Posted on 06/22/2013 11:05:20 AM PDT by Buck-I-Guy
The Vectren Dayton Air Show has been cancelled for the day in the aftermath of a fiery crash.
(Excerpt) Read more at m.whiotv.com ...
Chuck Yeager.
On October 14, 2012 on the 65th anniversary of breaking the sound barrier, Yeager did it again in a McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, out of Nellis Air Force Base at the age of 89
Oh. OOPS!
A woman wing walker and her pilot were confirmed dead after their plane crashed in a ball of flames at an airshow Saturday afternoon.
Terrence Slaybaugh, the director of aviation for Dayton, confirmed their deaths around 2 p.m. The crash occurred at around 12:45 p.m.
Jane Wicker, a mother of two, was atop the biplane at the Vectren Air Show near Dayton, Ohio when it plunged to the ground in front of horrified onlookers. The pilot, Charlie Schwenker, also perished in the crash.
My thoughts and prayers are with Jane Wicker, Charlie Schwenker and their families (especially Rock, Jane's fiance). I've known Jane for many years and she was always working striving for perfection. Such a horrible tragedy...
I think you’re right. Her body( or what’s left of it) bounces into the air to the left of the plane, hits the ground, then rolls into the fire. I’m guessing she and the pilot only had a half of a second to know they were going to die. Very sad.
I think you’re right. Her body( or what’s left of it) bounces into the air to the left of the plane, hits the ground, then rolls into the fire. I’m guessing she and the pilot only had a half of a second to know they were going to die. Very sad.
Looks like the left wing that she was on stalled . Either he was too slow or AOA was too high , either way it was a fast and painless end.
It looks like the video is vivid high-resolution and in full living color. I really didn't find out because the start photo was enough to make my tummy and legs queasy enough that I couldn't bring myself to hit the arrow to start the video rolling.
No, I don't have acrophobia....just Wallendaphobia. I don't want to think of him looking like a Gumby as he lays flattened at 6000 feet below the rim of the canyon.
Leni
Ditto that oldplayer. I am a private pilot, I didn’t get my certificate until I was 41 in 1995. Single engine land and seaplane ratings. I’ve had some aerobatic lessons but I believe altitude is your friend so I never wanted to be a performer since there is a lot of low level flight involved. I save low level for takeoffs and landings. But I love airshows. My prayers are with all involved directly and indirectly with this tragedy.
Do you stay off the Interstate Highways for the same reason? Everything has risk involved.
Seen them many times at Air shows in the past RIP!
I have an 80 plus old pilot on my field who still teaches aerobatics.
Use to teach P-51 pilots too.
Can out fly me by miles.
I never saw them perform in person. But they will be missed.
I don’t particularly want to see it happen. You have to drive, but you don’t have to go to airshows. The risk is pretty high, and I’d just rather not be there to see it when it happens.
Nobody wanted to see this.
I was at the show, and there was no rush to the fenceline to get closer to this accident. People turned away. It was a very somber crowd. By the time they announced that there would be no more flying today, the crowd was mostly gone.
What you can’t see in the video is the plane was pointed right at the crowd before it dove into the ground. I remember seeing the round engine cowling as a circle, which means the plane was headed for the Pavilion area. I can’t prove it, but it looked to me like the pilot dove it into the grass to avoid the crowd.
“A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.”
I have spent many hours around aviation, and I have enjoyed it. It is worth it to me. Missing air shows is not something I am made for...:)
I am sure there are some people who want to see a crash, but if you ever spent as much time as I have around aviation, you would understand, nobody wants to see it, ever, unless you are at war and it is the enemy.
That said, there are few people I have ever known to whom witnessing mishaps or watching a video of one is not awestruck at the drama inherent in it. You would have to be made of wood to be impervious.
And I have seen four aviation accidents with my own eyes, and those are some of the most memorable events of any in my life. But even though it is difficult to retell the story without my obvious excitement (being expressed in the retelling) showing, but I invariably get a sick feeling in my stomach.
No, anyone who takes the time to be interested in aviation is not wishing for mishaps. There are ghouls like that everywhere.
I think you are correct, sir. I watched again and there was a big smoke discharge just before the plane lurched. The didn’t have a chance of recovering.
I managed to access her FB page, she had the plane restored a couple of years ago. Sadly, she was preparing to marry another wingwalker next year. They were to have a wingwalker wedding. Horrific loss for their families.
On second look the discharge occurs when the pilot attempts to roll the plane inverted, not at the point where it’s obvious that lift is gone.
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