Monument Valley, Utah -- What he calls a "stupid error" nearly cost British stunt pilot Steve Jones his life.

Jones was taking part in the Red Bull Air Race World Series. The competition features an aerial obstacle course with 13 pilots battling for the fastest time. Speeds approach 250 MPH with pilots experiencing up to ten G's. The course takes the planes within ten feet of the ground.

Video: Plane Slams Into Pylon

Jones was approaching two of the pylons when he realized something had gone wrong with the propeller.

"I made a stupid error of looking inside briefly to try and sort it out...big mistake, resulted in a major pylon hit, you know, certainly the worst pylon hit I've seen in this sport," said Jones.

Jones tore through the pylon and took out one of the tracking cameras, but was thankful the error didn't cause him to crash.

Hungarian pilot Peter Besenyei won the event.

Don't miss the incredible video and slideshow from the event capturing the incident.