List of airshow accidents
Encyclopedia
Air show
An air show is an event at which aviators display their flying skills and the capabilities of their aircraft to spectators in aerobatics. Air shows without aerobatic displays, having only aircraft displayed parked on the ground, are called "static air shows"....
worldwide.
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| List of airshow accidents | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 2011 | ||||||||
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
| 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1985 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | ||
| 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
| 1961 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | |||
| 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | ||
| 1940 | 1943 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | |||
| 1930 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | ||||||
| 1920 | 1922 | 1923 | 1926 | ||||||
| 1910 | |||||||||
| See also — References — External links | |||||||||
2011
- September 17 – A T-28 TrojanT-28 TrojanThe North American Aviation T-28 Trojan is a piston-engined military trainer aircraft used by the United States Air Force and United States Navy beginning in the 1950s...
crashed during the Thunder over the Blue Ridge Open House and Air Show in Martinsburg, West VirginiaMartinsburg, West VirginiaMartinsburg is a city in the Eastern Panhandle region of West Virginia, United States. The city's population was 14,972 at the 2000 census; according to a 2009 Census Bureau estimate, Martinsburg's population was 17,117, making it the largest city in the Eastern Panhandle and the eighth largest...
. - September 16 – 2011 Reno Air Races crash2011 Reno Air Races crashOn September 16, 2011, at the Reno Air Races, a North American P-51D Mustang flown by James K. "Jimmy" Leeward crashed into spectators, killing 11 people including the pilot, and injuring at least 69. It was the third-deadliest airshow disaster in U.S. history, following accidents in 1972 and 1951,...
– Pilot Jimmy Leeward lost control of his P-51 MustangP-51 MustangThe North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
and crashed into spectators at the National Championship Air Races and Air ShowReno Air RacesThe Reno Air Races, also known as the National Championship Air Races, take place each September at the Reno Stead Airport a few miles north of Reno, Nevada, USA...
, killing 11 people, including the pilot. More than 75 people were injured, at least 15 of them critically. *Not technically an airshow incident, accident occurred at Reno Air Races during the Race, not show portion.* - August 21 – Wing Walker Todd Green fell 200 feet after attempting an aircraft transfer from a Stearman to a Hughes 369 helicopter at the Selfridge Air National Guard Base Air Show. He was seriously injured and taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
- August 20 – A Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team "Red ArrowsRed ArrowsThe Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, is the aerobatics display team of the Royal Air Force based at RAF Scampton, but due to move to RAF Waddington in 2011...
" aircraft (BAE HawkBAE HawkThe BAE Systems Hawk is a British single-engine, advanced jet trainer aircraft. It first flew in 1974 as the Hawker Siddeley Hawk. The Hawk is used by the Royal Air Force, and other air forces, as either a trainer or a low-cost combat aircraft...
T1) crashed after performing at an air show in BournemouthBournemouthBournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
, Dorset, U.K. The pilot issued a Mayday call at 1350 hrs., and was witnessed to have plunged into the ground next to the river Stour, near the village of Throop. The pilot, 33-year old Flt. Lt. Jon Egging, was killed in the crash. - August 20 – Stunt pilot Bryan Jensen was killed when his modified Pitts 12 "The Beast" crashed at the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport at the Kansas City Airshow in Kansas City, MissouriKansas City, MissouriKansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, United States, around 1:30pm. - July 10 - at the Imperial War Museum DuxfordImperial War Museum DuxfordImperial War Museum Duxford is a branch of the Imperial War Museum near the village of Duxford in Cambridgeshire, England. Britain's largest aviation museum, Duxford houses the museum's large exhibits, including nearly 200 aircraft, military vehicles, artillery and minor naval vessels in seven...
, a North American P-51 Mustang, "Big Beautiful Doll", piloted by Rob Davies and a Douglas A-1 Skyraider were involved in a mid-air collision - The Skyraider pilot was able to land safely despite suffering wing damage, Pilot Rob Davies parachuted to safety and his P-51 crashed and was destroyed. - July 9 – A replica Fokker Dr.IFokker Dr.IThe Fokker Dr.I Dreidecker was a World War I fighter aircraft built by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. The Dr.I saw widespread service in the spring of 1918...
lost power at about 600 ft (182.9 m) above the ground during a mock dogfight at the Geneseo Air Show. The pilot, 67-year old Joseph Auger, attempted a controlled powerless glide, but the landing gear got caught on cornstalks and flipped over. The pilot was able to extricate himself from the wreckage and sustained only minor injuries. - July 3 – A Bucker JungmannBücker Bü 131|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Bridgeman, Leonard. “The Bücker Bü 131B “Jungmann”.” Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II. London: Studio, 1946. ISBN 1-85170-493-0....
belonging to the Shuttleworth CollectionShuttleworth CollectionThe Shuttleworth Collection is an aeronautical and automotive museum located at the Old Warden airfield in Bedfordshire, England. It is one of the most prestigious in the world due to the variety of old and well-preserved aircraft.- History :...
crashed during a practice for that day's display. The pilot walked away from the crash suffering only slight injuries. - June 18 - Christen Eagle II aircraft crashed into the river Wisla at the Air Show in Plock, Poland. The pilot Marek Szufa who was also a pilot of Boeing 767 in Polish airlines LOT died three hours later in a hospital. In his life he spent 20 000 hours in the air and took part in many air shows and championships.
- June 4 – 71-year-old Bill Phipps, experienced Campbell RiverCampbell River, British ColumbiaCampbell River is a coastal city in British Columbia on the east coast of Vancouver Island at the south end of Discovery Passage, which lies along the important coastal Inside Passage shipping route...
, British ColumbiaBritish ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
pilot severely injured while performing aerobatics at the Wings and Wheels event at Nanaimo AirportNanaimo AirportNanaimo Airport, , is located south southeast of Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada.The airport is classified as an airport of entry by NAV CANADA and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency...
, British Columbia. - March 12 – While performing their Pirated Skies wing walking act, Kyle and Amanda Franklin were severely injured when their Waco JMF-7Waco F series-External links:*...
nicknamed "Mystery Ship", suffered an apparent engine failure at the CAF 2011 Air Fiesta in Brownsville, TX. Both were listed as in stable condition with burns covering more than 60% of their bodies. Kyle's burns were not as serious as first reported. Amanda had successful surgery March 16, and was believed to have a good recovery chance at that time, but died on May 27.
2010
- September 5 – A woman was killed when a Tiger MothTiger mothTiger moths are moths of the family Arctiidae.Tiger moth may also refer to:*de Havilland Tiger Moth, an aircraft; an aerobatic and trainer tailwheel biplane*de Havilland DH.71 Tiger Moth, an earlier monoplane produced by de Havilland...
biplane crashed into spectators at an air show in southern Germany at the Airport Lauf-Lillinghof near NurembergNurembergNuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
. 38 people were injured in the accident, five of them seriously.
- July 23 – Canadian ForcesCanadian ForcesThe Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
Captain Brian Bews sustained non life-threatening injuries after a low altitude ejection from his CF-18 HornetCF-18 HornetThe McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet is a Royal Canadian Air Force fighter aircraft, based on the American McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet fighter. In 1980, the F/A-18 was selected as the winner of the New Fighter Aircraft competition, and a production order was awarded...
in Lethbridge, Alberta. Captain Bews was rehearsing for weekend performances at the 2010 Alberta International Airshow when the mishap occurred.
- June 12 – A replica Focke-Wulf Fw 190Focke-Wulf Fw 190The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Würger was a German Second World War single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank in the late 1930s. Powered by a radial engine, the 190 had ample power and was able to lift larger loads than its well-known counterpart, the Messerschmitt Bf 109...
crashed in the bay of Hyeres, France during a mock dogfight with a Supermarine SpitfireSupermarine SpitfireThe Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
. During this dogfight the FW 190 suffered an engine failure. When it became clear the plane could not make it to the nearby airport, the pilot ditched the FW 190 close to the beach, and he was rescued within minutes. The pilot survived without injuries.
- April 2 – Pilot Captain Anderson Amaro Fernandes was killed when an Embraer EMB 312 TucanoEmbraer EMB 312 TucanoThe Embraer EMB 312 Tucano is a two seat turboprop basic trainer developed in Brazil. The prototype first flew in 1980 and initial production units were delivered in 1983. The Tucano family of aircraft became one of Embraer's first international marketing successes, with 600 units produced...
belonging to the "Esquadrilha da Fumaça" aerobatic team of the Brazilian Air ForceBrazilian Air ForceThe Brazilian Air Force is the air branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces and one of the three national uniformed services. The FAB was formed when the Army and Navy air branch were merged into a single military force initially called "National Air Forces"...
crashed while performing at a ceremony for 68 years of the LagesLagesLages, formerly Lajens, is a Brazilian town located in the central part of the state of Santa Catarina, in the region known in Portuguese as "Planalto Serrano"....
aero club in Santa CatarinaSanta Catarina (state)Santa Catarina is a state in southern Brazil with one of the highest standards of living in Latin America. Its capital is Florianópolis, which mostly lies on the Santa Catarina Island. Neighbouring states are Rio Grande do Sul to the south and Paraná to the north. It is bounded on the east by...
, BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
- March 3 – Pilot Commander Suresh Kumar Maurya and his co-pilot Lieutenant Commander Rahul Nair were killed when an HAL KiranHAL Kiran-See also:-See also:...
aircraftAircraftAn aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
belonging to the Sagar PawanSagar PawanSagar Pawan is the aerobatic demonstration team of the Indian Navy's Aviation Arm. It is one of the only two naval aerobatic teams in the world, the other being the Blue Angels of the US Navy....
aerobatic teamTeamA team comprises a group of people or animals linked in a common purpose. Teams are especially appropriate for conducting tasks that are high in complexity and have many interdependent subtasks.A group in itself does not necessarily constitute a team...
of the Indian NavyIndian NavyThe Indian Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces of India. The President of India serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff , usually a four-star officer in the rank of Admiral, commands the Navy...
crashed while performing at the opening ceremony of the India Aviation Show at Hyderabad, India
2009
- November 14 – Overberg Airshow (BredasdorpBredasdorpBredasdorp is a town in the Southern Overberg region of the Western Cape, South Africa, and the main economic and service hub of that region. It lies on the northern edge of the Agulhas Plain, about south-east of Cape Town and north of Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of Africa.-History:The...
, South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
) – An English Electric LightningEnglish Electric LightningThe English Electric Lightning is a supersonic jet fighter aircraft of the Cold War era, noted for its great speed and unpainted natural metal exterior finish. It is the only all-British Mach 2 fighter aircraft. The aircraft was renowned for its capabilities as an interceptor; Royal Air Force ...
of Thunder CityThunder CityThunder City is an aircraft operating and maintenance company based at the Cape Town International Airport in Cape Town, South Africa. It owns the largest civilian-owned collection of former military jet aircraft in the world...
experienced hydraulic failure while performing. The pilot tried to get the aircraft back to base, but it crashed. The pilot, Dave Stock, 46, was killed. - September 6 – Brixia Airshow (MontichiariMontichiariMontichiari is a town and comune in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy. It received the honorary title of city with a presidential decree on December 27, 1991....
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
) – A CAP-10BMudry CAP 10-See also:-References:*Taylor, John W.R. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1988-89. Coulsdon, UK:Jane's Defence Data, 1988. ISBN 01706-0867-5....
aircraft hit the ground while performing low altitude aerobaticsAerobaticsAerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in normal flight. Aerobatics are performed in airplanes and gliders for training, recreation, entertainment and sport...
. Of the two pilots, Marzio Maccarana, 26, was killed and Paolo Castellani, 55, was injured. - August 30 – Radom Air Show (RadomRadomRadom is a city in central Poland with 223,397 inhabitants . It is located on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship , having previously been the capital of Radom Voivodeship ; 100 km south of Poland's capital, Warsaw.It is home to the biennial Radom Air Show, the largest and...
, PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
) – A Sukhoi Su-27Sukhoi Su-27The Sukhoi Su-27 is a twin-engine supermanoeuverable fighter aircraft designed by Sukhoi. It was intended as a direct competitor for the large United States fourth generation fighters, with range, heavy armament, sophisticated avionics and high manoeuvrability...
aircraft from BelarusBelarusBelarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
crashed while performing an air display, killing both pilots, Col. Alexander Morfintsky and Col. Alexander Zhuravlevich. According to preliminary data, the plane went down after a bird strikeBird strikeA bird strike—sometimes called birdstrike, avian ingestion , bird hit, or BASH —is a collision between an airborne animal and a man-made vehicle, especially aircraft...
.
- July 10 -Tarkio, MissouriTarkio, MissouriTarkio is a city in Tarkio Township, Atchison County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,583 at the 2010 census . It was platted in 1880 and incorporated in 1881. The name "Tarkio" is from a Native American word meaning "place where walnuts grow"...
- Chandy Clanton flying an Edge 540 crashed during the practice day for the Wing Nuts Flying Circus Airshow in Tarkio, MissouriTarkio, MissouriTarkio is a city in Tarkio Township, Atchison County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,583 at the 2010 census . It was platted in 1880 and incorporated in 1881. The name "Tarkio" is from a Native American word meaning "place where walnuts grow"...
. She was killed instantly. - July 7 – (Batajnica Air Base, SerbiaSerbiaSerbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
) – A MiG 29 crashed while performing a low-altitude high-speed pass during rehearsal practice for an air show, killing pilot Rade Ranđelović, as well as a soldier on the ground. - July 4–4 July Air Show (Tehachapi, CaliforniaTehachapi, CaliforniaTehachapi is a city incorporated in 1909 located in the Tehachapi Mountains between Bakersfield and Mojave in Kern County, California. Tehachapi is located east-southeast of Bakersfield, at an elevation of...
) – Pilot Dave Zweigle's L-29 DelfínAero L-29 Delfin|-See also:-References:* Gunston, Bill, ed. "Aero L-29 Delfin." The Encyclopedia of World Air Power. New York: Crescent Books, 1990. ISBN 0-517-53754-0....
crashed while making low altitude passes during the airshow. Zweigle and passenger Robert Chamberlain were killed in the accident.
2008
- June 1 – Lake Bracciano Air Show (Lake BraccianoLake BraccianoLake Bracciano is a lake of volcanic origin in the Italian region of Lazio, northwest of Rome. It is the second largest lake in the region and one of the major lakes of Italy...
