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Fatal Air Race Crash Raises Questions of Pilot’s Bravado and Event Safety

A crash over the weekend at a Reno, Nevada, air race has left organizers and officials questioning if a pilot’s bravado is to blame and if air shows are as safe as perceived.

On Friday, September 16, 74-year-old pilot Jimmy Leeward lost control of his World War II era vintage P-51 Mustang plane and crashed into crowd at the National Championship Air Races. A veteran racer, Leeward flew in more than 120 events and was a Hollywood stunt pilot for movies like “Amelia” and “The Tuskegee Airmen.”

This incident marks the first time that spectators were killed at an air race. The pilot and seven spectators died at the scene. As of press time, two critically-wounded spectators also passed away. The area hospital describes the accident as one of the most severe they have ever witnessed. In total, 69 people were treated at hospitals, 31 remained there overnight, and eight remain in critical condition. There were major head injuries, facial trauma and amputations. Two young children were injured but, they were not listed as being in critical condition.

Reports have uncovered a podcast of Leeward from June, where he challenged a competitor to at $10,000 race and boasted about his radical makeover of the vintage aircraft. Leeward cut five feet off each of the plane’s wings and made additional changes, all designed to make the antique plane run like today’s fighter jets. Investigators suspect that the plane’s “elevator trim tab,” which is a piece on the tail that helps the aircraft maintain lift, is the origin of the crash.

Whatever the exact cause, this incident further exposes the dangers of low-altitude flying.  In order to compete, pilots race to hit speeds of over 500 mph and do not have any time to correct an error. In the 47-year history of these races, Leeward is the 20th pilot to die.

The future of air racing is now in question. Experts are calling for radical changes including: better protection for spectators, increased education about the dangers of air racing, structural changes so that wayward planes are unlikely to hit the grandstand, screening all planes and pilots prior to the shows and blocking school trips from attending these events.

By Lily J. Kosner for PeterGreenberg.com

Related links: MSNBC, Christian Science Monitor, CBS News, Huffington Post

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