Pilot dies after plane crashes to the ground in stunt practise for US air show

An aerobatic pilot has crashed and died in upstate New York while practising stunts in a propeller plane ahead of a weekend air show, police say.

Friday's accident happened at about 2pm local time at Stewart International Airport in New Windsor in the scenic Hudson Valley, on the eve of the New York Air Show.

"It appeared the aircraft had experienced a structural failure," a New York State Police spokesman said.

The show, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at Stewart, is to feature demonstrations from civilian and military performers, including by Navy SEAL Leap Frogs, a parachute team.

The crash comes a week after up to 11 people were killed when a vintage military jet crashed onto a busy road near the Shoreham air show on the south coast of England.