A South African pilot has been killed in a flight rehearsal for an aviation show after his fighter jet crashed because of a technical hitch.

Dave Stock's English "Electric Lightning" fighter jet had just become airborne ahead of an air show in the western city of Bredasdorp on Saturday when a mechanical glitch brought down his double-engine aircraft.

"Unfortunately the civilian pilot died in the crash. All indications are he went down with the plane," Reuters quoted Lieutenant Colonel Marius van den Heever of the Overberg Air Force Base as saying later on Saturday.

"This aircraft went down after it took off and was busy readying itself for an air display at our air show," he added.

After two decades of the war planes' retirement in their home country of UK, Lightning aircrafts are still flown in South Africa for training purposes.

There have been no reports of ground casualties in the accident.

GHN/MMA