Death toll rises to 9 in Reno air race crash and more 50 injured
September 17, 6:00 PM
Plane nosedived into spectators
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Investigators will look at how the plane's elevator trim tab broke off before crash
- The death toll rises to nine, according to Reno police
- A memorial service planned for the pilot is cancelled, a race spokeswoman says
- The pilot may have tried to avoid crowded grandstands before crashing
Reno, Nevada -- A pilot lost control of his vintage plane during an air race over Reno, Nevada, plummeting toward thousands of spectators before narrowly missing a grandstand and slamming into box seats.
Nine people died, Reno police Deputy Chief Dave Evans said Saturday, one day after the crash at the National Championship Air Races and Air Show. Close to 60 were injured.
Seven people died on the tarmac, including the pilot, and another two died in hospitals, police said. Officials had previously put the death toll at three.
National Transportation Safety Board member Mark Rosekind said investigators are looking at whether the plane's apparently damaged elevator trim tab -- whose breaking apart was captured in a photograph -- played a role in the nosedive crash. Authorities do not know why the aircraft went down.
"We're aware of that, and in fact, a component has been recovered in the area where it was observed, but it's critical at this point to note that we have not identified this component," Rosekind told reporters. "It will be examined, so we don't know what the component is and whether it came from this particular aircraft."
A full investigation could take six to nine months, he said.
Investigators will be poring over a trove of spectators' videos and photos, he said.
"It seems there were a tremendous number of cameras and video that was captured," he said. "On the one hand, it's an excellent source of information, but on the other hand, there's not a lot of other specific components from the wreckage that at this point we can identify."
At the time of the crash, three NTSB investigators happened to be at the air show -- a common practice -- and one of them has been appointed investigator in charge, Rosekind said.
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- Witness: Pilot tried to save lives
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The board will look at safety oversight and the placement of the grandstands for the air race, Rosekind said.
Investigators are also looking into whether the plane had a black box, Rosekind said.
One local hospital, Renown Medical Center, received 30 patients, six of whom were in critical condition as of Saturday morning, a spokesman said. Two of its patients -- a male and a female -- died. Fourteen of the 30 have been discharged, the hospital said Saturday. Of the remainder, two were in serious condition, five in fair condition, and one in good condition, the hospital said.
On Saturday morning, patients were either in surgery, awaiting surgery or transferred to a room, the hospital said.
Renown South Meadows Medical Center received and discharged five patients, the hospital said Saturday.
St. Mary's Hospital in Reno said it had accepted 25 patients Friday evening from the accident: four were in critical condition, six in serious condition, and 15 in fair condition as of late Friday.
The pilot, identified as Jimmy Leeward, a real estate developer from Ocala, Florida, was killed in the crash, according to a show official. The 74-year-old was flying a P-51 Mustang.
The air race has been canceled for Saturday, the show said.
A memorial service scheduled for the pilot in Reno was canceled because his family left the area, said Valerie Miller, a race spokeswoman.
A day before the crash, in an interview from Airshow TV, Leeward expressed confidence about his prospects in the race -- while hinting that his team would fly even faster in the days to come.
"We're as fast as anybody in the field, and maybe even faster," he said. "We've been playing poker since last Monday, so we're ready to show a couple more cards (so) we'll see what happens."
Several witnesses were calling the pilot a hero because he maneuvered the plane away from the crowded grandstands at the last moment.
Ben Cissell said the plane crashed about 100 feet from where he was seated.
"I think that pilot in the last seconds pulled up because he saw the bleachers and saved about 200 or 300 others," Cissell said.
"I don't mean this as a disrespect to others injured, but that pilot is a hero. He saved a lot of lives today. It could have been much worse."
Kim Fonda said she also saw the plane streaking toward where she was seated in the grandstand.
"I closed my eyes and said, 'I am going to die now,' " Fonda said. "I was literally preparing to die and then he jerked the plane away and it landed like 25 feet from us. I want his family to know he was a hero."
Video of the crash, posted on YouTube, showed a plane plummeting from the sky, sending up clouds of dust and debris. Shocked spectators rose to their feet.
Fred Scholz, a witness, said he saw the plane seemingly "coming straight down."
"I thought he was coming right on top of us," he said, noting that the aircraft hit about 100 feet from him.
"Luckily there was no fire, which surprised me," said Scholz, 59, from Truckee, California, who says he goes to air races ever year. "It just happened so quickly."
Another witness, Greg Mills, added that the pilot "didn't have enough altitude to pull up," with the aircraft shuddering before slamming to the ground about 50 to 75 yards from where he was standing.
"We got showered by little stuff," said Mills, who works at the Pacific Aviation Museum based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, describing a chaotic scene afterward. "Everybody was running."
The plane, called the "Galloping Ghost," was taking part in a qualifying round in the "unlimited class" division of the air race when it went down around 4:15 p.m. PT Friday, said Mike Draper, the show spokesman. The final rounds had been slated for the weekend.
"It was clear that (the plane) was pulling up and was in distress," he said.
