“The National Transportation Safety Board has not yet determined what caused last year’s deadly crash at the Reno National Championship Air Races, but its chairwoman recommended a list of changes on Tuesday that she said would make the races safer for pilots and spectators,” the Reno Gazette Journal is reporting.
“Photos and videos helped the agency determine two things — the sequence of events leading up to the Sept. 16 crash took about 6 seconds and the pilot was unconscious while the plane was still in the air, NTSB chairwoman Debroah Hersman said during a press conference at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport. But more work is needed before they’ll know what caused the P-51 aircraft to fly out of control, she said.
A freelance photographer from Grass Valley, Tim O’Brien, took one of the photos before the crash that was widely circulated in the media.
http://www.rgj.com/article/20120410/EVENTS05/304100039/NTSB-makes-safety-recommendations-Reno-Air-Races?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
Exit question: Will O’Brien receive an honor from the Pulitzer Prize board for his photo, which ran in The Union? The Pulitzer’s are announced on Monday.
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Could it be that to many “Gs” on an old person may make them black out much sooner? 74 year old pilots need a little more scrutiny— no — a lot more scrutiny. In most news footage from last years debacle, the old pilot that crashed couldnt be seen in the cockpit. He was on the floor, maybe dead already! Nothing short of flying out over the ocean will make those races safe for people on the ground. And, whatever test they have for flying modified race planes over populated areas, while your to old to drive a car safely, is what needs “more work”.
I agree that pilots taking high Gs in races like this need better scrutiny. However, age is not the only factor. Anyone at any age can pass out. Anyone at any age can have a mechanical problem or make a misjudgement.
As to health, there can be hidden anomolies. How many of us know of someone who had a fatal heart attack at well less than 74, for example? I certainly do.
The people on the ground at the Reno Races assume an informed risk. Just like the people who go to auto races know that a car can fly over the wall and into the crowd. Be that as it may, there will be rule changes in the effort to make things safer.
I have no problem seeing things done to make the races safer. Aviation does that all the time. There is a saying that the regs (or FARS) are written in blood. These are not the first or last regs that will come about as the result of a tragic accident. I certainly see the FAA and aviation in general constantly reassessing and improving the regs as the result of experience. That is happening in this case. As humans we try to anticipate, but sometimes just don’t have the knowledge. As tragic as this accident is, it will improve the rules and make the Reno Races, and other airshows, safer.
What I say above, I say while greatly respecting the lives lost. I have a tough anniversary coming up. Each May 1 and May 4, I remember two dear friends who died while flying small aircraft in two separate small airplane accidents in 1993. My one friend made a sad misjudgement. She stalled and spun while trying to clear some power lines on final. One had a mechanical failure flying alone in a twin, IFR, at night. He hit a hill while to trying to make an emergency landing with ATC talking him in. Neither hurt anyone on the ground, though the first had a passenger who was also a rated pilot who died.They were 36 and 26 years old respectively. So I know how it hurts to lose someone to an aviation accident. I understand the difference between pilots and spectators, but in the case of Reno, the spectators chose to be there just as much as my friends chose to be where they were. None of them chose to die at he time or in the way they did.
One last thought, Tim’s photo was amazing. I consider it Pulitzer material.
P.S. In reading the article they refer to “percent” referring to bank. It should be “degrees”. I don’t know how or why the author got that wrong.