Mustangs collide

[PA39]

Two P51 Mustangs collided at Oshkosh!! Aircraft are destroyed not sure if pilots survived.....doubt it.

[Peter Fanelli]

I believe the pilot of "Precious Metal" died, the other pilot survived.

Been a bad weekend for shows, Jim LeRoy also died while performing at the Dayton show in a modified Pitts.

[ForkTailedDrKiller]

EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh is an absolutely mind-blowing aviation experience. However, the whole time I was there (1999) I felt that an accident was likely, given the way the boundaries were being pushed.

The displays were so full-on that RA (Bob) Hoover's routine in the Shrike Commander, which was to be the highlight of my Oshkosh experience, could only be described as boring.

My feelings of impending doom became a reality when a formation take-off went horribly wrong and a Corsair collided with a Bearcat that had stopped on the runway. There were no fatalities but the pilot of the Corasir suffered extensive burns and was left a paraplegic.

Several of the star performers at EAA AirVenture 1999 are now dead as a result of airshow accidents (ie Jimmy Franklin) or have been severely injured (Wayne Handley).

I was not surprised to hear of the latest accident.

Every pilot, if they get the chance, should go to Oshkosh! Personally, I am glad I have been, but I was equally pleased and relieved to leave. I wouldn't bother going again.

Dr :cool:

PS: Unfortuately, after Oshkosh, I have little interest in Oz airshows.

[the wizard of auz]

PS: Unfortuately, after Oshkosh, I have little interest in Oz airshows.
Today 06:41
You mean quaint small gatherings of aircraft and enthusiasts. :}

[ForkTailedDrKiller]

Wiz

You are of course absolutely correct. It is impossible for anyone who has not been there to fully grasp the scale of the event.

Dr :cool:

PS: Here's a little taste of EAA AirVenture 1999.

http://www.fototime.com/D3127FF31FDB457/conv.wmv

[tinpis]

Two planes collide while landing during the Experimental Aircraft Association's annual AirVenture show.
http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2007/07/28/collision_wideweb__470x327,0.jpg

[Launchpad McQuack]

whoa...where'd you get that from Tin? Nasty stuff...

In another thread in the Nostalgia forum;

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=285835

Also have a look at this link, footage of the crash...

http://www.aero-tv.net/index.cfm?videoid=00b0d640-e714-4b79-b17b-6f3b0f149c4d

LP :(

[Capn Bloggs]

Unfortuately, after Oshkosh, I have little interest in Oz airshows.
That's a good reason NOT to go to Oshkosh. Then you can enjoy the local offerings every time they come around...:D

[Brian Abraham]

Interesting that the fatal aircraft was not a restored production machine but a new amateur home built machine. Construction completed in May 2006. Some people have time and/or money. Unfortunate to end this way.

Edited to add - Gerry Beck’s new build P-51A, c/n 311, N8082U flew on 7 June with Gerry himself at the controls saying that “It is a great flying plane - seems lighter than a D model. It is very fast, the D flying along side was running 2350 and 37 inches to keep up while I was at 2000 and 30 inches”. Gerry describes the aircraft as the ‘ultimate homebuild’ which he put together over six years from original North American Aviation plans with modifi cations required made for safety, serviceability and longer service life. With the exception of a small handful of parts such as gear legs, trunion casting, other assorted castings and small parts, the entire airframe was built from scratch, including the wing. With parts for an additional 9 aircraft made during the building process the future looks bright for the rarest of the Mustang stable!

From http://www.classicwings.com/issues/Classic_Wings_Sample.pdf

[A37575]

Personally I hate watching low level aerobatics at any air show. I had a scare flying a RAAF Mustang circa 1953 at a Battle of Britain display at Townsville. Got too close to Mt Louisa while barrel-rolling and it put me off low level aeros for good. A couple of years later during a similar display held at Townsville, I watched a RAAF Winjeel doing terribly dangerous low level stall turns in front of the crowd and I was sure someone was going to get hurt. I quickly moved the wife and child back from the crowd towards a safer area. Felt the same uneasy feeling when watching the Avalon Air Show. Must be cautiousness born of old age.

