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Post by slackie on Sept 20, 2011 10:48:38 GMT 12
The pilot was very experienced and probably very current, and all medical certificates were up to date... I'd venture to suggest that all of these Unlimited pilots would experience significant and sustained G loadings during the course of a normal race... G tolerance would be well established and as such an 8 G episode probably wouldn't have the same detrimental effect as it would to one of us mere mortals. However an extra couple of G's (up to 10 or 11) with rapid onset (as in a control failure) and sustained for more than a few seconds just might. No doubt the NTSB has all the medical advice from properly qualified practitioners, rather than a "know nothing" like myself!!
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 20, 2011 11:40:03 GMT 12
The death toll is now officially 10 people.
Names released of the dead so far are:
James Leeward (pilot of Galloping Ghost)
Sharon Stewart, 47, of Reno;
Greg Morcom, 47, of Marysville, Wash.;
George Hewitt, 60, and Wendy Hewitt, 57, both of Fort Mohave, Ariz.;
Michael Wogan, 22, of Scottsdale, Ariz.;
Regina Bynum, 53, of San Angelo, Texas.
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Post by John L on Sept 20, 2011 19:02:56 GMT 12
Apparently they pull up to 6G on the turns, but, they can adapt to that. It's the sudden high G's that knocks them out
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Post by slackie on Sept 21, 2011 7:48:38 GMT 12
Yip...that's what i said in the next sentence
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Post by slackie on Sept 21, 2011 21:11:51 GMT 12
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Post by efliernz on Sept 22, 2011 10:49:41 GMT 12
Very well written. It's hard to say he was "lucky"... I think many will have trouble with what they see when they close their eyes for a while  Pete |
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Post by Darren Masters on Sept 22, 2011 17:08:50 GMT 12
Well said Pete.
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Post by shorty on Nov 2, 2011 10:36:56 GMT 12
The family of a Texas man killed when a racing aircraft crashed into spectators in the National Championship Air Races in Reno filed a US$25 million lawsuit against the pilot's family, a mechanic on the World War II-era aircraft and the organisation that hosted the event.
The lawsuit filed in Collin County, Texas, is believed to be the first stemming from the September 16 crash of pilot Jimmy Leeward's P-51D Mustang during the air races at Reno-Stead Airport. Eleven people died, including Leeward, 74, of Ocala, Florida. At least 74 were hurt.
"There are two groups of wrongdoers," said Houston-based attorney Tony Buzbee, who filed the civil liability lawsuit on behalf of Dr Sezen Altug, a physician and widow of dead spectator Craig Salerno, and their two children, ages 6 and 8.
"Those who pushed the limits of physics on the plane, being risk takers and reckless without regard for the people who might be watching them, and those who promoted and profited from hosting the show."
Leeward's son, Kent Leeward, declined comment on the lawsuit, which also names Texas-based mechanic Richard Shanholtzer Jr, the Reno Air Racing Association, Leeward Racing Inc and family corporations in Florida, and Aeroacoustics Inc, an aircraft parts maker in Washington state.
Reno Air Racing Association chief executive Michael Houghton said he hadn't seen the lawsuit but offered "condolences to the families and fans that are affected by this devastating tragedy."
"We fully expect a number of lawsuits to be filed," Houghton told The Associated Press. "This is the first."
Shanholtzer and an Aeroacoustics official did not immediately respond to messages.
Salerno, 50, of Friendswood, Texas, was a dispatcher for Continental Airlines and a lieutenant for a volunteer fire department at home. He also volunteered at an annual Houston air show and was an avid racing pilot. He attended the races with a friend who was hospitalised with critical injuries after the crash.
National Transportation Safety Board investigators are probing the crash. A board member has said they were focusing on a piece that apparently fell off the tail of Leeward's plane, dubbed "The Galloping Ghost," as it went out of control.
Photos showed a tail part known as an elevator trim tab missing as the plane climbed sharply, then rolled and plunged nose-first at more than 400 mph into box seats on the tarmac in front of the center of the grandstands. Dead and injured people were scattered widely, but there was no fire.
Leeward was a veteran movie stunt pilot and air racer who competed at the Reno air races since 1975
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 2, 2011 10:58:38 GMT 12
Didn't they have a "Spectators are here at their own risk" disclaimer on the tickets?
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Post by John L on Nov 2, 2011 19:07:56 GMT 12
WTF? It's a race, where machines are pushed to their limits, not a Sunday afternoon, pleasant bimble through the air. Should there be a 10 mile spectator exclusion zone, perhaps....
Pillocks!
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Post by skyhawkdon on Nov 2, 2011 19:20:43 GMT 12
Only in America!  Interesting that they have filed a claim even before the official investigation has finished.  Bloody lawyers! This type of legal action could "kill" the airshow circuit in the US... |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 2, 2011 19:28:28 GMT 12
The thing is this is only the first claim too, there are a lot more families who lost people, and there are a lot of people who were injured but lived. This is going to be a massive amount of claims and counter-claims and a huge bill for someone.
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Post by shorty on Nov 2, 2011 20:17:01 GMT 12
Hopefully there may be a judge with the balls to throw the case out. Now that would be a precedent worth setting!
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Post by Darren Masters on Nov 3, 2011 9:34:40 GMT 12
Unfortunately we slowly follow the USA lead of sueing for every single thing imaginable. With all due respect to the deceased and families of the deceased this was an airshow and with airshows, motor shows, boat shows, anything like that there is always a certain amount of RISK involved in attending. Maybe an exclusion zone would be the go. I know in AUS (and probably NZ) you cannot do aeros right above the spectators. That would be the most sensible move and not ceasing the airshows all together. Logic would also have it that you would wait until the accident report was released before filing legal action?? I hate to guess what will happen when the other families catch on...
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Post by efliernz on Nov 3, 2011 10:43:01 GMT 12
The UK has started to go the same way. Recently a council funded village fete cancelled the kids "egg and spoon" race as they couldn't sort the liability insurance out for it!
Pete
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Post by slackie on Nov 4, 2011 7:33:36 GMT 12
Yeah... it's a load of sh!t... there is danger/risk in everything we do including sitting still!! My other sport (waterski racing) lost a competitor last weekend in Taupo that got many of the younger competitors questioning their involvement in the sport. I relayed the story of a collegue of mine in Christchurch who lost her life in the earthquake... SHOPPING!!
When you number is up there's not much you can do about it!
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Post by Brett on Nov 5, 2011 16:38:51 GMT 12
I was part of a lengthy discussion on the WIX several years ago about this sort of thing.
The problem with disclaimers on tickets is that they only cover those who buy tickets. In this case the wife suing did not attend the event, so did not buy a ticket. No contract exists between the wife and anyone she is suing. You cannot disclaim away the rights of third parties, such as family members or employers, as they are not a party to the contract.
The disclaimer only prevents the person who bought/used the ticket from suing, and even then most lawyers will probably try it on claiming that someone was negligent (which you cannot disclaim away).
As you cannot prevent third parties from suing, you need to have sufficient insurance cover to meet legal expenses and and payouts. This is what is killing airshows - the cost of the insurance.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 5, 2011 17:11:48 GMT 12
That's very interesting Brett, thanks for that. Does that also apply here in NZ?
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Nov 7, 2011 20:19:06 GMT 12
That's very interesting Brett, thanks for that. Does that also apply here in NZ? If it doesn't already, it will sooner or later. That sort of American bullshit always eventually oozes its way downunder! |
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Interesting that they have filed a claim even before the official investigation has finished. 
Bloody lawyers! This type of legal action could "kill" the airshow circuit in the US... 
