Focke-Wulf Fw-190 crash in France

[Hans]

Today at around 15:00, a Fw-190 attending the air show at Hyeres crashed in the bay near the airfield, while performing a dog-fight with a Spitfire.
The pilot, a 60-year old Frenchman, was picked up by Dauphin of the Aeronavale, and appeared to be uninjured.

No more information at hand at the moment.

Regards,

Hans

[TF-104G]

was Flugwerk Fw.190A-8/N F-AZZJ c/n 990013
Shot down by a Spitfire

[Polleke_NL]

The belly of the FW190 was already very black, very likely due to extensive oil leakage. During a simulated dogfight with a SPitfire, while making a dive, she appeared to blow one or more piston after which she lost power immediately. We saw her losing altitude rapidly and the pilot made the decision to ditch the aircraft as this was the only "safe" option, also for bystanders, locals, buildings etc. The ditch was succesfull, only less then a hundred meeter from a small pier, and the pilot (as far as we heard afterwards) indeed climbed out of the aircraft with minor injuries and waited, sitting on the wing, for the rescue to arrive. The plane sunk and was not recovered yet when we left Hyeres on Monday morning.

[Stratofreighter]

Flugwerk Fw.190A-8/N F-AZZJ c/n 990013 was salvaged from the seabed off Hyeres last Wednesday and Thursday.

Click at http://www.meretmarine.com/article.cfm?id=113494" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; for multiple photos of her flying during the display, submerged on the seabed and while being recovered.

The salty seawater will have done this Focke Wulf Fw.190A-8/N replica no good at all...

An interview with the pilot who had to ditch her:
http://www.nicematin.com/article/dernie ... hyeres-var" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;