Free Republic

It will be a while before the NTSB issues its findings about the crash of The Galloping Ghost at the Reno Air Races this year. There were so many witnesses, however, and photographic and video coverage of the disastrous accident was so clear, that it did not take long for theorizing about the cause to converge on a single scenario.

...Bodies were strewn everywhere. Those who were unharmed scrambled in panic as the public address announcer attempted to calm them. That’s when Apfelbaum’s natural instinct kicked in. As an E.R. doc, Apfelbaum has seen his share of carnage. He has been among the first responders to air disasters that left no survivors. However, the aftermath of the Reno crash was unlike anything he had ever seen. Knowing that the available EMS crews would be overwhelmed, he hugged Julia, leapt over a fence and hitched a ride on a cart to get to the scene faster...

The family of a Texas man killed when a racing aircraft crashed into spectators in the National Championship Air Races in Reno filed a $25 million lawsuit Tuesday against the pilot's family, a mechanic on the World War II-era aircraft and the Nevada organization that hosted the event.

The NTSB has recovered 'components' which may be part of the P-51's horizontal stab and elevator... possibly even the elevator trim tab, which is a specified point of inquiry (as noted in previous ANN reports). The NTSB has received a significant amount of photographic and video evidence -- some of which show the process whereby the elevator trim tab separated from the horizontal stabilizer. There is no evidence of the much-reported 'Mayday' call. We are hearing a number of calls for additional regulation and FAA supervision... despite the fact that this is the first time in nearly 60 years that...