– Province of RomeProvince of RomeThe Province of Rome , is a province in the Lazio region of Italy. The province can be viewed as the extended metropolitan area of the city of Rome, although in its more peripheral portions, especially to the north, it comprises towns surrounded by rural landscape.-Geography:The Province of Rome...
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
) – Aircraft Commander Captain Filippo Fornassi was killed and co-pilot Captain Fabio Manzella was injured when their NH Industries NH90NHI NH90The NHIndustries NH90 is a medium sized, twin-engine, multi-role military helicopter manufactured by NHIndustries. The first prototype had its maiden flight in December 1995...
tactical transport helicopter struck the water and sank into Lake BraccianoLake BraccianoLake Bracciano is a lake of volcanic origin in the Italian region of Lazio, northwest of Rome. It is the second largest lake in the region and one of the major lakes of Italy...
. The crash happened while the helicopter was diving after completing a Fieseler ManeuverFieseler (aerobatics)A Stall Turn is an aerobatics maneuver. The pilot puts the aircraft into a vertical climb, then quickly points the nose straight down into a dive, pulling out at the same altitude as the maneuver started, but with the nose of the aircraft pointed in the opposite direction....
. - May 10 – Modesto Airport Appreciation Day (Modesto, CaliforniaModesto, CaliforniaModesto is a city in, and is the county seat of, Stanislaus County, California. With a population of approximately 201,165 at the 2010 census, Modesto ranks as the 18th largest city in the state of California....
) – Pilot Rob Harrison was injured when the Moravan Otrokovice Zlin 50LXZlin Z-50-References:* Firth, John. . Flight International, 20 September 1980. p. 1183.* Frazer, Jeanne. . Flight International, 23 September 1978. pp. 1156–1157.* Postlethwaite, Alan. . Flight International, 2 July 1988. pp. 33–36....
aircraft he was piloting crashed while performing a roll maneuver. - April 26 – Kindel Air Field (KindelEisenachEisenach is a city in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated between the northern foothills of the Thuringian Forest and the Hainich National Park. Its population in 2006 was 43,626.-History:...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) – A Zlin Z-37 CmelakZlin Z-37 Cmelak|-See also:-References:*Hans-Joachim Mau: Tschechoslowakische Flugzeuge, Transpress, Berlin 1987, ISBN 3-344-00121-3* -External links:**...
left the runway on takeoff and veered into a crowd of spectators killing one and injuring ten. - April 26 – Spirit of Flight 2008 Air Show (Galveston, TexasGalveston, TexasGalveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
) – A Supermarine SpitfireSupermarine SpitfireThe Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
taxied into the rear of a recently restored Hawker HurricaneHawker HurricaneThe Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
at the Lone Star Flight MuseumLone Star Flight MuseumThe Lone Star Flight Museum, located in Galveston, Texas, USA, is an aerospace museum that displays more than 40 historically significant aircraft and many hundreds of artifacts related to the history of flight. The museum's collection is rare because most of the aircraft are flyable...
airshow. No injuries were reported.
2007
- September 15 – Shoreham Airshow (West SussexWest SussexWest Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) – Pilot Brian Brown was killed when the Hawker HurricaneHawker HurricaneThe Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
he was flying failed to pull out of a dive during a mock dogfightDogfightA dogfight, or dog fight, is a form of aerial combat between fighter aircraft; in particular, combat of maneuver at short range, where each side is aware of the other's presence. Dogfighting first appeared during World War I, shortly after the invention of the airplane...
. - September 1 – Radom Air Show crash2007 Radom Air Show crashThe 2007 Radom Air Show crash occurred on 1 September 2007 at the Radom Air Show, near Radom in Poland. The tragedy occurred before about thirty thousand spectators who had gathered to watch aerobatics teams from 16 nations perform their programmes....
(Radom, Poland) – Pilots Piotr Banachowicz and Lech Marchelewski were killed in the mid-air collision of their Zlin Z-526Zlin Z-526- External links :**-See also:...
aircraft. - July 28 – Dayton Air ShowDayton Air ShowThe Vectren Dayton Air Show is an annual event at the Dayton International Airport in Vandalia, Ohio, eight miles north of Dayton, Ohio. The history of flight exhibitions dating back to 1910 by the Wright Company. The city is the home of the Wright Brothers and the true birthplace of aviation, as...
(Dayton, OhioDayton, OhioDayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
) – Jim LeRoyJim LeRoyJim LeRoy was an American aerobatics pilot. A former US Marine Corps Scout/Sniper, he held a B.S. degree in Aeronautical/Aerospace engineering as well as an Airframe and Powerplant license.-Professional background:...
was killed when his S2S Bulldog IIPitts SpecialThe Pitts Special is a series of light aerobatic biplane designed by Curtis Pitts. It has accumulated many competition wins since its first flight in 1944...
crashed at the end of the runway while performing a 1/2 Cuban 8Aerobatic maneuverAerobatic maneuvers are flight paths putting aircraft in unusual attitudes, in air shows, dog fights or competition aerobatics. Aerobatics can be performed by a single aircraft or in formation with several others...
and snap rolls. The reason for this crash was reported as pilot error by the NTSB. - July 27 – Experimental Aircraft AssociationExperimental Aircraft AssociationThe Experimental Aircraft Association is an international organization of aviation enthusiasts based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Since its inception it has grown internationally with over 160,000 members and about 1,000 chapters worldwide....
's AirVenture show (Oshkosh, WisconsinOshkosh, WisconsinAs of the census of 2000, there were 62,916 people, 24,082 households, and 13,654 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,662.2 people per square mile . There were 25,420 housing units at an average density of 1,075.6 per square mile...
) – While approaching the runway for a landing, pilot Gerry Beck's scratch-built P-51A MustangP-51 MustangThe North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
overtook and struck a P-51D MustangP-51 MustangThe North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
that had touched down ahead of him. Beck's plane flipped over and crashed along the runway, killing him. The other pilot was not injured, although his P-51D was pushed on its nose and sustained damage to the tail. - June 24 – Galway Air Show (Galway, Ireland) – Three people on the ground were injured when the door from a hovering RAF helicopter flew off and plunged into a large crowd below.
- April 21 – Blue Angels crash2007 Blue Angels South Carolina crashThe 2007 Blue Angels South Carolina crash occurred on April 21, 2007 when the Number 6 US Navy Blue Angels jet crashed during the final minutes of an air show at the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort in Beaufort, South Carolina...
(Marine Corps Air Station BeaufortMarine Corps Air Station BeaufortMarine Corps Air Station Beaufort or MCAS Beaufort is a United States Marine Corps air base located three miles northwest of the central business district of Beaufort, a city in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States...
, Beaufort, South CarolinaBeaufort, South CarolinaBeaufort is a city in and the county seat of Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South Carolina, behind Charleston. The city's population was 12,361 in the 2010 census. It is located in the Hilton Head Island-Beaufort Micropolitan...
) – Lieutenant Commander Kevin 'Kojak' Davis of the Blue AngelsBlue AngelsThe United States Navy's Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, popularly known as the Blue Angels, was formed in 1946 and is currently the oldest formal flying aerobatic team...
was killed when he grayed out and lost control of his F/A-18 HornetF/A-18 HornetThe McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic, all-weather carrier-capable multirole fighter jet, designed to dogfight and attack ground targets . Designed by McDonnell Douglas and Northrop, the F/A-18 was derived from the latter's YF-17 in the 1970s for use by the United States Navy and...
. - March 16 – Tico Airshow (Titusville, FloridaTitusville, FloridaTitusville is a city in Brevard County, Florida in the United States. It is the county seat of Brevard County. Nicknamed Space City, USA, Titusville is on the Indian River, west of Merritt Island and the Kennedy Space Center and south-southwest of the Canaveral National Seashore...
) – Pilot Eilon Krugman-Kadi was killed when the Aero L-39 AlbatrosAero L-39The Aero L-39 Albatros is a high-performance jet trainer aircraft developed in Czechoslovakia to meet requirements for a "C-39" during the 1960s to replace the L-29 Delfín...
he was piloting crashed while performing a loop.
2006
- October 14 – Culpeper Regional Airport Airshow (Culpeper, VirginiaCulpeper, VirginiaCulpeper is an incorporated town in Culpeper County, Virginia, United States. The population was 9,664 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Culpeper County. Culpeper is part of the Culpeper Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Culpeper County. Both the Town of Culpeper and...
) – Pilot Nancy LynnNancy LynnNancy A. Lynn was born in Dayton, Ohio. A graduate of Denison University, entrepreneur, public speaker, actor, and pilot, Lynn is most well known for her role as an aerobatic pilot and flight instructor...
was killed when the wingtip of her Extra 300L struck the ground while performing multiple snap rolls. - October 4 – Tucumcari Air Show (Tucumcari, New MexicoTucumcari, New MexicoTucumcari is a city in and the county seat of Quay County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 5,989 at the 2000 census. Tucumcari was founded in 1901, two years before Quay County was founded.-History:...
) – Pilot Guy "Doc" Baldwin was killed when he lost control of his Extra 300L while performing a loop.
- September 10 – Aero GPAero GPAero GP is an international air racing series with up to eight specially designed high-performance sports planes all racing together at speeds of up to around a tight circuit just metres off the ground and from each other. The competing pilots are military and civilian pilots from around the world...
of Malta (Marsamxett HarbourMarsamxett HarbourMarsamxett Harbour, also referred as Marsamuscetto in many ancient documents, is the northern of Valletta's two natural harbours on the island of Malta, separated from the southern one by the Valletta peninsula. To the north it is bounded by Gżira and Sliema as far as Dragut Point and extends...
, MaltaMaltaMalta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
) – Pilot Gabor VargaGábor VargaGábor Varga is a Hungarian football player who currently plays for Lombard-Pápa TFC.- References :***...
was killed when the Yak-55Yakovlev Yak-55The Yakovlev Yak-55 is a single seat aerobatic aircraft. Pilots flying the Yak-55 have won several world aerobatic championships.-Development:...
aircraft he was piloting was involved in a mid-air collision with another aircraft. Eddie Goggins, who was piloting an Extra 200Extra 200The Extra Flugzeugbau Extra 200 is a two-seat, tandem arrangement, low-wing aerobatic monoplane with conventional landing gear fully capable of Unlimited category competition. It was designed by Walter Extra who introduced it to the United States market in 1996...
, received minor injuries. - July 30 – Experimental Aircraft AssociationExperimental Aircraft AssociationThe Experimental Aircraft Association is an international organization of aviation enthusiasts based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Since its inception it has grown internationally with over 160,000 members and about 1,000 chapters worldwide....
's AirVenture show (Oshkosh, WisconsinOshkosh, WisconsinAs of the census of 2000, there were 62,916 people, 24,082 households, and 13,654 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,662.2 people per square mile . There were 25,420 housing units at an average density of 1,075.6 per square mile...
) – The passenger of a Van's Aircraft RV-6Van's Aircraft RV-6-See also:-References:*Lambert, Mark. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1993-94. Coulsdon, UK:Jane's Data Division, 1993. ISBN 0-7106-1066-1.***-External links:*...
was killed when the propeller of a Grumman TBM-3 AvengerTBF AvengerThe Grumman TBF Avenger was a torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air or naval arms around the world....
cut into the fuselage of the RV-6. Both aircraft were taxiing for takeoff at the time of the accident. No injuries were reported from the occupants of the Avenger. - July 16 – Oregon International AirshowOregon International AirshowThe Oregon International Air Show is an annual event held at the Hillsboro Airport in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. The event began in 1988, and has an annual attendance of 65,000. It is the largest civilian air show on the West Coast of the United States. Profits from the show are distributed...
(Hillsboro, OregonHillsboro, OregonHillsboro is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Lying in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city is home to many high-technology companies, such as Intel, that compose what has become known as the...
) – Pilot Robert E. Guilford was killed when his Hawker-Siddeley Hunter Mk 58Hawker HunterThe Hawker Hunter is a subsonic British jet aircraft developed in the 1950s. The single-seat Hunter entered service as a manoeuvrable fighter aircraft, and later operated in fighter-bomber and reconnaissance roles in numerous conflicts. Two-seat variants remained in use for training and secondary...
lost power and crashed into a residence. Guilford was leaving the airshow on a return trip home. - May 5 – Children's Day flight exhibition (Suwon Air BaseSuwonSuwon is the provincial capital of Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. A major city of over a million inhabitants, Suwon lies approximately south of Seoul. It is traditionally known as "The City of Filial Piety"....
, South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
) – Captain Kim Do-hyun of the Republic of Korea Air ForceRepublic of Korea Air ForceThe Republic of Korea Air Force is the air force of South Korea...
's Black Eagles display team was killed when he lost control of his A-37B DragonflyA-37 DragonflyThe Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, or Super Tweet, is a United States light attack aircraft developed from the T-37 Tweet basic trainer in the 1960s and 1970s...
.
2005
- August 24 – Thunder in the Air Airshow warm-up – (Thunder Bay, OntarioThunder Bay, OntarioThunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario, and the second most populous in Northern Ontario after Greater Sudbury...
) – Capt. Andrew Mackay of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds safely ejected from his aircraft. - July 10 – Moose Jaw Air Show (Moose Jaw, SaskatchewanMoose Jaw, SaskatchewanMoose Jaw is a city in south-central Saskatchewan, Canada on the Moose Jaw River. It is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Regina. Residents of Moose Jaw are known as Moose Javians. It is best known as a retirement and tourist city that serves as a hub to the hundreds of small towns...
) – Pilots Jimmy Franklin and Bobby Younkin were killed in a mid-air collision during a dogfight routine. At the time of the accident, Franklin was piloting a WacoWaco Aircraft CompanyThe Waco Aircraft Company was an aircraft manufacturer located in Troy, Ohio, USA. Between 1919 and 1947, the company produced a wide range of civilian biplanes....
UPF-7Waco F series-External links:*...
biplane, and Youkin was piloting a Wolf-Samson biplane, a 1980s replica of the 1948 Pitts SamsonCurtis PittsCurtis Pitts of Stillmore, Georgia, was a designer of a series of popular aerobatic biplanes, known as the Pitts Special. He also designed the Pitts Samson, built in 1948 for aerobatic pilot Jess Bristow...
. - May 11 - A Hungarian Air ForceHungarian Air ForceThe Hungarian Air Force is the air force branch of the Hungarian Army.- 1918 to Pre–World War II :Following the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy in 1918, a small air arm was established operating surviving aircraft from Hungarian factories and training schools...
