Did the seat break? New theory suggests Reno crash pilot's chair may have broken moments before impact
Last updated at 11:26 AM on 21st September 2011
A new theory has emerged from last weeks deadly Reno air crash suggesting the pilot's seat may have become dislodged.
According to an aviation mechanic, a picture taken seconds before the plane plummeted into a crowd of spectators - killing 11 - appears to show an empty cockpit where veteran pilot 74-year-old Jimmy Leeward should be.
The news comes as more harrowing details emerged about the victims and their families involved in last Friday's tragedy.
Seat: The P-51 Mustang airplane is shown right before crashing at the Reno Air show on Friday. The pilot is absent from the cockpit, leading a mechanic to suggest the pilot's seat may have broke free
Lose: A mechanic, who has worked on planes similar to the P-51 Mustang (pictured) - added the seat may have slipped or become dislodged, causing the pilot to lose control
Speaking to Fox News, mechanic J.R. Walker said that even if Leeward had passed and slumped in his seat he would still be visible in the cockpit canopy.
The mechanic, who has worked on planes similar to the P-51 Mustang - added the seat may have slipped or become dislodged, causing the pilot to lose control.
A Nevada man who took his 12-year-old to see racing pilots was identified Tuesday as the death toll rose to 11.
A Nevada man who took his 12-year-old to see racing pilots was identified Tuesday as the death toll rose to 11.
Virginia Craik told The Associated Press that her son, 45-year-old John Craik, of Gardnerville, died from injuries after a WWII-era fighter plane dived into a crowd of fans Friday during the nation's premier aviation competition.
Yesterday evening the Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office also identified James McMichael, 47, of Graham, Wash. as the 11th victim of the Reno Air Races plane crash.
Her grandson was with his dad when the plane crashed. Family members said the boy was not seriously injured and is back in school.
Nosedive: The aeroplane approaches the ground right before crashing during the air show in Reno, Nevada
That means nine of the people killed during the air races have been identified and at least two others have not.
More than 70 people were treated for injuries, some of them life threatening, in the unexplained crash that also took the life of stunt pilot Leeward.
That dramatic injury toll was stoking fears across the nation, as relatives and friends flooded Reno officials with inquiries about the whereabouts of spectators.
Emergency officials were trying to compile a list of missing people Tuesday.
'You're responding to someone who was with a loved one at one moment and the loved one is not there the next moment,' said Kathy Jacobs, executive director of the Crisis Call Center in Reno.
'You're responding to someone who was with a loved one at one moment and the loved one is not there the next moment,' said Kathy Jacobs, executive director of the Crisis Call Center in Reno.
'They're looking for answers, and the reality is we can't answer their questions right away.'
Leeward's Galloping Ghost Mustang fighter plane disintegrated into a cloud of dust and debris during Friday's race.
'Cause of crash': Was this missing piece of the tail, believed to be the P-51 Mustang's 'trim tab' the reason why the plane suddenly cwent out of control?
The National Championship Air Races drew thousands of people to Reno every September to watch various military and civilian planes race.
Local schools often held field trips there, and a local sports book took wagers on the outcomes.
During the races, planes flew wingtip-to-wingtip as low as 50 feet (15 meters) off the ground. The competitors follow an oval path around pylons, with distances and speeds depending on the class of aircraft. Pilots reached speeds of up to 500 mph.
Leeward, was the 20th pilot to die at the races since it began 47 years ago, but Friday's crash was the first where spectators were killed. Some of the injured described being coated in aviation fuel that burned.
Leeward and his team had modified the plane beyond recognition, taking a full 10 feet off the wingspan and cutting the ailerons - the back edges of the wings used to turn the aircraft - by roughly 28 inches.
Leeward was a veteran air racer from Ocala, Florida, who flew in Hollywood films. His father worked in aviation and taught him the trade.
He was married with two adult sons. Leeward loved speeding, on the ground or in the air, and had recently taken up racing cars.
The others killed who have been identified were Sharon Stewart, 47, of Reno; Greg Morcom, 47, of Marysville, Wash.; George Hewitt, 60, and Wendy Hewitt, 57, both of Fort Mohave, Ariz.; Michael Wogan, 22, of Scottsdale, Ariz.; and Regina Bynum, 53, of San Angelo, Texas.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2039871/Reno-air-crash-2011-Pilots-chair-broken-moments-impact.html#ixzz1YbFl1HXb
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