Pilots killed at two air shows
Pastor Dale Morgan
Pilots killed at two air shows*
* Story Highlights
* "I could hear it crunch, hard," witness says
* Pilot killed when biplane crashes while performing stunt in
Dayton, Ohio
* Mustang pilot in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, killed when planes clip wings
* Third pilot died Monday in Europe en route to Wisconsin show
(AP) -- A biplane stunt pilot died after he crashed in front of
thousands of spectators during a Dayton, Ohio, air show Saturday, a day
after another pilot was killed during an air show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Jim LeRoy's biplane burns after crashing during a stunt Saturday in
Dayton, Ohio.
WHIO-TV reported pilot Jim LeRoy of Billings, Montana, died on the way
to the hospital after his S2S Bulldog biplane crashed at the end of a
runway at Dayton International Airport in Ohio.
The plane was one of two making loop-the-loops with smoke trailing as
part of Dayton's annual air show. It slammed into the runway across a
field from spectators and caught fire.
"It came down and didn't have enough room," said Aaron Smith, who was
watching with his 5-year-old son. "I could hear it crunch, hard. Some
pieces came off."
The plane struck the ground at an angle and slid about 300 yards,
bursting into flames and spewing smoke, said Airport fire chief Mark
Carpenter. It took less than a minute for firetrucks to arrive and start
putting out the fire. Video Watch biplane spin toward the ground »
"We cut Mr. LeRoy out of the aircraft," Carpenter said.
LeRoy died en route to Miami Valley Hospital aboard a Blackhawk
helicopter that was already at the airport, Carpenter said. The crash's
cause was being investigated.
LeRoy, a Marine veteran who had a degree in aeronautical engineering,
was a design engineer with GE Aircraft Engines until he became a
full-time stunt pilot in 1997.
He won the Art Scholl Award for showmanship in 2002, presented by the
International Council of Air Shows, and the Bill Barber Award for
showmanship in 2003, presented by the World Airshow News.
A performance by the Air Force Thunderbirds was canceled. Some people
with ticket stubs from Saturday will be admitted to Sunday's scheduled
performance, officials said.
In Wisconsin on Friday, two single-engine war planes at an experimental
air show collided while landing, killing one of the pilots and injuring
the other, officials said.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the two P-51 Mustangs collided
after finishing a performance at the Experimental Aircraft Association's
annual AirVenture show.
P-51 Mustangs are single-seat fighters that were used in World War II.
National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Ted Lopatkiewicz said
Gerald S. Beck, 58, of Wahpeton, North Dakota, died and the other pilot,
24-year-old Casey Odegaard of Kindred, North Dakota, suffered minor
injuries when the planes clipped wings on landing.
On Monday, a veteran pilot trying to break a speed record en route to
Oshkosh was killed when his small, experimental plane crashed into an
apartment building and playground in Switzerland.
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The pilot, identified as Hans Georg Schmid, a former Swissair pilot, had
been trying to break a world record for a solo single-engine flight. He
had planned to fly more than 4,970 miles with a C1-D class of plane,
aiming to reach his destination in 30 hours.
The annual convention is considered one of the world's largest
gatherings of recreational aviators. It draws more than 600,000 people
and 10,000 planes from around the world. The weeklong event ends Sunday.