MiG-29 being flown by Szabó "Topi" Zoltán near KecskemétKecskemétKecskemét is a city in the central part of Hungary. It is the 8th largest city of the country, and the county seat of Bács-Kiskun.Kecskemét lies halfway between the capital Budapest and the country's third-largest city, Szeged, 86 kilometres from both of them and almost equal distance from the two...
, HungaryHungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
experienced a right engine failure with the aircraft catching on fire. The pilot stayed with the burning jet for 53 seconds before ejecting over an unpopulated field.
2004
- October 15 – Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Air Show (Miramar, CaliforniaMiramar, San Diego, CaliforniaMiramar is a neighborhood in the northern part of the city of San Diego, California, USA. It includes residential areas and commercial and light industrial districts....
) – Stunt pilot Sean DeRosier was killed when his "Cabo Wabo SkyRocker" failed to pull out of a dive.
2003
- September 15 – Gunfighter Skies Air Show (Mountain Home, IdahoMountain Home, IdahoMountain Home is the largest city and county seat of Elmore County, Idaho. The population was 14,206 at the 2010 census. Mountain Home is the principal city of the Mountain Home, ID Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Elmore County....
) – Pilot error was blamed for the crash of a US Air Force Thunderbirds F-16C. The official report states that the pilot "misinterpreted the altitude required to complete the "Split S" maneuver". The pilot successfully ejected and suffered minor injuries. No other injuries were reported. - July 12 – Flying Legends Air Show (DuxfordDuxfordDuxford is a village in Cambridgeshire, England, some ten miles south of Cambridge.-History:The village formed on the banks of the River Cam, a little below its emergence from the hills of north Essex...
, CambridgeshireCambridgeshireCambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, England) – Lieutenant Commander Bill Murton and Neil Rix were killed when the Fairey FireflyFairey FireflyThe Fairey Firefly was a British Second World War-era carrier-borne fighter aircraft and anti-submarine aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm ....
they were in went into a nosedive and never recovered. The plane crashed on the eastern side of the M11 motorwayM11 motorwayThe M11 motorway in England is a major road running approximately north from the North Circular Road in South Woodford in north-east London to the A14, north-west of Cambridge.-Route:...
. - May 31 – Coventry Classic Airshow (CoventryCoventryCoventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
, West MidlandsWest Midlands (county)The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, England) – Swedish pilot Pierre Holländer was killed when his homebuilt replica of Charles LindberghCharles LindberghCharles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
's Spirit of St. LouisSpirit of St. LouisThe Spirit of St. Louis is the custom-built, single engine, single-seat monoplane that was flown solo by Charles Lindbergh on May 20–21, 1927, on the first non-stop flight from New York to Paris for which Lindbergh won the $25,000 Orteig Prize.Lindbergh took off in the Spirit from Roosevelt...
aircraft crashed. The right hand wing of the plane broke up at an approximate altitude of 100 feet.
2002
- November 10 – Celebrate Freedom Festival Airshow (Columbia, South CarolinaColumbia, South CarolinaColumbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
) – Pilot Joe Tobul was killed when his F4U-4 CorsairF4U CorsairThe Vought F4U Corsair was a carrier-capable fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Demand for the aircraft soon overwhelmed Vought's manufacturing capability, resulting in production by Goodyear and Brewster: Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and...
lost power and crashed in a field. At the time of the crash, the plane was part of a flyover formation. - October 2 – Dabolim Naval Air Base, GoaGoaGoa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. During the squadron Silver Jubilee Celebrations, two Indian NavyIndian NavyThe Indian Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces of India. The President of India serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff , usually a four-star officer in the rank of Admiral, commands the Navy...
IL-38, IN302 and IN304 collided in mid-air while flying in formation, killing all twelve occupants on board the two aircraft (six on each). The planes were flying parallel to each other in close formation in front of many naval high-ranking officials and their families when their wings touched. - August 2 – Lowestoft Seafront Air Festival (LowestoftLowestoftLowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
, SuffolkSuffolkSuffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, England) – Flight Lieutenant Tony Cann safely ejected from the Harrier GR7 he was piloting after an engine failure. He was performing a 'bow' maneuver at an approximate altitude of 50 feet over the sea at the time of the accident. - July 27 – Sknyliv airshow disaster (Sknyliv Airfield LvivLvivLviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
, UkraineUkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
) – Pilot Volodymyr Toponar and co-pilot Yuriy Yegorov of the Ukrainian Air ForceUkrainian Air ForceThe Ukrainian Air Force is a part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Ukrainian Air Force Command and headquarters are located in the city of Vinnytsia....
demonstration team the Ukrainian FalconsUkrainian FalconsThe Ukrainian Falcons is the aerobatic demonstration team of the Ukrainian Air Force. It was established in 1997 as a team of 6 MiG-29s ....
ejected from their Sukhoi Su-27Sukhoi Su-27The Sukhoi Su-27 is a twin-engine supermanoeuverable fighter aircraft designed by Sukhoi. It was intended as a direct competitor for the large United States fourth generation fighters, with range, heavy armament, sophisticated avionics and high manoeuvrability...
after the left wing struck the ground during a low altitude roll maneuver. The aircraft then struck a parked Ilyushin Il-76Ilyushin Il-76The Ilyushin Il-76 is a multi-purpose four-engined strategic airlifter designed by Ilyushin design bureau. It was first planned as a commercial freighter in 1967. Intended as a replacement for the Antonov An-12, the Il-76 was designed for delivering heavy machinery to remote, poorly-serviced areas...
transport and cartwheeled into a crowd of spectators killing 77, including 19 children and injuring over 100. - July 21 – Charity Airshow for Thames Valley Air Ambulance (Berkshire, England) – A pilot was injured when his de Havilland Tiger MothDe Havilland Tiger MothThe de Havilland DH 82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and was operated by the Royal Air Force and others as a primary trainer. The Tiger Moth remained in service with the RAF until replaced by the de Havilland Chipmunk in 1952, when many of the surplus aircraft...
biplane lost altitude rapidly and crash-landed, throwing the 55 year old pilot clear of the wreckage. - July 20 – Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) airshowRoyal International Air TattooThe Royal International Air Tattoo is the world's largest military air show, held annually over the third weekend in July, usually at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom in support of The Royal Air Force Charitable Trust...
(FairfordFairfordFairford is a small town in Gloucestershire, England. The town lies in the Cotswolds on the River Coln, about east of Cirencester, west of Lechlade and north of Swindon. Nearby are RAF Fairford and the Cotswold Water Park.-Schools:...
, GloucestershireGloucestershireGloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, England) – An Italian Aeritalia G.222 transport made a hard landing which collapsed the nose landing gear. A small fire erupted but was quickly extingushed. No injuries were reported. - April 20 – Point Mugu air show (Point Mugu, CaliforniaPoint Mugu, CaliforniaPoint Mugu , California is an unincorporated area and geographical promontory on the Pacific coast in Ventura County, near the town of Port Hueneme and the city of Oxnard. The name is believed to be derived from the Chumash Indian term Muwu, meaning beach, which was first mentioned by Cabrillo in...
) – Navy pilot Commander Michael Norman and radar intercept officer Marine Corps Captain Andrew Muhs were killed when their McDonnell-Douglas QF-4S+ Phantom IIF-4 Phantom IIThe McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
stalled and crashed after pulling away from a diamond formation. The Navy report stated in part: "The cause of this tragic accident was the failure of the pilot to manage the energy state of the aircraft, and then to recognize a departure from controlled flight at low altitude, and apply the NATOPSNATOPSThe Naval Air Training and Operating Procedures Standardization program prescribes general flight and operating instructions and procedures applicable to the operation of all US naval aircraft and related activities...
recovery techniques."
2001
- June 4 – (Rouen, FranceRouenRouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
) – Pilot Martin Sargeant was killed while making an emergency landing in his Supermarine SpitfireSupermarine SpitfireThe Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
. It was reported that he swerved away from the crowds at the last moment when he realized he would have to make a crash-landing. - June 3 – During the Biggin HillLondon Biggin Hill AirportLondon Biggin Hill Airport is an airport at Biggin Hill in the London Borough of Bromley, located south southeast of Central London, United Kingdom...
Airshow a 1944 Bell P63 Kingcobra crashed killing the pilot. The American World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
fighter aircraft had been flying an unplanned sequence, when the pilot lost control at the top of a climbing maneuver and was unable to recover from the resulting dive. The aircraft impacted the ground to the west of the runway in a steep nose down attitude. The incident was captured on video. - June 2 – During the Biggin HillLondon Biggin Hill AirportLondon Biggin Hill Airport is an airport at Biggin Hill in the London Borough of Bromley, located south southeast of Central London, United Kingdom...
Airshow a vintage de HavillandDe HavillandThe de Havilland Aircraft Company was a British aviation manufacturer founded in 1920 when Airco, of which Geoffrey de Havilland had been chief designer, was sold to BSA by the owner George Holt Thomas. De Havilland then set up a company under his name in September of that year at Stag Lane...
VampireDe Havilland VampireThe de Havilland DH.100 Vampire was a British jet-engine fighter commissioned by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Following the Gloster Meteor, it was the second jet fighter to enter service with the RAF. Although it arrived too late to see combat during the war, the Vampire served...
jet crashed, killing both pilots. The Vampire had been flying a display in tandem with a Sea VixenDe Havilland Sea VixenThe de Havilland DH.110 Sea Vixen was a twin boom 1950s–1960s British two-seat jet fighter of the Fleet Air Arm designed by de Havilland. Developed from an earlier first generation jet fighter, the Sea Vixen was a capable carrier-based fleet defence fighter that served into the 1970s...
, the likely cause of the accident was that the Vampire's flight path had been disrupted by wake turbulenceWake turbulenceWake turbulence is turbulence that forms behind an aircraft as it passes through the air. This turbulence includes various components, the most important of which are wing vorticies and jetwash. Jetwash refers simply to the rapidly moving gases expelled from a jet engine; it is extremely turbulent,...
from the larger aircraft.
2000
- August 18 – AirbourneAirbourne (air show)Airbourne, also known as Eastbourne International Airshow, is a 4-day international air show run every August in Eastbourne, Sussex, England...
2000 show (EastbourneEastbourneEastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
, East SussexEast SussexEast Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
, England) – Former Red ArrowsRed ArrowsThe Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, is the aerobatics display team of the Royal Air Force based at RAF Scampton, but due to move to RAF Waddington in 2011...
pilot Ted Girdler was killed when his Aero L-29 DelfínAero L-29 Delfin|-See also:-References:* Gunston, Bill, ed. "Aero L-29 Delfin." The Encyclopedia of World Air Power. New York: Crescent Books, 1990. ISBN 0-517-53754-0....
jet failed to pull up from a diving roll and crashed into the English ChannelEnglish ChannelThe English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
. - June 18 – Willow Grove 2000 Sounds of Freedom Air Show (Willow Grove, PennsylvaniaWillow Grove, PennsylvaniaWillow Grove is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. A community in Philadelphia's northern suburbs, the population was 15,726 at the 2010 census. It is located in Abington Township and Upper Moreland Township...
) – Two crew members of a F-14 TomcatF-14 TomcatThe Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental program following the collapse of the F-111B project...
were killed when their aircraft lost altitude and crashed into a wooded area. They were demonstrating a low speed "landing wave-off maneuver" at the time of the accident.
1999
- September 18 - Reno Air RacesReno Air RacesThe Reno Air Races, also known as the National Championship Air Races, take place each September at the Reno Stead Airport a few miles north of Reno, Nevada, USA...
(also known as National Championship Air Races) Pilot Gary Levitz, 61, a 30-year race veteran of Grand Prairie, Texas, was racing his highly modified Mustang P-51, which disintegrated during the Gold Unlimited race, scattering debris and damaging a house in Lemmon Valley, just east of the Stead Airport Base, where the races were being held. The NTSB had determined that the tail empenage failed in flight causing the aircraft to break apart. - July 29 – EAA Airventure airshow (Oshkosh, WisconsinOshkosh, WisconsinAs of the census of 2000, there were 62,916 people, 24,082 households, and 13,654 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,662.2 people per square mile . There were 25,420 housing units at an average density of 1,075.6 per square mile...
) – Pilot Laird Doctor was seriously injured when his F4U CorsairF4U CorsairThe Vought F4U Corsair was a carrier-capable fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Demand for the aircraft soon overwhelmed Vought's manufacturing capability, resulting in production by Goodyear and Brewster: Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and...
collided with a stationary F8F BearcatF8F BearcatThe Grumman F8F Bearcat was an American single-engine naval fighter aircraft of the 1940s. It went on to serve into the mid-20th century in the United States Navy and other air forces, and would be the company's final piston engined fighter aircraft...
during its takeoff roll. The Corsair crashed in flames beside the runway and was destroyed. Howard Pardue, the pilot of the Bearcat, was not seriously injured but his aircraft suffered major damage. - June 12 – Paris Air ShowParis Air ShowThe Paris Air Show is the world's oldest and largest air show. Established in 1909, it is currently held every odd year at Le Bourget Airport in north Paris, France...
(Paris, France) – A Russian Air ForceRussian Air ForceThe Russian Air Force is the air force of Russian Military. It is currently under the command of Colonel General Aleksandr Zelin. The Russian Navy has its own air arm, the Russian Naval Aviation, which is the former Soviet Aviatsiya Voyenno Morskogo Flota , or AV-MF).The Air Force was formed from...
Sukhoi Su-30MKI demonstrator '01' (with canards and vectored thrustThrust vectoringThrust vectoring, also thrust vector control or TVC, is the ability of an aircraft, rocket or other vehicle to manipulate the direction of the thrust from its engine or motor in order to control the attitude or angular velocity of the vehicle....
), crashed at Le BourgetLe BourgetLe Bourget is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.A very small part of Le Bourget airport lies on the territory of the commune of Le Bourget, which nonetheless gave its name to the airport. Most of the airport lies on the territory of the...
Airport. At the completion of a downward spiralling maneuver, the tail contacted the grass surface. With almost no forward speed the fighter was able to pull away from the ground, wings level, with an up pitch of 10–15 degrees and climb to ~150 feet (46 m), with the right jet nozzle deflected fully up and flames engulfing the left engine. Sukhoi test pilot Vyacheslav Averynov initiated ejection with navigator Vladimir Shendrikh departing the aircraft first. The ZvezdaZvezdaZvezda is a common word among the Slavic languages meaning "star" , and may refer to one of the following:* Zvezda , 2002 Russian film* Zvezda , a component of the International Space Station...
