A Stevens Point police vehicle heads back out to the scene of a plane crash Sunday at the Stevens Point Air Show. Credit: Photo courtesy of B.C. Kowalski / Stevens Point Journal Media

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A 47-year-old pilot died Sunday afternoon when his plane crashed while performing in an air show at Stevens Point Municipal Airport, police said.

The plane was conducting aerial maneuvers during an aerobatics portion of the biennial air show when it crashed just before 12:30 p.m. into a wooded area about 1,000 feet east of the airport runway, Police Sgt. Tony Babl said.

Authorities were withholding the name of the pilot until his relatives could be notified.

Babl described the plane as a 1993 YAK-55M. The single-seat, single-engine plane was designed for aerobatics competitions.

The crash put a sudden stop to the festivities at the airport, which was closed immediately after the plane went down and the crowds sent home.

Witnesses told the Stevens Point Journal that the airplane spiraled toward the ground, looped up, then crashed into the trees.

"I couldn't believe what I saw," said Melvin Burskey, 72, of Neenah. "There was a puff of smoke, then it went down."

Stevens Point police have secured the crash site until officials with the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board arrive to conduct their investigation, Babl said. The airport is at 4501 Highway 66 in Portage County's largest city.

Police are asking anyone with video of the incident that could aid the investigation to contact Detective Sgt. Joe Gruber at (715) 346-1518.

The biennial air show features displays of World War II aircraft in addition to aerobatics. The show began in 1962 as an annual event but was scheduled every other year beginning around the turn of the century.

Earlier Sunday, the municipal airport was officially renamed Mattson Field for Conrad Mattson, a military ace pilot and Stevens Point native.