Spain airshow crash near Madrid kills pilot (VIDEO)

GlobalPost

The pilot is dead following an airshow crash today near Madrid, Spain, that injured about a dozen people.

Amateur video of the crash shows the pilot, 35-year-old Ladislao Tejedor, coming low to the ground in front of about 3,000 passengers when the aircraft disappears behind a hangar.

All that can be seen next is a huge fireball as onlookers scream in shock.

“He was flying very low compared to other shows I have been to,” witness Juan Antonio Alcobendas told El Pais. “Before the exhibition he was talking to the spectators and we watched him check the gas and oil.”

Tejedor, personal assistant to Defense Minister Pedro Morenés, survived the impact but died in hospital from his burns, the Associated Press reported.

Reports vary regarding injuries. The AP said fewer than five people needed medical attention; however, El Pais said about 11 people, including the pilot's father who suffered an anxiety attack, were treated at the scene or taken to hospital.

Tejedor was flying a 1950s-era Hispano HA-200 Saeta two-seater jet.

The jet crashed into a hangar that housed National Police Corps' helicopters.

Officials told El Pais it was fortunate Tejedor didn't hit the adjoining hangar, which contained a fuel supply. 

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