A spokesman for Spain's Defense Ministry said pilot Ladislao Tejedor Romero died of his injuries after being transported to the series burns unit of Getafe hospital. Romero, 35, was an experienced pilot who also served as assistant to Defense Minister Pedro Morenes.
The aircraft crashed into a hangar and exploded in front of nearly 3,000 people gathered at Cuatro Vientos airfield just southwest of Madrid to see vintage aircrafts and aerial acrobatics. One of the spectators caught the crash on film.
Romero was flying a 1950s-era HA-200 Saeta, one of the first jet propelled planes to be manufactured in Spain. Ministry spokesman Alfredo Florenza said the cause of the crash is unknown.
View of the explosion seen after the crash of an aeroplane of the 50's, during an exhibition held at Cuatro Vientos airport in Madrid, Spain, 05 May 2013. The pilot died later in the hospital.
The pilot is believed to be the only fatality, but Europa Press news agency reports many others were taken to the hospital for injuries related to the crash.
A young woman who suffered first and second degree burns was taken to a local hospital, as was a 57-year-old man who suffered an anxiety attack. Another rescue worker suffered from smoke inhalation and received aid at the scene, the new agency reported.
Source: NBC News
