James Gosling Report of Reno Air Crash 338
Earlier today, a tragic crash at the Reno National Championship Air Races killed at least 12 spectators, and left at least 75 injured. Reader xmas2003 writes with a link to Java creator James Gosling's first-hand account of the crash, which he describes as "better than most of what is being reported in mainstream media so far."
Still waiting to hear from my family (Score:2)
Though I live in Phoenix now, all of my family is there, and though its unlikely they went to the show, for some reason I can't get a hold of anyone but my dad and aunt--who are both out of town.
The Reno Air Races have a long history, and this is apparently the first time a plane crashed into the stands. The previous crashes didn't stop the event--that is, it went on again the next year--and I hope this one doesn't either.
i was there (Score:5, Informative)
i saw it first hand, the galloping ghost lost control and did a barrel roll over the stands and crashed 50 feet away from me into the edge of the box seats. it looked like its aileron got stuck and he couldn't correct it. i love the air races like no other and iv been involved with it literately my whole life, but i will never forget what i saw.
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I saw an air crash. I've never been the same, but still here is still here. Visiting memorial websites helps a couple years down the road when you get the heebies at night. Be aware of PTSD.
Best and a prayer to you.
Re:i was there (Score:4, Informative)
A comment on the Gosling blog has a link [blogspot.com] to a very clear picture from less than a second before the crash showing the left elevator trim tab missing, also possible smoke from under the rear fuselage in the vicinity of the tail wheel. There do not appear to be any major control inputs to my inexperienced eye other than a slightly depressed right aileron and possible up elevator, though the latter is hard to see. The view shows only the top of the plane and no background to show the plane's orientation. The pilot is hunched forward with his helmet at the front of the cockpit.
Another shot, less than a plane length before impact, shows the tail wheel deployed and the pilot's head is not visible in the cockpit, though the picture would show it if it were above the edge of the cockpit.
Curiously, the rear portion of the left elevator is not clear, although the shot is fast enough to freeze the propeller and the angle is a perfect left-side profile. The elevator may have been fluttering at an extreme rate, blurring the view, or it may just be a consequence of the low contrast of the elevator against the fuselage with identical paint. At the time of the crash the plane is right-side up, flying above the crowd from the back towards the front of the crowd, as if trying to pull out of a loop and it impacts at about a 45 degree angle.
Another video [youtube.com] from the parking lot shows that the plane lost vertical control about 12 seconds before impact and first nosed up several hundred feet in 7 seconds before turning from vertical up to vertical down in less than three seconds, apparently at near full speed the whole way. The crash happened less than three seconds after the plane nosed down.
Also see: the gallery for the AP story "3 dead, 56 injured in horrific US air show crash" [google.com] for high-resolution versions.
"better than most of what is being reported" (Score:2)
Where does the quote "better than most of what is being reported" come from? It's not in Gosling's report, and if anything, what he reports is quite a bit worse than what the media is reporting.
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"Better" as in "more accurate."
Not "better" as in "things weren't quite as bad as reported."
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Maybe they're a Java fan and bitter that the media never gives anything Gosling does sufficient respect. ;)
Lost control? (Score:2)
From the two videos I saw, it didn't look like the pilot lost control. It looks more like he attempted an inverted loop, but misjudged the amount of altitude he needed to complete it. Then again, I wasn't there.
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From the two videos I saw, it didn't look like the pilot lost control. It looks more like he attempted an inverted loop, but misjudged the amount of altitude he needed to complete it.
Perhaps, but this was an air *race* -- there's no reason for him to do a loop.
Something went wrong before he went up like that.
From Gosling's blog in case it goes down. (Score:5, Insightful)
Friday September 16, 2011
Just fucking barely. I'm at the air races in Reno with a bunch of friends and a horrific accident just happened. One of the very high end racers, going about 500 mph, lost control and nose dived straight into the audience. The news is currently saying that the plane missed the grandstand, but that's only technically true: in front of the grandstand there are several rows of box seats. It impacted right in the middle of them. I was in a box seat with my friends only 50 feet from the impact. I was watching the plane as it lost control, so I saw the whole thing. The impact happened so fast, there was hardly any sound: just one huge shock wave. No fireball. The plane, and many people, disintegrated instantly, right in front of me. There were bodies everywhere. No crash you've ever seen in a movie is even remotely authentic.
