Reno Air Crash: Airplane in Deadly Nevada Crash Was Modified for Speed
The airplane that plummeted into a crowd of spectators at the National Championship Air Race show in Reno last week appears to have been modified for speed, according to pilot Jimmy Leeward, who documented the changes in a June video.
Investigators have yet to pinpoint what caused the P-51 Mustang to nosedive into a group of spectators, killing nine people including Leeward, and injuring dozens of others.
The focus of the probe has been on the "elevator trim tab," described as a piece of the tail that helps to control the aircraft's pitch. The trim tab appeared to have broken off before the crash.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Still, months prior to the event, Leeward had spoken of the changes on the aircraft that would have made it faster.
"I know it'll do the speed," Leeward said in a podcast uploaded to YouTube in June. "The systems aren't proven yet. We think they're going to be OK."
Even Leeward, a veteran stunt pilot of Hollywood films such as "Amelia" and "Cloud Dancer," was unable to say for sure how the plane would perform.
Spectators have reported hearing a strange gurgling engine noise from above before the horrifying crash of the plane, which had been dubbed "The Galloping Ghost."
Officials claim to have heard reports of the pilot issuing a mayday call before it crashed. However, so far, there is no evidence of such a call.
"The Galloping Ghost" hit the first few rows of a VIP section of box seats like a missile at the point of crash, causing a crater roughly 3 feet deep and 8 feet across, with debris spreading out over more than an acre.
The tragic fate of Leeward was perhaps predetermined by his love for speed, as his wife expressed in a recent interview.
"The thing is, since we were high school sweethearts, I just grew up with this. When you're younger, it doesn't seem to bother you as much. But now, it is a little more difficult. But Jimmy loves to do it, so I go along with it. I just pray,” Bette Leeward told the Ocala Star-Banner.
Leeward's own website for his racing team boasts of the great speed involved in the sport: "NASCAR at 200 mph? Indy at 230 mph? Top Fuel at 300 mph? Mere Child's play. Welcome to the Big League. The 'serious toys for big boys' club."
