Seems she has decked it, without serious injury although the Stearman looks a little sad. Fortunately the publicity seems to have backed away from the "solo" claims, bit embarrassing to explain the 2 p.o.b otherwise.
"I am stricken to announce that my flight across the USA has been cut short following a crash in the Arizona Desert. Firstly, I am fine and unharmed, as is Ewald Gritsch who was with me. I would like to thank everyone for their best wishes and support.
The accident happened a couple of days ago as we were flying to Phoenix in Arizona after refuelling and taking off from Winslow. The cause seems to be a combination of high density altitude (Winslow has an elevation of 5000ft above sea level) and a partial loss of power at a height of about 50ft after take off. The Spirit of Artemis then started to sink which was not a great scenario with power lines directly ahead but thankfully there was open desert to the south. I did a gentle left turn and then levelled off. It hit the ground and rolled forward about twenty feet but then the right wheel struck a dense sage root mound which tore off the right landing gear and threw the plane onto its left wing. It then cartwheeled tail over the nose in a cloud of sand and dust. The damage is extensive but the impact was absorbed by the wings and the airframe and the cockpit remained intact. The Stearman is a famously strong aeroplane but my admiration for it is now absolutely boundless when I consider the wider implications of what could have happened.
I am devastated by all of this and profoundly sorry that I won't be able to finish the flight, at least not this year. I have been overwhelmed by messages of support from
Boeing Company and indeed the whole general aviation community here in the US. Amazingly, I have even been offered another Stearman to complete the flight but I have such a deep attachment to the Spirit of Artemis and we have come such a long way together that I cannot contemplate doing it in anything else.
The immediate plan of action is to ship the fuselage back to 3G Classic Aviation in Hungary where it was originally restored and start the rebuild immediately. We had a spare engine on standby in case there was a problem and there is already a set of new wings. At a very long shot the Stearman might even be ready for the Farnborough Air Show in July which would be fantastic as this is where it will be based in future.
The bigger plan is to bring it back to Winslow early next year and pick up the journey where we left off but with more time to do major aviation events like Oshkosh in addition to the wider outreach programme. On the day of the accident I had experienced some of the best flying I have ever known over some of the most beautiful and dramatic scenery I have ever seen - the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Monument Valley and the Valley of the Gods. It all has an epic grandeur which is almost out of this world.
My only desire now is to get the Spirit of Artemis flying again and to bring it back to America. My thanks as ever to Boeing, Artemis Investment Management and my other partners for their unwavering support.
The journey continues..."