Pilot in ‘Serious’ Condition After Plane Hits the Ground and Shatters in Front of Shocked Crowd at Airshow: ‘It Was Awful’

A pilot has been seriously injured after crashing during the Australian International Airshow.

The accident happened on the first public day of the show at Avalon, southwest of Melbourne on Friday, March 28, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

The plane appeared to fall in a loop before crashing into the tarmac at around 5:15 p.m. local time in a video shared by the outlet and news.com. au.

A spokesperson from Ambulance Victoria told ABC that the pilot, who was the sole occupant of the aircraft, suffered critical injuries.

The pilot was airlifted to The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, having sustained injuries to his upper and lower body, per The Sydney Morning Herald.

The plane is believed to be part of the Paul Bennett Aerobatics team, the outlet reported.

PEOPLE has contacted Victoria Ambulance, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, Victoria Police and the Paul Bennett Aerobatics team for comment.

A statement from the Australian International Airshow obtained by PEOPLE said, “The Avalon Australian International Airshow confirms that an incident occurred this afternoon involving a single aerobatic display aircraft.

“The aircraft was conducting and aerobatic maneuver and hit the ground. The pilot is in a serious but stable condition and has been transferred to hospital for treatment,” the statement continued. “The incident occurred well away from the crowds in attendance and no member of the public was Injured.”

The show “concluded the day’s activities to allow the Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation team to have full and free access to the site,” the statement said.

“We are continuing with preparations to recommence the airshow tomorrow morning, subject to confirmation this evening,” the statement added. “Our thoughts are with the pilot and his family, friends and team members.”

Student pilot Taj Cooper, 20, told The Sydney Morning Herald that many were shocked that the pilot was still alive after witnessing the crash.

“We’ve watched and seen quite a lot of aviation incidents … and we talked to each other that I hope he does survive, but that was a really hard crash landing,” he said.

Cooper added that the crowd went into applause when it was confirmed that the pilot had survived.

Spectator Geoff Crane told ABC that there were four planes flying at the time, with one lower than the other three.

“I was sort of more watching the three, but the one that was by itself caught my eye,” Crane said, before adding of the accident, “It was awful. They were telling us on the commentary that the team of four pilots are all family.”