2011 Reno Air Races crash

2011 aviation accident in Nevada January 2021 NX79111 Recovered Left Trim Tab.png The recovered left trim tab of the aircraft after the accident Accident 2011 09 16 Mechanical failure of trim tab leading to loss of control Reno, Nevada, U.S. 39 39 37.12 N 119 52 40.81 W type:event inline,title Jimmy Leeward's Galloping Ghost at 2011 Reno Air Races.jpg NX79111, the aircraft involved, seen shortly before the accident 11 69 10 69 North American P-51D-15-NA Mustang The Galloping Ghost Aero Trans Corp. NX79111 Reno Stead Airport, Reno, Nevada, U.S. Reno Stead Airport 1 1 1 0 On September 16, 2011, The Galloping Ghost, a highly modified North American P-51D Mustang racing aircraft, crashed into spectators while competing at the Reno Air Races in Reno, Nevada, killing its pilot Jimmy Leeward and ten people on the ground. Sixty-nine more people on the ground were injured.Plane crashes into crowd at Reno air races https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna44556695 September 16, 2011 NBC News September 16, 2011Death toll following Reno air disaster reaches 9; 69 injured http://wireupdate.com/news/death-toll-following-reno-air-disaster-reaches-9-69-injured.html September 17, 2011 BNO News September 17, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110926224654/http://wireupdate.com/news/death-toll-following-reno-air-disaster-reaches-9-69-injured.html September 26, 2011 dead It was the third-deadliest airshow disaster in U.S. history, following accidents in 1972 and 1951.Johnson Bridget World's Worst Air Show Crashes http://worldnews.about.com/od/disasters/tp/Worlds-Worst-Air-Show-Crashes.htm World News September 19, 2011 September 20, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20150403062328/http://worldnews.about.com/od/disasters/tp/Worlds-Worst-Air-Show-Crashes.htm April 3, 2015 dead Accident During the 2011 Reno Air Races, Jimmy Leeward and The Galloping Ghost were in third place and had just rounded pylon number 8 when the aircraft abruptly pitched up, rolled inverted, then nosedived.http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/09/16/nevada.plane.crash/ 'Mass casualties' reported after plane crashes at Nevada air show CNN September 16, 2011 The aircraft slammed into the apron at over 400 mph km/h knots -1 in front of the grandstands in an area containing box seating, disintegrating on impact. There was no fire; the violence of the crash dispersed all of the fuel on board The Galloping Ghost before it had the chance to ignite. Seven people, including the pilot, died at the scene;http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/09/17/nevada.plane.crash Death toll from Nevada air crash rises to nine Reuters September 17, 2011 four died later in the hospital.Ritter Ken http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/reno-air-race-crash-1183492.html Plane in NV crash had 'radical' changes to compete ajc.com September 18, 1970 September 19, 2011Frank Thomas https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2011-09-18/air-races-FAA-NTSB-safety-review-Reno/50458914/1 10th person dies from Reno air race crash usatoday.com September 18, 2011 September 19, 2011 The weekend's remaining races at the Reno Air Races were canceled. Aircraft The Galloping Ghost was a highly modified former fighter plane that had come out of retirement the previous year after undergoing major modifications, including removal of the underbelly radiator and installation of a "boil-off" cooling system, as well as other modifications that Leeward described as "designed to make the plane more efficient." The former United States Air Force aircraft, serial number 44 15651, was owned by Aero Trans Corp in Ocala, Florida.http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=79111 P-51D Mustang/44-15651 FAA Registry September 17, 2011 January 8, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150108112638/http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=79111 dead The wings had been clipped a further 3 ft m 1 on each side on top of the 4 ft m on reduction in span earlier in its life. The aircraft had a long history of successful competition in air races, dating back to the National Air Races from 1946 to 1949 in Cleveland, Ohio.Steve C Beville Obituary http://www.eaa.org/apps/obituaries/MemorialWall2.aspx?ID=1517 dead EAA September 17, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111203031206/http://www.eaa.org/apps/obituaries/MemorialWall2.aspx?ID=1517 December 3, 2011 It was flown by a series of pilots under a variety of names, including Miss Candace from 1969 to 1978 and Jeannie in 1981.The Galloping Ghost Returns To Reno http://www.pacificflyer.com/2010/10/the-galloping-ghost-returns-to-reno/ dead Pacific Flyer September 17, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20101110023535/http://www.pacificflyer.com/2010/10/the-galloping-ghost-returns-to-reno/ November 10, 2010 Leeward called the modifications of the plane "radical", stating that the oil system was similar to an oil cooling system in the Space Shuttle.