Spain Plane Crash: Fireball At Airshow

A vintage jet plane has crashed into a hangar and exploded in a fireball at an airshow near Madrid, killing the plane's pilot.

A spokesman for Spain's Defence Ministry says the experienced jet pilot, Ladislao Tejedor Romero, 35, died of his injuries in the serious burns unit of Getafe hospital.

Some 3,000 people were at Cuatro Vientos airfield watching a display of aerial acrobatics when the plane crashed.

The impact sent a fireball and thick black smoke billowing into the air.

Spain's airport authority AENA said that only the pilot - an assistant to Defence Minister Pedro Morenes - was hurt in the crash.

However, the Europe Press news agency reported that two people were taken to hospital.

They were reportedly a rescue worker suffering from burns and a 57-year-old man, believed to be the pilot's father, who suffered an anxiety attack.

A third rescue worker suffering from smoke inhalation received first aid at the scene, the agency said.

The plane, a HA-200 Saeta, was built in the 1950s as an advanced jet trainer by Hispano Aviacion, ministry spokesman Alfredo Florenza said.

Mr Florenza said the cause of the crash remains unknown.