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Pilot dies after crash at Air Show
Saturday, July 28, 2007
DAYTON — A pilot died after a crash at the Vectren Dayton Air Show on Saturday.
Pilot Jim LeRoy died while en route to Miami Valley Hospital in a Black Hawk helicopter, according to Dayton's Director of Aviation Iftikhar Ahmad. Mark Carpenter, fire chief at Dayton International Airport, said the pilot died before he arrived at Miami Valley Hospital.
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According to Carpenter, LeRoy's plane was performing a stunt when he hit the ground and slid about 300 yards and burst into flames. Fire trucks were at the accident within one minute and the fire was quickly extinguished, Carpenter said. But, based on the timestamp from the digital camera of a Dayon Daily News photographer, it took two-and a-half minutes.
"We cut Mr. LeRoy out of the aircraft," Carpenter said. The crash occurred around 2:30 p.m.
The air show was canceled for the rest of Saturday. The air show will continue as scheduled on Sunday, said Michael Emoff, chairman of the board of trustees of the United States Air & Trade Show.
Tickets and wristbands from Saturday's air show will be honored on Sunday, according to Emoff. "This is a very sad day for all of us," Emoff said. "We have the opportunity to have a big show tomorrow."
Black smoke and flames could be seen by the crowd across the field from the crash site at Dayton International Airport. LeRoy was in a Bulldog Pitts plane that was part of an aerobatics show called Code Name Mary's Lamb. The crash was during LeRoy's second performance on Saturday.
There were two stunt planes flying, doing loops and flying upside down. One plane swooped toward the ground and crashed.
The crowd fell silent. The announcer asked the crowd to turn in any video that may have recorded the crash to make it available for an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Aaron Smith of Troy had his son Weston, 5, on his shoulders when the crash happened. "It came down and didn't have enough room. The ground came up," Smith said. "I heard it crunch, hard. Some pieces came off." Smith said he turned away with his son on his shoulders so the child would not see the accident.
"It slid a long way, it skidded," said Smith's father-in-law Ron Busse of Troy. "There was a fire. The fire trucks put it out ... he must have been burned pretty bad."
Emergency crews remain on the scene. The Federal Aviation Administration's Flight Standards Office is handling the investigation. The two-plane routine was the last act before the Thunderbirds were to perform.
"Our team has made the decision not to perform today. This is a sad thing to see happen," said Air Force Capt. Elizabeth Kreft, public affairs officer for the Thunderbirds.
There was no comment from Brenda Kerfoot, general manager of the air show. "We're trying to find out."
We will update this story throughout the day.
Call us with your account
To share your eyewitness account with us you may contact staff reporter Greg Silverman at gsilverman@coxohio.com or call (937) 225-9752.
More about the crash and pilot
- Government: Pilot error in fatal air show crash
- Announcer comforted crowd, wife after crash
- Memorial planned for pilot
- Tapes: Rescue crews on scene 2 minutes after air show crash
- NTSB may release crash info next week
- NTSB: Report on fatal crash by next week
- Air show pilot died instantly after crash
- NTSB takes over inquiry into fatal air show plane crash
- Crash 'a harsh reminder' of risk
- Pilot killed in crash was a full-time performer
- A stunned crowd watches crash, then prays for flier
- Many spectators shocked, silenced by air show tragedy
- What it was like to photograph crash: A dreaded scene, a sickly feeling
- Black Hawk flies pilot to hospital
- Act that included LeRoy meant to awe, thrill
- About the plane
- Statement about Sunday's air show
- Photos of crash, earlier performance
- Diagram: How the crash happened
- Spectator video of air show crash
- Raw video of crash
