Two aerobatic stunt planes have collided in midair and tumbled to the ground tragically killing both pilots.
The crash happened near the Leumnitz airfield in Gera, Germany, just after 6pm on Saturday.
Dramatic footage depicts the two aircraft flying parallel before a complex manoeuvre backfires, leading them to crash and get stuck together.
The planes were spotted falling to the ground, and being engulfed in flames, with black smoke pouring from the crash site.
Emergency services rushed to the scene and the area was cordoned off.
Photos from the wreckage reveal firemen extinguishing the fire at the wreckage a mere feet from residences in the Thränitz district.
A spokesperson for the fire brigade confirmed the death of the two pilots, following the collision.
The pilots - identified as Michael S, 42 and Dieter G, 72 - were killed during a training session for a so-called "mirror flight", where an aircraft flies parallel to the second one.
The pair had been flying formations for years, and even won the world championship title in vintage aerobatics in 2019.
The cause of the accident is unknown as specialists from the Federal Institute for Aircraft Accident Investigation and the Gera criminal police have taken over the investigation.
Aircraft accident expert Norman Kretschmer said: “So far there is no evidence of a technical defect.
"We have secured traces of deformation on the wings that indicate a massive collision.”
Meanwhile, aviation expert Andreas Spaeth added: "It looks as if both pilots wanted to train a common figure in aerobatics with their aircraft. Then, apparently, there was a collision.
"Contrary to what was to be expected, no visible parts have broken off. It's more like the two machines got stuck and became unable to manoeuvre and then crash linked together."
