Aerobatic team mid-air collision as seen from inside the formation

December 19, 2012 Aviation Safety / Air Crashes, Military Aviation

David Cenciotti

On Mar. 11, 1988 two MB.326 of the Royal Australian Air Force’s Roulettes display team collided mid-air during a practice flight over East Sale airbase, Victoria, Australia, for the Canberra airshow.

A cameraman was flying on board one of the planes and filmed Roulette 1 hitting Roulette 4 during a wide right turn in formation. The pilot of Number 4 ejected successfully whereas the pilot of Number 1 successfully performed a gear up landing.

About David Cenciotti

David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.