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© Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.3 dead, 56 injured in Nevada air show crash
RENO, Nevada©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
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Serrano
This is sad.
Hawkeye
Sad but totally preventable. Don't allow spectators and aircraft to be within a certain distance. The spectators at this even were literally right under the flight path of the aircraft so even if a bolt fals off a plane it's going to hit a spectator. I have loved aircraft all my life but I would never attend an air show because if you look around on a worldwide basis this type of accident is quite common so you have to be a nut job to sit below 65 year old rebuilt aircraft flying at 350+ miles per hour above the stands and are thinking that this is safe???
CptCrunch
Tragic, but yes, it does seem the spectators were waaaaayyy to close to the action, and no pillars, no ceiling, no nothing to protect them. The video I saw makes it appear that they were actually standing on the runway. I don't know, but it sure did not look like a grandstand to me.
Unfortunately, the video only shows after the crash. In the article someone says the pilot did everything to avoid the crowd, but I cannot see how anyone could say that from the ground. Pilot was 80, and I am thinkiing that might well have had something to do with it. I got no problem with such an old person flying, but in a race like this? That's just a bad idea.
just-a-guy
80 year old pilot.....that was really scary! I think he maybe a Korean war veteran pilot!
Madverts
How horrific the event must have been.
USNinJapan2
I guess no one can say with any certainty (yet) that the cause of this crash was the advanced age of the pilot, but IMO 80 is far too old for someone flying in an air race or performing maneuvers that pull more than a couple of Gs. I'm sure Mr. Leeward was a great and accomplished pilot but he'll now be remembered for ruining dozens of lives on his way out. He really should have turned in his wings many years ago.
Asagao
Sorry for all those plane enthusiasts, especially the children. Maybe it is time to ban these shows, these accidents seem all to frequent.
yanagicho
The best pilots are the old WWII pilots. They had amazing training and experiences during their time. This is sad indeed.
USNinJapan2
So I see that the story's been edited to reflect the pilot's real age of 74. Still, 70+ is too old to be a pilot, let alone one that flies high-risk flights like stunts or air races.
Azida Primus
Sad but I hope everyone injured will get well soon.
Carcharodon
user "gkstone" has a video on youtube that really shows how brutal it was.
Madverts
"So I see that the story's been edited to reflect the pilot's real age of 74. Still, 70+ is too old to be a pilot, let alone one that flies high-risk flights like stunts or air races."
Agreed.
Surely the P1 Mustang isn't the easiest of beasts to fly in light of it's age?
Even if pilot error isn't the cause, I was still shocked to see the revised age of the pilot. Maybe I'll think differently if I'm in as good as shape as the pilot apprently was if I get to 74!
CrazyJoe
Prior to 2011, there were a total of 19 deaths from crashes or collisions at the Reno Air Races. (FOX40 news)
USNinJapan2
Madverts
I've never flown a P51 myself but having been designed for combat maneuverability I'm sure it doesn't have stable characteristics and would be a handfull for someone of that age. There comes a point as you grower older that the reflexes that came so naturally in your younger days just aren't there any more and your years of experience start becoming inadequate to make up for your waning physical abilities. I'm by no means an old pilot but even I have noticed small gradual changes in my abilities in the cockpit over the 15 years I've been flying. Even if I stayed in good health I can't imagine wanting to be doing what I do now when I'm in my 70's. It may be a bitter pill to swallow but it just wouldn't be safe for me and everyone else in the air and on the ground.
SuperLib
I can't say I know how many airshows there are every year so it's hard to get perspective, but it seems like we hear a story about this once a year or so.
Pump24
The damage to the plane and pilot are severe enough that we may never know the cause, but recent photos of the plane in its nosedive do not visibly show the pilot. Possibly slumped over? The plane pulled from the race, shot straight up, and then nosedived at full throttle. At age 74, I think a medical issue is a place to start. The Reno Air Races will continue, but next year the seats will be so far back, you will need binoculars to see the race course.
nath
It would make more sense to move the seating area to the inside of the circuit.
Madverts
USN,
That's the kind of characterisics I imagined for an ancient fighter like the Mustang. Car racing is much the same, people generally loose their reflex's along with their bottle! Still, it must be a magnificent experience flying one of those powerful old machines. It's truly sad this historic American icon ended up totalled, and at the same time causing the carnage it did.
Armani Arizonski
I almost went to that show!