A pilot plunged to his death in front of a crowd of about 4000 people when his Civilian L39 jet nosedived and crashed into the ground at the Klerksdorp air show on Saturday.

Gianfranco Cicogna, an Italian pilot who resided in Johannesburg, was performing an acrobatic stunt with his partner, Charles Urban, when the accident occurred.

“We saw Cicogna lagging behind during the act as if something had gone wrong. Seconds later his jet plunged into the ground and exploded,” said Sandy Botha, divisional head of marketing for the city of Matlosana.

“The cause of the crash and the series of events preceding it remain uncertain,” she said.

Major Pieter Fouche, media liaison officer for the Klerksdrop Air Show, said an investigation was under way.

“Our pilots are taught to always fly far away from the crowd. Thankfully this was the case and no one from the public was hurt. We are deeply saddened by Cicogna’s death, but the group decided that the air show will continue in his memory,” said Fouche.

After the incident, a meeting was held with the other pilots to decide whether to continue the air show or not and it was decided that the show should go on, in honour of Cicogna.