Update: it's already on YouTube. I was in the middle of the dust cloud you see around the impact. They're saying "30 serious injuries" but I know that's a long way from the truth. At least that many died instantly in the impact. I suspect that there were not a huge number of serious injuries. It was not a small airplane. You either died or you didn't. I didn't. My brother and I are still shaking.
Another Update: They're now officially calling it a "mass casualty situation". The plane was Galloping Ghost, piloted by Jimmy Leeward. It was a very cool, highly modified, P51 mustang with a very unusual approach to engine cooling. I doubt that this was at all connected to the accident - it looked like a control system failure.
Mass casualty incident (Score:4, Informative)
Knowledable answer (Score:2, Informative)
I've been attending the Reno Races for over 20 years, know many of the Unlimited pilots. I've illegally flown backseat several times in Unlimited class races. I knew Jimmy. He was probably the most liked and experienced pilot there. I wasn't there this time, but I understand he had turned outer #8 pylon (a 50 ft high pole with a barrel on the top) and was headd toward the pit area preparing to turn again and go down the straight in front of the stands. The FAA mandates no aircraft can fly closer than 1500 f
Video (Score:5, Informative)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs98xkTIBQU [youtube.com]
about the 3:30 mark
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zusClmg4IQg [youtube.com] :30 second mark
about the
Horrible looking, but amazingly not an explosion.
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Horrible looking, but amazingly not an explosion.
Serious questions here: should we expect a plane like this to explode on impact?
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Horrible looking, but amazingly not an explosion.
Serious questions here: should we expect a plane like this to explode on impact?
Only if you've ever seen a movie.
BTW, condolences to the injured & bereaved.
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http://www.livestream.com/loadedtv/video?clipId=pla_b2efcd7d-ed04-4edf-89e8-f21ff436ccb4 :(
accident is around 38mins in but be warned its very graphic/gorey
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Re:Video (Score:5, Informative)
Also relevant photos showing the airplane was damaged before impact: missing elevator [blogspot.com]
Another photo series: impact [rgj.com]
--jeffk++
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If your experience with vehicle crashes is limited to the movies, you should know that explosions are actually much rarer in real life.
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You mean to tell me cars don't erupt into fireballs after falling down a thirty foot cliff?? Next you'll be telling me that explosions generally don't involve fireballs at all!
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They have to understand how physics works first before you can ruin it, right?
Sad all around, people and sport (Score:2)
The air races have always been risky. Everyone knew that very well. Think about what would happen if every auto racing mishap resulted in sharp acceleration until collision with some other solid object. There have been crashes and deaths in the past, but this is really tragic as most mishaps happen far away from the grandstands.
It may be insensitive, but I'm actually most sad over losing another plane. For years there's been speculation that unlimited class racing's days were numbered. Not enough planes a
videos (Score:2)
yeah, I could wait for rotten.com but I'd rather people posted links to videos here. I am really annoyed that youtobe/google takes it upon themselves to decide what is fit for me to see, or not see. I am sure it was horrible. I've seen horrible. I just want the truth.
Sitting a few feet from 600 mph objects not wise (Score:2)
Maybe sitting a few feet from steel objects traveling roughly 600 mph wasn't very wise. Maybe sitting a few feet from steel object traveling 600 mph wasn't EVER very wise.
I don't think we should continue to do something in the future that's stupid and reckless because we've been doing that stupid and reckless thing for a long time. We used to smoke and played football and hockey without helmets. We got a little less stupid and stopped.
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People do it because it's unwise. The thrill comes from being in danger. As it turns out, a placid life pushing paper does not provide sufficient opportunity for adrenalin release, and most people are about as exciting as a turtle on valium, so they need to expose themself to risk while sitting on their ass because they certainly won't get out and do anything themselves.
25% of American men still smoke, so we didn't get that much less stupid. In fact, I think we're only stopping smoking because we're being t
It had nothing to do with the pilot's age... (Score:5, Informative)
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Maybe - maybe not. 2nd class medical is not that hard to get and keep even at an older age - If you don't have conditions that may lead to incapacitation, are not on "banned" medication and your hearing and eysight is within limits you are good to go. I would imagine when aging most lose their medical for age-related eyesgiht-issuses, a small stroke at the brain which affects vision or when the have to go on permanent medication.
