An Air Force helicopter destroyed one of Mexico’s “monumental flags” on Saturday when its main rotor made contact with the oversized green, white and red symbol of the nation.

The incident occurred at the military-owned Campo Marte complex in Mexico City, where a lucha libre wrestling event was taking place.

Campo militar 1-A
Helicóptero Bell 407 No de cola 1957 de la Fuerza Aérea Mexicana corta la bandera de México con las palas del rotor principal durante una parada aérea.
Se aproximó demasiado al asta bandera, poniendo en riesgo la seguridad de la aeronave y las personas en tierra pic.twitter.com/DizxXvWPdd

— Gpo.Siade.Ac.oficial (@Gposiadeoficial) February 4, 2024

The accident happened at a lucha libre event in Mexico City (Gpo.Siade.Ac.oficial/X)

Footage posted to social media shows three Air Force helicopters flying overhead, one of which — a Bell 407 — catches the red section of the unfurled “monumental flag” with its three-blade rotor.

Fragments of the flag — a sizable portion of which was shredded — are seen fluttering toward the spectators below. The flight of the helicopter didn’t appear to be affected by the contact it made with the flag.

The Ministry of National Defense didn’t comment publicly on the incident, but military sources told the El Universal newspaper that there are a range of “factors and variables” that have a bearing on “the development of air operations.”

The “bandera monumental” or “monumental flag” at Campo Marte is one of several that fly atop extremely tall flagpoles at various locations in Mexico. Former president Ernesto Zedillo initiated the monumental flag program in 1999.

There are three banderas monumentales in Mexico City, including one in the Zócalo, or central square. The others are located in Tijuana, Ciudad Juárez, Veracruz city, Cuautla and Iguala, the birthplace of the flag of Mexico.

With reports from El Universal