This is the terrifying moment a light aircraft spiralled toward the sea and smashed into the water, breaking apart on impact in front of horrified spectators.

Footage recorded by a witness from a nearby beach in Durban, a popular resort city in South Africa, shows the ZS-AEC Extra 300 aircraft plummeting from the sky on August 14.

The plane can be seen climbing and banking before it suddenly nosedives into the waves, just metres from the shore.

Veteran pilot Andrew Blackwood-Murray, 61, was reportedly performing in an airshow when the crash occurred.

Beachgoers who witnessed the incident immediately alerted emergency services. Rescue teams responded quickly, recovering parts of the wreckage.

However, the pilot's body has not yet been found.

Authorities have now confirmed that the operation has shifted from a rescue to a recovery mission, with little hope that Blackwood-Murray survived the crash.

The beachfront has been temporarily closed, with officials urging the public to stay away while the recovery effort continues.

Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Sisa Majola confirmed the aircraft went down shortly before 2 pm, during its final display at the beachfront airshow.

Tributes have since poured in for Blackwood-Murray, remembered as a world-class pilot and respected figure in the aviation community.

His wife, Kyla, posted a heartfelt message online, writing: 'It was the call I have been dreading my whole life.

'But I always said I would rather he go doing the things he loves the most. I just didn't realise he would have left so soon.

'He was my world. We did everything together and we had so many plans. We were going to grow old and be the most awesome geriatrics together.

'He has taken away the biggest piece of my soul and I don't know how I am going to live without my wingman.

'He brought me more joy than I ever imagined possible. He was always there for me helping me become the best version of myself.

'I am beyond heartbroken.'

The investigation into the crash is ongoing.