A sunny day at San Lorenzo seashore was interrupted by a dramatic aircraft dive that left spectators in shock, as a Spanish Air Pressure EF-18 Hornet instantly swooped low over the water throughout the 2025 Competition Aereo Internacional de Gijon.Footage reveals the EF-18 Hornet persevering with a standard path earlier than a sudden dive, descending alarmingly near the seashore. Nevertheless, it climbed again up moments later, trailing darkish smoke and leaving the gang shocked.The video clip left many confused by this sudden motion, which was later clarified by Spain’s Air and House Pressure. What initially seemed to be a harmful mishap was a “a part of the usual protocol to guard each the pilot’s security and the general public’s security,” it mentioned.“Our aviators are skilled to react in milliseconds to any unexpected occasion,” the power wrote in an announcement on social media platform X. “On this case, the pilot acted with exemplary pace and professionalism, avoiding a potential impression with out compromising the show.”The incident befell on 28 July 2025 throughout a low-altitude flypast over the bay, with greater than 300,000 spectators, making it essentially the most attended airshow in Gijon’s historical past, as per Aerotime. Regardless of the dramatic second, no accidents or harm have been reported, and the plane returned safely to base.The lineup for the present included performances from the Spanish Air and House Pressure, Navy, Search and Rescue items, the Nationwide Police, and aerobatic pilots flying mild plane.Such shut encounters aren’t unusual. Simply final month, a Spanish Eurofighter Hurricane struck a seagull mid-performance on the Aire25 airshow in Murcia. The impression shattered the cockpit cover and punctured the windshield, forcing the pilot to abort the routine and make an emergency touchdown. The pilot escaped unscathed, although the plane suffered intensive harm.In accordance with the Worldwide Civil Aviation Group (ICAO), greater than 270,000 wildlife-related plane incidents occurred globally between 2016 and 2021, with over 8,000 inflicting important harm. Chicken strikes are particularly prevalent at low altitudes close to coastlines and migratory paths, circumstances typical of summer time airshows.
