UPDATE 5 -- Plane crashes during Reno air show; at least 2 dead, 62 injured

2011-09-17 14:18:08 GMT+7 (ICT)

RENO (BNO NEWS) -- At least two people were killed on late Friday afternoon when a World War II aircraft crashed during the Reno Air Races at Reno-Stead Airport in Nevada, officials said on early Saturday morning. Sixty-two people have been injured.

The accident happened at around 4.30 p.m. local time when a P-51D Mustang known as The Galloping Ghost, being flown by 74-year-old Jimmy Leeward from Florida, crashed into a box seat area in front of the main grandstand.

James Gosling, who is best known as the developer of the Java programming language, said he was attending the air race with friends when the accident happened near him. "One of the very high end racers, going about 500 mph (804 kph), lost control and nose dived straight into the audience," he said.

Gosling added: "I was in a box seat with my friends only 50 feet (15 meters) from the impact. I was watching the plane as it lost control, so I saw the whole thing. The impact happened so fast, there was hardly any sound: just one huge shock wave. No fireball. The plane, and many people, disintegrated instantly, right in front of me. There were bodies everywhere. No crash you've ever seen in a movie is even remotely authentic."

Although there was no fire or explosion, as planes carry only the amount required for the race, debris was spread across a large area and struck many of the victims. "The aircraft did not catch fire but there was a wide debris field following the crash," said Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). "Multiple FAA inspectors were observing the air race at the time of the crash."

As of early Saturday morning, multiple authorities including the City of Reno confirmed that the well-known racing pilot was killed in the crash. Two people - a man and a woman - were deceased at Renown Regional Medical Center, but it was not immediately clear if Leeward was among those victims or if he was a third fatality who remained at the scene.

Stephanie Kruse, a spokeswoman for the Regional Emergency Medical Services Authority (REMSA), said its ambulances transported a total of 40 people to area hospitals. Twenty others were transported by ambulances and helicopters from other agencies, while two people went to the hospital by themselves.

Dan Davis, a spokesman for Renown Regional Medical Center, confirmed the hospital received a total of 27 patients, including the two confirmed fatalities. Twelve of the injured at Renown are in a critical condition, while thirteen others are in a fair condition.

Saint Mary's Hospital spokeswoman Kate Grey said it received a total of 25 patients, although she had no details about their conditions. Kruse earlier said it had transported four critically injured patients to Saint Mary's, as well as seven people in serious conditions.

At Northern Nevada Medical Center, a spokesman said it received eight patients from the plane crash. He said six of those injured were in a serious condition, while two others were in a good condition.

It remains unclear if there are more bodies at the scene of the accident as witnesses described seeing many body parts. "It's just like a massacre. It's like a bomb went off," Dr. Gerald Lent, who witnessed the crash, told the Reno Gazette-Journal. "There are people lying all over the runway. One guy was cut in half. There's blood everywhere. There's arms and legs."

As a result of the deadly accident, the 2011 National Championship Air Races, which began on Wednesday and were scheduled to conclude on Sunday, were canceled. "The National Championship extends their deepest sympathies and condolences to all of the families involved in today's tragic accident," a statement said.

Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval, who went to the scene, assured Reno Mayor Bob Cashell and local law enforcement that all necessary state resources are at their disposal. "My family and I extend our thoughts and prayers to the victims and their families, and I know every member of the Nevada family is thinking tonight of those we have lost and those we cherish," he said.

At a news conference, Sandoval thanked first responders who were at the scene within seconds of the accident. "They've been trained and they had that training, and today it paid off," he said. "The emergency personnel are going to continue to be working extremely hard. I did have an opportunity to visit the site, and it is horrific."

U.S. Senator Harry Reid from Nevada also said he was 'deeply saddened' upon hearing news about the accident. "My thoughts are with the families of those who have lost their lives and with those who were wounded in this horrific tragedy," he said in a statement. "I am so grateful to our first responders for their swift action and will continue to monitor the situation in Reno as it develops."

According to the website of the Leeward Air Ranch Racing Team, which is owned by Leeward, The Galloping Ghost was one of 900 P-51-15-NA type Mustangs produced by North American Aviation (NAA) during World War II. It was originally delivered to the Army Air Forces (AAF) in December 1944 and later was assigned to the Third Air Force before being declared surplus in October 1945 and put in storage at Walnut Ridge, Arkansas.

Previous owners Bruce Raymond and Steve Beville acquired the plane which was involved in Friday's crash for $3,500 in 1946 for the sole purpose of performing in National Air Races. The aircraft was granted the use of the race number "77" by the National Aeronautics Association and was named The Galloping Ghost in honor of University of Illinois and Chicago Bears football star Harold "Red" Grange.

Both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate the cause of the accident.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-09-17

Compilation of Video's showing the Airplane Crash from different angles and where the plane hit on the Tarmac with debris going into the Grandstand.

Terrible tragedy. Living in Los Angeles most of my adult life, I went to the Air Races about 3-4 times over the years. They are quite exciting and also quite dangerous as the aircraft fly so fast and at quite a low altitude. Believe, as of a few years ago over 15 pilots have died.

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