K-36D-3.5 ejection seats worked perfectly and both crew descended on to a taxiway unhurt. The Su-30 impacted some distance from the crew. The incident was captured on video. - June 6 – Milan Rastislav Stefanik airport airshow (BratislavaBratislavaBratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
, SlovakiaSlovakiaThe Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
) – Test pilotTest pilotA test pilot is an aviator who flies new and modified aircraft in specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques or FTTs, allowing the results to be measured and the design to be evaluated....
Graham Wardell was killed when his BAE SystemsBAE SystemsBAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...
Hawk 200BAE HawkThe BAE Systems Hawk is a British single-engine, advanced jet trainer aircraft. It first flew in 1974 as the Hawker Siddeley Hawk. The Hawk is used by the Royal Air Force, and other air forces, as either a trainer or a low-cost combat aircraft...
failed to pull out of a low turn and struck the ground. A woman spectator was knocked off a nearby rooftop by the force of the explosion and died of her injuries.
1998
- August 15 – Swanton Morley Airshow (East Dereham, NorfolkNorfolkNorfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, England) – Pilot Christopher Wilkins was killed when his Rollason D31 TurbulentDruine Turbulent-Bibliography:* A.J.Jackson, British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 2, Putnam & Company, London, 1974, ISBN 370 10010 7-External links:*...
stalled and crashed while performing with the Tiger ClubTiger ClubThe Tiger Club is a flying club formed in 1956 at Croydon Airport, England to race DH82a de Havilland Tiger Moths. The founder was Norman Jones who ran the Club until he handed it over to his son Michael Jones...
display team. - May 19 – DARE Airshow (Manassas, VirginiaManassas, VirginiaThe City of Manassas is an independent city surrounded by Prince William County and the independent city of Manassas Park in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Its population was 37,821 as of 2010. Manassas also surrounds the county seat for Prince William County but that county...
) – Pilot Dr. Miles Merritt was killed when his Sukhoi Su-29Sukhoi Su-29|-See also:-References:*Lambert, Martin. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1993-94. Coulsdon, UK:Jane's Data Division, 1993. ISBN 0 7106 1066 1....
crashed while performing a skidding turn at too low an "altitude".
1997
- October 12 – (Duxford, Cambridgeshire, England) – The last airworthy World War II German Messerschmitt Bf 109Messerschmitt Bf 109The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...
crashed while being flown by Air Chief Marshal Sir John Allison, Commander-in-Chief of RAF Strike CommandRAF Strike CommandThe Royal Air Force's Strike Command was the military formation which controlled the majority of the United Kingdom's bomber and fighter aircraft from 1968 until 2007: it was merged with Personnel and Training Command to form the single Air Command. It latterly consisted of two formations - No. 1...
. He was unhurt despite the plane coming to rest upside down. The plane, known to be difficult to land due to poor visibility from the cockpit and its narrow-track landing gear, had overshot the runway while landing. - September 14 – Chesapeake Air Show (Middle River, MarylandMiddle River, MarylandMiddle River is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 23,958 at the 2000 census...
) – A Lockheed F-117, 81–793, of the 7th Fighter Squadron, 49th Fighter Wing, at Holloman AFB, New MexicoNew MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, lost its port wing at 1500 hrs. during a pass over Martin State AirportMartin State AirportMartin State Airport is a public use airport located nine nautical miles east of the central business district of Baltimore, in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States...
, and crashed into a residential area of Bowley's Quarters, MarylandBowleys Quarters, MarylandBowleys Quarters is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, with a population of 6,314 in 2000.-History:...
damaging several homes. Four people on the ground received minor injuries and the pilot, Maj. Bryan "B.K." Knight, 36, escaped with minor injuries after ejecting from the aircraft. A month-long Air Force investigation found that four of 39 fasteners for the wing's structural support assembly were apparently left off when the wings were removed and reinstalled in January 1996, according to a report released on 12 December 1997. - July 26 – Ostend Airshow (OstendOstendOstend is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke , Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the largest on the Belgian coast....
, BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
) – Captain Omar Hani Bilal of the Jordanian Air Force display team, the Royal Jordanian FalconsRoyal Jordanian FalconsThe Royal Jordanian Falcons are the national aerobatic demonstration team of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.The team was formed on the orders of King Hussein of Jordan on November 7, 1978. The team used two and subsequently three Pitts S-2A Specials before changing to Walter Extra EA300s in 1992...
, was killed when he lost control of his Walter Extra EA300s. His plane crashed at the end of the runway and burst into flames near a Red Cross tent and spectator stands. On the ground, eight were killed and forty injured. - June 22 – Wings Over Long Island Airshow – (Westhampton, New YorkWesthampton, New YorkWesthampton is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 2,869 at the 2000 census.Westhampton is in the Town of Southampton.-Geography:Westhampton is located at ....
) – Two planes racing collided over Francis S. Gabreski AirportFrancis S. Gabreski AirportFrancis S. Gabreski Airport is a county-owned, civil airport located north of the central business district of Westhampton Beach, in Suffolk County, Long Island, New York, United States. It is approximately east of New York City....
in front of 15,000 spectators. Pilot Dick Goodlett died when his aircraft crashed and burst into flames. The second plane crash-landed, critically injuring pilot Chris Kalishek. - June 1 – Air Show Colorado 1997 (Broomfield, ColoradoBroomfield, ColoradoThe City and County of Broomfield is a prominent suburb and tier of the Denver metropolitan area in the State of Colorado of the United States. Broomfield has a consolidated city and county government which operates under Article XX, Sections 10-13 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado. The...
) – Ret. Colonel "Smiling Jack" Jack M. Rosamond was killed when he lost control of his restored F-86 Sabre Jet during an acrobatic loop at the (then known as) Jefferson County Airport. Unseasonably high temperatures combined with the natural high elevation (5,673 ft) of the airport was thought to make the air less dense than expected, leading to poor effectiveness of flight control surfaces. Nobody else was injured in the accident.
1996
- August 4 – Three Rivers Regatta (Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
) – Pilot Clarence Speal was killed when the left hand wings on his biplane folded back which caused him to lose control and crash into the Ohio RiverOhio RiverThe Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
. - July 21 – Barton AerodromeBarton AerodromeCity Airport is a general aviation airport in the Barton-upon-Irwell area of Eccles, in the City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England. Formerly known as both Barton Aerodrome and City Airport Manchester...
air show (Barton-upon-IrwellBarton-upon-IrwellBarton-upon-Irwell is a suburban area of Eccles, Greater Manchester, England.-History:...
, Greater ManchesterGreater ManchesterGreater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, England) – The last de Havilland MosquitoDe Havilland MosquitoThe de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
known to be airworthy (serial number RR299), a T Mk III built By D.H. at Leavesden in Spring 1945, crashed with the loss of both crew after suffering loss of engine power when performing a wing-over manoeuvre. The incident was captured on video. - July 14 – Flying LegendsFlying LegendsThe Flying Legends airshow is held at Duxford in Cambridgeshire in England at the beginning of July every year.The airshow features only warbird and vintage aircraft, such as the Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane and P-51 Mustang. It is run by The Fighter Collection, which is based at...
Air Display (Duxford, Cambridgeshire, England) – Pilot Michael "Hoof" Proudfoot was killed when his LockheedLockheed CorporationThe Lockheed Corporation was an American aerospace company. Lockheed was founded in 1912 and later merged with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin in 1995.-Origins:...
P-38 LightningP-38 LightningThe Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
aircraft crashed and cartwheeled while performing a roll maneuver. Several aircraft on the ground were damaged or destroyed. - April 16 – EAAEAAEAA can refer to:*Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, an international organization of churches*Educational Assessment Australia, an educational assessment organisation*Electric Auto Association, a group advocating use of electric automobiles...
Sun 'n FunSun 'n FunSun 'n Fun is a "Fly-in" and airshow held annually at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Lakeland, Florida, usually during the second or third week of April....
(Lakeland, FloridaLakeland, FloridaLakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406...
) – Pilot Charlie HillardCharlie HillardCharlie Hillard was an American aerobatics pilot, and the first American to win the world aerobatics title.Hillard formed the Red Devils aerobatic team in 1971 with fellow pilots Gene Soucy and Tom Poberezny...
was killed when his Hawker Sea FuryHawker Sea FuryThe Hawker Sea Fury was a British fighter aircraft developed for the Royal Navy by Hawker during the Second World War. The last propeller-driven fighter to serve with the Royal Navy, it was also one of the fastest production single piston-engined aircraft ever built.-Origins:The Hawker Fury was an...
flipped over while landing in a crosswind. - September 14 – Bob Heale of Spokane was killed while performing at Spokane's Fairchild Air Force BaseFairchild Air Force BaseFairchild Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately southwest of Spokane, Washington.The host unit at Fairchild is the 92d Air Refueling Wing assigned to the Air Mobility Command's 15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force...
when his French CAP-10 crashed on its belly onto a dirt field in windy, rainy conditions at the annual Aerospace Days show. Investigators focused on possible mechanical problems with the 21-year-old plane. Bob Heale had been a regular performer at the Silverwood Theme Park in Athol, Idaho.
1995
- September 9 – (Johannisthal, GermanyJohannisthal Air FieldThe Johannisthal Air Field, located 15 km southeast of Berlin, between Johannisthal and Adlershof, was Germany's first airfield. It opened on 26 September 1909, a few weeks after the world's first airfield at Rheims, France .-Overview:...
) – A DASA-operated Messerschmitt Bf 108 TaifunMesserschmitt Bf 108-Popular culture:Bf 108s and postwar Nord 1000s, played the role of Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters in war movies, including The Longest Day, 633 Squadron, Von Ryan's Express and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.-See also:-References:Notes...
, D-EFPT, crashed during an airshow, killing pilot Gerd Kahdemann and passenger Reinhard Furrer, a former astronaut who had flown in space for Germany in 1985 during the STS-61A mission aboard the Space Shuttle ChallengerSpace Shuttle ChallengerSpace Shuttle Challenger was NASA's second Space Shuttle orbiter to be put into service, Columbia having been the first. The shuttle was built by Rockwell International's Space Transportation Systems Division in Downey, California...
. After completing an aerobatic display, the Bf 108 was seen to climb and attempt an aileron turn with increased pitch which developed into a barrel-roll into the ground at a ~90 degree angle. A piece of the airframe that came loose while the aircraft was inverted was found to be the starboard wing leading edge slat. - September 2 – Canadian International Air Show (Toronto, Ontario) – Seven Royal Air ForceRoyal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
crew members were killed when their Hawker Siddeley Nimrod MR.2P stalled during a low altitude turn and crashed into Lake OntarioLake OntarioLake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
.
1994
- June 11 – Ray Mabery was killed at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Mount Clemens, MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
when his CanadairCanadairCanadair Ltd. was a civil and military aircraft manufacturer in Canada. It was a subsidiary of other aircraft manufacturers, then a nationalized corporation until privatized in 1986, and became the core of Bombardier Aerospace....
T-33 crashed during an unplanned roll. - April 3 – Warbirds Over WanakaWarbirds over WanakaWarbirds over Wanaka is a biennial air show in Wanaka, held on the Easter weekend of even-numbered years. It is held at Wanaka Airport, 10 km outside Wanaka village. Initially conceived by New Zealand live deer recovery pioneer, Sir Tim Wallis, as a display day for him to play with his collection...
Air Show (WanakaWanakaWanaka is a town in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is situated at the southern end of Lake Wanaka, adjacent to the outflow of the lake to the Clutha River. It is the gateway to Mount Aspiring National Park. Wanaka is primarily a resort town but has both summer and winter...
, New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
) – Ian Reynolds was killed when his de Havilland Chipmunk crashed while trying to recover from a low level "Split-S" maneuver during his display.
1993
- October 3 - Lanseria Air Show, Lanseria International Airport, JohannesburgJohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
- Silver Falcon 5 an Atlas Impala Mk1 no 489, piloted by Charles Rudenick Crashed at Lanseria Airport after structural failure. The pilot initiated the ejection sequence half a second before impact.He came out horizontally with the fuselage vertical and a high downward velocity.He was killed when "sucked" into the crash fireball. - August 22 – Prairie Air '93 Air Show – (Bloomington, IllinoisBloomington, IllinoisBloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States and the county seat. It is adjacent to Normal, Illinois, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
) – A Pitts SpecialPitts SpecialThe Pitts Special is a series of light aerobatic biplane designed by Curtis Pitts. It has accumulated many competition wins since its first flight in 1944...
flown by Charlie Wells crashed while performing a LomcevakLomcevakA Lomcovák is an aerobatic maneuver that can be performed by an aeroplane. The word originates from the Slovak aerobatic pilot 's mechanic, who at a 1958 air show in Brno, Czechoslovakia jokingly called Bezák's tumble maneuvers "Lomcovaks" when asked by journalists what they were.According to...
. Wells was killed instantly when the plane hit the ground. No one on the ground was injured, and the airshow continued despite the accident, however no more aerobatic planes performed for the remainder of the day. - August 8 – Stockholm Water FestivalStockholm Water FestivalThe Stockholm Water Festival was an annual street festival held in Stockholm, Sweden, in August from 1991 to 1999. The festival featured many activities in central Stockholm, but was eventually cancelled after the 1999 festival due to lack of funds....
(StockholmStockholmStockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
) – A JAS 39 GripenJAS 39 GripenThe Saab JAS 39 Gripen is a lightweight single-engine multirole fighter manufactured by the Swedish aerospace company Saab. It was designed to replace the Saab 35 Draken and 37 Viggen in the Swedish Air Force...
, 39102, crashed on the central Stockholm island of LångholmenLångholmenLångholmen is an island in central Stockholm, between Södermalm and Kungsholmen.Långholmen is a green oasis in the city, and a popular spot for walks, picnics and swimming. The small beaches, located right outside the former prison, are usually crowded in summer. However, up until 1975, Långholmen...
