Fatal Crash at National Championship Air Races in Reno

[Grey Havoc]

Three fatalities so far, including Jimmy Leeward, the pilot of the P-51 that crashed, 'Galloping Ghost'. Looks like it was mechanical trouble. The rest of the races have been abandoned. RIP

Stephanie Kruse, a spokeswoman for the Regional Emergency Medical Service Authority, told The Associated Press that emergency crews took a total of 56 injury victims to three hospitals. She said they also observed a number of people being transported by private vehicle, which they are not including in their count.

Kruse said of the total 56, at the time of transport, 15 were considered in critical condition, 13 were serious condition with potentially life-threatening injuries and 28 were non-serious or non-life-threatening.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_AIR_SHOW_CRASH?SITE=7219&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-09-16-21-13-11

The FAA official, spokesman Ian Gregor, said that multiple spectator fatalities and critical injuries were reported but did not provide a number. FAA inspectors had been observing the race at the time of the crash, he said.

The head of the Reno Air Racing Association, Michael Houghton, put the number of injured at 54 people and said the 74-year-old pilot was among those killed.

Renown Regional Medical Center spokesman Dan Davis said that at least two people were killed, a man and a woman. An event spokeswoman said the pilot had died in addition to the pair confirmed dead by Renown.

In a June video posted at the website for the air race, Leeward said the Galloping Ghost raced from 1946 to 1950 in the Cleveland Air Races and afterward in other events.

He said his crew cut 10 feet off the plane's length and made other modifications to improve its aerodynamic abilities and reach speeds of 500 miles per hour.

"I know it will do the speed, the systems aren't proven yet. We think they're going to be OK," Leeward said in the video dating from June.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/17/us-crash-airrace-idUSTRE78F6U420110917

 

[Grey Havoc]

According to this, it may have been engine failure.

 

[Grey Havoc]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14957437

 

[Grey Havoc]

Death toll now stands at nine, including the pilot, according to msnbc.com.

EDIT: AP confirms.

Sep 17, 4:16 PM EDT

Reno police say 9 people killed in Reno air crash

By SCOTT SONNER and MARTIN GRIFFITH
Associated Press



RENO, Nev. (AP) -- The death toll in the terrifying crash of a World War II-era plane during a Reno air race has risen to at least nine people, including the pilot and eight spectators, authorities said Saturday.

The deaths include seven who were killed on the tarmac and two others who died at hospitals, Reno Deputy Police Chief Dave Evans said.

The new death toll was announced at a briefing with local and federal investigators a day after the Friday afternoon crash. Authorities previously said that three people had perished in the crash.

 

[Grey Havoc]

1 killed in 2nd deadly air show crash in 24 hours

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. (AP) -- The second deadly air show crash in 24 hours has left one pilot dead in West Virginia and prompted the National Transportation Safety Board to dispatch an investigator to the site where an aerobatic demonstration plane plunged into a runway and exploded as spectators looked on.

Thousands of people were watching from a distance but no one was injured when a T-28 fixed-wing plane in a civilian aerobatics group wobbled and crashed Saturday, authorities said. Many in the crowd hugged each other and cried after seeing the aircraft appear to disintegrate in a fireball.

The ill-fated aircraft was part of a T-28 acrobatic team that tours the nation performing in air shows such as the Thunder Over the Blue Ridge airshow organized over the weekend at an airport near Martinsburg, according to Gen. James Hoyer, West Virginia Air National Guard adjutant.

The rest of the air show, including Sunday's planned performances, were canceled.

When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions. - Shakespeare.

 

[Sundog]

It wasn't engine failure. As the pics show, the elevator trim tab departed the aircraft, resulting in an instantaneous pitch up, probably at 10+g's, which probably led to G-LOC. You can see the tail wheel extended itself from the G-Load and you can't see the pilot in the side view pics as it went down, because he was most likely blacked out and/or pinned down to his lap by the G's.

Some people speculated it was engine failure based on the puffs of steam coming out, but those are just due to the aircraft's cooling system, which was a boil off system.

This happened to another P-51, I think around ten years ago, "Voodoo Chile," but the aircraft just kept climbing until the pilot regained consciousness. Based on the video's it doesn't seem like Jimmy regained consciousness, or due to the G's, he couldn't get the throttled pulled back, because the engine remained at the same power setting throughout the incident, based on the audio.

It truly was sad and shocking to hear, as I was following the qualifying heats all week online and the last time I checked what was going on was during lunch on Friday. I was really looking forward to seeing what Galloping Ghost would do, performance wise, during the weekend, as it looked like 500mph was within it's grasp. My condolences go out to the Leeward family and all of those killed and injured and to their families as well.

 

[Grey Havoc]

Death toll has risen to eleven: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44595445/ns/us_news-life/