Reno air show crash

mithrandir · 17 Sep 2011 at 08:09

Three people have died and scores are injured after an airplane crashed near a grandstand at an air race near Reno, Nevada, say medical officials.

The vintage World War II-era P-51 Mustang crashed at about 1630 local time (2330 GMT) at the National Championship Air Races.

The crash looked nasty, literally a vertical dive. :eek:

TaKeN · 17 Sep 2011 at 08:13

Nasty! Why so close to the crowd?!

mithrandir · 17 Sep 2011 at 08:15

TaKeN said:
Nasty! Why so close to the crowd?!

That's what I thought especially with all those vintage planes.

indyskyz · 17 Sep 2011 at 09:46

it looked upside down on approach, maybe he was disorientated and pulled up?

VoG · 17 Sep 2011 at 09:47

TaKeN said:
Nasty! Why so close to the crowd?!

maybe the pilot became incapacitated, & the aircraft headed towards the crowd before finally crashing, nothing to stop a pilotless plane travelling quite some distance after all, it has happened in the past.

Cosimo · 17 Sep 2011 at 10:03

rexehuk · 17 Sep 2011 at 10:18

Poor bloke and a lovely plane lost.

DJMK4 · 17 Sep 2011 at 11:35

Damn that looks nasty, he was coming down at quite an angle and at quite a high speed.

arknor · 17 Sep 2011 at 11:43

looks nasty indeed and thats one of the more tame airshow disasters.

you would think every country would stop the planes beeing so close to the specators since there have been so many disasters..

the su27 ukraine one is terrifying the plane litterally slices through the crowd and its like no one has learned from it

DJMK4 · 17 Sep 2011 at 11:44

arknor said:
the su27 ukraine one is terrifying the plane litterally slices through the crowd and its like no one has learned from it

Yeh I remember watching a youtube video on that, it certainly is one nasty crash, not sure if it should be posted here or not :\

arknor · 17 Sep 2011 at 11:50

DJMK4 said:
Yeh I remember watching a youtube video on that, it certainly is one nasty crash, not sure if it should be posted here or not :\

i wont post any videos all of them are pretty messed up

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sknyliv_airshow_disaster
77 onlookers were killed, including 19 children (though initial reports put the number of dead at 85). Another 100 were hospitalized for head injuries, burns, and bone fractures. Other injuries were less severe and did not require hospitalization: a total of 543 people were injured during the event.

wow there has been atleast 1 airshow accident for almost every year
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_airshow_accidents

Drukk · 17 Sep 2011 at 14:06

arknor said:
looks nasty indeed and thats one of the more tame airshow disasters.

you would think every country would stop the planes beeing so close to the specators since there have been so many disasters..

the su27 ukraine one is terrifying the plane litterally slices through the crowd and its like no one has learned from it

Aircraft used to be able to cross the crowdline, due to the number of accidents this was stopped along time ago. Aircraft now are not allowed past the flightline on the spectator side.

The problem is at what point do you say its all to close? A plane can deviate along way when its out of control. To be entirely safe you would have to be so far away you would n't be able to see anything!

arknor · 17 Sep 2011 at 14:28

Aircraft used to be able to cross the crowdline, due to the number of accidents this was stopped along time ago. Aircraft now are not allowed past the flightline on the spectator side.

lies at the last airshow i went to the red arrows flew directly over the crowd/fairground area pretty low aswell

Vulcan · 17 Sep 2011 at 14:40

arknor said:
lies at the last airshow i went to the red arrows flew directly over the crowd/fairground area pretty low aswell

Flying over is one thing, but I seriously doubt they would attempt any manoeuvres whilst over, or heading towards the crowd.

steve-h · 17 Sep 2011 at 14:54

And this is why I will never attend an air show.

Vulcan · 17 Sep 2011 at 15:15

steve-h said:
And this is why I will never attend an air show.

You are probably more likely to die driving to the shops.

arknor · 17 Sep 2011 at 15:25

Longbow said:
Flying over is one thing, but I seriously doubt they would attempt any manoeuvres whilst over, or heading towards the crowd.

depends what you consider a manouver they were all in close formation painting a line along the sky

Brian8bit · 17 Sep 2011 at 15:29

Moses said:
I've read the pilot was eighty (according to The Independent). Obviously no one knows what caused it, yet, and I'm not blaming him... but I was surprised eighty year olds are allowed to fly old fighter planes (especially close to crowds, etc).

I remember watching a documentary about the Confederate air force (now known as the commemorative air force) that was nothing but old retired guys in old pre and war era planes they'd restored. They were all in their 60s, 70s and 80s.

SuperTronNarwhal · 17 Sep 2011 at 15:38

simulatorman said:

Arghh his head got in the hway!

But thats so odd for it to do A vertical Dive. Something not right!

Drukk · 17 Sep 2011 at 15:54

arknor said:
lies at the last airshow i went to the red arrows flew directly over the crowd/fairground area pretty low aswell

5 Overflight of Spectators

5.1 Display aircraft are not permitted to overfly the spectator enclosures or Car Parks unless with the specific written permission of CAA FOI (GA). Outside the display area, normal Rules of the Air apply.

5.2 Aircraft carrying parachutists may overfly the spectators enclosures or Car Parks whilst positioning to drop, but not below a minimum height of 1500 feet above surface level.

http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP403.PDF