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Vintage plane crashes into crowd at Reno air races

Cowboy

Cowboy

Wait for it.
I was informed about this a little bit ago by a highly respected member of this forum and I hope it is OK to post it . Thoughts and prayers go out to all effected. :sad:

There is a video and more details at the link.
RENO, Nev. — A vintage World War II-era fighter plane crashed into a seating area Friday at a popular annual Reno air race show, killing at least three people, including the pilot, and injuring more than 50. Officials feared the death toll would rise.
  1. Witnesses reported a horrific mix of blood, body parts and smoking debris strewn across the crash site.
The accident happened just before 4:30 p.m. during the National Championship Air Races at the Reno-Stead Airport.
Witnesses told KTVN-TV that planes in the Unlimited race were ascending when one aircraft, a vintage P-51 flown by a renowned air racer and movie stunt pilot, nose-dived into a box-seat area near a spectator grandstand in the southeast corner.
The plane disintegrated, strewing debris into the nearby
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44556695/ns/us_news-life/?gt1=43001
 
I had no idea it had happened myself until I got home this evening and read news reports from media sources via my email.
Bobcat had a cousin there who volunteers (flight line), and she said it was awful.
 
pirate_girl said:
I had no idea it had happened myself until I got home this evening and read news reports from media sources via my email.
Bobcat had a cousin there who volunteers (flight line), and she said it was awful.
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I can see why after watching several of the videos PG , it looks to be a very tragic event and I dont think they even know yet how tragic. :sad:
 
New development... Per Bobcat. It looks to me as if the left elevator is missing its trim tab!!!

The P51 wasn't made to fly at the speeds these modified racers do. Everything has to be beefed up so things don't fail under the high stresses of a high speed race. Maybe the trim tab wasn't beefed up enough. When something like that pops while you're going that fast and that low, there is zero time to determine what happened and take any possible corrective action.

http://www.forumsforums.com/3_9/album.php?albumid=94&pictureid=1188
 
“He was a very experienced, talented and qualified pilot,” said Mike Houghton, executive director of the Air Races, which have been in Reno since 1964.

Leeward had been flying since he was 14 and had competed in the air races since 1975. His medical records were up to date and his flying history was clean, Houghton said.

The plane disintegrated on impact, sending shrapnel into the crowd and tearing limbs off bodies, while the blast from the explosion ripped clothes off some spectators, witnesses said.

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How absolutely ghastly! What a terribble, terrible tragedy. Simply awful. One doesn't know what to say really; what can one say, except to show their shock.
 
Here is a still photo a split second before the crash . Really sad but it looks like it could have been much worse. :sad:
 

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k-dog said:
There was a crash today at the airshow about 10 miles from my house. The pilot was the only fatality. It was at the Thunder Over the Blue Ridge. My wife and kids were going there but the morning rain changed their minds. Here is link to local newspaper http://www.journal-news.net/page/co...rashes-at-airshow--pilot-killed.html?nav=5006
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Thats terrible and sad as well , luckilly no one else was hurt . :sad:

I have to wonder what caused it though after watching the video and what the article said , It sure looked to me like he had control of the plane untill the last second which is when I was expecting him to pull up. It makes me wonder if the two planes didn't make a little contact causing something not to work at the last second. :unsure:
 
waybomb said:
Harumph!
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Interestinly enough I caught a video on tne local news this morning that showed that pic and the previous few seconds in slow motion that showed it coming apart in small pieces , almost like something hit it. :unsure:

Made me think that maybe a bird or something might have posably been the cause but it didn't show anything in the pic , just looked like it was disintigrating . Theres also quite a few other vids on you tube that show the crash from different angles and some are rather graphic because it shows the moment of impact so I did not want to post them here . :mellow:
 
That tab that is missing is the trim tab, it doesn't control flight, it does however take the up/down pressure off the flight controls for the pilot. That missing wouldn't cause the plane to crash. If the tab was ripped out, its control cable could have jammed something in the control cables system or broke them as well, they could have jammed, which would make them stick, causing the crash.

Very sad no matter what the cause...
 
Cowboy said:
New development... Per Bobcat. It looks to me as if the left elevator is missing its trim tab!!!

The P51 wasn't made to fly at the speeds these modified racers do. Everything has to be beefed up so things don't fail under the high stresses of a high speed race. Maybe the trim tab wasn't beefed up enough. When something like that pops while you're going that fast and that low, there is zero time to determine what happened and take any possible corrective action.

http://www.forumsforums.com/3_9/album.php?albumid=94&pictureid=1188
Click to expand...


Normally they cut about three feet off each wing end to make less wind resistance and fly faster for the race planes since they don't have to carry machine guns, armor, ammo and bombs. The planes even during WWII flew up to the edge of the speed of sound in dogfight dives where they did start to shake and in some case rip apart. But those planes were built like brick outhouses to start with, most of the modifications are to make them lighter, not heavier. They install more horsepower and so forth. Lots of horsepower, less drag and less weight is what makes a plane fast!

Sometimes they will take solid control linkages and drill hole in them or cut them smaller to shave weight off the planes, and they may have done that to where something failed!

No clue to what caused the plane to lose control, but you can figure they will analyze every photo and part they can find to reassemble the plane to find the cause!
 
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I believe the missing tab is not a trim tab but an assist tab. With it gone, the pilot could not exert enough force to move the control surface. At least that's what I believe to be true.

Strega's wings (another P51, my favorite) has over a million bucks just in the wings. Completely different airfoil; not just cut off.
 
waybomb said:
I believe the missing tab is not a trim tab but an assist tab. With it gone, the pilot could not exert enough force to move the control surface. At least that's what I believe to be true.

Strega's wings (another P51, my favorite) has over a million bucks just in the wings. Completely different airfoil; not just cut off.
Click to expand...

Yeah the wings were cutting edge when they first built them in the 40's!
 
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