The important point is that medical 2 is not a proof a competency to enter an a
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Shame on YouTube (Score:3)
YouTube is censoring the videos as fast as they pop up. You can post movies of your dog picking its own nose, but factual, on-site amateur reporting is apparently forbidden.
Youtube (Score:2)
Anyone got a backup of that video?
Eyewitness news (Score:2)
"... which he describes as "better than most of what is being reported in mainstream media so far."
Well, duh. He was there. Eyewitness reports always have an advantage that way.
So much for the Reno Air Race (Score:2)
Biggest Little Airplane Crash in the World? (Score:2)
I have that copyrighted.
Looked like a control surface failure (Score:2)
From the videos I've seen it looked like a control surface failure, most likely the elevator.
Won't know for sure until the FAA releases their reports.
Why Gosling's Writing Is Better (Score:3)
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He also claimed that "at least 30 people died." Turns out there are 3 deaths (including the pilot) the next morning.
This is why you have to be careful listening to first hand blog reports without discretion- people involved in tragic events are rarely capable of making an accurate assessment of the situation.
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Yep.
You just misunderstand air shows.
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The potential of crashes is indeed part of the point. But in general people prefer the thrill to be derived from those engaged in the pursuit risking their lives, not those in the audience. Messed up, but true.
Re:Thought the potential of crashes was the point. (Score:4, Insightful)
also the planes are cool
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Like the song says: You can't always get what you want...
... but if you try sometimes you get decapitated in a plane crash?
Correct, you do not understand (Score:5, Insightful)
Thought the potential of crashes was the point or do I just not understand air shows?
As someone who attended quite a few air shows growing up I feel it is safe to say that people go to see the airplanes. Hell I would have gone to see a P-51 sitting on the tarmac let alone fly. Seeing one crash and be destroyed is not something that an aviation or history enthusiast wants to see, nor does anyone want to see people get hurt.
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This is simply tragic and a terrible waste of life. My condolences to all those who have lost loved ones.
Re:Correct, you do not understand (Score:5, Informative)
His last act was to exert as much pressure on the stick as possible and avoid the stands. He succeeded and hit the boxes in front of the stands
We're talking hundreds dead versus dozens
Re:Correct, you do not understand (Score:4, Informative)
and the pilot knew he was going to die.
He could have ejected to save his own life, but he elected to die.
WW2 aircraft do not have ejection seats. Pilots have to unstrap, climb out and exit in a manner to minimize the chance of getting hit by the tail.
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As someone who attended quite a few air shows growing up I feel it is safe to say that people go to see the airplanes.
You're both making somewhat irrelevant statements because this was not just an air show, but an air race. A fly-in is an air show. A race is something else. You are right because someone might go to an air show just to see planes. But nobody goes to an air race just because planes are going fast. Part of the thrill is that it's dangerous. When so much metal and fuel is going through the air so fast (not that going that fast on land is safe) there is inherent danger which can be instinctively understood by a
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You totally misunderstand airshows.
Being *live* at the field when a F-(insert any number here) flys by is no match for any theatre surround sound. It's also just beautiful to watch these things move.
Then of course there are the antique aircraft. Yes, there are some "thrills" too, like wingwalking; but nobody wants to see a wingwalker die. I bet a significant portion of the crowd would like to try wingwalking just for the sheer experience of flying like a motorpowered bird on the outside.
A pity that some
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For that matter, looking down the barrels of A-10 Gatling cannon close up is well worth it alone (from my own experience at Abbotsford in 2009).
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Only in the sense that the potential of a disaster is what makes roller coasters fun. People greatly enjoy near disaster. It's exciting. But when it turns into actual disaster, it's horrifying. Another example is NASCAR races. Crashes are exciting, but only because the safety systems in the cars are robust enough to keep the drivers and fans safe. Nobody wants to see someone killed.
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No that's motorcycle races where the audience cheers for crashes. I don't, but I've seen it several times.
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"The pilot was quite old--perhaps he experienced a heart attack or stroke..."
I think you might be right. Take a look at this photo from the NYTimes article--it is photo #3 in the series.
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/09/16/us/20110917_RENO-IPAD-3.html [nytimes.com]
Answer me this--In that photo, where the fuck is the pilot?
