An aerobatic plane has crashed in front of spectators at the Australian International Airshow in Avalon Airport (AVV).
The incident occurred at about 17:30 local time on March 28, 2025, the first public day of the airshow. The plane was reportedly doing a loop during a demonstration and was not able to pull up in time.
The aircraft is one of four Pitts Special aerobatic planes from the Paul Bennet Airshows team, which confirmed the incident via a Facebook post.
According to the aerobatic show company, the pilot is in a “serious but stable” condition.
An Ambulance Victoria spokesperson told Australian news outlet ABC that the pilot, who was in his 50s, was the sole occupant of the aircraft, and sustained “critical injuries.” He was then flown to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne.
Because the crash occurred in front of a public audience, several spectators captured footage of the incident on video that has since been uploaded to X and other social media platforms.
Pilot critically injured after crashing during the Avalon Australian International Airshow, south-west of Melbourne.
Police say emergency services were called to reports a plane had lost control while conducting a demonstration and crashed into the tarmac about 5:15pm on Friday.… pic.twitter.com/CI5bkEdeM1
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) March 28, 2025
According to local media reports, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) had been notified of the incident and the bureau is to fly to Avalon to carry out investigations.
The Australian International Airshow also released an official statement via a Facebook post, saying that the incident occurred “well away from the crowds” and that no member of the public was injured.
The show was closed immediately after the incident to allow the ATSB access to the site.
According to the organizers, the continuation of the airshow is still subject to investigations that are currently underway.