, near the VästerbronVästerbronVästerbron is an arch bridge in central Stockholm, Sweden. With a total length exceeding 600 m, 340 m of which stretches over water, it is one of the major bridges in Stockholm, offering one of the most panoramic views of the central part of the city centering on Gamla stan, the old town...
bridge, during a slow speed manoeuver. Lars Rådeström, the same pilot as in the 1989 incident ejectedEjector seatIn aircraft, an ejection seat is a system designed to rescue the pilot or other crew of an aircraft in an emergency. In most designs, the seat is propelled out of the aircraft by an explosive charge or rocket motor, carrying the pilot with it. The concept of an eject-able escape capsule has also...
safely. Despite large crowds standing by watching, no one on the ground was seriously injured. This crash was caused by a PIOPilot-induced oscillationPilot-induced oscillations, as defined by MIL-HDBK-1797A, are sustained or uncontrollable oscillations resulting from efforts of the pilot to control the aircraft and occurs when the pilot of an aircraft inadvertently commands an often increasing series of corrections in opposite directions, each...
. - July 24 – Lebanon, New HampshireLebanon, New HampshireAs of the census of 2000, there were 12,568 people, 5,500 households, and 3,178 families residing in the city. The population density was 311.4 people per square mile . There were 5,707 housing units at an average density of 141.4 per square mile...
– A biplane collided with a parachutist in the opening act of the Lebanon Airshow. Both the pilot and the parachutist died as a result of the collision. No other injuries were sustained. - July 24 – Royal International Air TattooRoyal International Air TattooThe Royal International Air Tattoo is the world's largest military air show, held annually over the third weekend in July, usually at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom in support of The Royal Air Force Charitable Trust...
– (Fairford, Gloucestershire, England) – Two MiG-29s of the Russian Air Force Russian SwiftsStrizhiThe Swifts are a Soviet and later Russian aerobatic performance demonstrator team connected with the Russian Air Force.In July 1983, the 234 Guards Fighter Regiment based in Kubinka air base was among the first regular aviation regiments to receive 4th generation fighters Mig-29...
aerobatic team collided in mid-air and crashed away from the public. No one was hurt on the ground, and both pilots (Alexander Beschastonov and Sergey Tresvyatsk) ejected safely. Investigators later determined that pilot error was the cause; one pilot did a reverse loop and disappeared into the clouds, the other one lost sight of his wingman and aborted the routine. The incident was captured on video. - June 27 – Concord, New HampshireConcord, New HampshireThe city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....
– Ron Shelly and his daughter Karen Shelly Duggan, who performed a father daughter wing walkingWing walkingSeen in airshows and barnstorming during the 1920s, wing walking is the act of moving on the wings of an airplane during flight.-The beginning of air walkers:...
act, were killed when their plane crashed after failing to come out of a roll. - May 2 – (Marine Corps Air Station El ToroMarine Corps Air Station El ToroMarine Corps Air Station El Toro was a United States Marine Corps Air Station located near Irvine, California.Before it was decommissioned in 1999, it was the home of Marine Corps aviation on the West Coast. Designated as a Master Jet Station, its four runways could handle the largest aircraft...
, California) – A vintage F-86 SabreF-86 SabreThe North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...
crashed and exploded in the middle of a runway after pilot James A. Gregory failed to come out of a vertical loop about a quarter of a mile from spectators. The impact killed the pilot and sent flaming debris along the ground. No one on the ground was injured. The incident was captured on video.
1992
- June 29 – Quad City Airshow (Davenport, IowaDavenport, IowaDavenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
) – An AV-8B Harrier leaving the airshow crashed on take off, killing pilot Maj. Jeffrey Smith. - June 27 – Woodford Airshow (Woodford, Greater ManchesterWoodford, Greater ManchesterWoodford is a suburban village at the southern extent of the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies south of Stockport, north-northwest of Macclesfield, and south-southeast of Manchester...
, England) – David Moore was killed when his Supermarine SpitfireSupermarine SpitfireThe Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
Mk.XIV crashed into the runway at Woodford Aerodrome during a low level loop.
1990
- September 23 – (Baltimore County, MarylandBaltimore County, MarylandBaltimore County is a county located in the northern part of the US state of Maryland. In 2010, its population was 805,029. It is part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Towson. The name of the county was derived from the barony of the Proprietor of the Maryland...
) – 62-year-old pilot Jack B. Poage died after crashing his red-and-white Pitts S-2BPitts SpecialThe Pitts Special is a series of light aerobatic biplane designed by Curtis Pitts. It has accumulated many competition wins since its first flight in 1944...
during an air show at Martin State AirportMartin State AirportMartin State Airport is a public use airport located nine nautical miles east of the central business district of Baltimore, in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States...
when he failed to leave enough altitude to recover from a flat-spin maneuver. Carroll County Regional AirportCarroll County Regional AirportCarroll County Regional Airport , also known as Jack B. Poage Field, is a public airport located three miles north of the central business district of Westminster, in Carroll County, Maryland, United States. The airport is owned by Carroll County Board of Commissioners...
, which he managed at the time, was given the additional name Jack B. Poage Field in his honor. - September 16 – (PápaPápaPápa is a historical city in Veszprém county, Hungary, located close to the northern edge of the Bakony Hills, and noted for its baroque architecture. With its 33,000 inhabitants, it is the cultural, economic and tourism centre of the region....
, Hungary) – A Hungarian MIG 23MF "04" crashed during an aerobatic display. The pilot, Major Károly Soproni died. - September 9 – (SalgaredaSalgaredaSalgareda is a comune in the Province of Treviso in the Italian region Veneto, located about 30 km northeast of Venice and about 20 km east of Treviso...
, Italy) – A Soviet Su-27 coded "14 Red" crashed during an aerobatic display, killing its test pilot Rimantas StankevičiusRimantas StankevičiusRimantas Antanas Stankevičius was a Lithuanian cosmonaut who test flew Soviet space shuttle Buran and its test vehicles. He was killed in a crash of his Su-27 fighter plane during an airshow in Salgareda.- Biography :In 1966 he has graduated from Chernigov Higher Aviation School...
. - July 2 – Friendship FestivalFriendship FestivalThe Friendship Festival is an annual celebration of the bond between Canada and the United States. This event is held in Fort Erie, Ontario and Buffalo, New York, which are connected by the Peace Bridge. The festival began in 1987 and is held from June 29 to July 4. These dates encompass Canada Day...
(Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo, New YorkBuffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
) – Pilot Giff Foley was killed when his AT-6North American T-6 TexanThe North American Aviation T-6 Texan was a single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces, United States Navy, Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s...
lost altitude and crashed into the Niagara RiverNiagara RiverThe Niagara River flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the Province of Ontario in Canada and New York State in the United States. There are differing theories as to the origin of the name of the river...
. - July 1 – National Capital Air Show (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) – Harry E. Tope was killed when his P-51 MustangP-51 MustangThe North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
crashed into a golf course. - June 30 – Groton Air Show (Groton, ConnecticutGroton, ConnecticutGroton is a town located on the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 39,907 at the 2000 census....
) – Russell Gage was killed while attempting to roll his aircraft on takeoff. - June 18 – (Oklahoma City, USAWill Rogers World AirportWill Rogers World Airport , also known as Will Rogers Airport or simply Will Rogers, is located in southwestern Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 6 miles from downtown and is the principal commercial airport of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area...
) – A small aircraft piloted by aerobatic champion Tom Jones crashed while performing during the Oklahoma City air show "Aerospace America." He was killed in the crash that was attributed to a low altitude stall.
1989
- 3 September – Canadian International Air Show (Toronto, Ontario) – Captain Shane Antaya, flying for the Canadian Forces Snowbirds team died after a mid-air collision during a demonstration when his Tutor crashed into Lake OntarioLake OntarioLake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
. During the same accident, team commander Major Dan Dempsey safely ejected from his aircraft. - June 8 – Paris Air Show (Paris, France) – During a low-speed, high angle-of-attack portion of Mikoyan's test pilot Anatoliy Kvochur's routine display flight, a bird sucked into the turbofanTurbofanThe turbofan is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used for aircraft propulsion. A turbofan combines two types of engines, the turbo portion which is a conventional gas turbine engine, and the fan, a propeller-like ducted fan...
of his MiG-29's right engine caused it to malfunction. After steering the MiG away from spectators, Kvochur managed to eject from the MiG seconds before his aircraft hit the ground. The incident was captured on video.
1988
- August 28 – Ramstein airshow disasterRamstein airshow disasterThe Ramstein airshow disaster is the second-deadliest airshow incident . It took place in front of about 300,000 people on August 28 1988, in Ramstein, West Germany, near the city of Kaiserslautern at the US Ramstein Air Base airshow Flugtag '88.Aircraft of the Italian Air Force display team...
(RamsteinRamstein-MiesenbachRamstein-Miesenbach is a municipality in the district of Kaiserslautern in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany.-History:As a result of the State of Rheinland-Pfalz administrative reform, Ramstein-Miesenbach, which has a population of approx. 9200, was created on 7 June 1969 from the independent...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) – Three members of Italy's Frecce TricoloriFrecce TricoloriThe Frecce Tricolori , officially known as the 313° Gruppo Addestramento Acrobatico, is the aerobatic demonstration team of the Italian Aeronautica Militare, based at Rivolto Air Force Base, in the north-eastern Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, province of Udine...
Air Force Display Team flying Aermacchi MB-339Aermacchi MB-339The Aermacchi MB-339 is an Italian military trainer and light attack aircraft. It was developed as a replacement for the earlier MB-326.-Design and development:...
's were involved in a mid-air collision. Three pilots, Lt. Col. Ivo Nutarelli, Lt. Col. Mario Naldini and Cap. Giorgio Alessio were killed, wreckage from the collision landed on the spectators, killing 67 people and seriously injuring 346. - June 26 – Air France Flight 296Air France Flight 296Air France Flight 296 was a chartered flight of a new fly-by-wire Airbus A320-111 operated by Air France. On June 26, 1988, it was flying over Mulhouse-Habsheim Airport as part of an air show. The low-speed fly-by was supposed to take place at with landing gear down at an altitude of 100 feet...
(AlsaceAlsaceAlsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) – While performing a gear down low speed pass, a chartered Air FranceAir FranceAir France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
Airbus A320Airbus A320 familyThe Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
lost altitude and crashed into a treeline. Three of the 136 persons aboard were killed. - April 24 – (Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California) – Marine Corps Colonel Jerry Cadick, then commanding officer of MAG-11, was performing aerobatics before a crowd of 300,000 when he crashed his F/A-18 HornetF/A-18 HornetThe McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic, all-weather carrier-capable multirole fighter jet, designed to dogfight and attack ground targets . Designed by McDonnell Douglas and Northrop, the F/A-18 was derived from the latter's YF-17 in the 1970s for use by the United States Navy and...
at the bottom of a loop that was too close to the ground. The aircraft was in a nose-high attitude, but still carrying too much energy toward the ground when it impacted at more than 300 mph (480 km/h). Col. Cadick was subjected to extremely high G forces that resulted in his face making contact with the control stick, sustaining serious injuries. He broke his arm, elbow and ribs, exploded a vertebra and collapsed a lung. Col. Cadick survived and retired from the Marine Corps. The F/A-18 remained largely intact but was beyond repair.
1987
- September 6 – Mammoth Lakes Air Show – Civilian stunt pilot Gary Loundagin, 42, of Livermore, California, was killed when his vintage T-34B aircraft crashed, he had executed a loop maneuver with insufficient altitude for recovery. The aircraft impacted next to the runway but did not explode. The high elevation of the airport was probably not accounted for by Loundagin, contributing to the mishap.
1985
- July 13 – Western New York Air Show '85 (Niagara Falls International AirportNiagara Falls International Airport-Traffic figures:Niagara Falls International received 56,943 passengers in 2008. As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 660 passenger boardings in calendar year 2005 and 1,409 unscheduled enplanements in 2006....
, New York) – Blue AngelsBlue AngelsThe United States Navy's Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, popularly known as the Blue Angels, was formed in 1946 and is currently the oldest formal flying aerobatic team...
Aircraft 5, BuNo 155029, and 6, BuNo 154992, both Douglas A-4F Skyhawks, collided at the top of a loop, killing Lt. Cmdr. Michael Gershon. The other pilot, Lt. Andy Caputi, ejected safely with only minor injuries. One Skyhawk crashed in the airport grounds while the second fighter fell onto a nearby auto junkyard. The demonstration team resumed their show duties on July 20 at Dayton, Ohio but omitted the maneuver that resulted in the crash, and flew with five planes rather than six. - May 5 – Lemoore Naval Air Station Air Show – Civilian stunt pilot Kirk R. McKee of Sacramento, California, stalled his AT6A "Texan" aircraft after recovering from a Reverse Cuban Eight maneuver at low altitude. The aircraft crashed in an inverted, nose down attitude and exploded.
1983
- September 11 – Plainview, Texas – The wings of a Partenavia P.68CPartenavia P.68-See also:...
separated from the root just outboard of the engine nacelles during a high-speed, high-G maneuver beyond the design parameters of the aircraft and plummeted to the ground, killing the pilot. - July 31 – Experimental Aircraft Association (Oskosh, Wisconsin) – Arlin Pestes was killed when his Van's Aircraft RV-3Van's Aircraft RV-3-See also:-References:* * Armstrong, Kenneth, Choosing Your Homebuilt – The One You’ll Finish And Fly, Butterfield Press, Templeton CA 1993.* Bowers, Peter M, Guide to Homebuilts 9th Edition, TAB Books Blue Ridge Summit PA, 1984....
lost altitude and crashed during a formation fly over. - May 22 – (Rhein-Main Air BaseRhein-Main Air BaseRhein-Main Air Base was a U.S. Air Force / NATO military airbase near the city of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It occupied the south side of Frankfurt International Airport. Its airport codes are discontinued....
, Frankfurt, Germany) – A Canadian Forces CF-104 StarfighterF-104 StarfighterThe Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is a single-engine, high-performance, supersonic interceptor aircraft originally developed for the United States Air Force by Lockheed. One of the Century Series of aircraft, it served with the USAF from 1958 until 1969, and continued with Air National Guard units...
, 104813, of 439 Sqn., exploded in mid-air. Wreckage falling on a nearby road hit the car of priest Martin Jürges and killed three adults and two children. The sixth passenger in the car, Jürges' niece, died months later from her burns. A Canadian Forces spokesman said that the CF-104, flown by Capt. Alan J. Stephenson, 27, was in a formation of five Starfighters, and that he was to do a solo display. He had done two complete circuits and had leveled off for a low-speed fly-past when the plane malfunctioned. He ejected safely.
1982
- September 11 – (Mannheim, Germany) – A United States Army CH-47 ChinookCH-47 ChinookThe Boeing CH-47 Chinook is an American twin-engine, tandem rotor heavy-lift helicopter. Its top speed of 170 knots is faster than contemporary utility and attack helicopters of the 1960s...
