Posted on 07/28/2007 12:26:38 PM PDT by trussell
Wahpeton man killed after planes collide at air show Kim Winnegge, The Forum Published Saturday, July 28, 2007
A Wahpeton, N.D., man died Friday after performing in a Wisconsin air show.
Gerald Beck, 58, died after the plane he was flying collided with one flown by Casey Odegaard, 24, of Kindred.
The men each were flying P-51 Mustangs, single-seat fighters used during World War II, at the experimental air show in Osh Kosh, Wis., officials said.
Dick Knapinski, Experimental Aircraft Association spokesman, identified the deceased pilot as Beck. He said Odegaard was able to climb out of his plane after the crash.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the collision with the two P-51 Mustangs happened at 3:17 p.m. after the planes finished a performance at the annual EAA AirVenture show.
RELATED CONTENT Kim Winnegge Archive FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board investigators were on the scene Friday.
NTSB spokesman Ted Lopatkiewicz said the accident occurred when the planes clipped wings on landing. He said an NTSB investigator on the scene scheduled a news briefing for 4 p.m. today at the Wittman Regional Airport terminal.
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.
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.
Read more Sunday in The Forum.
A seasoned Mustang pilot would know better than to apply full throttle before airspeed allowed at least some rudder control.
He wasn’t seasoned.
Thank you.
I’ve lost three in two weeks.
My heart is heavy.
In '46-'47 Mustangs were selling for $2500.
And many of those who could afford to buy them without knowledge as to how to fly them lost their lives because of engine torque on take off.
$2500....
Thanks for the video ping, Watch it, it points out numerous items, number one being, the pilot Gerald Beck turned away from the crowd, and into the other aircraft, one would suspect on purpose.
Number two, landing speed seemed to be the problem. Gerald was hot and high, but perhaps number one was low and slow, which should not have been a problem with a wide runway. I would guess Wittman would be more than wide enough to land two P-51’s side by side.
Three, the transition from formation to landing attitude, and landing while still maintaining the formation, is an interesting transition, and especially if number two is hot, without any means of shedding airspeed.
Looking at the video, there didn’t seem to be more than a couple of seconds from recognition of a big problem, to the crash. Go around should or, could have been much earlier before runway contact, had the problem been recognized. Things happen fast in high performance Aircraft, and we all make mistakes.
With one of the pilots alive, there will be half the story on how much of the flight and landing was briefed as far as airspeeds and proceedures. It could help to figure out the cause.
On another note, while I was in the EAA museum on Thursday afternoon, listening to Dick Rutan talk about Mojave and the Voyager, the accident at Mojave was less than an hour from taking place.
After all, "journalists" rattled off almost every combination of numbers designated by Boeing Aircraft on the morning of 9/11 and still didn't get it right as to the aircraft.
No runway is built to cater to such a dual landing anywhere under civil regulation.
Thank you for being on the thread to lend your knowledge. I don’t know enough about it to make an informative reply.
In 1945 you could get one in a box for $50.
Prayers up for those brave pilots and those who loved them.
Roughly $75,000 in todays money. Still kinda pricey, but doable. How much do they go for now?
My thanks to you, too. For being here to lend knowledge to the thread. I truly am sorry at the loss of your friends.
Just shy of a mil...
I just happened to read the NTSB report on that one a few minutes before hitting this thread. It was the pilot's first solo in the P-51, which was a two seater. The instructor had landed with him, got out and told the tower it would be an initial solo. The pilot made a circuit, touched down and started a touch-and-go takeoff when it went on its back.
It's interesting to note that the final production P-51H was built with a much taller fin and rudder in an attempt to provide a better means of handling the torque roll problem.
Shy of a mill - for a project.
$2.2+ for a completed/flying airplane/masterpiece.
Several of the earlier models have been retrofitted to include the larger tail as well.
I knew the pilot and the instructor and my heart breaks for both. The instructor is an amazing guy with a spectacular resume.
He would be the first guy I’d call if the lottery fairy drops a P-51 in my lap.
I would like to talk to the buyer.
Can you hook us up?
Thanks for your prayers.
My friends will need them to get through these dark times.
Go to provenance’s website.
They just sold one for $2.2 and have another PROJECT for sale for $2.7.
If you want to see a BUNCH of them in one place...
Over 100 mustangs are expected... not counting the three we lost this month.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.