All I see is an empty canopy. Unconscious and puddled in his seat? Wouldn't a harness hold him up enough that he would be visible in the canopy in that photo? That canopy didn't have a "mirrored"
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Addendum:
This video on a local news outlet shows some OLD footage of the Galloping Ghost (approx 2:20) and the pilot is CLEARLY visible in the canopy.
The only reason I can think of for a pilot not being visible in the canopy, as in the NYTimes image, is because they are hunched down--much as one would be if they were unconscious.
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It wasn't an air show, it was a race.
80 year old pilot (Score:2, Insightful)
Am I the only one who finds it strange that an 80 year old man was permitted to fly high speed low altitude stunts at an air show? Most people that age have difficulty driving cars. I wouldn't care if the man knew more about flying than any man alive reaction speed and strength diminish with age its a fact of life.
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Most people that age have difficulty driving cars.
I guess it needs to be pointed out that the pilot was an individual, not "most people". Different people age at different rates. If the pilot's health and faculties were good, then they were good, regardless of what other 80 year olds are like.
That said, I hope that all pilots in events like these (and in fact, all pilots period) are required to undergo regular physical exams.
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not sure how it works in the US but here in Canada pilots have to take a medical once a year, twice a year if over the age of 40. They also add more tests, such as hearing tests and ECGs on a more regular basis as you get older.
P
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Re:80 year old pilot (Score:5, Informative)
First, he was 74, not 80. I don't know where you get that bullshit. Second, the crash was due to mechanical failure. See photo here. [fbcdn.net] Third, you think maybe because the guy is living life, racing fighter planes, is why he's above ground at the age of 74 when many of his peers are six feet under or pissing themselves at nursing homes? He passed the physical exams with flying colors, which include reflexes and eyesight. I'm sure he would be the first to disqualify himself if he felt even the least bit unworthy to fly.
Yes, you're the only one who thinks it's strange. Asshole.
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"because the guy is living life"
Tell that to the 8 people this guy killed.
"He passed the physical exams with flying colors, which include reflexes and eyesight"
citation needed.
" I'm sure he would be the first to disqualify himself "
People are the worse judge if they are able to operate a machine. Every try to take the keys away form an 70 year old person who clearly should not be driving? Add someone with a pilots ego and they would be a terrible judge.
I am not saying he was ill or not able to fly, only tha
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Re:Trajectory (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Trajectory (Score:5, Informative)
It's hard to tell. When there's a problem where the pilot feels he needs to bow out, it's usual for them to declare mayday and climb up and around to land while the race continues. I was there, and when I first saw the plane climb I thought it was just another routine failure, but when he flipped over I could see it wobbling a bit, and it seemed like a control surface may have malfunctioned and stuck in a position outside its normal range of motion while the pilot fought for control. Also don't forget that it was windy all day. (I don't remember which way it was blowing)
As for claims of him having a heart attack or some other medical problem... It MAY be possible, but I don't think so. I personally think a person in his position would know better than to fly if he was in bad shape, not to mention the physicals they go through regularly.
Re:Trajectory (Score:4, Informative)
Here are some interesting photos which may show that there was mechanical failure: Elevator trim tab missing [blogspot.com]
Another scary series of photos: Impact [rgj.com]
--jeffk++
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Re:Altitude is your friend (Score:5, Informative)
Pictures show the elevator trim tab broken off. At those speeds the aircraft needs significant nose down force to stay level, and if the trim tab breaks off then the aircraft will nose up violently (and violently at 4-500 mph is a violent action indeed). It is quite possible that he suddenly hit between 5-9 Gs (my bet is in the higher part of the range) while unprepared. The human body can't do anything in those conditions. Quite different if those forces are expected and you can prepare through breathing and muscle contraction, but he probably got smacked down and possibly slammed his head into the instrument panel (as this was on the straight which is a place for going through and changing settings, the easy and fun part of the race).
Broken trim tab:
http://external.ak.fbcdn.net/safe_image.php?d=AQD53IBQjMbO0oqC&w=90&h=90&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.graytvinc.com%2Fimages%2Fplane%2Benlarged.jpg [fbcdn.net]
No pilot showing in canopy during dive:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/09/16/us/20110917_RENO-IPAD-4.html [nytimes.com]
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Because the http://www.rgj.com/ [rgj.com] Reno Gazette Journal Fishwrap and Cage Liner is a piece of crap. That's why.