[Chimbu chuckles]

They can be pretty...when done by someone who knows the difference between displaying himself and the aeroplane...the former can scare you rigid...this an example of the later.

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

[Peter Fanelli]

CC that sure is some good footage of the P-38.
I had the pleasure of seeing Lefty Gardner racing it at Reno in 1994. His flying was fantastic to watch.

I read a few days ago that the damaged airframe has been sold to RedBull so hopefully it will one day be flyable again.

[Centaurus]

CC. That was a wonderful movie of the Lightning and the background music tops it off nicely. I have just tried a similar display in the 737 simulator except the loop didn't work out and my mate playing the background music with his mouth-organ wasn't quite the same you know...

[kiwiblue]

Not bad CC, not bad at all...

He was scary close to still having weight on those mains at the start of the retraction cycle but!

[tinpis]

They never managed to shut Clarkson (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt-p7AIfFuE) up :rolleyes:

[kiwi chick]

CC. That was a wonderful movie of the Lightning and the background music tops it off nicely. I have just tried a similar display in the 737 simulator except the loop didn't work out and my mate playing the background music with his mouth-organ wasn't quite the same you know...

Hahaha, I was just about to post something all girly and emotional then i read that and just about wet myself, lol! ;)

Just watching the Light. movie and I nearly cried! Partnered with that music, i sat here at my wee desk and felt a desperate longing inside to be in that aircraft doing the exact same thing, god it was just poetry in motion!!! :{

[tinpis]

http://www.augk18.dsl.pipex.com/Smileys/spanky.gifGet a grip woman.....go out and get the cows in .

[kiwi chick]

Hahaha, right back at you!! (how do I get that little "moon" man?!)

BTW: I'm not allowed within 100 metres of farmyard animals anymore.

[Capn Bloggs]

Cows? Don't you mean sheep? :}

[Chimbu chuckles]

Wot...it's against the law now in NZ? :};):D:E

Joking...nice to see girlies hanging around here:ok:

[kiwi chick]

Not against the law, our jails would be too full.

But stalking them as well IS against the law. (He never called...)

;)

(BTW good to be here!!!)

[tnuc]

was sitting on flightline at OSH on friday watching the show when the accident happened, i believe this is the first fatal accident they have had at the show in 10 years.
didnt hang around after the accident but some did, the show was delayed about 1.5 hrs

[kiwi chick]

I don't mean to sound morbid - but why not hang around?

All the subsequent display pilots would be feeling like **** and not much like displaying, the least i would do would be stay to give them something to go up for (i mean an appreciative audience

Having said that, obviously I wasn't there and I might feel different if i had been maybe :confused:

[Mustangbaz]

i was also at oshkosh on friday, the whole scenario after the accident was fairly weird with the commentators effectively ignoring the accident and going on with prepaid advertising while everyone was trying to work out what happened. It was the second accident i had seen for the week with a plastic high wing homebuilt snapping off some gear legs on landing although with a far better ending.
:(

[VH-XXX]

tnuc, there was a fatal accident at Oshkosh last year!

It was a taxxing accident where some huge warbird "ran over" a home-built RV and one died in it.

[barit1]

Oshkosh NTSB preliminary (http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20070801X01080&key=1)

[Runaway Gun]

Note this part particularly:

"The demonstration air race was completed and the five aircraft were in the process of landing separately, and not in formation, on runway 36. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident."


Despite some initial footage that appeared to suggest otherwise, it was NOT a formation landing, and it appears that the P-51A was blind to the P-51D that it practically landed on top of. Sad, very sad. :(

[Brian Abraham]

Landing on 36 they use a taxiway as one of the runways so that you have a 36L and a 36R. Wonder if the one that got run into was supposed be on 36R (the taxiway). The tower controller does direct which runway to use. Would explain a lot.