(serial number 74-22292) crashed while carrying British, French, and German parachutistsParachutingParachuting, also known as skydiving, is the action of exiting an aircraft and returning to earth with the aid of a parachute. It may or may not involve a certain amount of free-fall, a time during which the parachute has not been deployed and the body gradually accelerates to terminal...
who planned to jump when the helicopter reached an altitude of 12000 ft (3,657.6 m). All 46 aboard were killed. The crash was later found to be caused by an accumulation of ground walnutWalnutJuglans is a plant genus of the family Juglandaceae, the seeds of which are known as walnuts. They are deciduous trees, 10–40 meters tall , with pinnate leaves 200–900 millimetres long , with 5–25 leaflets; the shoots have chambered pith, a character shared with the wingnuts , but not the hickories...
shells that had been used to clean the machinery.
1981
- May 9 – (Hill Air Force Base, UtahHill Air Force BaseHill Air Force Base is a major U.S. Air Force Base located in northern Utah, just south of the city of Ogden, and near the towns of Clearfield, Riverdale, Roy, Sunset, and Layton. It is about north of Salt Lake City. The base was named in honor of Major Ployer Peter Hill of the U.S. Army Air...
) – A U.S. Air Force ThunderbirdsU.S. Air Force ThunderbirdsThe Thunderbirds are the air demonstration squadron of the U.S. Air Force , based at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, Nevada. The squadron tours the United States and much of the world, performing aerobatic formation and solo flying in specially marked USAF jet aircraft...
Northrop T-38 TalonT-38 TalonThe Northrop T-38 Talon is a twin-engine supersonic jet trainer. It was the world's first supersonic trainer and is also the most produced. The T-38 remains in service as of 2011 in air forces throughout the world....
crashed while performing the Hi-Lo Maneuver, killing pilot Captain David "Nick" Hauck. Capt. Hauk, in Thunderbird 6, crashed while attempting to land his ailing T-38 after an engine malfunctioned and caught fire. With black smoke bellowing from the exhaust and the aircraft losing altitude in a high nose-up attitude, the safety officer on the ground radioed Capt Hauck: "You’re on fire, punch out", to which he responded: “Hang on... we have a bunch of people down there”. The aircraft continued to fight to stay airborne for about ½ a mile before hitting a large oak tree and a barn, then sliding across a field and flipping as it traversed an irrigation canal ultimately erupting into a fireball just a few hundred feet from the runway's end. No one on the ground was injured even though the accident occurred adjacent to a roadway packed with onlookers.
1980
- September 21 – (Biggin Hill, London, EnglandLondon Biggin Hill AirportLondon Biggin Hill Airport is an airport at Biggin Hill in the London Borough of Bromley, located south southeast of Central London, United Kingdom...
) – A Douglas A-26 InvaderA-26 InvaderThe Douglas A-26 Invader was a United States twin-engined light attack bomber built by the Douglas Aircraft Co. during World War II that also saw service during several of the Cold War's major conflicts...
crashed during an air display. The aircraft was attempting to carry out a climbing roll in front of the crowd when the nose dropped sharply, and the aircraft continued rolling until it dropped vertically into a valley. The pilot and seven passengers were killed. The Civil Aviation Authority subsequently introduced rules preventing passengers from being carried during air displays.
1978
- May 3 – (Grande Prairie, AlbertaGrande Prairie, AlbertaGrande Prairie is a city in the northwestern part of the province of Alberta in Western Canada. It is located on the southern edge of the Peace River Country . The city is surrounded by the County of Grande Prairie No...
) – Captain Gordon de Jong of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds died when the horizontal stabilizer failed, rendering the aircraft uncontrollable. Although ejection was initiated, it was not successful. - August 12 – (Glenview, IllinoisGlenview, Cook County, IllinoisGlenview is a suburban village located approximately north of downtown Chicago in Cook County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 41,847...
) – Avro Vulcan B2Avro VulcanThe Avro Vulcan, sometimes referred to as the Hawker Siddeley Vulcan, was a jet-powered delta wing strategic bomber, operated by the Royal Air Force from 1956 until 1984. Aircraft manufacturer A V Roe & Co designed the Vulcan in response to Specification B.35/46. Of the three V bombers produced,...
XL390United Kingdom military aircraft serialsIn the United Kingdom to identify individual aircraft, all military aircraft are allocated and display a unique serial number. A unified serial number system, maintained by the Air Ministry , and its successor the Ministry of Defence , is used for aircraft operated by the Royal Air Force , Fleet...
of 617 SquadronNo. 617 Squadron RAFNo. 617 Squadron is a Royal Air Force aircraft squadron based at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland. It currently operates the Tornado GR4 in the ground attack and reconnaissance role...
Royal Air ForceRoyal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
crashed during an air display at Naval Air Station Glenview, just north of ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. All four Royal Air Force crew members were killed. Their delta-winged bomber apparently stalled during a wing-over and then crashed into a landfill just north of Willow Road. - November 8 – One of the solo Skyhawks of the Blue AngelsBlue AngelsThe United States Navy's Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, popularly known as the Blue Angels, was formed in 1946 and is currently the oldest formal flying aerobatic team...
struck the ground after low roll during arrival maneuvers at NAS Miramar. Navy Lieutenant Michael Curtain was killed.
1977
- September 23 – Suffolk Air Fair press preview (Westhampton Beach, New YorkWesthampton Beach, New YorkWesthampton Beach is an Incorporated Village in the town of Southampton, Suffolk County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 1,902.-History:...
) – Stunt pilot Edward H. Mahler was killed at Suffolk County Airport when the tail section of his biplane separated at an altitude of 300 feet. An hour before the accident he had repaired a loose strut on the tail section of his plane. - September 2 – Canadian National Exhibition (Toronto, Canada) – Pilot Alan Ness was killed when his Fairey FireflyFairey FireflyThe Fairey Firefly was a British Second World War-era carrier-borne fighter aircraft and anti-submarine aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm ....
lost alititude and crashed in Lake Ontario while taking part in a formation flight. - June 3 – Paris Air Show (Paris, France) – Test pilot Howard W. "Sam" Nelson was killed when his A-10 Thunderbolt IIA-10 Thunderbolt IIThe Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat, twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic in the early 1970s. The A-10 was designed for a United States Air Force requirement to provide close air support for ground forces by attacking tanks,...
crashed after coming out of a loop at low altitude. - May 15 – Biggin Hill Air Show (Biggin HillBiggin HillBiggin Hill is an area and electoral ward in the outskirts of the London Borough of Bromley in southeast London, United Kingdom.-History:Historically the settlement was known as Aperfield and formed part of the parish of Cudham...
, London, England) – Five persons were killed and one injured when a sightseeing helicopter stuck the underside of a de Havilland Tiger MothDe Havilland Tiger MothThe de Havilland DH 82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and was operated by the Royal Air Force and others as a primary trainer. The Tiger Moth remained in service with the RAF until replaced by the de Havilland Chipmunk in 1952, when many of the surplus aircraft...
biplane at an altitude of 200 feet. The biplane, with "its undercarriage sheared off", was able to land safely with no injuries to the pilot or passenger.
1976
- September 26 – Weyers Cave Air Show (Weyers Cave, VirginiaWeyers Cave, VirginiaWeyers Cave is a census-designated place in Augusta County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,225 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Staunton–Waynesboro Micropolitan Statistical Area....
) – Flight instructor Jerry Pressen was killed when his plane stalled as he pulled out of a climb and crashed.
- August 28 – Gathering of Warbirds (Fresno, CaliforniaFresno, CaliforniaFresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
) – Pilot Cliff Anderson was killed when his home built Stolp Starduster I SA100 aerobatic biplane crashed and burned after he was unable to recover from and inverted spinSpin (flight)In aviation, a spin is an aggravated stall resulting in autorotation about the spin axis wherein the aircraft follows a corkscrew downward path. Spins can be entered intentionally or unintentionally, from any flight attitude and from practically any airspeed—all that is required is sufficient yaw...
.
1975
- September 13 – Reno Air RacesReno Air RacesThe Reno Air Races, also known as the National Championship Air Races, take place each September at the Reno Stead Airport a few miles north of Reno, Nevada, USA...
– M.D. Washburn, 40, of Houston, Texas, died when the wing of his North American T-6 TexanNorth American T-6 TexanThe North American Aviation T-6 Texan was a single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces, United States Navy, Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s...
clipped a pylon and crashed while in a tight formation at the start of the race. - September 13 – Reno Air RacesReno Air RacesThe Reno Air Races, also known as the National Championship Air Races, take place each September at the Reno Stead Airport a few miles north of Reno, Nevada, USA...
– While wing walkingWing walkingSeen in airshows and barnstorming during the 1920s, wing walking is the act of moving on the wings of an airplane during flight.-The beginning of air walkers:...
, Gordon McCollom of Costa Mesa, Calif. was hanging under a plane piloted by Joe Hughes. It suddenly dropped too close to the runway in what one official called a "freakish downdraft" and McCollom scraped his upper head on the runway, dying instantly. Hughes was able to regain control of the plane and land. The accident occurred directly in front of the grandstand just 15 minutes after Washburn's fatal accident.
1974
- September 1 – Farnborough Air ShowFarnborough Air ShowThe Farnborough International Airshow is a seven-day international trade fair for the aerospace industry which is held in even-numbered years in mid-July at Farnborough Airfield in Hampshire, England....
(Hampshire, EnglandHampshireHampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
) – The Sikorsky S-67 BlackhawkSikorsky S-67 BlackhawkThe Sikorsky S-67 Blackhawk was a private-venture, prototype attack helicopter built in 1970 with Sikorsky Aircraft R&D funds. A tandem, two-seat aircraft designed around the dynamic drive and rotor systems of the Sikorsky S-61, it was designed to serve as an attack helicopter or to transport up to...
company demonstrator N671SA crashed while attempting to recover from a rollFlight dynamicsFlight dynamics is the science of air vehicle orientation and control in three dimensions. The three critical flight dynamics parameters are the angles of rotation in three dimensions about the vehicle's center of mass, known as pitch, roll and yaw .Aerospace engineers develop control systems for...
at too low an altitudeAltitudeAltitude or height is defined based on the context in which it is used . As a general definition, altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The reference datum also often varies according to the context...
, killing its two crew.
1973
- June 3 – Paris Air Show (Paris, France) – The first production Tupolev Tu-144Tupolev Tu-144The Tupolev Tu-144 was a Soviet supersonic transport aircraft and remains one of only two SSTs to enter commercial service, the other being the Concorde...
supersonic airliner crashed1973 Paris Air Show crashThe 1973 Paris Air Show crash was the crash of the second production Tupolev Tu-144 at Goussainville, Val-d'Oise, France, which killed all six crew and a further eight people on the ground. The crash at the Paris Air Show on 3 June 1973 damaged the development program of the Tupolev Tu-144, also...
after it disintegrated in mid-air during a flight demonstration, killing all six on board and eight on the ground. The cause of the crash remains controversial and the focus of several conspiracy theories. - July 8 – Lake Charles, LA – Lt. Steve Lambert, flying a Blue Angels F-4J Phantom II s/n 153876, had a mechanical issue and had to eject from his aircraft during that Sunday's performance. Lt. Lambert survived with only minor scratches, his aircraft was not so fortunate.
1972
- September 24 – Farrell's Ice Cream ParlourFarrell's Ice Cream ParlourFarrell's Ice Cream Parlour is an American ice cream parlor chain that was started in Portland, Oregon by Bob Farrell and Ken McCarthy in 1963 . Farrell's became known for their offer of a free ice cream sundae to children on their birthday...
crash (Sacramento, CaliforniaSacramento, CaliforniaSacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
) – A privately owned F-86 SabreF-86 SabreThe North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...
jet piloted by Richard Bingham failed to take off while leaving the Golden West Sport Aviation Show. The jet went through a chain link fence at the end of the runway, across Freeport Boulevard, crushed a parked car and then crashed into a local Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour. The ice cream parlor was occupied in part by the Sacramento 49ers "Little League" football team. Twenty-two people were killed, including twelve children and two people in the parked car. An eight-year-old survivor of the accident lost nine family members including both parents, two brothers, a sister, two grandparents and two cousins. A family of four were also killed in the accident. Immediately after the crash, an elderly couple trying to cross the street to the crash site were struck by a vehicle, the wife was killed. - June 10 – Trenton Air Show at CFB TrentonCFB TrentonCanadian Forces Base Trenton , is a Canadian Forces base located northeast of Trenton, Ontario. It is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force and is the hub for air transport operations in Canada and abroad...
, OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
– Canadian air force SnowbirdsSnowbirdsOfficially known as the Royal Canadian Air Force's 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, the Snowbirds are Canada's military aerobatics or air show flight demonstration team whose purpose is to "demonstrate the skill, professionalism, and teamwork of Canadian Forces personnel". The squadron is based at...
solo Captain Lloyd Waterer died after a wingtip collision with the other solo aircraft while performing an opposing solo manoeuvre. - June 4 – Transpo 72Transpo 72U.S. International Transportation Exposition, better known as Transpo '72, was a trade show held on of land at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C. for nine days from May 27 to June 4, 1972. The $10 million event, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, was a showcase...
Airshow (Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
) – Major Joe Howard of the US Air Force Thunderbirds flying Thunderbird 3 was killed at Dulles International Airport when his F-4E-32-MC Phantom IIF-4 Phantom IIThe McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
, 66-0321, lost power during a vertical maneuver. The pilot broke out of formation just after he completed a wedge roll and was ascending at around 2,500 feet AGLAbove ground levelIn aviation and atmospheric sciences, an altitude is said to be above ground level when it is measured with respect to the underlying ground surface. This is as opposed to above mean sea level , or in broadcast engineering, height above average terrain...
. The aircraft staggered and descended in a flat attitude with little forward speed. Although Major Howard ejected and descended under a good canopy, winds blew him into the ascending fireball. The parachute melted and the pilot plummeted 200 feet, sustaining fatal injuries.
1970
- August 30 – (Cedar Rapids, IowaCedar Rapids, IowaCedar Rapids is the second largest city in Iowa and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and east of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city...
) – One of the members of the US Navy Blue AngelsBlue AngelsThe United States Navy's Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, popularly known as the Blue Angels, was formed in 1946 and is currently the oldest formal flying aerobatic team...
belly-landed at Eastern Iowa Airport with one engine stuck in afterburner. The pilot ejected safely, the aircraft ran off the runway.
