AN Irish stunt pilot who narrowly avoided death in a mid-air collision three years ago was back entertaining crowds at an air show last week.

Champion aerobat Eddie Goggins was involved in the disaster in the Aero GP event in Malta in 2006 in which another pilot – Swedish champion Gabor Varga – was killed.

Goggins was miraculously able to parachute to safety seconds after his Extra 200 single-engine plane was involved in a mid-air collision with Varga.

Despite the traumatic experience and his decision to quit stunt flying for a period he was back behind the controls of his plane last weekend to entertain crowds of people at the Bray Air Spectacular.

The father-of-two from Stepaside in south Dublin was pictured performing death-defying feats in his Extra 300 plane as part of the annual event.

The September 2006 air disaster captivated the nation as video footage of the horrific collision circulated on television and the internet.

Goggins was performing a climbing turn during an air race when the collision took place. He only managed to save himself by gaining sufficient altitude to parachute from danger as his plane disintegrated in the air.

In the footage of the incident, his parachute can be seen opening minutes before he plummeted into the sea.

While he is reluctant to discuss the incident, he said in a previous interview that his decision to stay grounded for a time was motivated by his family. "I wasn't nervous about it, I wasn't afraid for my own safety," he said. "That wasn't the reason. I just felt that for the sake of my wife and two children I should give it up. I have a great family life and that was to be my number-one priority."

His wife eventually convinced him to return to the sport that he loves, to the benefit of those who gathered to watch the daring stunt piloting exhibition last week.