Stunt planes in death crash at air show in Switzerland

Swiss media reported that the two planes were part of the German Grasshopper formation of three planes.

A small plane on the ground at the scene of a crash in Dittingen, Switzerland on August 23, 2015. One pilot was reported dead after two aeroplanes from a German stunt flying group crashed at a Swiss air show, according to local police. Georgios Kefalas/EPAShow less

BERLIN // A pilot was killed when two small planes crashed at an air show in northern Switzerland yesterday.

The planes, part of a formation, crashed just before 11.30am local time after they clipped each other in the air, said police spokesman Meinrad Stoecklin.

The air show in the village of Dittingen near Basel was temporarily interrupted as rescue teams arrived.

It was not immediately clear if there were more injured.

It was reported that one pilot managed to escape by parachuting clear of his plane but it was not clear what happened to the pilot of the second plane.

The two planes were reportedly part of the German Grasshopper formation of three planes.

The third plane of the formation was not involved in the crash and landed safely.

In Spain, meanwhile, Seville airport was closed for more than two hours after the pilot of a microlight aircraft lost consciousness and a passenger crashed the plane during an attempted emergency landing. Emergency services said the pilot died.

The passenger was seriously injured in the crash, three kilometres short of the beginning of the runway.

Emergency services said that they had scrambled a helicopter and a plane to try to guide the microlight down after hearing the pilot had apparently lost consciousness while at the controls.

The airport reopened later yesterday.

A plane crash at an air show in Shoreham, UK, on Saturday killed seven people.

* Associated Press and Reuters