1969
- June 4 – Reading Air Show (Reading, PennsylvaniaReading, PennsylvaniaReading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
) – Captain Dick Schram, a Naval Reserve Aviator "billed as the Flying Professor", was killed when his Piper CubPiper J-3The Piper J-3 Cub is a small, simple, light aircraft that was built between 1937 and 1947 by Piper Aircraft. With tandem seating, it was intended for flight training but became one of the most popular and best-known light aircraft of all time...
failed to pull out of a dive during a comedy flying routine. His son, a public affairs officer with the United States Navy Blue Angels, was announcing the routine at the time of the crash.
1968
- September 20 – Farnborough Air Show (HampshireHampshireHampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England) – Six members of the French Air Force were killed when their Breguet 1150 Atlantic crashed while performing a single engine demonstration.
1967
- October 21 - Thunderbirds F-100D piloted by Tony McPeak crashed at Laughlin AFB, TX. The accident occurred during the "Bomb Burst" maneuver when the solo aircraft piloted by McPeak shed its wings during a vertical rolling climb. The accident was attributed to failure of the wing structure due to fatigue. McPeak successfully ejected from the aircraft.
- June 4 – Le Bourget Air Show (Paris France) – Capt. Didier Duthois, deputy leader of the Patrouille de France Display Team, died when he failed to pull out and pancaked after the final downward bomb-burst.
1966
- September 2 – Canadian International Air Show (Toronto, Ontario) – US Navy Blue Angels pilot Lt. Cmdr. Dick Oliver was killed when he crashed his F-11 Tiger into a breakwater at Toronto Island Airport.
- August 13 – Aviation Day (Amarillo Air Force BaseAmarillo Air Force BaseAmarillo Air Force Base, originally Amarillo Army Air Field is a former United States Air Force base located in Potter County, Texas, approximately 6 miles East of downtown Amarillo within the easternmost city limits...
, Texas) – Shelby M. Kritser, chairman of the Texas Aeronautics Commission, was killed when his F8F BearcatF8F BearcatThe Grumman F8F Bearcat was an American single-engine naval fighter aircraft of the 1940s. It went on to serve into the mid-20th century in the United States Navy and other air forces, and would be the company's final piston engined fighter aircraft...
crashed during an attempted hammerhead stall.
1965
- June 15 – Paris Air Show (Paris, France) – United States Air Force Lt Colonel Charles D. Tubbs was killed and two other crewmen injured when their B-58 HustlerB-58 HustlerThe Convair B-58 Hustler was the first operational supersonic jet bomber capable of Mach 2 flight. The aircraft was designed by Convair engineer Robert H. Widmer and developed for the United States Air Force for service in the Strategic Air Command during the 1960s...
bomber crashed. The plane landed short of the runway, struck the "instrument approach beacons" and burst into flames.
1964
- May 9 – (Hamilton AFB, California) – United States Air Force Capt. Eugene J. Devlin was killed when a Republic F-105B Thunderchief, 57-5801, Thunderbird 2, delivered to the US Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration team in April 1964, suffered structural failure and disintegrated during 6G tactical pitch-up for landing after an air display. The failure of the fuselage's upper spine caused the USAF to ground all F-105s and retrofit the fleet with a structural brace, but the air demonstration team reverted to the F-100 Super SabreF-100 Super SabreThe North American F-100 Super Sabre was a supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard until 1979. The first of the Century Series collection of USAF jet fighters, it was the first USAF fighter capable of...
and never flew another show in F-105s. - May 3 – Armed Forces Day exhibition (Bremerhaven, GermanyBremerhavenBremerhaven is a city at the seaport of the free city-state of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms an enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the River Weser on its eastern bank, opposite the town of Nordenham...
) – Major Thomas Eugene Perfili, an American flight instructor attached to the West German Air Force, was killed in the crash of his Starfighter after losing power while demonstrating rolls. He guided his plane away from spectators but was unable to eject.
1961
- September 24 – (Wilmington, North CarolinaWilmington, North CarolinaWilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
) – Three servicemen were killed and twelve survived when an Air Force C-123 ProviderC-123 ProviderThe C-123 Provider was an American military transport aircraft designed by Chase Aircraft and subsequently built by Fairchild Aircraft for the United States Air Force...
carrying members of the Army Golden KnightsUnited States Army Parachute TeamThe United States Army Parachute Team, nicknamed and commonly known as the Golden Knights, is a demonstration and competition parachute team of the United States Army...
crashed and burned on take-off at an airshow.
1958
- September 20 – (RAF SyerstonRAF SyerstonRAF Syerston is a Royal Air Force station in the parish of Flintham, near Newark, Nottinghamshire. It was used as a bomber base during World War II.-Bomber Command:...
, NottinghamshireNottinghamshireNottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, England) – A Rolls-RoyceRolls-Royce LimitedRolls-Royce Limited was a renowned British car and, from 1914 on, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce on 15 March 1906 as the result of a partnership formed in 1904....
test pilot flying an Avro VulcanAvro VulcanThe Avro Vulcan, sometimes referred to as the Hawker Siddeley Vulcan, was a jet-powered delta wing strategic bomber, operated by the Royal Air Force from 1956 until 1984. Aircraft manufacturer A V Roe & Co designed the Vulcan in response to Specification B.35/46. Of the three V bombers produced,...
, VX770, in an air display pulled up too hard after a high-speed flyby and exceeded the airframe's structural limits, collapsing the plane's right wing. The aircraft spiraled out of control and crashed, killing the entire aircrew and 3 people on the ground.
1957
- June 8 – Royal Canadian Air ForceRoyal Canadian Air ForceThe history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
Avro Canada CF-100 Mk.5 of No. 433 Squadron, North BayCFB North BayCanadian Forces Base North Bay, also CFB North Bay, is an air force base located at the City of North Bay, Ontario about north of Toronto. The base is subordinate to 1 Canadian Air Division, Winnipeg, Manitoba, and is the centre for North American Aerospace Defense Command operations in Canada,...
, crashed at a London, Ontario air show after both wings separated from the aircraft. F/O's C.A. Sheffield and Les Sparrow died. Post crash film analysis suggested that the aircraft pulled more g's than the aircraft was designed for.
- September 5: Canadian International Air Show (Toronto, Ontario) – Royal Canadian Air Force Avro Canada CF-100 Mk.4B 18455 pulled up, flamed out, went into inverted spin and crashed. F/O's H.R. Norris and R.C. Dougall were killed.
1956
- March 2 – Five Canadair Sabre Mk. 6 fighters of the RCAF aerobatics team the Sky Lancers based at RCAF Station Baden-Soellingen (No. 4 Wing) in West Germany, during a practice over the Rhine Valley, for an upcoming airshow, flew into the ground while flying in an airshow formation. The crash occurred south west of Strasbourg, near the Vosges Mountains and killed four of the five pilots. This accident brought a halt to RCAF aerobatic flying for several years.
- May 19 – A Royal Canadian Air Force CF-100 Mk. 5 of 428 SquadronNo. 428 Squadron RCAFNo. 428 Squadron RCAF, also known as 428 Bomber Squadron, and 428 Ghost Squadron, was a bomber squadron in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Throughout its service in the Second World War the squadron was based in England and flew bombing missions against the enemy. After the end of the war the...
crashed after the starboard wing separated during a high speed low level pass during an air show at Kinross AFB, Michigan. One RCAF and one USAF fatality.
- June 9 – RAFARoyal Air Forces AssociationThe Royal Air Forces Association, more often known as RAF Association, or simply RAFA, is a UK based charitable organization which provides care and support to serving and retired members of the "Royal Air Forces" and their dependents.The organisation, which was formed in 1943, receives no funding...
Air Display at ShortsShort BrothersShort Brothers plc is a British aerospace company, usually referred to simply as Shorts, that is now based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Founded in 1908, Shorts was the first company in the world to make production aircraft and was a manufacturer of flying boats during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s...
, Sydenham (BelfastBelfastBelfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern IrelandNorthern IrelandNorthern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
) – Shorts Senior Test Pilot Sqn LdrSquadron LeaderSquadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
W.J.Runciman flying a Short SeamewShort SeamewThe Short SB.6 Seamew was a British aircraft designed in 1951 by David Keith-Lucas of Shorts as a lightweight anti-submarine platform to replace the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm 's Grumman Avenger AS 4 with the Reserve branch of the service...
was killed when the aircraft "appeared to start a slow roll", the nose falling and there being "insufficient height for recovery". The aircraft avoided crashing into the crowd, hitting the runway "practically nose first".
1954
- September 5 – National Aircraft Show (Dayton, OhioDayton, OhioDayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
) – Major John L. Armstrong was killed when he crashed his F86H SabrejetF-86 SabreThe North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...
while trying to match or break the speed record he had set that day.
1953
- September 6 – National Aircraft Show (Dayton, Ohio) – Marine pilot Major William T. Tebow was injured when the Sikorsky helicopter he was flying "brushed rotor blades" with another helicopter and crash-landed. Tebow was flying in formation when the accident occurred.
- September 19 – Canadian International Air ShowCanadian International Air ShowThe Canadian International Air Show is an annual air show that has been held at the conclusion of the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto since 1949...
Royal Canadian Air Force Canadair Sabre 4, piloted by S/L W.R. Greene crashed into Lake Ontario. Greene, who had replaced the originally slated pilot Gordon Bennett, was killed. A T-33 formation team also performing in the show truncated their performance due to low cloud and rain and had entered clouds during looping maneuvers. One aircraft attempted loop recovery without sufficient altitude and hit Lake Ontario.
1952
- August 30 – International Aviation Exposition (Detroit, MichiganDetroit, MichiganDetroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
) – One of a pair of Northrop F-89 Scorpions disintegrated in flight during a display, killing the Scorpion pilot and one spectator. - September 6 – Farnborough Airshow DH.110 crash1952 Farnborough Airshow DH.110 crashThe 1952 Farnborough DH.110 crash was an air show accident that killed 29 spectators, the pilot , and the onboard flight test observer when during a manoeuvre, the aircraft broke up due to a faulty wing leading edge design...
(FarnboroughFarnborough, Hampshire-History:Name changes: Ferneberga ; Farnburghe, Farenberg ; Farnborowe, Fremborough, Fameborough .Tower Hill, Cove: There is substantial evidence...
, UK) – Pilot John DerryJohn DerryJohn Douglas Derry DFC was a British test pilot, and was the first Briton to exceed the speed of sound...
and flight test observer Anthony Richards flying a DH.110De Havilland Sea VixenThe de Havilland DH.110 Sea Vixen was a twin boom 1950s–1960s British two-seat jet fighter of the Fleet Air Arm designed by de Havilland. Developed from an earlier first generation jet fighter, the Sea Vixen was a capable carrier-based fleet defence fighter that served into the 1970s...
were killed when the outer starboard wing, immediately followed by the outer port wing, broke off when the aircraft was pulled into a climb. Wreckage crashed into the spectators, killing 29 and injuring 60. The incident was captured on film. - September 20 – Canadian International Air ShowCanadian International Air ShowThe Canadian International Air Show is an annual air show that has been held at the conclusion of the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto since 1949...
Royal Canadian Air Force Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck Mk.3T piloted by S/L R.D. Schultz made a 500-knot high speed pass with vertical pull up. This maneuver overstressed the aircraft but the aircraft recovered to CFB North BayCFB North BayCanadian Forces Base North Bay, also CFB North Bay, is an air force base located at the City of North Bay, Ontario about north of Toronto. The base is subordinate to 1 Canadian Air Division, Winnipeg, Manitoba, and is the centre for North American Aerospace Defense Command operations in Canada,...
successfully.
1951
- September 15 – Fall Festival Day (Flagler, ColoradoFlagler, ColoradoFlagler is a Statutory Town in Kit Carson County, Colorado, United States. The population was 612 at the 2000 census.The town was established in 1888 as a small settlement near the then-new Rock Island Railroad, named Malowe after Rock Island Railroad attorney M. A. Lowe...
) – Twenty people, including the pilot and 13 children, were killed when a stunt plane piloted by Air Force 1st Lt. Norman Jones of Denver flew in low over the crowd and attempted a loop. The pilot had reportedly arrived late and missed the safety briefing which prohibited flying at less than 500 feet above the ground and banned any stunts near the crowd. Lt. Jones was at an approximate altitude of 200 feet when he began his loop.
1950
- July 7 – (Naval Air Station Patuxent RiverNaval Air Station Patuxent River"Pax River" redirects here. For the river, see Patuxent River.Naval Air Station Patuxent River , also known as NAS Pax River, is a United States Naval Air Station located in St. Mary's County, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay near the mouth of the Patuxent River. It is home to the U.S...
, Maryland) – The third prototype of three VoughtVoughtVought is the name of several related aerospace firms. These have included, in the past, Lewis and Vought Corporation, Chance Vought, Vought Sikorsky, LTV Aerospace , Vought Aircraft Companies, and the current Vought Aircraft Industries. The first incarnation of Vought was established by Chance M...
XF7U-1 CutlassF7U CutlassThe Vought F7U Cutlass was a United States Navy carrier-based jet fighter and fighter-bomber of the early Cold War era. It was a highly unusual, semi-tailless design, allegedly based on aerodynamic data and plans captured from the German Arado company at the end of World War II, though Vought...
twin-tailed fighters, BuNo 122474, suffered an engine explosion during a flight exhibition. Vought test pilot Paul Thayer ejected and parachuted into two feet of water; the airframe impacted on a Patuxent RiverPatuxent RiverThe Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: the Potomac River to the west passing through Washington D.C., the Patapsco River to the northeast passing through Baltimore, and the Patuxent River between...
island. Thayer was returned safely to the admiral's reviewing stand, where the show announcer asked "What will you do for an encore Mr. Thayer?" The pilot had fractured a small bone at the base of his spine – he later told Vought management that he was the only manager who actually "broke his ass for the Company."
1949
- July 24 – Junior Chamber of Commerce air show (Sandusky, OhioSandusky, OhioSandusky is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Erie County. It is located in northern Ohio and is situated on the shores of Lake Erie, almost exactly half-way between Toledo to the west and Cleveland to the east....
