Watch: Spanish fighter jet loses control during airshow; almost crashes into crowd

A sunny day at San Lorenzo seashore was interrupted by a dramatic airplane dive that left spectators in shock, as a Spanish Air Force EF-18 Hornet instantly swooped low over the water during the 2025 Festival Aereo Internacional de Gijon.Footage exhibits the EF-18 Hornet persevering with a traditional path earlier than a sudden dive, descending alarmingly near the seashore. However, it climbed again up moments later, trailing darkish smoke and leaving the crowd shocked.The video clip left many confused by this sudden motion, which was later clarified by Spain’s Air and Space Force. What initially seemed to be a harmful mishap was a “part of the standard protocol to protect both the pilot’s safety and the public’s safety,” it mentioned.“Our aviators are trained to react in milliseconds to any unforeseen event,” the pressure wrote in an announcement on social media platform X. “In this case, the pilot acted with exemplary speed and professionalism, avoiding a possible impact without compromising the display.”The incident passed off on 28 July 2025 during a low-altitude flypast over the bay, with greater than 300,000 spectators, making it essentially the most attended airshow in Gijon’s historical past, as per Aerotime. Despite the dramatic second, no accidents or harm had been reported, and the plane returned safely to base.The lineup for the present included performances from the Spanish Air and Space Force, Navy, Search and Rescue models, the National Police, and aerobatic pilots flying gentle plane.Such shut encounters should not unusual. Just final month, a Spanish Eurofighter Typhoon struck a seagull mid-performance on the Aire25 airshow in Murcia. The impression shattered the cockpit cover and punctured the windshield, forcing the pilot to abort the routine and make an emergency touchdown. The pilot escaped unscathed, although the plane suffered intensive harm.According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), greater than 270,000 wildlife-related plane incidents occurred globally between 2016 and 2021, with over 8,000 inflicting important harm. Bird strikes are particularly prevalent at low altitudes close to coastlines and migratory paths, circumstances typical of summer time airshows.