Air display collision

AN aerobatic display team collided on the runway of Shoreham Airport when a stunt went wrong.

One plane careered into the back of another which had landed minutes before, chopping up its rudder with its propeller.

The two planes were part of a four-ship display team, which had travelled to Sussex from Reims Airport in France.

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The 38-year-old pilot of the Extra 300 aircraft, which landed second, did not see the other plane and assumed it had left the runway.

When he felt the impact of the collision, he switched off his engine and both pilots left their planes without injury.

The incident on August 11 was among three air accidents which occurred in the county between June and September this year.

The accidents were reported by the Department for Transport's air accidents investigation branch.

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The other incident at Shoreham Airport was on August 5, when a student pilot was attempting a touch-and-go procedure, which requires a landing followed by a take-off.

The student who attempted the move, accompanied by a trained pilot, caused the plane to bounce along the runway because the nose of the aircraft was lowered too quickly.

The propeller and engine bulkhead of the Cessna 152 were damaged but no one was injured.