Pilot crashes during Australian air show

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ADELAIDE, Australia, March 17 (UPI) -- A seasoned pilot, 73, died after the plane he constructed crashed while he performed a demonstration during an air show in Adelaide, Australia.

Roger Stokes' replica Spitfire plane disappeared below the horizon Sunday as crowds attending the annual Classic Aircraft show watched, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported.

The plane crashed into a fence barely missing a busy soccer field and nearby homes, the ABC reported.

"I saw it disappear behind the trees and there are trees at the back of the airfield. I thought he is too low to pull out," said one witness of hundreds at the show, many of whom saw the plane go down.

The Air Transport Safety Bureau will investigate the incident, the ABC reported.