The big military transport aircraft, not long off the production line and bound soon for the Turkish Air Force, crashed shortly after take off from from Seville San Pablo airfield.

Airbus Military said four of its test crew were killed and two severely injured. All six are Spanish.

It was a warm day with good conditions. So why?

My struggle with this tragic event is that it is such a surprise. The A400M is a heavily-tested type, not just airborne-tested but tried and stressed for years on the manufacturer’s “Iron Bird” racks. There should be no surprises.

Nowadays new Boeings and Airbuses don’t crash during a normal take-off unless something really unusual and therefore unexpected goes wrong. What was it?

They’ll soon tell us.

The aeroplane is a good one and will do well. Airbus Military will survive this. The families are the ones I feel sorry for.