Video: Incredible Piloting Skills After Midair Collision
Two pilots managed to avoid serious injury after a mid-air collision at an airshow in England. One landed his damaged airplane without incident, but the other had to bail out of his World War II fighter, deploying his parachute seconds before hitting the ground.
The accident occurred after three planes flew in formation at the Flying Legends Airshow near Duxford. As the pilots broke formation, the right wingtip of a 1950s era Douglas A-1 Skyraider, clipped the belly of a 1940s era North American P-51 Mustang.
The Skyraider lost much of its right wing tip but landed without further damage. As can be seen in the video above from David Taylor of FlyingFilm, the P-51 was violently tossed around by the collision, which hit the fighter just behind its iconic belly scoop/radiator. The pilot momentarily regained control before bailing out.