Reno Air Race Ends In Flames As World War Era Plane Crashes Into Crowd

Three people have been reported killed and 50 injured, when a world war II era plane – a P-51 Mustang fighter plane named the “Galloping Ghost” – crashed into the crowd at National Championship Air Races at the Reno-Stead Airport, on Friday, September 16, leaving the area strewn with debris and body parts.

The plane was being flown by a 74-year-old air racer pilot, Jimmy Leeward of Florida, who also worked as a Hollywood stunt pilot, when it appeared to go out of control without prior warning before it disintegrated on impact. The area was strewn with bloodied bodies as onlookers rushed to tend to the victims and ambulances headed to the venue.

Mechanical problems are said to have caused the crash which is still under investigation. The pilot was said by a spectator to have been on his third lap when he lost control of the aircraft.

Two other people are said to have died, according to Renown Regional Medical Center spokeswoman Kathy Carter, who did not provide the identities of the victims.

According to Stephanie Kruse, a spokeswoman for the Regional Emergency Medical Service Authority, a total of 56 injury victims had been taken to three hospitals, by emergency crews. Many people had also been transported by private vehicles.

Kruse was quoted as saying that of the total 56, 15 were in critical condition, while 13 had potentially life-threatening injuries and the remaining 28 were non-serious or non-life threatening.

“This is a very large incident, probably one of the largest this community has seen in decades,” Kruse is reported to have 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 that belongs to a class of plane capable of flying at speeds exceeding 500 mph (800 kph) is said to have crashed into a box-seat area situated in front of the grandstand; the crash is said to have occurred at about 4:30 p.m. local time.

Leeward’s family post on Facebook after the crash read: “Dear friends, we are deeply saddened by the tragedy at the air race today. Please join us in praying at this time for all the families affected.”

According to race spokesman Houghton, there was apparently a “problem with the aircraft that caused it to go out of control.”

The remaining races have been canceled pending the NTSB investigation.

Tags: featured, Reno Air Race

Category: General