Italy investigates if acrobatic plane struck birds before it crashed, killing a child on the ground

MILAN (AP) — The Italian Air Force says it is investigating whether an aircraft of its acrobatic team struck birds before it crashed near an airport, killing a child on the ground. A 5-year-old girl and her family were traveling in a car near the northern city of Turin when the aircraft crashed Saturday afternoon, bursting into flames and smashing through the airport fence. The girl’s mother and 9-year-old brother remained hospitalized for treatment of burns while the father was released Sunday, hospital officials said. Video of the crash shows the pilot ejecting with a parachute shortly before impact inside a fence airfield. The Frecce Tricolori squadron, Italy’s premier team of acrobatic pilots, was preparing for an air show scheduled for Sunday.