What happened
On 10 July 2011, during the finale of the 'Flying Legends' airshow at Duxford Aerodrome, a mid-air collision occurred between two historic aircraft. The formation, known as a 'Balbo', consisted of 27 aircraft performing a sequence of passes. During the third pass, the lead aircraft in the element, a P-51D Mustang (registration D-FBBD), initiated a 'break' manoeuvre, pulling up and turning to the left.
Three seconds later, a Douglas AD-4N Skyraider (registration F-AZDP) began its turn. However, the pilot of the Skyraider had lost visual contact with the leader and executed a tighter, faster turn than the Mustang. This caused the flight paths of the two aircraft to converge. The Skyraider's right wing made contact with the Mustang's right tailplane, specifically striking the leading edge of the tailplane near the radiator cowling.
The impact caused the Mustang's engine to break away and the aircraft to enter a steep dive. The pilot, wearing a parachute, jettisoned the canopy and abandoned the aircraft at approximately 500 ft. Despite the low altitude, the pilot successfully deployed his parachute and landed in a nearby field with minor injuries. The Skyraider sustained the loss of an outboard section of its right wing but remained flyable, allowing the pilot to perform a successful landing at the airfield, also sustaining minor injuries.