Spanish Fighter Jet Nearly Crashes Into Crowd During Airshow; Air Force Issues Statement

A Spanish Air Force fighter jet nearly lost control during an airshow at a beach in Gijón on July 27. The video of the incident, which narrowly escaped becoming a disaster, is now going viral online. The situation was serious enough for the Spanish Air Force to issue a formal statement later.

Spanish Fighter Jet Flies Averts Crash During An Airshow

Hoy en el Festival Internacional Aéreo de Gijón podía haber ocurrido una desgracia, si no es por la pericia del Capitán Botana a los mandos del F18 Superhornet. 🙌🏻

Se comentaba que algún pájaro pudo haber tenido la culpa. ¿Qué opináis?@GijonAirshow @A3Noticias @lanuevaespana pic.twitter.com/PkzU07kxU3

— VISUAIR (@Visuair) July 27, 2025

During an airshow in San Lorenzo Bay, Gijón, in northern Spain’s Asturias, on July 27, spectators were caught off guard when a Spanish Air Force EF-18 Hornet nearly lost control and came dangerously close to crashing. A video of the near miss shows the jet flying extremely low over the beach, which was packed with hundreds of people. The pilot quickly executed a roll to avoid crashing and causing an accident. It was undoubtedly a very close call.

In the clip shared by @Visuair, the fighter jet can be seen descending lower than normal, making it look like it was going to crash. But within seconds, the pilot manoeuvred, regained control, and climbed back up. A puff of black smoke is also visible in the footage, making the moment even more frightening.

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Air Force Issues Statement

Many people on social media were shocked by the terrifying visuals. Some said the entire moment looked unreal. One user pointed out that a plane flying this low over a beach was definitely not normal.

The Spanish Air Force later posted on X to explain what actually happened during the airshow. According to them, one of their F-18 fighter jets performed an evasive manoeuvre after detecting a flock of birds in its path. The move was part of standard safety protocol to protect both the pilot and the public. They also said their pilots are professionally trained to react within milliseconds to any unforeseen event. In this case, the pilot acted with “exemplary speed and professionalism”, avoiding a possible collision.

The statement ended with the Spanish Air Force stating that, “Safety is, and will continue to be, our top priority at every air show.”

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The sight of a fighter jet flying that close to the crowd was truly terrifying. But as per the Air Force’s explanation, it was simply a safety protocol to avoid birds. 

Cover Image Courtesy: @Visuair/ X