Plane crash at Reno air races

HardDrive · 09-16-2011, 04:16 PM

Very early in the story. Does not look good.

Plane crashes into crowd at Reno air races - US news - Life - msnbc.com

HardDrive · 09-16-2011, 04:18 PM

RENO, Nev. (MyNews4.com & KRNV) - Breaking News: Plane Reported down at Reno Air Races.

It has been confirmed the Unlimited P 51 mustang plane "Galloping Ghost" piloted by Jimmy Leeward from Florida has gone into the stands during Race 77.

News4 is heading to the scene and will report more when it is available to us.

rattlsnak · rattlsnak's Garage

holy crap.. he hit the ground almost completely vertical... ugh...

widgeon13 · 09-16-2011, 04:46 PM

Terrible news.

KNS · 09-16-2011, 04:50 PM

That sucks, I think Jimmy Leeward has been racing for close to 40 years.

Flieger · Flieger's Garage

Tragic

I hope this does not mean a "crack down" on air racing.

HardDrive · 09-16-2011, 05:07 PM

The video is horrible. He went straight in.

mikester · 09-16-2011, 05:13 PM

Wow. That is a terrible clip; it reminds me of the accident about 18 months ago out in the desert races where a truck went into a group of people next to the course. Close proximity like that is always a risk.

GothingNC · 09-16-2011, 05:16 PM

So Sad

ted · ted's Garage

very sad went in like a dart, lost elevator?

syncroid · 09-16-2011, 05:29 PM

Just heard from one of my high school buddies that was there and had left ten minutes prior to the crash. Glad he is okay. Horrible for the people involved.

quicksix · quicksix's Garage

Local news reporting 12 dead, 75 injured.
tragic beyond words
Prayers for the aviator,his family and the injured.

Zeke · 09-16-2011, 05:39 PM

The pilot was 80 flying a plane 400 MPH? That's not right.

craig356 · 09-16-2011, 06:10 PM

I just got home from Reno late last night and very sorry to hear of this tragic event. My thoughts and prayers are with all of the participants, spectators and all of the family members involved with injured or killed in this horrible crash. I usually attend this event but came home early this year from my business trip. Wow.

boba · 06:37 PM

The pilot was a friend of one of my friends. He was a former IMSA driver who co-drove my friends RSR at Sebring in 1984. The pilot was not 80 but early 70's. This is a tragic event but let's not jump on all the early info as fact. It is bad enough without misinformation being repeated.
I grieve for all impacted by this tragedy.

Dantilla · 09-16-2011, 06:36 PM

An aviation website I go to is reporting that the trim tab was lost, rendering the airplane uncontrolable. The pilot's age was not a factor.

Flieger · Flieger's Garage

I would think the plane would still be controllable without a trim tab. If he lost the whole elevator, though...

crustychief · crustychief's Garage

If it was an aerodynamically boosted elevator then loosing a trim tab would be like loosing the power steering in your tractor.

rattlsnak · rattlsnak's Garage

One of my co-workes died at Reno @ 3 years ago. Horrible....

DARISC · 09-16-2011, 07:56 PM

When I saw this on the news I immediately called a friend of mine, hoping he wasn't at the race and one of the casualties.

The pilot, Jimmy Leeward, was a good friend of his and he told me he knows the plane that went down 'intimately'.

My friend's retired from flying for one of the major airlines. He owns a Russian Sukhoi and flys aerobatics, really knows airplanes. When I spoke with him he said he couldn't imagine what had happened to cause the crash.