lift as it approached sea level. It slammed into the water just a few hundred meters offshore, sending up a huge plume of smoke and spray upon impact.

Several amateur videos were shot by spectators, and spread on social media, showing the plane performing a dive in the air before collapsing into the waters.

The air force said the body of the pilot, identified as Captain Gabriele Orlandi, was recovered soon thereafter.

An investigation was opened into the cause. The rest of the Terracina Air Show, which was to have featured Italy's famed Frecce Tricolore squad, was canceled.

AP - Xinhua

(China Daily 09/26/2017 page11)