) – Lt. Richard H. Glenn received minor injuries when his F-80 Shooting Star crash-landed. The F-80's auxiliary wingtip fuel tanks collapsed when Lt. Glenn pulled out of a dive and he belly-landed the plane in a field. - July 4 – Otesgo Airfield (Otsego, MichiganOtsego, MichiganOtsego is a city in Allegan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,934 at the 2000 census. The city is within Otsego Township, but is administratively autonomous....
) – Former Navy flight instructor, John Jakus, was killed after his BT-13 ValiantBT-13 ValiantThe Vultee BT-13 Valiant was an American World War II-era basic trainer aircraft built by Vultee Aircraft for the United States Army Air Corps, and later US Army Air Forces...
crashed while performing a low altitude roll during an air show performance. - January 7 – All-American Air Show (Miami, FloridaMiami, FloridaMiami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
) – Air Force First Lt. James M. Hall was killed when his P-80 Shooting StarP-80 Shooting StarThe Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was the first jet fighter used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces. Designed in 1943 as a response to the German Messerschmitt Me-262 jet fighter, and delivered in just 143 days from the start of the design process, production models were flying but...
failed to pull up during a low altitude dive.
1948
- 18 September – a RAF de Havilland MosquitoDe Havilland MosquitoThe de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
crashed during an air show being held at RAF ManstonRAF ManstonRAF Manston was an RAF station in the north-east of Kent, at on the Isle of Thanet from 1916 until 1996. The site is now split between a commercial airport Kent International Airport and a continuing military use by the Defence Fire Training and Development Centre , following on from a long...
, killing both crew and ten members of the public.
1947
- July 4 – Decorah air show (Decorah, IowaDecorah, IowaDecorah is a city in and the county seat of Winneshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 8,172 at the 2000 census. Decorah is located at the intersection of State Highway 9 and U.S...
)- Pilot and former WASPWomen Airforce Service PilotsThe Women Airforce Service Pilots and its predecessor groups the Women's Flying Training Detachment and the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron were pioneering organizations of civilian female pilots employed to fly military aircraft under the direction of the United States Army Air Forces...
Marge Hurlburt was killed when her T-6 TexanT-6 TexanThe North American Aviation T-6 Texan was a single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces, United States Navy, Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s...
crashed while performing a slow roll. At the time she was performing with the "Flying Tigers" aerial circus troupe. - June 22 – Wilson-King Sky Show (St. George, UtahSt. George, UtahSt. George is a city located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Utah, and the county seat of Washington County, Utah. It is the principal city of and is included in the St. George, Utah, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is 119 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, and 303 miles ...
) – A teenage spectator was killed, her mother and infant sister were injured, when a light plane involved with the airshow experienced brake failure on landing and crashed into cars parked at the edge of the airfield. The pilot, Bernadine Lewis King, was also injured. - May 18 – Municipal airport air show (Burlington, IowaBurlington, IowaBurlington is a city in, and the county seat of Des Moines County, Iowa, United States. The population was 25,663 in the 2010 census, a decline from the 26,839 population in the 2000 census. Burlington is the center of a micropolitan area including West Burlington, Iowa and Middletown, Iowa and...
) – Lt. John Peeler was killed when his Navy F4U CorsairF4U CorsairThe Vought F4U Corsair was a carrier-capable fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Demand for the aircraft soon overwhelmed Vought's manufacturing capability, resulting in production by Goodyear and Brewster: Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and...
crashed into a sandlot baseball game and caught fire a few blocks from the airport. Two teenagers on the ground were killed and seven others injured.
1946
- November 10 – Tulsa police air patrol show (Tulsa, OklahomaTulsa, OklahomaTulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
) – Former Army Air Force instructor Wesley W. Cunningham was killed when his aircraft failed to pull out of a low altitude spin. At the time Cunningham was involved in a skit playing the part of a woman spectator who is chosen from the crowd to fly the airplane. - September 16 – Twin Falls Air Show (Twin Falls, IdahoTwin Falls, IdahoTwin Falls is the county seat and largest city of Twin Falls County, Idaho, United States. The population was 44,125 at the 2010 censusTwin Falls is the largest city of Idaho's Magic Valley region...
) – Four crew members were killed when their A-26 Invader crashed while performing a loop during a local airshow. - August 9 – North Montana State Fair (Great Falls, MontanaGreat Falls, MontanaGreat Falls is a city in and the county seat of Cascade County, Montana, United States. The population was 58,505 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Great Falls, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Cascade County...
) – Seven were killed when two A-26 InvaderA-26 InvaderThe Douglas A-26 Invader was a United States twin-engined light attack bomber built by the Douglas Aircraft Co. during World War II that also saw service during several of the Cold War's major conflicts...
attack bombers, part of a low-flying three-plane formation, collided in mid-air 750 feet in front of a grandstand filled with 20,000 spectators. The wing from one bomber sheared off the tail section of another. The tail-less plane crashed into a horse barn, killing three crew members, three people on the ground and twenty thoroughbred horses; the other bomber managed to continue flying for one or five miles (sources differ) before crashing in a field, killing one of the crew. The third bomber in the formation landed safely.
1945
- May 27 – Army Air Forces Fair (Wright FieldWright FieldWright Field was an airfield of the United States Army Air Corps and Air Forces near Riverside, Ohio. From 1927 to 1947 it was the research and development center for the Air Corps, and during World War II a flight test center....
, Dayton, OhioDayton, OhioDayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
) – The third prototype Curtiss XP-55 AscenderXP-55 Ascender|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Balzer, Gerald H. American Secret Pusher Fighters of World War II: XP-54, XP-55, and XP-56. North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press, 2008. ISBN 1-58007-125-2....
, 42-78847, crashed during an exhibition, killing the pilot William C. Glasgow and two to four civilians (sources differ) on the ground. The pilot attempted a slow roll after a low pass in formation with a P-38 and a P-51 on each wing, but lost altitude and crashed, sending flaming debris into occupied civilian vehicles on a highway near the airfield.
1943
- May 17 – Waxahachie, TexasWaxahachie, TexasWaxahachie is a city in Ellis County, Texas, United States, and a southern suburb of Dallas. The population was 21,426 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Ellis County....
– Flight Instructor Lieutenant William S. Farrish and Sergeant Jasper J. DeMaria, Jr. were killed when their military trainer, from the Army Flying School in Waco, Texas, went into a spin and crashed during an air show.
1940
- October 20 – Marianna airshow (Marianna, ArkansasMarianna, ArkansasMarianna is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, Arkansas, United States, along the L'Anguille River. The community was established by Col. Walter H. Otey in 1848 and was known as Walnut Ridge until 1852 when it became known as Marianna...
) – A parachutist and five people on board a sightseeing plane were killed when the plane became entangled in the parachute. The plane had been circling the parachutist during his descent prior to the accident.
1939
- January 14 – Havana airdrome (Havana, CubaHavanaHavana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
) – Captain Manuel Orta, a Cuban Army flier, was killed when his Curtis Hawk failed up pull up from a high speed dive and crashed on top of a parked Beechcraft airplane.
1938
- July 24 – (Campo de Marte, Santa Ana, UsaquénUsaquénUsaquén is a residential and commercial locality in northern Bogotá, capital of Colombia. Although it is designated on maps as Bogotá's #1 locality, it was a separate municipality of Cundinamarca until 1954, when it was annexed into the city. Today, Usaquén is home of more than 480.000 inhabitants...
, ColombiaColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
) – A pilot performing an aerobatic display crashed an F11C Goshawk into a crowd attending a military review. Sources differ on the number killed and injured; up to 75 died and 100 or more were injured. According to Time magazine, the pilot, Flight Lt. Cesar Abadia of the Colombian Air ForceColombian Air ForceThe Colombian Air Force or FAC is the Air Force of the Republic of Colombia.The Colombian Air Force is one of the three institutions of the Armed Forces of Colombia, charge according to the 1991 Constitution of the work to exercise and maintain control of Colombia's airspace to defend the...
, disregarded standing orders not to fly below 500 feet and attempted to dive through a narrow gap between two grandstands. The pilot misjudged his approach and a wingtip hit the Diplomatic stand; the plane then smashed against the Presidential stand and exploded, raining flaming debris down on spectators located between the two grandstands.
1937
- December 4 – Miami Air Show – (Miami, Florida) – Rudy Kling and Frank Haines were killed in separate crashes, within seconds of each other, during a speed race. It was speculated that "Kling lost speed in a low altitude turn and Haines was caught in Kling's propeller wash" causing him to crash 150 yards beyond Kling's wreckage.
1930
- April 27 – (Fayetteville, TennesseeFayetteville, TennesseeFayetteville is a city in Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 6,994 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lincoln County.-History:...
) – At least nine air show spectators were killed and about twenty injured when pilot Milton P. Covert's plane lost altitude and crashed while approaching the landing area. The victims were standing on a railroad embankment as the plane approached at a low altitude. At the time there were claims that the pilot was deliberately trying to scare the spectators off the embankment. The pilot and his two passengers escaped unhurt, but Covert was later arraigned on charges.
1926
- April 30 – Jacksonville, FloridaJacksonville, FloridaJacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
– Bessie ColemanBessie ColemanElizabeth “Bessie” Coleman was an American civil aviator. She was the first female pilot of African American descent and the first person of African American descent to hold an international pilot license.-Early life:...
had recently purchased a Curtiss JN-4Curtiss JN-4The Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" was one of a series of "JN" biplanes built by the Curtiss Aeroplane Company of Hammondsport, New York, later the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. Although the Curtiss JN series was originally produced as a training aircraft for the U.S...
(Jenny) in Dallas, TexasDallas, TexasDallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
and had it flown to Jacksonville in preparation for an airshow. Her friends and family did not consider the aircraft safe and implored her not to fly it. Her mechanic and publicity agent, William Wills, was flying the plane with Coleman in the other seat. Coleman did not put on her seatbelt because she was planning a parachute jump for the next day and wanted to look over the cockpit sill to examine the terrain. About ten minutes into the flight, the plane did not pull out of a dive; instead it spunSpin (flight)In aviation, a spin is an aggravated stall resulting in autorotation about the spin axis wherein the aircraft follows a corkscrew downward path. Spins can be entered intentionally or unintentionally, from any flight attitude and from practically any airspeed—all that is required is sufficient yaw...
. Coleman was thrown from the plane at 500 ft (152.4 m) and died instantly when she hit the ground. William Wills was unable to gain control of the plane and it plummeted to the ground. Wills died upon impact and the plane burst into flames. Although the wreckage of the plane was badly burned, it was later discovered that a wrench used to service the engine had slid into the gearbox and jammed it.
1923
- November 18 – The first aerial refueling-related fatality occurs during an air show at Kelly Field, Texas, when the fuel hose becomes entangled in the right wings of the refueler and the receiver aircraft. The Army Air Service pilot of the refueler, Lt. P. T. Wagner, is killed in the ensuing crash of DH-4B, 23-444.
1922
- September 23 – Mitchel FieldMitchel Air Force BaseDecommissioned in 1961, Mitchel Field became a multi-use complex currently home to the Cradle of Aviation Museum, Nassau Coliseum, Mitchel Athletic Complex, Nassau Community College and Hofstra University.-Origins:...
, Mineola, New YorkMineola, New YorkMineola is a village in Nassau County, New York, USA. The population was 18,799 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from a Native American word meaning a "pleasant place"....
– A Martin NBS-1 bomber, AS-68487, Raymond E. Davis, pilot, nose dived and crashed from an estimated altitude of 500 feet on a residential street killing the six military personnel on board. At the time, the plane was involved in a night time war gameMilitary simulationMilitary simulations, also known informally as war games, are simulations in which theories of warfare can be tested and refined without the need for actual hostilities. Many professional contemporary analysts object to the term wargames as this is generally taken to be referring to the civilian...
display that was lit by searchlightSearchlightA searchlight is an apparatus that combines a bright light source with some form of curved reflector or other optics to project a powerful beam of light of approximately parallel rays in a particular direction, usually constructed so that it can be swiveled about.-Military use:The Royal Navy used...
s and watched by an estimated crowd of 25,000 spectators.
1920
- July 5 – Dundalk Flying Field, opened in Baltimore, Maryland in 1920, is almost immediately renamed Logan Field when, on this date, Army Lt. Patrick H. Logan is fatally injured after his Nieuport 28Nieuport 28|-See also:-Bibliography:* Cheesman E.F. Fighter Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War. Letchworth, UK: Harleyford Publications, 1960, pp. 98–99....
, F6506, nicknamed the "Red Devil," of the 104th Observation Squadron104th Fighter SquadronThe 104th Fighter Squadron is an attack squadron equipped with the A-10 Thunderbolt II. It is a unit of the Maryland Air National Guard. Its parent unit is the 175th Wing.-Mission:...
, crashes at the airport's inaugural air show following a stall/spin. In response to the tragedy, the airfield is renamed in his honor, with the announcement of the new name being made at the closing ceremonies of the airshow during which he died.
1910
- July 12 – Hengistbury Airfield BournemouthBournemouthBournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
, United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
– At the age of 32, Charles Stewart RollsCharles RollsCharles Stewart Rolls was a motoring and aviation pioneer. Together with Frederick Henry Royce he co-founded the Rolls-Royce car manufacturing firm. He was the first Briton to be killed in a flying accident, when the tail of his Wright Flyer broke off during a flying display near Bournemouth,...
was killed when the tail of his Wright FlyerWright FlyerThe Wright Flyer was the first powered aircraft, designed and built by the Wright brothers. They flew it four times on December 17, 1903 near the Kill Devil Hills, about four miles south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, U.S.The U.S...
broke off during a flying display. Together with Frederick Henry RoyceHenry RoyceSir Frederick Henry Royce, 1st Baronet, OBE was a pioneering car manufacturer, who with Charles Stewart Rolls founded the Rolls-Royce company.-Early life:...
he had co-founded the Rolls-RoyceRolls-Royce LimitedRolls-Royce Limited was a renowned British car and, from 1914 on, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce on 15 March 1906 as the result of a partnership formed in 1904....
car manufacturing firm. He was the first Briton to be killed in an aeronautical accident, and the eleventh internationally. A statue in his memory, in which he is seen holding a biplane model, was erected in Agincourt Square, MonmouthMonmouthMonmouth is a town in southeast Wales and traditional county town of the historic county of Monmouthshire. It is situated close to the border with England, where the River Monnow meets the River Wye with bridges over both....
.
See also
- List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft
- List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft
- List of news aircraft crashes
- List of airshows
External links
- Wikinews – Aircraft crashes during mock dogfight