Posted on 08/17/2019 2:49:18 PM PDT by BenLurkin
An award-winning local TV news anchor in New Orleans died in a plane crash while working on a story about a stunt pilot.
Nancy Parker, 53, was killed along with the pilot, Franklin J.P. Augustus, on Friday when the plane crashed into a field near the New Orleans Lakefront Airport. The cause of the crash in under investigation, local officials said.
Parker, who earned five Emmy Awards for her work as a journalist, was a fixture in New Orleans and at the station she worked at for 23 years, her station said. Her colleagues choked back tears as they shared news of the fatal accident during their newscast.
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...
oh my dear God.....life again, not fair....
Looks like a fun little plane. (Well except for those bungee cords holding the wings on.)
I remember back in the 1980s watching a story on TV about a news reporter doing a story on ultralights. He was a licensed pilot but had never flown one of these before. He quipped something about hoping he’d make it back in one piece, or words to that effect, as he taxied out to take off. A short time later as he was flying the thing started to dive, nose down. You could hear someone off camera saying “Pull up!”
All of a sudden the wings sort of collapsed and the craft started crashing. The it collapsed further and folded up more. He was flung forward as the ultralight slowed due to drag but his momentum carried him forward. I’ll never forget seeing his body tumble through the air.
“Sh*t!” and “Oh my God” could be heard from the camera crew and other onlookers. Then the video ended. Horrible sight I can still see in my mind’s eye like it was yesterday.
She’s such a beautiful. woman. Terribly sorry she died. She represents, in my mind, the best of NOLA.
My grandmother lived there. We visited every Easter. That was back in the day when race relations were easy and smooth. So many lovely black people there.
“Augustus was a New Orleans native known for introducing young black people to flying and working as an anti-drug advocate. He described himself as the “world’s only black civilian air-show acrobatic pilot,” the Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate reported.”
Damn, sounds like she was with a good dude when they both died. It will be interesting to find out what the cause was, as I really doubt it was pilot error, or incompetence.
He dipped the plane low enough to slice through the ribbon but apparently forgot he was flying upside-down. The plane hit the ground, skidded down the runway and burst into flames.
I'll never forget seeing him bursting out of the wreckage to safety. He didn't even get a scratch.
I’m sure that’s the one I saw. Fits the timeline of when I would have seen it and the description matches what I remember.
A similar thing happened to Jane Dornacker, who wrote the song “Don’t Touch Me There” for The Tubes. She was working as a traffic reporter in NY and died in a helicopter crash. No bueno.
Was Dr. Steve Brule behind this tragedy? “Check It Out!”
New Orleans was different for sure. Home of the blues
and music was a drawing card.
I shouldn’t kid. My prayers for Nancy Parker and Franklin Augustus.
It flashed through my mind that life unintentionally imitated “art.”
“The cause of the crash in under investigation, “
I’m thinking gravity was involved.
Even experienced pilots make mistakes - generally far less often than low time pilots. However, my money is on some relatively minor equipment failure. The gotcha is, when stunt flying or any other flying where you might be low and slow has virtually no margin for error. There are no relatively minor problems. Speed and altitude mean time and options. Lack of either or both and even an experienced pilot on top of his or her game is going to be in serious trouble.
Rest in peace. Condolences to this lovely lady’s husband and children.
“Looks like a fun little plane. (Well except for those bungee cords holding the wings on.)”
about 25 years ago a co-worker flew himself to death in one of those Pitts Specials ... I was a friend of his girlfriend ...
Until it wasn't.
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