The Terracina air show is a yearly held event where the Italian military shows off their planes to the public, mostly drawing a crowd of some 50,000 or so.
It’s been held for a decade or more, and every year the Italian air force tries more outrageous stunts to impress the public that flocks to the seaside resort 50 kilometers south of the capital Rome.
Yesterday however the evening part of the event was cancelled after the last run when an unfortunate accident took place.
As you can see in the video, Captain Gabriele Orlandi tried a huge loop manoeuvre when his F-2000A Typhoon Eurofighter jet crashed into the sea, killing him instantly upon impact with the water. You can clearly see that the desperate pilot tries to regain altitude at the final moments but horribly, and regrettably, fails.
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The guests watching the event can be heard gasping as the 140 million Euro plane crashes into the sea, leaving a plume of water and smoke in the air immediately after.
One of the spectators told Italian Daily La Stampa: "It was terrible. The plane should have touched the water and then traced back but instead crashed to the sea."
Rescue workers and emergency service crews rushed to help Capt Orlandi, who was meant to be the penultimate pilot to perform in the airshow. One hour after the crash his lifeless body was dragged up by the Italian coast guard.
His wife and parents were watching the display when the accident happened, according to Rai News Italia.
The Eurofighter Typhoon is a joint European developed plane, with parts from Airbus and BAE Systems fitted into it. It was procured by the air forces of Austria, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and Saudi Arabia. Furthermore the European Union sold some 50 aircraft to Oman and Kuwait in 2016.
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