A week of airshow crashes

[weasil]

1 Killed in Wisconsin Airshow Crash
By Associated Press
OSHKOSH, Wis. - Two single-engine war planes at an experimental airshow collided while landing Friday, killing one of the pilots and injuring the other, officials said.

Full Article see link below...

http://www.comcast.net/news/national...vqh=itn_planes

[G-CPTN]

Display pilot fataly injured at Dayton.

Dayton, Ohio – The Vectren Dayton Air Show Presented by Kroger will continue flying as planned on Sunday, July 29 after the fatal accident of veteran pilot Jim LeRoy on Saturday. The Vectren Dayton Air Show team expresses its condolences to the LeRoy family.

Show organizers have announced anyone that has a Saturday ticket stub or wristband may re-enter the show grounds on Sunday in the General Admission area. This will permit those patrons who were unable to see the US Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration to attend.

An accident investigation is underway, and Dayton International Airport Fire Chief, Mark Carpenter, is heading this investigation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_LeRoy

http://www.whiotv.com/news/13774845/detail.html

[con-pilot]

Yes, not a good day for airshows over here.

Or for New's Helicopters and crews.

[Wizofoz]

Would you believe I sat down to my computer, looked at the sceen wall paper which was a photo I took of Jim flying at the Al-Ain airshow in January, then read this.

He was one hell of a show pilot.

[Oilhead]

Jim LeRoy put on probably the most breathtaking airshow I have ever seen by a solo performer. www.bulldogairshows.com is his web site; some terrific video of him there; also try him on YouTube. He flew a highly modified Pitts S2S that would stop the most uninterested bystander in their tracks. I was always in awe of what he could make that Pitts do, but I always had a really uncomfortable feeling that he was always pushing the envelope too far.


Thanks for the great memories Jim.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=oWnaHvspGUE

OH

[Mullah Lite]

RIP Jim

A good man, a great pilot with an even greater heart. He will truly be missed.

Lite

[barit1]

From Jim LeRoy's website:

With a routine full of signature maneuvers and heart stopping surprises, Jim redefines the limits with explosive, non-stop action from start to finish. "People want to see low, wild, and seemingly out of control, but at the same time they want discipline, precision, and complete control" says Jim.

This might as well be a quote from "The Gypsy Moths", a 1969 skydiving movie in which Mike Rettig (played by Burt Lancaster) pushes the envelope to please the crowd.

What ever happened to safe-and-sane airshows?

[G-CPTN]

More sad news.

"The Federal Aviation Administration said the two P-51 Mustangs collided after finishing a performance at the Experimental Aircraft Association's annual AirVenture show.
P-51 Mustangs are single-seat fighters that were used in World War II.
National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Ted Lopatkiewicz said Gerald S. Beck, 58, of Wahpeton, North Dakota, died and the other pilot, 24-year-old Casey Odegaard of Kindred, North Dakota, suffered minor injuries when the planes clipped wings on landing."

[barit1]

Reports say that Beck's aircraft was a homebuilt P-51A, built to original NAA manufacturing drawings. I'm not sure this is germane to the cause of the accident, but is a curious sidebar to the reports.