California Air Show Crash Video: Pilot Dies Upside Down in Fiery Accident (WATCH HERE)
A California air show crash killed the pilot of a vintage airplane, 77-year-old Edward Andreini, when he was attempting a stunt Sunday. Andreini's World War II-era biplane slid across the ground, then burst into flames during the "Thunder Over Solano" show at Travis Air Force Base.
The California air show crash occurred at about 2:05 p.m. in the afternoon just as Andreini, who has been flying since he was 16, tried a delicate and dangerous stunt. The pilot was attempting a trick called "cutting the ribbon" in which the plane flies upside down and close enough to the ground that a knife attached to the plane can cut a ribbon.
"He got down too low and hit the tarmac," Roger Bockrath, a retired photojournalist who chronicled the event, told The Sacramento Bee. "He skidded about 500 feet and just sat there. The plane was essentially intact, just wrong side down."
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Unfortunately, the 1944 Stearman biplane then caught fire, and over two minutes passed before someone was able to get to Andreini with a fire extinguisher. Firefighters arrived about three minutes afterwards, according to the Associated Press.
Emergency workers pronounced the longtime pilot of Half Moon Bay dead at the scene. The remainder of the show, which was to run to about 5:30 p.m., was canceled.
"Mr. Andreini had been flying since he was 16 years old and performing in air shows for the last 25 years," Col. David Mott of Travis Air Force Base said at a news conference Sunday evening.
Andreini had attempted the trick twice before during the show but backed out of it— the unfortunate attempt was his third try. Mott said that he is unsure of whether the gusts of wind measuring 10 to 15 nautical miles during the show contributed to the pilot's death.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating the incident.
To see a video of Andreini's horrific crash, click below (WARNING: Graphic content).
