French Air Show Team – Two Aircraft Collide, 3 Pilots Eject to Safety

On Tuesday (March 25), the French Air Force announced that two aircraft from the French Air Force aerobatic demonstration team collided during a training session in eastern France. Fortunately, all three crew members were able to eject from the planes and were rescued promptly.

French Minister of Defense Sebastien Lecornu stated in a press release that the incident occurred when two Alpha Jet aircraft from the “Patrouille de France” aerobatic team collided in the air during training at the 113th Air Force Base in Saint-Dizier, Haute-Marne.

According to the French military, the accident happened around 3:35 pm local time on Tuesday while the planes were conducting routine training exercises.

“The aircraft from the aerobatic demonstration team, the two Alpha Jet fighters, collided near the 113th Air Force Base,” Lecornu said. “All emergency response forces are in place, and the French Ministry of the Interior and Defense are coordinating the incident response.”

French media cited military sources reporting that all three pilots (two pilots and one backseat aircrew) successfully ejected following the accident and were found to be “conscious” upon rescue.

Reportedly, the injuries of the three pilots were assessed as “urgent but not life-threatening” (urgence relative), with two of them being taken to a hospital in Saint-Dizier for treatment, while the other, who suffered multiple injuries, was under the care of the French military.

The scene captured on site showed six planes performing aerobatic maneuvers in the air, with the aircraft forming neat formations emitting red, white, and blue smoke. However, during a dive, two planes unexpectedly collided, causing them to rapidly disintegrate and crash.

Following the incident, French police, firefighting teams, and medical units swiftly rushed to the scene and activated the SATER plan (Sauvetage Aéro-Terrestre – a joint air-land rescue plan designed for emergency response to military and civilian aviation incidents in France).

Currently, the French Air Force and relevant authorities are conducting a thorough investigation into the incident to determine the cause and assess whether adjustments are needed for future training plans.

It is noted that the “Patrouille de France” aerobatic team was scheduled to conduct a 5-day training session at the 113th Air Force Base in Saint-Dizier from the 24th to the 28th. The flying squad is a renowned aerobatic team of the French Air Force, representing France in international air shows and missions.