Two military jets from a renowned aerobatic team have collided midair during a stunt rehearsal in France, crashing to the ground and erupting in a fireball, footage of the incident showed.
Three people – two pilots and one passenger – managed to eject before the crash and were “found conscious,” the French Air and Space Force wrote on X. The crash took place near an airbase in Saint-Dizier, eastern France, on Tuesday afternoon during a training drill involving six Alpha Jets from the Patrouille de France, the French Air Force’s precision aerobatics team.
Footage captured by bystanders showed the moment the jets, engaged in a stunt and releasing smoke trails, collided in midair. The aircraft then spiraled toward the ground as crew members were seen ejecting and deploying their parachutes. Moments later, the jets crashed to the ground and erupted in a fiery plume.
?? Nouvelle vidéo de l’accident aérien de la Patrouille de FranceL’agence France-Presse a publié une vidéo du crash de l’avion Alpha Jet de la Patrouille de France.Plus tôt dans la journée, deux avions du groupe sont entrés en collision alors qu’ils effectuaient des… pic.twitter.com/pdxDwj5HqF
— Grelet J-Christophe (@JCGRELET) March 25, 2025
French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu confirmed the incident on X, noting that the emergency services were quickly deployed to the scene.
“Slightly injured, they were taken into care,” he wrote. “Thanks to the emergency services mobilized, thoughts for our pilots of the Patrouille de France.”
Saint-Dizier Mayor Quentin Briere said one of the jets crashed into a grain silo, causing an explosion, while the other came down on agricultural land, as cited by Le Parisien. There were no reported injuries on the ground.
Two people were transported to a nearby hospital in a condition described as a “relative emergency,” according to Le Figaro. The third person, identified as having sustained multiple injuries, is reportedly receiving treatment from the army.
The French authorities said it was not immediately clear what caused the collision.
The Alpha Jet is a two-seat light attack and advanced trainer aircraft, developed in the 1970s by France’s Dassault Aviation and Germany’s Dornier. It is primarily used for pilot training and aerobatic displays.
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