Archive for the ‘US Airshow News’ Category

Reno Air Race Disaster

Saturday, September 17th, 2011

Unconfirmed reports say that perhaps as many as 12 people have died and dozens injured after a P51 Mustang crashed into the crowd yesterday at Reno Air Races, Nevada.

54 people were taken to hospital and it is believed that 15 are in critical.

Eyewitness Dr Gerald Lent, of Reno, told the newspaper: “It’s just like a massacre. It’s like a bomb went off. There are people lying all over the runway.”

With four pilots killed in the 2007/2008 National Air Races at Reno, and another Mustang crashing last year whilst trying to land in heavy crosswinds (on this occasion the pilot survived), it was only a matter of time before a tragedy involving spectators would happen, and perhaps now Reno’s safety record will get an overdue ‘long hard look’.

Airscene’s thoughts are with the families of those killed or injured in this disaster, and we hope that further tragedies of this kind will be avoided in future.

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