A video posted online shows the aircraft crashing seconds after the formation take off. The pilot managed to eject but the aircraft hit a car killing a little girl and injuring her family.
An MB-339A/PAN MLU of the Frecce Tricolori display team crashed on take off from Turin-Caselle airport in the afternoon on Sept. 16, 2023.
The aircraft was taking off in the first of two 5-ship sections that were due to perform at the Vercelli Airshow 2023 when it experienced a problem that forced the pilot to eject.
Unfortunately, the MB-339 hit a car travelling on a road just outside the perimeter fence: a 5-year old girl was killed, her mother, father and 9-year old brother are injured according to the reports.
A video was posted online by the Quotidiano Canavese media outlet shows the aircraft crashing on the ground.
Based on the position in the formation, the aircraft involved in the incident should be Pony 4 (MM54539), although this has not yet been confirmed.
We will update this story, as new details emerge.
David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.
