Holy hell, even a P-51 Mustang has crashed into a crowd.

"VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely" (vajazzlemcdildertits)
06/09/2016 at 18:35 • Filed to: None

Jesus, it’s not even funny. I just found this searching for Mustang crashes on youtube.

DISCUSSION (24)

EL_ULY > VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely
06/09/2016 at 18:38

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely > EL_ULY
06/09/2016 at 18:42

Good point. I should have noted that.

ttyymmnn > VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely
06/09/2016 at 18:43

Yeah, that was a few years ago at the Reno Air Races. I never heard a definitive cause of the crash, but you can see parts of his trim tabs had fallen off, and the pilot may also have suffered G-LOC. Very bad day to be sure.

Kinja'd!!!

ttyymmnn > EL_ULY
06/09/2016 at 18:44

Actually, it was 10 people on the ground, plus the pilot.

crowmolly > EL_ULY
06/09/2016 at 18:45

Also, the “related videos” are very tough to watch.

EL_ULY > ttyymmnn
06/09/2016 at 18:45

thanx buddy. Edited.

Jcarr > EL_ULY
06/09/2016 at 18:45

Was it only three? I thought it was more. Certainly could have been based on how fast he was going.

ttyymmnn > VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely
06/09/2016 at 18:46

From Wiki:

The NTSB thoroughly investigated the extensive modifications made to the airplane. The modifications had made the aircraft lighter and reduced drag, but decreased stability. Leeward took the plane to 530 mph during the race, about 40 mph faster than he had ever gone before. There was evidence of extreme stress on the airframe demonstrated by buckling of the fuselage aft of the wing and gaps appearing between the fuselage and the canopy during flight (clearly visible in high resolution photographs taken by spectators).

However, the investigation (released in August 2012) found that the probable cause of the crash were reused single-use locknuts in the left elevator trim tab system that loosened. This led to a fatigue crack in an attachment screw and allowed the trim tab to flutter. This flutter caused the trim tab link assembly to fail which led to loss of control of the aircraft. Untested and undocumented modifications to the airplane contributed to the accident. Particularly, the right trim tab had been fixed in place. Had both trim tabs been operational, the loss of the left trim tab alone may not have caused loss of control. When the trim tab failed, Leeward was exposed to 17Gs which quickly incapacitated him and likely rendered him unconscious.

EL_ULY > Jcarr
06/09/2016 at 18:46

I updated it buddy

Spaceball-Two > ttyymmnn
06/09/2016 at 18:47

Wasn’t there some speculation his seat got thrown back on the rails and he couldn’t reach the stick?

Jcarr > VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely
06/09/2016 at 18:48

Another angle. This one still chills my blood to watch.

ttyymmnn > Spaceball-Two
06/09/2016 at 18:49

I hadn’t read that. I just posted the results of the NTSB report, and they don’t mention that possibility. They did say that he likely blacked out when the plane snapped around at 17 Gs.

Spaceball-Two > ttyymmnn
06/09/2016 at 18:50

That was a terrible day.

ttyymmnn > Jcarr
06/09/2016 at 18:52

Man, that’s hard to watch. IIRC, this accident led to the crowds being moved farther back from the flight line. Those planes are carrying tons of energy directly towards the audience, though it almost looks like the Mustang came from behind the crowd. They likely never saw it coming, not that there was anything they could have done about it. He probably came in at 500 mph. And that’s mind-blowing, too. The pilot had gotten that modified bird up to 530 mph. In a prop plane, that’s just insane.

TheHondaBro > Jcarr
06/09/2016 at 18:52

Holy shit.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely
06/09/2016 at 18:57

Honestly I be scared to go to an air show.

VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
06/09/2016 at 19:03

I’ve been to a few in my time, and they are loud, wonderful, and pulse pounding affairs. I have nothing but love and respect for skilled pilots, and I think any encouragement of aeronautics and other aerospatial applications is a good thing.

It’s just sobering to have a reminder once in a while that nothing is truly 100% safe.

Jcarr > ttyymmnn
06/09/2016 at 19:03

I recall watching footage of this that included a number of minutes after the crash with people just walking around the impact area dazed and bloodied. That was chilling.

tromoly > VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely
06/09/2016 at 19:13

Galloping Ghost, never forget.

ttyymmnn > Jcarr
06/09/2016 at 19:14

Have you ever seen the footage of the air show crash in Russia? I don’t remember which one it was exactly, but the aircraft, either a MiG-29 or Su-27, knifed into the crowd in the middle of the static displays. The pilot punched out and can be seen standing around smoking a cigarette, while the show visitors are wandering around looking for loved ones, and there are severed arms and legs lying around the tarmac. Ever since Ramstein, air shows, at least in the US, were redesigned to keep the energy of the demos parallel to the runway and away from spectators. I think they are as safe as they can be. But there is always inherent risk.

Jcarr > ttyymmnn
06/09/2016 at 19:21

I do remember seeing that one. I guess we take air show safety for granted.

facw > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
06/09/2016 at 19:33

This was an air-race I think, presumably more dangerous.

ttyymmnn > Jcarr
06/09/2016 at 19:34

I don’t know about granted, but we do trust those doing the show, at least in the US, to do so safely.

Bryan doesn't drive a 1M > EL_ULY
06/09/2016 at 20:06

Thanks. I don’t need to watch that right now.