DEADLY CRASH
Horror moment fighter jet bursts into flames after crashing during airshow fly-past leaving two dead
The jet was a centrepiece of Soviet air forces across communist eastern Europe
THIS is the terrifying moment a fighter jet crashes and bursts into flames, killing its two-man crew.
The military training jet had been performing at an airshow display in Villa Canas, Santa Fe province, Argentina before the disaster struck.
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Both the pilot, Gastón Vanucci, and his co-pilot, Nicolás Skares, died before rescuers could reach the plane.
The horror crash happened just moments after the jet performed a very low level pass of the crowd.
Spectator video footage of the performance on November 12 shows the 500mph aircraft making a pass over the runway as it thrilled audience members.
But seconds later, the jet banks to the right to perform a loop-the-loop stunt and, as it seems, fails to pull up in time.
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As the crowd gasp in horror, the jet hurtles down toward the ground and bursts into flames as it smashes into a field yards from a busy road.
The aircraft was a Soviet-era L29 Dolphin military training jet.
L29s became a mainstay of Soviet air forces across communist eastern Europe after they came into production in 1959.
The Czech-made two-seaters were used to train combat pilots and were often adapted for combat roles as fighter bombers.
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Villa Canas Fire Chief Horacio Pereyra told local media that the plane "crashed a few metres from where the public was witnessing the spectacle".
Pereyra said the jet "made a low flight and when it finished crossing the runway at one of the runways, it made a half spin and then plummeted to the ground."
Officials at the air club hosting the display said: "The plane made a low flight over the post and when it was leaving, while making a turn, it landed on its end.
"Two people were aboard the plane, which is a combat aircraft. It is a Russian plane with a pilot and a passenger in the back.”
Villa Canas mayor Norberto Gizzi said: "We are all moved by the event and stunned because everyone who was at the event was surprised to see how the plane fell."
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