Reno Air Race Championships Crash Kills Pilot & at Least 2 Others

[Ulysses31]

Was the pilot out cold? Shocking new video of Reno crash emerges as pictures reveal pilot was 'unconscious' seconds before impact

* Investigators find footage of forward facing cockpit cameras
* Death toll rises to 10
* World War II plane was adapted to increase speed - not stability
* Camera and memories cards found, suggesting video of crash a possibility
* Investigators recover pieces of tail that may have led to loss of control
* Image shows key component of tail missing before plane crashed in Reno
* Warnings about danger of air show in the past as 20 pilots have died since it began
* First time in race's 47-year history that spectators have been killed

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...2-planes-tail-missing-part.html#ixzz1YQCVfw4t



Out cold? A P-51 Mustang airplane is shown right before crashing at the Reno Air show on Friday. The pilot is absent from the cockpit

 

[Trident1]

That or the g forces are pressing him flat against the back of his seat. It looked like he may have lost a stabilizer trim tab causing the plane to pitch up then down. But we'll see what the investigators come up with.

 

[PlasmaTwa2]

Isn't the entire setup of these plane races sort of like a car race where the planes fly around in an oval? Seems to me like this was bound to happen sooner or later.

Good for the old guy to steer the plane away though.

 

[TheOrangeCat]

In more breaking news .... Moose dies after being hit with high-velocity bullet

 

[squallumz]

pfft. air shows are famous for the crashes. you wont see me going to one. i like living.

well most of the time.

sometimes.

eh.

 

[Facetious]

11 dead 66 serious

Report Suggests Mechanical Failure in Reno Air Crash
September 23, 2011

Federal investigators have released a preliminary report into the crash that killed 11 people at the Reno Air Races, and although it doesn’t offer a specific cause of the crash, it suggests a mechanical failure as the most likely cause.

The National Transportation Safety Board’s initial finding mentions part of the airframe “departed” from the highly modified North American P-51D. The plane, flown by veteran race pilot Jimmy Leeward, occurred during the final race of the day of the Reno National Championship Air Races.

Leeward and 10 spectators were killed and 66 others were seriously injured when the P-51D crashed into the crowd Sept. 16. The NTSB’s report is mostly a summary of the incident, confirming many details already surmised about the crash and providing further info about pictures, video and data collected from the scene.

story continued

 

[Christina Ryder]

That's really sad. There seems to be a lot of air show crashes lately. Weird and sad

 

[busaguy79]

Looks like a bit of the verticle stabilizer came off that allows the plane to maneuver at high speeds, since the P-51 is a 70 yr old design, these planes weren't ment to fly much past 400 mph so anything faster would cause the controls to lock so stabilizers are needed to disrupt airflow over the moving parts of the wing so the pilot will have control at higher speeds.

 

[Galactic]

As long find it exiting to visit air shows and air races, they have to accept that every once in a while, some pilot will make a fatal mistake and a lot of people will die in a fireball.

After the Ramstein Air Base accident, they shoulda know that :dunno:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBy7nVD32Mo

Still... Rest in Peace

Hey thanks for posting that uplifting bit...what, is this a case for one-upsmanship? Really...what's the point of that...we all know/remember how bad that was.

Condolences to Reno and those involved.