Nevada Air Race Crash Death Toll Rises(10th & pilot may have been unconscious)

[RamboLiberal]

Source: ABC News

A 10th person has died from injuries sustained when a stunt plane crashed at the Reno Air Race.

A hospital spokeswoman told the Associated Press that a male patient had died overnight at Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center. At least 70 people were injured in the crash on Friday.

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Leeward's age and medical history may also prove relevant to their investigation, according to National Transportation Board officials, while ABC News consultant and former pilot Steve Ganyard said he worried that Leeward was not conscious during the crash.

"There is no pilot's head in that cockpit. It tells me that he was likely unconscious, slumped over the controls," Ganyard said.



Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/reno-air-race-crash-tenth-person-dies/story?id=14552222

[Poll_Blind]

1. I think that presumption is a bit of a stretch, possibly.

Given the way the pilot is likely seated in the plane (somewhat more of a reclined position, from what I've read) as well as the g-forces involved, which would have likely pushed him back as the plane dove. I'm not sure no visible pilot is particularly conclusive of anything- except that he was not in a position to be visible.

:shrug:

PB

[kayakjohnny]

2. Especially considering a piece of the plane's tail being detached before the incident.

[AtheistCrusader]

3. I also question the 'he tried to avoid the grandstands' comments.

People like to read into a situation what they want, and it doesn't always map to reality.

When control surfaces start breaking off of a plane, bad times are ahead.

[RamboLiberal]

5. I agree

[TorchTheWitch]

12. so do I

If he had enough control of the plane to avoid the stands then he should have had enough control of it to not crash. From the video it looks like there was no control whatsoever, and no time to be making such decisions... and frankly, in such a situation it was probably the furthest thing from his mind.

[Plucketeer]

6. T'was the FIRST thing I wondered

when still photos of the plane's final dive started to come to light. In EARLIER fotos of the plane in flight, his head is highly visible - up well into the canopy. And think about it - these planes - pushing 500MPH at low altitude - with OTHER participants off their wingtip - you're gonna want GREAT vision to avoid a mid-air. No, that one really great shot that was snapped just tens of feet before impact - his head is NOT visible at all. I doubt he was doing much of anything to control the plane. AND, that trim tab that came off - that might have had a part in the crash, but the elevator that it's attached to would easily overcome the influence of that tab whether it was intact or gone.

[trekbiker]

7. the pilot was probably unconscious

I know several pilots and that is what they are telling me after looking at the pictures. G forces on the final dive were likely very low as it went straight in. The control surfaces are all nuetral in the final dive picture indicating no pilot attempt to pull out. In a P-51, even a highly modified one like this the pilot is not reclined in the seat, he is sitting fairly straight up. The canopy on this one was chopped way down for less air resistance but with the 5 point harnesses they wear you should have seen his helmet in the canopy if he was conscious.

what likely happened is the elevator trim tab broke off resulting in a very high G pitch up to vertical which is when the pilot lost consciousness at which point the racer was completely out of control. normally a loss of trim tab should'nt cause such an extreme pull up but at 500 mph maybe it could. A friend of mine has raced in biplane class at Reno for many years and tells me they are pulling 6-8 G's in the turns and the rate at which this P-51 pitched up exceeded that G force by quite a bit. Also the pilot was 74 and less able at that age to handle the high G's though probably anyone would have blacked out under that force its just that how fast you can recover consciousness becomes a factor with physical condition and age.

[TorchTheWitch]

11. not according to photos of him in his plane

In photos of him flying in this same plane his whole head is visible in the cockpit. The fact that nothing at all is seen of him in the photo of his plane just before it hit I think is more likely due to him being photoshopped out of it out of respect for his family and friends. Then again, I also read comments from someone who witnessed the crash that it looked like there was no one flying the plane, but this comment is unclear since it could mean that he couldn't see him in the cockpit or if the behavior of the plane made it appear that no one was flying it. It needs to be known whether or not the pilot's head was photoshopped out since it's causing far too much speculation.

Personally, I hope that he was unconscious so he wouldn't even have known what was coming. I really hate the thought of him being in a nose down position and seeing the ground come up at him.

[RamboLiberal]

16. he wasn't photoshopped out

[RamboLiberal]

4. New video of Air Races crash from 'Today' show on NBC

http://www.rgj.com/livestream/article/20110919/EVENTS05/110919008/New-video-Air-Races-crash-from-Today-show-NBC

[movingviolation]

8. I have a bright idea, let's stand under racing planes.

That's right up there with standing on a race track while cars are going at you at 200 miles an hour. That's a great idea.

[uppityperson]

9. Are you seriously comparing standing on a car race track with being under racing planes?

huh

[AtheistCrusader]

10. Yes, be an ass.

You realize the planes were not supposed to cross over the stands, right? Something went wrong. This is not equivalent to standing IN the race track. Behind the fence perhaps. Which can still get someone killed if something goes very wrong.

But be serious with your analogies, please.

[CreekDog]

14. When planes are going hundreds of mph even a distance away is just seconds away

so the idea that it's safe as long as it's not over the stands is not credible.

unless it's a few miles or more away, it's probably not safe.

and if it were, well then parts of a plane wouldn't have crashed into people in the stands.

[AtheistCrusader]

15. It's not 'safe' behind the fence at a NASCAR track either.

Safer, but not safe.

In the cordoned off area, under restricted airspace, is not the equivalent of standing IN the NASCAR track.

[AngryAmish]

17. Alright, perhaps the better analagy is sitting in a lawnchair past the apex of the curve

If the car don't make the turn (and they are supposed to) then you get whacked.


Damn stupid to have people within miles of that thing.

My perhaps faulty math tells me a plane going 500 mph is going about 733 feet per second. 7 seconds out of control the thing can travel a mile or so off course at that rate (although the rate would probably decrease but the point stands).

my math 500 mph x 5280 feet per mile = 2.64 million feet per hour / 60 minutes = 44000 feet per minute / 60 second = 733.33 feet per second.

[CBGLuthier]

13. I would have to imagine that

from the bottom of a shallow mind any idea would seem "bright."

More and more I am convinced the internet only exists so people can show what assholes and idiots they are.