JET TRAGEDY
Horror moment fighter jet pilot is killed in training exercise as plane plummets into the ground and erupts in fireball
The pilot had been practicing acrobatics for an airshow this weekend
THIS is the horror moment a fighter jet pilot is killed in a training exercise in Poland.
Shocking footage shows the plane spiralling out of control before it plummeted into the ground and erupted in a giant fireball.
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Major Robert Jeł died instantly when his M-346 Bielik training aircraft nose crashed into the runway at Gdynia-Kosakowo Airport.
The pilot had been practicing low-altitude acrobatics in anticipation of an airshow this weekend to commemorate the Navy Aviation Brigade's 30th anniversary.
With a top speed of 658mph, the M-346 Master, also known as Bielik in the Polish armed forces, is a two-person twin-engine aircraft intended for advanced flying training.
The General Command of the Armed Forces' Lieutenant Colonel Marek Pawlak said that the event claimed the life of a lone pilot from the 41st Aviation Training base.
He added that an inquiry was being conducted to determine the cause of the crash.
Local mayor Eunika Niemc told news broadcaster TVN24: “During an official meeting in the council chamber at the office, we felt a certain thud, so we knew something had happened.
“We then saw dark grey smoke rising.
"This is a military area, so the full conduct of the crisis mission is on the military side, on the side of the armed forces.”
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Three pilots killed after passenger plane crashes on 'test flight' near Moscow
It comes after a Russian passenger jet plunged out of sky and crashed killing three pilots who narrowly avoided smashing into a village.
Terrified neighbours captured thick plumes of smoke going up the blue sky near Moscow following the disaster.
Reports say the plane was on a test flight after undergoing repairs.
Russia's emergency ministry said the plane had crashed near the city of Kolomna.
The pilot issued a distress call and the aircraft circled to burn fuel ahead of an intended emergency landing.
He is believed to have diverted the aircraft away from built up areas and crashed in a forest.
The Russian-made jet was flying from its base at the Lukhovitsy Aviation Plant to Vnukovo Airport when it disappeared from radars around 3pm local time, The Moscow Times reports.
The reason for the crew's mayday signal was not immediately disclosed.
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Another anonymous source told RIA Novosti that the aircraft burst into flames as soon as it crash-landed in the woods.
No other casualties apart from the three pilots onboard have been reported.