I live in Sparks just north of Reno and south of Stead where the races are. I was talking to a neighbor outside when I heard a million sirens all at once. I went in, and heard the news. What a mess.
Glad you're alright James. A friend of mine was going to go to the races today and decided to go four wheeling instead. He's glad he did.
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lo! the REAL reality, the real gore is immediately banned from youtube and such. Oh, the hypocrisy.
Is it hypocrisy, or is it respect for the families of the victims, who might not want to have mangled pieces of their loved ones served up as entertainment for the masses just yet?
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We have become numb to genuine tragedy because we celebrate fictionalized tragedy as plot de
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If there is anything to autopsy it will be interesting to see if it was a medical condition that caused him to crash. Chances are it was mechanical. He's a pilot, meaning he's probably been one all of his life and is (was) in better condition at 80ish that most of us here posting. They only put the really fit one in those planes because ones like the Mustang were hard to fly. It's something about the mad amount of engine power wanting to turn the entire plane a certain direction.
Also this was a race, air sh
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It was a mechanical failure:
http://corduroyplanet.blogspot.com/2011/09/chilled.html [blogspot.com]
Seems that the pilot had the option to eject but he stayed and tried to handle the plane out of the crowd.
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More like GLOC (Score:2)
I'm sure he would have done everything possible to avoid hitting anyone on the ground, but he probably didn't have much say in the matter.
Someone else linked to an account [warbird.com] of another case where a racing P-51 lost a
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Re:What happened to the setback and trajectory reg (Score:5, Informative)
IANADoctor but I can't think of a medical emergency that causes that sort of erratic manoeuvring, passing out certainly doesn't. Moreover, the plane was already in trouble, since the pilot called in a mayday and started to pull up according to protocol when the fatal problems happened. Mechanical failure is simply more likely at this point: video showing the sequence of events [youtube.com]
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IANADoctor but I can't think of a medical emergency that causes that sort of erratic manoeuvring, passing out certainly doesn't.
Passing out? That's the limits of your imagination? It's called cardiac arrest, it is utterly common in men of seventy-five (and increasing [nih.gov]) and it often causes muscle contractions. If you're holding the stick, which presumably you will be doing while racing, then there is a risk of such happenstance. I don't know a lot about airplanes but it's my understanding that you can rip control surfaces off by trying to make them do things they can't do... especially if there is a mechanical defect.
Re:What happened to the setback and trajectory reg (Score:5, Insightful)
There is a huge difference between an unlimited air race and a display airshow. Display airshows are flown ate relatively slow speeds nowhere near the 500mph of unlimited racers
"Second, air show performers â" both civilian and military â" are prohibited from performing maneuvers that direct the energy of their aircraft toward the area in which the spectators are sitting."
The race course is parallel to the runway so clause has been followed. The issue is that a 500mph unlimited racer with control issues can come down miles away from where the control problem happened and in any direction. They don't usually just fall out of the sky like display aircraft. Even if the planned direction was not toward the audience there is no way of knowing where an aircraft with control problems will come down.
"Third, the industry and regulatory authorities strictly enforce minimum set-back distances that were developed to ensure that, in the event of an accident, pieces of the aircraft will not end up in the spectator area."
That only works if the aircraft crashes under the planned flight path. If it veers off course due to a control problem this is moot.
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That only works if the aircraft crashes under the planned flight path. If it veers off course due to a control problem this is moot.
That's why you have minimum safe distances to account for strange off-course diversions. Those distances are quite large for a reason. Something incredibly exceptional must have happened to that aircraft or rules and guidelines were simply not being followed.
Either way, something is very wrong here and the way the plane came down just adds fuel to the fire.
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US Airshows specifically prohibit any trajectories towards crowds and have large setback distances from the "box" that the display is allowed in, specifically for this reason.
I presume this prohibition does not apply to shows at military bases?
Or at least, does not apply to the Blue Angels?
Or at the very least, does not apply to Fat Albert?
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Re:What happened to the setback and trajectory reg (Score:5, Informative)
US Airshows
Wrong.
This was an Air Race not an Air Show.
Was the race allowed to weasel out of those regs by not calling itself an airshow, even though that's exactly what it is?
