Jet crashes yards from crowd at air show

A veteran jet has crashed at the Biggin Hill air show, landing just 100 yards away from the crowd.

The Second World War single-seater fighter exploded in a ball of flames at the Kent airfield, organisers say.

The incident comes a day after two men died at the same show when their De Havilland Vampire crashed.

It is not known how many people were on board the King Cobra plane which crashed today, or what their condition is.

An eyewitness said: "It was flying in a flypast along the main runway and it just plummeted down into the middle of the airfield. There was a huge burst of orange flames and thick black smoke. Everyone stopped in a state of shock."

The eyewitness added: "It fell out of the sky and when it landed there was an explosion and flames. It was around 100 yards away from the crowd. There is no way that anybody could have walked out of that alive."

A spokesman for the show said: "I don't want to confirm what type of aircraft it was until we know about the pilot. The show is on hold at the moment."

The accident yesterday happened as the De Havilland Vampire was halfway through the day's final display with a Vixen plane, when it spiralled out of control.

The 1950s jet had flown four times over the crowd before trying to turn when it corkscrewed twice before plummeting from the sky into a ridge. The plane came down around 100 yards from a row of terraced houses, showering some gardens with debris.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch, which will be carrying out an investigation into yesterday's accident, will also be informed of today's events.