This is the tragic moment an aeroplane smashed into the ground in a huge fireball that killed two top pilots after a failed stunt.
The incident took place at the Graf Ignatievo Air Base, in the village of Graf Ignatievo shortly before a military airshow in Bulgaria was due to begin on Friday 13th.
Local media said that both pilots, named as Major Petko Dimitrov and Senior Lieutenant Ventsislav Dunkin, died instantly in the crash because the plane was flying at such a low altitude that they had no time to eject.
Horrifying footage of the disaster shows the aircraft, reportedly an L-39ZA Albatros, performing acrobatic stunts during a training exercise before the airshow.
Suddenly, the pilot pulls the plane up and shoots high into the air, apparently attempting to perform a loop-the-loop, a 360-degree vertical loop.
Horror footage captured the moment the plane came crashing down with both pilots inside
The plane exploded in a fireball shortly before a military airshow in Bulgaria was due to begin
Major Petko Dimitrov (left) was one of two Bulgarian pilots who lost his life in a plane crash on Friday. His co-pilot Senior Lieutenant Vencislav Dunkin (right) also lost his life
But he appears to lose power and flips the plane around in a desperate attempt to pull out of the dive as the aircraft hurtles towards the ground.
The plane does not pull up and hits the ground hard, exploding instantly in a fiery inferno of black smoke and burning fuel.
The person filming lowers their camera, apparently in shock, before lifting it up again to show the large cloud of black smoke rising into the air as the footage ends.
Bulgarian Air Force Commander Major General Dimitar Petrov stressed that it was a routine flight for which the pilots – ‘exemplary pilots with exceptional experience’ – had been carefully preparing for several months, and the aircraft had recently undergone restoration.
He said: ‘Major Dimitrov was one of Bulgaria’s best and most experienced pilots. Lieutenant Dunkin was a great promise for the future.
‘In view of the supreme sacrifice these pilots made in the line of duty, I declare September 15 a day of mourning in the armed forces.
‘Flags will be lowered in memory of the fallen.’
The Bulgarian Defence Minister, Atanas Zapryanov, cancelled the air show due to the accident.
He said that an investigation was underway to establish the circumstances and causes of the incident.
Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev also extended his condolences to the families and colleagues of the fallen pilots.
Military prosecutors and investigators, as well as employees of the Military Police Service, are also investigating, according to local media reports.
The Graf Ignatievo Air Base was set to host significant aviation demonstrations on September 14, commemorating Bulgaria’s 20th anniversary of joining NATO and the 35th anniversary of the MiG-29 aircraft’s service with the Bulgarian Air Force.