The Reno Air Races operate under far stricter regulations than air shows. Unfortunately, sometimes aircraft fail in unpredictable ways. Nothing is completely safe.
"Second, air show performers Ã" both civilian and military Ã" are prohibited from performing maneuvers that direct the energy of their aircraft toward the area in which the spectators are sitting."
So much for that rule.
These aircraft travel at well over 400MPH. They can travel a long way in a very short time. There's also no way to determine which direction an aircraft might travel in the case of mechanical/control failure or pilot incapacitation.
It appears from the video that the pilot experienced a control failure. In that case, there's not much anyone including the pilot could do to avoid tragedy. The pilot appears to have lost all control of the aircraft, likely due to the aforementioned control system failure.
In this kind of scenario with no way to control the aircraft, the only way to be totally safe is to be outside of the distance the fuel onboard could carry the aircraft. This could be up to 100 miles or more in any direction, even with the limited fuel load of a race aircraft and depending on the point in the flight where directional control is lost.
The poor guy probably sacrificed his own life by staying with the aircraft and not bailing out/ejecting in a last-ditch attempt to try to avoid hitting the stands.
I hope the FAA employees, airshow promoters, and airport employees who approved the airshow plan are all charged criminally.
You may want to re-think your rant. The world cannot be made toddler-safe, and nobody would like living in it, even if it were possible. There is always an element of risk to practically any activity, even laying in bed at night under your covers.
Strat
Re:What happened to the setback and trajectory reg (Score:4, Insightful)
There is no "safe distance" really. As I stated in my previous post, one of those aircraft could conceivably travel up to 100 miles or more in any direction.
Given that he was 74 years old the odds of him passing out due to the forces involved were quite high.
You don't understand the thorough testing those pilots must pass. If he wasn't physically & mentally capable he wouldn't be allowed to fly, especially racing, period. Besides, having that many decades of experience flying means I'd trust him before I'd trust some twenty-something to safely pilot an aircraft I was a passenger on. It was also reported by eyewitnesses that it appeared there was a control surface failure of some sort. It wouldn't matter in that case how young or old the pilot was, how the course was laid out, distance, etc.
You're opining out of ignorance here.
In the 21st century people should be doing better than Waldo's Flying Circus, it's as simple as that.
But this is the equivalent of a "Flying Circus" (in the form of a race) that people are *paying* to spectate at through their own free will. Just as in any activity involving large human-controlled/piloted/driven objects/vehicles traveling at extreme velocities at the edge of control, there is risk both to the actual participants and to spectators.
The risks can be mitigated to some extent but not eliminated. The risks are part of the draw both for participants and spectators. If it wasn't risky, there would be little challenge and little interest. Heck, spectators have died at freaking baseball games for crying out loud.
One must accept some risk of injury or death if one desires to spectate in person at an inherently dangerous event like an auto or aircraft race. If you are unwilling to accept the risks, then watch it on video from your home.
You're *much* more likely to die or be critically injured on the drive to or from the air race than spectating. Spectating at air races has resulted in far, far fewer spectator injuries than car racing. That's despite the fact that you can't build a "retaining wall" around the sky as you can around auto racing tracks.
With the level of fear and risk-aversion you demonstrate by your comments I'm surprised you're able to leave your residence. Or get out of bed.
Strat
Jezus christ how often does this have to be said (Score:3)
AIRRACE, not an airshow.
In races, it is pretty normal for objects to go out of control and leave the trac. From cyclists to horses to cars and of course airplanes.
Why does turd after turd come up with airshow rules when it is pretty clear from all the reporting and of course the bloody video that his is a race?
Did you watch the challenger crash and go, "but you shouldn't strap rockets to your plane to begin with"?
AIR RACE.
Gosh and this on a tech site where we complain how ordinary people keep thinking compu
Re:What happened to the setback and trajectory reg (Score:5, Informative)
Evidence (photgraphs) suggest that the elevator trim tab broke off. Due to the speed making a nose up moment the plane was fairly probably trimmed pitch down. Elevator tab breaks off = plane pitches violently up, hurting or killing the pilot (imagine an instant, unexpected 9 Gs when you are setting the turboboost setting. BAM face in instrument panel!). The plane then careens up, past vertical, and down again, with the pilot probably incapacitated. The plane is at around 450mph when this occurs. It can travel quite far in a few seconds, and in this case that was,sadly, towards the spectators. Sad, but shit does happen. This is a racing incident, and has always been one of the risks of racing.
