I was just walking through the gates when this accident happened. One
moment two airplanes were flying around, and the next moment there was
black smoke. The airplane descended below my viewing angle.People
standing right by the runway saw the whole thing. It makes me wonder
if it is really necessary to get down that low just for the benefit of
the spectators standing by the runway perimeter. The majority of
people standing at a distance won't see anything at such low
altitudes.

But there is a video on youtube that made me curious. It shows the
aircraft spinning downwards, then at the moment when it should be
pulling up, it enters a cloud of smoke. Is it possible that he flew
into something that obscured his visibility and he was unable to tell
his altitude?




On Jul 29, 12:01 pm, john smith wrote:
In article ,
"Mark G." wrote:

It makes me cringe to see airshow performers flying 50' above the deck,
or 25', or whatever limits they are pushing. I often wonder who this "draw"
is intended for? Do actual pilots enjoy watching their fellow airmen push
the envelope like this? Or is this intended to hold the interest of the
non-flying public?

The ACES program is a failure when it comes to experienced performers.
While it has probably saved many lives of those new to airshow
performing, the more experience performers seem to have forgotten the
lessons they have been teaching while actings as instructors.
When the program was implemented in the 1980's as a partnership between
the FAA and the airshow industry (ie - ICAS), it was originally a very
rigid cirriculum which dealt with aircraft performance under a wide
range of conditions. This was heavily diluted during the comment period.
Now may be the time for the FAA to take the program back.
ICAS certainly hasn't shown any initiative in improving the safety
record of the more experience performers.