Here’s what the guy that shot this video wrote: “I woke up to a power outage and and an orange glow outside my window at 2:30am. Accross the canyon from me the mountain was on fire and a few homes were in flames. Less than an hour later it had reached my balcony.” The guy, Andrew Lee George (who got out safe), was one of 9,500 people who had to leave their homes as a result of the quickly-growing fire, which has already injured a handful of people and destroyed 20 homes. Yikes. source
A tiny part of the plane might have gone missing. Competitive planes such as Jimmy Leeward’s Galloping Ghost are often highly-customized to help them move quicker and more efficiently. One of those part is the “elevator trim tab,” a piece of the plane that helps neutralize controls during a flight — something which comes in handy more than usual if, say, you regularly fly more than 500 miles per hour, like you might in a racing plane. In planes like Leeward’s, not having that piece would have made maneuvering the plane very difficult, and may have forced the plane to pitch severely upward. It might have even caused him to black out just before the crash itself. While the NTSB’s own report was vague, those in the aviation community suggest this combination of things caused Leeward to black out, leading to the crash. In the photo above, the part appears to be missing from the plane, so it’s entirely feasible. source
I’m not aware of a lot of aircraft having it, this is the first one I came across.NTSB lead investigator Howard Plagens • Discussing the “significant” finding of recording devices (commonly called a “black box”) on the vintage WWII fighter plane involved in Friday’s Reno Air Races crash. Due to the nature of the aircraft, it was a bit of a surprise to find it. On top of the data-recording device, there was a camera that pointed outside of the plane. This will be significant as the regulatory agency puts together the pieces of the deadly crash, which killed nine — seven on impact (including the pilot) and two at local hospitals. source (via • follow)
Reno Air Races press conference happening now: A victim’s currently discussing his injuries from the accident.
Coming soon: 3:45 p.m. EDT NTSB press conference on Reno Air Races crash. We’ll note highlights after. EDIT: Time pushed back to 4:45. Image updated to reflect this.
Journalists were given a 20-minute tour of the crash site on Saturday where a plane dived into the crowd at the Reno air race one day before. The crash killed nine people and injured over 50.
The large crater we mentioned in our last post is very obvious here.
» Crater left by plane crash: A three-foot deep, eight-foot wide crater was left by the plane crash, according to Chief investigator Howard Plagens. Meanwhile, NTSB member Mark Rosekind says that the focus right now is gathering factual information, not analyzing it. He says that although the crash took seconds to happen, retracing its steps will take months. (information gathered via live press conference)
Ward Howes, the photographer who shot the moment-of-impact picture we reblogged last night, also shot a number of other photos in a series — it appeared he set his camera on sport photography mode and was able to tell a full story with his photos. We felt they’d make a good photoset to show all-in-one. The Reno Gazette-Journal has more photos of the crash. Thanks to our friend Megan Lavey for the tip. (Ward Howes via AP)
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Photo by the Associated Press of the Reno, Nevada air show crash on Friday, September 16, 2011.
The pilot of a vintage WWII fighter plane nose-dived into a group of spectators at the Reno air show Friday evening. Eyewitnesses reported seeing bodies and body parts scattered throughout the runway.
Several graphic photos, including this one of a man with a severed limb, show the horror of the crash. Early estimates say three people have died and over 50 have been injured, some critically. [AP Photo]
Unbelievable timing. This is soon to be an award-winning photo.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lrniy60Pjw1qz5ew6o1_500.jpg)
Photo by the Associated Press of the Reno, Nevada air show crash on Friday, September 16, 2011.
The pilot of a vintage WWII fighter plane nose-dived into a group of spectators at the Reno air show Friday evening. Eyewitnesses reported seeing bodies and body parts scattered throughout the runway.
Several graphic photos, including this one of a man with a severed limb, show the horror of the crash. Early estimates say three people have died and over 50 have been injured, some critically. [AP Photo]
Unbelievable timing. This is soon to be an award-winning photo.
Reno Air Races press conference: The official doesn’t seem to have a lot of details. The event is cancelled. That’s governor Brian Sandoval right behind him. EDIT: Two interesting notes. First, Jimmy Leeward was 74, not 80, and Sandoval says that over 100 spectators with medical training helped immediately after the crash.
FYI, for those looking for information about victims in the Reno Air Races crash: The number is 775-972-6663.
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