Watch: IRON MAIDEN's Spitfire Replica Plane Malfunctions During Worcester Concert

The life-size replica of a Spitfire combat plane which IRON MAIDEN has been using as part of its live show during the "Legacy Of The Beast" tour malfunctioned during the band's concert last night (Monday, October 17) in Worcester, Massachusetts.

During "Aces High", the closing song of MAIDEN's set at the DCU Center, the Spitfire was supposed to buzz the stage while singer Bruce Dickinson and his bandmates performed the classic track from their fifth studio album, "1984's "Powerslave". However, the plane appeared to have gotten stuck while making its way to the front of the stage, forcing some of the MAIDEN roadies to frantically scramble to resolve the issue before removing the plane from the stage altogether. At one point, Dickinson could be seen looking back at the plane as it was being lowered behind the stage, apparently unsure what had just happened.

IRON MAIDEN's Spitfire plane, complete with propellers that turn, is a 90-percent-sized replica of an actual Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vb registration number AA 853 from 302 Squadron that saw active duty in 1941.

Dickinson, who is also a warplanes enthusiast and a qualified pilot, previously stated about the plane: "We would have made it actual size, but we had to cut it down by 10 percent to fit on some of the festival stages. Otherwise, it's an exact replica of arguably the greatest plane design ever — in fact, one of the best-designed machines ever."

Four years ago, Bruce told the Daily Mail that he wanted to get the details about the real plane MAIDEN's Spitfire was based on to avoid coming under fire from plane-spotters and military historians.

"Being a bit of an aviation geek, I said, 'Okay, is this is a Battle Of Britain Spitfire?' They said, 'What do you mean?' I said, 'Well, it's got 20mm cannons and they didn't fit those on Spits until later, so where is this Spitfire from? They said, 'Does that matter?' I said, 'Yes, it does matter. If we're going to put a Spitfire up there, I want to know the real backstory.

"They had pulled it off the Internet where it was available as a 3-D model. I know people who are into war planes and to put something up unthinkingly and go, 'Well, it's just a Spitfire,' is not good enough."

Dickinson and MAIDEN's management researched the real plane at the archives of the Royal Air Force Museum in London and discovered it saw most of its service with the RAF’s 302 Squadron, which was comprised of Polish pilots. Many Polish airmen made their way to Britain after Hitler invaded Poland in September 1939.

IRON MAIDEN is currently in North America in the final stages of its spectacular "Legacy Of The Beast" world tour, interrupted for two years by COVID-19, with many shows rescheduled twice. The tour actually started in Tallin, Estonia in May 2018, the first of 139 shows in 33 countries. By the last show in Tampa, Florida on October 27, this year the band will have played to over three million fans on this epic world tour.