P-51 Mustang crashes in the USA. Many killed at airshow.
 

75 hurt in US air show plane crash
AAP September 17, 2011, 11:56 am

A World War II era fighter plane plunged into the grandstands on Friday during a popular annual air show, injuring at least 75 spectators and leaving a horrific scene of bodies and wreckage.

Local media reported up to 12 people dead and a spokesman for the event called it a "mass casualty situation". Video showed a chaotic scene with several people apparently badly injured.

Stephanie Kruse, a spokeswoman for the Regional Emergency Medical Service Authority, said 25 people were critically injured and another 25 people were seriously hurt in the crash. More than 25 more people were treated for minor injuries, she said.

Kruse said the critically injured were considered to have life-threatening injuries.

"This is a very large incident, probably one of the largest this community has seen in decades," Kruse told The Associated Press. "The community is pulling together to try to deal with the scope of it. The hospitals have certainly geared up and staffed up to deal with it."

The P-51 Mustang crashed into a box seat area at the front of the grandstand at about 4:30pm local time (0930 Saturday AEST), race spokesman Mike Draper said.



It does happen, I am sorry for all concerned. I hope that there is not a knee-jerk reaction, and that remaining warbirds can continue to fly for our enjoyment.
regards Rick.

link
 

Very sad indeed!

Please bear in mind this happened at an air RACE, rather than a show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zusCl...e_gdata_player

They are revising the death toll all the time. Started at 12, down to 3, now up to 9.
Your right Hanno, it was a race but might have far reaching results. I hope not.
Regards Rick.

another warbird crash in the US
 

News just come in of a T28 Trojan, part of the Trojan Horsemen display team, has crashed at an airshow at Martinsburg. Not a good weekend.

Age of pilot
 

A news report I heard stated the pilot was aged 74 ...
Seems rather old to be flying a high performance aeroplane in that environment. But the BBC said it was possibly a mechanical fault and they have started a investigation ..but what is left of the Mustang to investgate .
Mike

mustang
 

News reports are saying part of the tail came off possibly causing the Mustang to crash.

Some pics.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14957637

crash
 

They just showed a detailed report of the crash on TV. The Mustang was highly modified for racing . In an old interview the now dead pilot said 10 feet has been shaved off the wings . He said Jet aircraft type speeds were wanted. They were talking about 500 mph speeds . Reports indicate that the tailplane brokeup ..photos support this . One large, clear photo taken an instant before in hit the ground shows the pilot isn't visible..he is slumped and just isnt seen.

Very sad news indeed. As Hanno pointed out the media were not that accurate....at least here in Holland, where they mentioned the plane had just been serviced, but they used a different term for that as if someone had done it with a screwdriver and hammer in his own garage.

The P51 was highly modified indeed, as can be seen here
http://www2.leewardairranch.com/racing

This sums it all up!?!

here is a detailed account and analysis of the tragedy..and not sensationalist either

an added part of the theory about the trim tab, is that the abrupt upward G-force caused the seat to break and the pilot to fall backward, with him possibly hitting the landing gear lever beside him, (tail wheel only deployed due to high pressure under wing at speed preventing main gear deployment) and explaining why he is not visible at all in the cockpit which theoretically he should even if slumped over in the seat if it were still in place.

http://thecritical-post.com/blog/201...sh-tcpchicago/

watch the video of it arriving..beautiful plane..beautiful sound... The smoke coming from the plane is steam..because they removed the belly rad, (reduce drag) they had a unique kind of "boil off" cooling system