Reno Air Race 2011 plane crash
| Reno Air Race 2011 plane crash | |
|---|---|
 The North American P-51 "The Galloping Ghost" one year before the crash |
|
| Accident summary | |
| place |
Reno (Nevada) , United States
|
| date | September 16, 2011 |
| Fatalities | 11 |
| Injured | 68 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | North American P-51 |
| operator | Private owner |
| Mark | NX79111 |
| Passengers | 0 |
| crew | 1 |
| Lists of aviation accidents | |
When Reno Air Race plane crash in Reno in the US state of Nevada , a type aircraft crashed 16 September 2011 North American P-51 during the Reno Air Race in front of an auditorium. The pilot and ten spectators died and a further 68 people were injured, some seriously.
the accident
The 74-year-old American pilot Jimmy Leeward piloted his aircraft for the course during the Unlimited competition . In the third lap, Leeward was in third place in front of the last pylon No. 9 when he lost control in a left turn at a speed of 445 kn (approx. 820 km / h), while climbing the “Showline” in a right-turning role flew over and in the further course of the role fell directly in front of the main stand at a steep angle into the spectator area.
The investigation report indicated an acceleration of up to 17.3 g for the vertical component of the roll - a load that must have led the pilot to unconsciousness within a second.
Aircraft
The North American P-51 ( USAAF serial number : 44-15651) used was a single-seat all-metal fighter aircraft from the time of World War II and was delivered to the United States Army Air Forces on December 23, 1944 . After it was taken out of service on October 25, 1945, Bruce Raymond and Steve Beville bought the machine, which was then used with the starting number 77 ( aircraft registration: NX79111) in the Cleveland Races and always took a leading place in the years 1946 to 1949. As early as 1946, the aircraft was named Galloping Ghost based on the nickname of the US football star Red Grange . However, the name should change frequently in the meantime. After changing hands several times, the aircraft was acquired by Leeward in the 1980s and has been in the hangar in Ocala ever since . He began extensive renovations to the machine in 2008 and also made extensive changes. He shortened the wings from 11.28 meters to 8.81 meters, shortened the interior of the cockpit and used a modified cooling system for the drive, which increased the output of the Packard Merlin V-1650-7 from 1,719 hp (approx. 1,300 hp) kW) increased to 3,852 PS (approx. 2,800 kW).
root cause
Employees of the US National Transportation Safety Board immediately began the investigation on September 17, 2011.
Based on video recordings and photographs, it was found that parts of the horizontal stabilizer had come loose. On August 27, 2012, the authority announced the first results. Accordingly, the accident was a combination of changes to the aircraft, failed tests and loose screw connections in the area of the horizontal stabilizer.
"Our investigation revealed that this pilot, in this airplane, had never flown at this speed, on this course. [...] We are issuing a safety recommendation to ensure that pilots and their modified airplanes are put through their paces prior to race day. "
As early as 1998 another converted P-51, the Voodoo Chile , lost the left trim tab during the race in Reno. The pilot "Hurricane" Bob Hannah, a former motocross world champion, was able to bring the aircraft back under control after a blackout at 10 g and after a rapid climb to 9,000 ft (approx. 2,700 m ) and landed safely.
Media reception
The misfortune was recreated in Mayday - Alarm im Cockpit , episode 170 under the title Luftrennen in den Tod ( Death Race ) in episode 1 of season 19 . There the accident and the subsequent investigations were dealt with dramatically.
See also
Web links
- Final report of the NTSB
- Leeward Air Ranch Racing Team website
- Official website of the Reno Air Racing Association
- Video of the crash on YouTube
Individual evidence
- ^ Matthias Kremp: Unlucky pilot Jimmy Leeward. Full throttle to death. In: Culture. Spiegel Online , September 17, 2011, accessed January 2, 2020 .
- ↑ Nevada air show death toll rises to 10 . CNN. September 19, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
- ^ A b Public Meeting of August 27, 2012. National Transportation Safety Board, August 27, 2012, archived from the original on October 10, 2012 ; accessed on September 6, 2012 .
- ↑ Michael O'Leary: Return of a racing legend - The Ghost Gallops again . In: Airplane Monthly, January 2011, p. 41
- ^ Overlay of the Modified P-51D. National Transportation Safety Board, April 12, 2012, accessed September 6, 2012 (Aircraft Changes).
- ↑ ntsb.gov: NTSB launches team to investigate aviation accident in Reno, NV , September 17, 2011
- ^ NTSB Provides Investigative Update and Issues Recommendations to Increase Safety at Air Races. In: NTSB Press Release. National Transportation Safety Board, April 12, 2012, archived from original September 16, 2012 ; accessed on December 30, 2019 (English).
- ^ Voodoo Chile. Air Racing, accessed on January 1, 2020 (English): "" Hurricane "Hannah takes nap at 500mph - wakes up at 9,000 feet"
- ↑ Kevin & Jackie Grantham: 1998 Reno National Championship Unlimited Air Races. AVweb, September 27, 1998, archived from the original on March 15, 2003 ; accessed on January 1, 2020 (English, with photo of the damaged tail unit).
