German Pilot Was Performing In An Airshow

A 45-year-old German pilot performing in an airshow Sunday failed to recover from a loop and his biplane hit a car driving along a road near the local airport, according to multiple European media sources. Neither the pilot nor the family of three in the car suffered serious injuries.

The aircraft type was not specified.

The incident happened near the Großostheim airport in the German state of Bavaria. The plane had performed a loop and was flying low over a nearby grain field and did not pull up in time to miss the car. The impact tore the landing gear off the plane and flipped it onto its canopy about 60 feet from the point of impact, destroying the airplane. The car was thrown into the field. While none of the people involved in the accident was badly injured, a witness was treated for shock.

Pictures posted on  the website of 'The Local', an English-language German newspaper, show the landing gear of the airplane still embedded in the car. German authorities estimate the damage at almost $84,000.

FMI: www.easa.eu.int