My heart goes out to all those who are injured or have lost a loved one.
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I was present during a multi-car pileup with two rollovers in 2006 in front of a Borders in Fort Lauderdale where an older male was trapped upside down in his Lexus SUV that was leaking gas onto the tarmac, while approx. 20 persons where huddled around the vehicle shooting cell phone video (and giggling, etc.) and not a single person made any effort to rescue the trapped person.
I approached the scene and kicked the window out, placed his floor mats on the pavement (due to glass), and extracted him from his
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You're lucky you didn't get sued. What were you thinking? What if you injured him while "just trying to help"? You're setting yourself up for major liability, unless you manage to successfully hide behind a "Good Samaritan" law. It's safest to stay out of it. Walk on by, sit back and take some video, but for god sake don't get involved.
If I'm in an accident, I hope bystanders have the good sense to mind their own business and keep their hands off of me unless they're a doctor or EMT.
More specifically, the best thing a bystander can usually do is call the police, or whatever other emergency personnel they can. The people who are used to dealing with emergencies can help you out.
"zOMG! THE SUV WAS LEAKING PETROL ONTO THE TARMAC!!!" When I crashed my motorcycle really bad, a bunch of people were all "omg! GAS!!!" and this is the most stupid response ever, which is a result of everyone watching movies and internalizing that as common sense. Gas will not explode, it will hardly even catch f
Normal human reaction (Score:4, Informative)
It takes one. Just one.
There has been a lot of research into this field and the basic conclusion is that there are only a few "real" people in the world, the rest are filler.
Simple setup, at a busy public location an actor fakes an incident, say collapsing on the pavement. The results are filmed. What shows? Nobody does anything UNTIL one person does something, then others rush to assist as well following that ones persons example.
It is wrong to think this is malice. There are leaders in our society and there are followers and the followers need someone to give them an example of what to do. How should I react?
Babies already have this, experiment: place a thick glass plate between two solid objects, making a bridge. Place child on one of the objects and encourage it to crawl over the glass bridge (height) to the other. Baby will be happy to do so, or drool, or poop (whipe, change and repeat). If it notices the drop below it, watch its reaction. It won't have one UNTIL it sees its mother. Mother looks happy? Baby happy. Mother looks scared? Baby is scared. Suddenly the height is something it must apparently fear, and it will.
What do you do when an incident happens? I actually know some emergency training because it was forced on me when I did my national service. A few years ago I had a chance to use it... no, that isn't right, a few years ago buried training emerged and took over. I didn't know what to do but my training did. It was on automatic. Had I had to give instructions to someone else to do the same as I was doing, I wouldn't have been able to. If you asked me afterwards what I did, I couldn't really tell you, CPR but not the actions itself.
People are cattle, performing well rehearsed tricks, my trick just happened to include CPR.
If one person shows the right example, the rest will follow and humanity can show itself at its best. If one person shows the wrong example... well... read up on history, things can get very dark indeed.
Oh as for an aid giver being sued? I did crack some ribs of my "patient" an elderly woman who suffered an heart attack right in front of her house, she died a few days later. Her son came to me and thanked me because although cracked ribs hurt like hell and she still died, she died amongst family in a warm bed, not on the street alone. Only in America would a person think of sueing for giving aid. One person showing the wrong example and the rest followed.
We make our own society far more then we think but it is always up to a single individual to lead the way. One must go first.
Just pray you are the one when the call comes unexpected. For 20 years my training went to waste and then I needed it in an instant... those that falter are not evil, they are human. The ones who exploit it, like those who sue or steal from victims, they are the ones to hate.
So don't blame the persons standing around that accident, blame the guy who wanted to sue you for creating the atmosphere of being afraid to help in the first place.
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But seriously, people screaming for help are not drowning (yet). People who are actually drowning, on the contrary, are quietly fighting for their life. The lungs are used for breathing, and when you can't get enough air to stay alive, as an automatic response none of it will be spent on speech or other vocalisation.
Re:mechanical failure (Score:4, Informative)
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Oh yes, proof reading really is that hard.....
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Having flown an out-of-trim aircraft, I would dispute that. Control pressures can rapidly build to an unmanageable level at high speeds without proper trim.