Cheb – The pilot died after the plane crashed between the houses during the aviation day in Cheb today. One person suffered minor injuries, rescue service spokesman Radek Hes told ČTK. According to police spokeswoman Kateřina Pešková, the plane landed between houses and a local road in the Podhrady district. It was a Hawker Hurricane Mk.IV fighter from the Second World War, the last airworthy machine of this version in the world, Jiří Poór, spokesman for the aviation day, told ČTK. The flying day was ended early.
The plane went down at 3:30 p.m. The rescue service sent three vehicles and a helicopter to the scene, but it was called off due to the death of the pilot, who suffered fatal injuries. At the scene, paramedics treated a woman with minor injuries who was near the accident at the time, Hes said.
The accident happened outside the airport area. After the accident, the organizers immediately stopped the event. Most of the visitors left the airport area in peace, they left in their vehicles, the others took buses. The police and organizers are now investigating the circumstances and cause of the accident. Traffic near the airport is controlled by the police.
Hawker Hurricane Mk.IV. first appeared in the service of the Royal Air Force in 1937 and flew in eighteen squadrons from the beginning of the World War. Made famous for its role in the Battle of Britain, the Hurricane continued to see service in almost every battle during World War II. The last flyable Mk.IV machine in the world arrived in Cheb, reminding us of Czechoslovak pilots in the RAF. The British fighter belonged to the Prague Aviation Museum Turntablewhose website states that currently less than 15 of the original 14,583 Hawker Hurricanes produced are airworthy, and one last in the Mk.IV version.
Accidents at air days or various parades are not frequent, but they do happen from time to time. In some cases with tragic consequences. In 2018, a replica of a historic aircraft fell during an aviation day at the airport near Strunkovice nad Blanicí on Prachaticko. The 72-year-old pilot died in the crash. In June 2016, an ultralight aircraft crashed at the Nymburk airport during an aviation day, killing both crew members. A month later, a glider participating in a gathering of historic gliders crashed at the airport in Plasy na Pilsen; the pilot escaped with only a leg injury. In July 2014, the aerobatics competitions in Kroměříž became fatal for the pilot of a small plane, which caught fire after falling. In June 2006, the historic biplane Tiger Month crashed at the European veteran show in Hradec Králové, no one was injured. In September 2005, the crash of the four-meter Sojka drone, which was participating in the NATO Days parade in Mošnov, was also avoided without consequences.
aviation accident Cheb death
