Druine Turbulent pilot seriously injured during display at historic UK aerodrome 

A pilot was seriously injured when a single-seat Druine D.31 Turbulent was damaged during a display at the Stow Maries Air Show in Essex, United Kingdom, on August 16, 2026, halting the event and closing the site to the public. 

Pilot taken to London hospital 

Essex Police said officers were called shortly before 14:25 local time to Stow Maries Great War Aerodrome at Purleigh, near Maldon. The force said the aircraft’s sole occupant was taken to hospital with serious injuries and that no other injuries were reported. The East of England Ambulance Service confirmed that paramedics attended. Police asked people at the event to follow instructions from organizers and emergency crews. 

Stow Maries said in a statement that one of the aircraft taking part in a low-level Turbulent Team display was damaged, injuring the pilot and prompting organizers to halt the show. The aerodrome said it was cooperating with the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) and emergency services, and that the site was closed to the public. A later social media update said the pilot had been taken to a London hospital and was receiving treatment. 

The aerodrome has not said how the aircraft was damaged. It identified the aircraft by type only, and no registration has been published. 

The AAIB said it had been made aware of an incident at an air show near Chelmsford and would deploy an inspector to carry out an initial assessment, with the next steps to be communicated the following week.  

Turbulent Display Team has flown since 1959 

The Turbulent Display Team is operated by the Tiger Club, based at Damyns Hall Aerodrome in Upminster, and has flown at air shows since 1959.  

Its routine consists of low-level formation flying, balloon-bursting, flour-bombing and limbo flying beneath a banner. The Druine D.31 is a French-designed single-seater of wood-and-fabric construction, powered by a converted Volkswagen automobile engine, and weighs about 159 kilograms (350 pounds) empty, according to the team. 

The show was sold out and staged to raise funds for the on-site museum, which Stow Maries describes as the largest surviving World War I aerodrome. 

Second UK display accident in two days 

The accident followed one at Old Warden a day earlier, where the de Havilland DH.88 Comet G-ACSS “Grosvenor House” overturned on landing during the Shuttleworth Trust’s Flying Proms on August 15, 2026.  

RELATED

Historic WWII Spitfire crash-lands in Kent days before end-of-war anniversary

The post Druine Turbulent pilot seriously injured during display at historic UK aerodrome  appeared first on AeroTime.

Go to Source