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Just listened to an interview on local radio with another Unlimited pilot named Jackson. He stated clearly that the tab left the aircraft which pitched it upward in an 8-9g roll - positive g’s. The question about the pictures I think he answered with this. In a P-51 that latch that holds the tail wheel assembly up breaks at 7-8g’s allowing the wheel to come out. He also stated with no equivocation that the pilot was passed out with his head forced into the instrument panel. That explains the shot where the pilot is not visible in the cockpit and the odd picture that shows what looks like the helmet pressed against the panel. He did not answer why the plane seemed to try and pull out of the dive at the last minute. I went back to two witnesses this afternoon and they both said the tailwheel was absolutely out upon impact. One said it struck him as odd - and then he added “I should of been running instead of thinking about the wheel.”

As far as the one picture with clouds and the plane diving in. That is looking to the West(or so) and at 4:30pm the Sun should of been more over. The base picture looks to me like it was taken in the morning - that would match the way the weather was in the am. I about 6 miles away from the crash at the time (at the Bonanza for those locals) and it was clear and sunny. I drove to RNO picked a vip up and drove back to the Air Races. It was clear and sunny the whole way.

Thanks a lot for the info. The clear picture is starting to emerge.

I have to say, that picture at post 103 still concerns me. I realize that seeing the pylons and other aircraft must be difficult - but look at the posture the pilot is in. An unexpected, sudden 8g pull up would really slam him backwards. I don't see the large padded headrest I would expect behind him.

Someone in this thread was talking about 10g’s in a military. That's one thing the fighter aircraft designers work on pretty hard - cockpit ergonomics's. The position you are in has a lot to do with the gs you can withstand.

He did not answer why the plane seemed to try and pull out of the dive at the last minute.

Thanks for the good post.

Perhaps because with a failure of the high-speed trim tabs (or whatever) the plane is naturally inclined to “pull up.”

PS, I live here, was driving by within 5-10 miles within the hour after the crash, and can tell you that trying to be a reliable weather analyst from one direction in the sky is a fool’s mission.

I vividly recall that we saw the northern end of the “Sierra Wave” set up as we were driving to friends in Sparks. That’s a pattern that sail plane soarers watch for (one of the top three locations in the world) and I see it regularly.

It’s no relation to the high-speed low altitude crash, but reminds me that the Sierra skies look VERY different at different angles and directions at a given moment.

Don’t trust anyone who doesn’t live here to opine that “the clouds look wrong”.