Aftermath of Italy's Frecce Tricolori aircraft crash that killed child
The Italian Air Force said it was investigating whether an aircraft of its acrobatic team struck birds before it crashed near an airport, killing a child on the ground. A 5-year-old girl and her family were traveling in a car near the perimeter of the airport near the northern city of Turin when the aircraft crashed Saturday afternoon, bursting into flames and smashing through the airport fence. The girl’s mother and older brother remained hospitalized for treatment of burns while the father was released Sunday, hospital officials said. Video of the crash shows nine aircraft in two tight V-formations, before one of the aircraft drops below the others and crashes, sending a fireball into the air. In the video, the pilot —identified as Maj. Oscar Del Do — can be seen ejecting with a parachute shortly before impact inside a fence airfield. He suffered burns. The Air Force said the reason for the crash was under investigation, but said one hypothesis was that the aircraft suffered a bird strike during takeoff. Italian prosecutors were also investigating. Click here to subscribe to The Independent: https://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-Independent About The Independent: Making Change Happen. The Independent is the world’s most free-thinking newsbrand, providing global news, commentary and analysis for the independently-minded. Connect with The Independent: Check out our full video catalog: https://www.youtube.com/c/theindependent/videos Videos, daily editorial and more: http://www.theindy.com Click here to get the best of The Independent daily: https://www.independent.co.uk/newsletters Like The Independent on Facebook: https://www.fb.com/TheIndependentOnline Follow The Independent on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Independent Follow The Independent on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.independent Download the iOS & Android app: https://www.independent.co.uk/subscribe/app Help to support truly independent journalism. Every dollar you contribute will directly fund additional special reports and investigations from a free-thinking, award-winning newsroom you can trust - https://www.independent.co.uk/donations Subscribe to Independent Premium for exclusive content & live events: https://bit.ly/2MiOONB
