French jet crashes into sea during airshow, pilot killed

A privately owned Fouga Magister jet crashed into the sea on Friday during an airshow near Lavandou, on France's Mediterranean coast.

"The body of the pilot has been recovered," said the local authority responsible for the Var region in southern France. Authorities added that an inquiry was underway to examine what caused the accident.

The airshow was part of a commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the allied forces' D-Day landings in Provence.

The French Air Force said in a statement that the crash did not concern an aircraft of the airforce's "Patrouille de France" aerobatics team but involved a Fouga Magister belonging to an association.

In a separate statement, the air force said that following the accident, the "Patrouille de France" had cancelled its aerial presentation.

"The pilots and the entire Air Force community would like to express their solidarity at this difficult time," it said.

The crash comes just two days after two French military jets collided in eastern France, killing two military personnel and leaving a sole survivor.