A plane has crashed into the ground in front of an air show audience.

The crowd at the Avalon Airshow in Victoria, Australia, were watching a performance by the Sky Aces Formation Aerobatic Team.

The aircraft hurtled to the ground during a manoeuvre on Friday at roughly 5.15pm prompting the emergency services to rush to the scene.

Local reports indicate the small aircraft was performing a loop as part of an aerobatic show and didn’t pull up properly before crashing into the ground near the runway.

A loudspeaker at the show announced the pilot is alive but they remain in a critical condition.

The show has been put in hold while emergency services assess the situation.

Matthew, an eyewitness in disbelief from Melbourne, said the crowd 'fell silent' as the plane plunged into the ground.

He told Daily Mail Australia: "The orange plane was doing a loop and didn't pull up. He just went straight into the ground.

"I said to my mate before coming I had a bad feeling a plane would crash and then it happened.

"The crowd just fell silent. It was weird.

"If he had another 2-3 meters he would have made it."

The plane was one of four from the Sky Aces Formation Aerobatic Team. The pilot is unknown, but the Avalon 2025 website lists Paul Bennett, Glenn Graham, Jesse Jury and Glenn Collins as members of the Sky Aces Formation Aerobatic Team.

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