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXu2GfT9WcI June 2011 National Championship Air Races Podcast YouTube June 16, 2011 September 19, 2011 The canopy was about the size of the ones on Formula One aircraft. The modifications were meant to improve aerodynamics by reducing drag and hence increase top speed.Davison Budd Reviving a Ghost Sport Aviation May 2011 60 5 34–39 http://www.sportaviationonline.org/sportaviation/201105#pg41 September 17, 2011 Experimental Aircraft Association dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110923153813/http://www.sportaviationonline.org/sportaviation/201105/ September 23, 2011 Previous incidents On September 18, 1970, the airplane (then known as Miss Candace) crashed while attempting an emergency landing caused by an engine failure during that year's Reno Air Races at Reno-Stead Airport. During the landing the plane's longer propeller, modified for racing, clipped the runway surface, causing the plane to drift off the edge of the runway, collapsing part of the landing gear but causing only minor injuries to the pilot, Cliff Cummins.https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=705 NTSB Aircraft Accident Report OAK71FXQ16 North American P-51D, registration: N79111 National Transportation Safety Board July 11, 2017 In 1998, another modified P-51 Mustang, Voodoo Chile, lost a left trim tab during the Reno Air Races. The pilot, Bob "Hurricane" Hannah, reported that the airplane pitched up, subjecting him to more than 10 g and knocking him unconscious. When he regained consciousness, the plane had climbed to more than 9,000 feet (2,750 m), and he brought it in for a safe landing.http://www.warbird.com/voodoo.html Voodoo - 98 NCAR Warbird.com September 19, 2011Grantham Kevin Grantham Jackie Reno Unlimiteds Turn 35 http://www.avweb.com/news/reno2002/183113-1.html September 19, 2011 AVweb September 27, 1998 March 15, 2003 https://web.archive.org/web/20030315183029/http://www.avweb.com/news/reno2002/183113-1.html dead This aircraft (having been renamed to Voodoo) was in attendance at the 2011 race and was nearby at the time of the accident.November 2025 In 1999, another highly modified P-51, Miss Ashley II, piloted by Gary Levitz, experienced rudder flutter during an unlimited race at the Reno Air Races. The airframe broke up, killing Levitz.https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/ReportGeneratorFile.ashx?EventID=20001212X19791&AKey=1&RType=Final&IType=FA National Transportation Safety Board Aviation Accident Final Report Accident Number: LAX99FA311 National Transportation Safety Board May 9, 2001 July 11, 2017 Investigation vertical The left trim tab as it is detaching from the aircraft The left trim tab as it departed the aircraft The day after the accident, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) began examining whether part of the empennage had come off before the accident.Barboza Tony http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/09/reno-air-crash-ntsb.html Reno air races crash: NTSB investigates elevator trim tab Latimesblogs.latimes.com September 17, 2011 September 19, 2011 A photograph taken just before the crash showed the airplane inverted and part of the left elevator trim tab missing.https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/8770507/US-vintage-aircraft-crashes-into-crowd.html?image=3 US vintage aircraft crashes into crowd Telegraph September 17, 2011 September 19, 2011 London On October 21, 2011, NTSB investigators said that they found no readable onboard video amid the debris of the racing plane. However, they were still attempting to extract information from an onboard data memory card found among damaged aircraft components and other debris scattered over more than two acres following the crash, as well as hundreds of photos and dozens of videos provided by spectators. https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/ntsb-video-51-reno-air-show-crash-14786688 NTSB: No Video From P-51 in Reno Air Show Crash ABC October 21, 2011 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 kn km/h on during the race, about 40 mph kn km/h on faster than he had gone previously.Ritter, Ken, "NTSB: Trim tab failure caused 2011 race crash", Military Times, August 27, 2012 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 the flight (visible in high-resolution photographs taken by spectators).November 2025 thumb|The recovered right trim tab after the accident The investigation report, released in August 2012, found that the probable cause of the crash was 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 the 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 the loss of control. When the trim tab failed, Leeward experienced 17 g, which quickly incapacitated him and likely rendered him unconscious, making it impossible to control the craft.Accident Brief, NTSB/AAB-12/01 PB2012-916203"Pilot/Race 177, The Galloping Ghost North American P-51D, N79111 Reno, Nevada September 16, 2011 Accident Brief NTSB/AAB-12/01" https://web.archive.org/web/20121014022737/https://www.ntsb.gov/doclib/reports/2012/AAB1201.pdf October 14, 2012 In 2012, the NTSB released seven safety recommendations to be applied to future air races. These included course design and layout further away from the spectators stands, pre-race inspections, airworthiness of aircraft modifications, Federal Aviation Administration guidance, pilot g-force awareness, and ramp safety.https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/pages/2011_reno_nv.aspx Aviation accident at the Reno Air Race www.ntsb.gov March 24, 2019 Dramatization The Cineflix television show Mayday covered the case in the second episode of season nineteen, titled "Death Race".Mayday - Air Crash Investigation (S01-S22) http://archive.org/details/mayday-aci 2024-01-13 References External links A video of the crash taken from the grandstands A clearer video of the crash, taken from further away A recording of the emergency radio traffic, including Reno EMS (REMSA), fire, and police Local professor 'shaken' after catching air race crash on video katu.com. September 20, 2011. Information about the plane (44-15651) on MustangsMustangs.com Check-Six.com - Fatal Accidents associated with the National Championship Air Races Final NTSB Accident Brief AAB-12/01 The Mayday episode on the topic, “Death Race” Category:2011 in Nevada Category:Aviation_accidents and incidents caused by in-flight structural failure Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in 2011 Category:Aviation accidents and incidents at air shows Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in Nevada Category:History of aerobatics Category:North American P-51 Mustang Category:September 2011 in the United States Category:Filmed deaths in motorsport Category:Filmed deaths during aviation accidents and incidents