September 17, 6:00 PM
Plane nosedived into spectators
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Investigators will look at how the plane's elevator trim tab broke off before crash
- The death toll rises to nine, according to Reno police
- A memorial service planned for the pilot is cancelled, a race spokeswoman says
- The pilot may have tried to avoid crowded grandstands before crashing
Reno, Nevada -- A pilot lost control of his vintage plane during an air race over Reno, Nevada, plummeting toward thousands of spectators before narrowly missing a grandstand and slamming into box seats.
Nine people died, Reno police Deputy Chief Dave Evans said Saturday, one day after the crash at the National Championship Air Races and Air Show. Close to 60 were injured.
Seven people died on the tarmac, including the pilot, and another two died in hospitals, police said. Officials had previously put the death toll at three.
National Transportation Safety Board member Mark Rosekind said investigators are looking at whether the plane's apparently damaged elevator trim tab -- whose breaking apart was captured in a photograph -- played a role in the nosedive crash. Authorities do not know why the aircraft went down.
"We're aware of that, and in fact, a component has been recovered in the area where it was observed, but it's critical at this point to note that we have not identified this component," Rosekind told reporters. "It will be examined, so we don't know what the component is and whether it came from this particular aircraft."
A full investigation could take six to nine months, he said.
Investigators will be poring over a trove of spectators' videos and photos, he said.
"It seems there were a tremendous number of cameras and video that was captured," he said. "On the one hand, it's an excellent source of information, but on the other hand, there's not a lot of other specific components from the wreckage that at this point we can identify."
At the time of the crash, three NTSB investigators happened to be at the air show -- a common practice -- and one of them has been appointed investigator in charge, Rosekind said.
- Plane crashes at Nevada air show
- Witness: We just saw a lot of people die
- Witness: Pilot tried to save lives
- 9 Fatalities reported after air show crash
The board will look at safety oversight and the placement of the grandstands for the air race, Rosekind said.
Investigators are also looking into whether the plane had a black box, Rosekind said.
One local hospital, Renown Medical Center, received 30 patients, six of whom were in critical condition as of Saturday morning, a spokesman said. Two of its patients -- a male and a female -- died. Fourteen of the 30 have been discharged, the hospital said Saturday. Of the remainder, two were in serious condition, five in fair condition, and one in good condition, the hospital said.
On Saturday morning, patients were either in surgery, awaiting surgery or transferred to a room, the hospital said.
Renown South Meadows Medical Center received and discharged five patients, the hospital said Saturday.
St. Mary's Hospital in Reno said it had accepted 25 patients Friday evening from the accident: four were in critical condition, six in serious condition, and 15 in fair condition as of late Friday.
The pilot, identified as Jimmy Leeward, a real estate developer from Ocala, Florida, was killed in the crash, according to a show official. The 74-year-old was flying a P-51 Mustang.
The air race has been canceled for Saturday, the show said.
A memorial service scheduled for the pilot in Reno was canceled because his family left the area, said Valerie Miller, a race spokeswoman.
A day before the crash, in an interview from Airshow TV, Leeward expressed confidence about his prospects in the race -- while hinting that his team would fly even faster in the days to come.
"We're as fast as anybody in the field, and maybe even faster," he said. "We've been playing poker since last Monday, so we're ready to show a couple more cards (so) we'll see what happens."
Several witnesses were calling the pilot a hero because he maneuvered the plane away from the crowded grandstands at the last moment.
Ben Cissell said the plane crashed about 100 feet from where he was seated.
"I think that pilot in the last seconds pulled up because he saw the bleachers and saved about 200 or 300 others," Cissell said.
"I don't mean this as a disrespect to others injured, but that pilot is a hero. He saved a lot of lives today. It could have been much worse."
Kim Fonda said she also saw the plane streaking toward where she was seated in the grandstand.
"I closed my eyes and said, 'I am going to die now,' " Fonda said. "I was literally preparing to die and then he jerked the plane away and it landed like 25 feet from us. I want his family to know he was a hero."
Video of the crash, posted on YouTube, showed a plane plummeting from the sky, sending up clouds of dust and debris. Shocked spectators rose to their feet.
Fred Scholz, a witness, said he saw the plane seemingly "coming straight down."
"I thought he was coming right on top of us," he said, noting that the aircraft hit about 100 feet from him.
"Luckily there was no fire, which surprised me," said Scholz, 59, from Truckee, California, who says he goes to air races ever year. "It just happened so quickly."
Another witness, Greg Mills, added that the pilot "didn't have enough altitude to pull up," with the aircraft shuddering before slamming to the ground about 50 to 75 yards from where he was standing.
"We got showered by little stuff," said Mills, who works at the Pacific Aviation Museum based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, describing a chaotic scene afterward. "Everybody was running."
The plane, called the "Galloping Ghost," was taking part in a qualifying round in the "unlimited class" division of the air race when it went down around 4:15 p.m. PT Friday, said Mike Draper, the show spokesman. The final rounds had been slated for the weekend.
"It was clear that (the plane) was pulling up and was in distress," he said.
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