A single-engine aerobatic plane practicing ahead of the upcoming New York Air Show crashed Friday, killing the pilot,
police said.
The pilot lost
control of the two-seater and crashed into a wooded area abutting Stewart
International Airport in New Windsor, a community about 70 miles north of New
York City.
Capt. Brendan
Casey with New York State Police said that the pilot appeared to be climbing
when something happened to the back of his Giles G202 aircraft and it went into
a "steep dive" at about 2 p.m.
"It appears
the rear part of the plane broke off," said Casey, who added that there
was no distress call.
Ben Granucci, an
associate editor with the New York City aviation enthusiasts' website
NYCAviation.com, told CNN that the pilot was on his third or fourth run when
"he pulled up ... went into a corkscrew and lost a lot of speed."
"A moment
later, the plane turned and started crossing the crowd line," said
Granucci, who saw the plane's tail fall off. "I knew that wasn't
right."
No one on the ground
was injured, as the aircraft crashed in a forested area far from people or
buildings -- though some did see it happen, including at least one who shared video
with authorities.
Authorities did not
immediately know what caused the pilot to lose control, with Casey speculating
it was due to "a structural failure" but leaving the final analysis
to National Transportation Safety Board Investigators.
"I just think
this was a tragic accident where it was some type of equipment failure ... that
led to this," said Casey, who is the state police incident commander for
the air show. "I don't know if there's anything from a safety standpoint
that could have been done to prevent this."
Pilot praised for steering clear of people
Despite the fatal accident, Casey said
that the New York Air Show -- would go on as scheduled.
The two-day
event is set to feature numerous aircraft, including the U.S. military's F-22
Raptor, F/A18E Super Hornet, the AV-8B Harrier and a jump by the parachute team
from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York.
The pilot
involved in Friday's crash was supposed to be part of the show.
Authorities did
not immediately name him, though Casey did say he was a civilian associated
with a company involved in air shows.
"He's not
from this area," the police captain told reporters, "and we have not
been able to notify next of kin."
Granucci praised
the pilot, whom he felt looked like he was using "every bit of
energy" to get the plane as far away from people as possible.
"He knew
that he wasn't going to be landing -- at least not controlled," Granucci
said. "I can't even ponder what was going through his had at that point,
but if that's the last thing he did, that's commendable and very
respectable."
Follows deadly air show crash in England
Last Saturday, a Cold War-era military jet that was
part of a southeastern England air show crashed into a busy highway, killing at least
11 people, British police said.
All of those
dead had been on the A27 highway; the pilot was pulled from the wreckage and
flown to a nearby hospital, Sussex police Superintendent Jane Derrick said.
The Hawker
Hunter aircraft was flying a loop at the Shoreham Airshow -- an event put on
the Royal Air Forces Association featuring vintage military aircraft -- when it
nosedived.
Earlier this
month, a member of the Army
Golden Knights parachute team died after
being injured during a performance at the Chicago Air and Water Show,
authorities said.
In September
2011 in Reno, Nevada, a P-51
Mustang slammed into the box seat area in
front of the grandstand at the National Championship Air Races.
Eleven people --
including the plane's 74-year-old pilot, Jimmy Leeward -- died.
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