Pilot dies in stunt crash ahead of NY air show

New York, Aug 29: An aerobatic pilot crashed and died in upstate New York while practising stunts in a propeller plane ahead of a weekend air show, police has said.

The accident happened at about 2:00 pm (2330 IST) on Friday at Stewart International Airport in New Windsor in the scenic Hudson Valley, on the eve of the New York Air Show.

"It appeared the aircraft had experienced a structural failure," a New York State Police spokesman told AFP.

The show, scheduled today and tomorrow at Stewart, is to feature demonstrations from civilian and military performers, including by Navy SEAL Leap Frogs, a parachute team.

The crash comes a week after up to 11 people were killed when a vintage military plane crashed onto a busy road in Britain near the Shoreham air show on the south coast of England.

PTI