This is the dramatic moment a hero pilot steers his aircraft away from homes to save dozens of lives before dying in a crash landing.<br /><br />Squadron Leader Naruepol Lueadkusol was training a new pilot in the Aero L-39 Albatros military jet yesterday (July 11) afternoon in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand.<br /><br />But mid-way through the flight, the engine stalled. Naruepol tried to re-start the plane but when it was not successful, he made a Mayday call and prepared for a crash landing.<br /><br />The Thai Air Force pilot bravely stared the plane away from a nearby town and busy motorway aiming for dense woodland. <br /><br />Tragically, he was killed after the eject mechanisms failed to operate properly. The trainee pilot survived and staggered out of the wreckage. <br /><br />Dash cam footage from a passing car just before 4 pm shows how the Royal Thai Air Force jet plunged into trees in the Saraphi district.<br /><br />Survivor Thanawat Khunkhunthod said that his pilot and teacher was trying to keep the plane away from the city as much as possible.<br /><br />The Wing Commander said: ''He told me to leave the plane first while he was trying to control it at last minute, just to make sure the civilians would be safe.''<br /><br />Air Marshal Pongsak Semachai, the Air force spokesman, said that Air Force officers and related officers closed the scene for investigation.<br /><br />He said: ''It’s the second fatal incident involving an air force jet in two years. In 2017, a pilot was killed during the air show on Children’s Day.<br /><br />''We're collecting evidence and pieces of debris from the aircraft to find out the cause of the crash.''
