A pilot was killed at an air show this weekend in Iowa after his Soviet Cold War era jet crashed into a nearby field.
Three jets in tight formation rumbled over the crowd at the Quad-City Air Show in Davenport, Iowa Saturday when one of the pilots appeared to lose control of his plane.
A home video captured the pilots going into a complicated maneuver, switching places mid-air and “passing within inches of each other” before a dive straight down.
“He went down into the ground and he burst into flames… I was instantly in tears because I knew more than likely he didn’t survive,” a witness told ABC news.
The pilot was identified as Glenn Smith, who The Associated Press reported was a retired technology entrepreneur from Dallas.
Assistant Davenport Police Chief Don Schaeffer told the AP that the pilot “never had an opportunity to come out of it.”
The smoking wreckage of the Soviet L-39 jet was found in a nearby alfalfa field.
Officials said the investigation is ongoing.
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A pilot was killed at an air show this weekend in Iowa after his Soviet Cold War era jet crashed into a nearby field.
Three jets in tight formation rumbled over the crowd at the Quad-City Air Show in Davenport, Iowa Saturday when one of the pilots appeared to lose control of his plane.
A home video captured the pilots going into a complicated maneuver, switching places mid-air and “passing within inches of each other” before a dive straight down.
“He went down into the ground and he burst into flames… I was instantly in tears because I knew more than likely he didn’t survive,” a witness told ABC news.
The pilot was identified as Glenn Smith, who The Associated Press reported was a retired technology entrepreneur from Dallas.
Assistant Davenport Police Chief Don Schaeffer told the AP that the pilot “never had an opportunity to come out of it.”
The smoking wreckage of the Soviet L-39 jet was found in a nearby alfalfa field.
Officials said the investigation is ongoing.
News video | 642 views
A plane performing at an air show in Davenport, Iowa, crashed and exploded in front of thousands of spectators.
The pilot of the plane was killed in the accident Saturday afternoon when the plane nosedived into an alfalfa field during the Quad City Air Show, officials said.
The pilot, who died on impact, was not immediately identified by authorities.
The plane, a high performance L-39 Albatross jet trainer, was attempting a 45-degree bank when it crashed, Assistant Police Chief Don Schaeffer told CNN affiliate WQAD.
The pilot was a member of the Hopper Flight, a group of exhibition fliers, Schaeffer said.
A home video taken by a spectator showed what appeared to be three airplanes flying in formation when one appeared to experience a problem.
Seconds later, the plane hit the ground and exploded in a giant fireball.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please keep your seats,” an announcer can be heard saying on the video obtained by CNN affiliate KWQC.
“We have training and personnel on board to handle these situations.”
The crash is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety, officials said.
The air show was temporarily halted after the crash, with “Taps” being sounded as aircraft flew in formation over the crowd.
The crash occurred just days after federal investigators released their findings behind the cause of a crash last September at the National Champio
News video | 984 views
The investigation into the air show disaster in Iowa is ongoing and it may be weeks until the cause of the crash of the military jet can be determined.
The horrific crash resulted in the death of Glenn Smith. He died after the Soviet-era trainer he was flying crashed in a shocking accident at the Iowa air show.
Best friend Jim Wilson has said of the crash video, 'I can't bear to look at it.'
He still refuses to watch any footage of the terrible accident that killed his friend, and it still appears that everyone is at a loss at what caused the crash.
'He was guy who crossed every T and dotted every I. He knew everything about his airplane,' Wilson has said, according to CBS News.
According to those close to the accident there was no distress call made by the pilot before it crashed, and it remains a mystery. 'We're all human and we don't know what happened but Glenn was one of the few gentlemen in 42 years of flying that I'd crawl in an airplane with without reservation.'
News video | 549 views
Investigators are trying to determine the cause of a fighter jet crash caught on tape by spectators at an Iowa air show that killed a pilot.
Three jets in tight formation rumbled over the crowd at the Quad-City Air Show in Davenport, Iowa, Saturday when one of the pilots, 59-year-old Glenn Smith, appeared to lose control of his plane, a Soviet-era fighter plane.
A home video captured the pilots going into a complicated maneuver, switching places mid-air and passing within inches of each other before the plane made a dive straight down.
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“We don’t see anything mechanical at this time but we want to make sure that we have it documented that we have everything,” said Asst. Chief Don Schaeffer of the Davenport Police Department.
Since 1991, air show accidents in North America have killed 72 pilots and performers, and more than 12 million spectators attend air shows each year.
“There hasn’t been a spectator fatality at a North American air show since 1952, and that’s because of the strict rules that have been in place for nearly 60 years,” said John Cudahy, president of International Council of Air Shows.
Aircraft must stay 500-1,500 feet away from crowds and avoid flying toward people, and aerobatic pilots must be tested reg
News video | 635 views
Fellow passengers strap down a man they say became out of control after getting drunk.
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The National Transportation Safety Board says the investigation into a fatal crash at an air show in Iowa could take months. The 59-year-old pilot was the only person killed. (Sept. 3)
News video | 473 views
It could be days or even weeks before we know what caused the crash of a vintage military jet in Iowa last weekend that took the life of a Frisco man.
Glenn Smith died when Soviet-era trainer he was piloting crashed during an air show.
Smith and best friend Jim Wilson have aircraft stored in private hangars on the south side of the Collin County Regional Airport in McKinney. Wilson said Smith was a meticulous pilot who he trusted with his own life.
“I can’t bear to look at it,” Wilson says of the crash video. He hasn’t looked at the video that took his friend’s life, but he has talked to Glenn Smith’s flying partners and so far, no one can explain what happened.
“He was guy who crossed every “T” and dotted every “I.” He knew everything about his airplane,” says Wilson.
Witnesses say there was no mayday or distress call. The aircraft veered off and went toward the ground at a 45-degree angle.
Wilson can’t explain it, either. “We’re all human and we don’t know what happened but Glenn was one of the few gentlemen in 42 years of flying that I’d crawl in an airplane with without reservation.”
An aerial photographer, Wilson says Smith’s passion was jet powered warbirds, especially those from the “other side.” He was flying a Czechoslova when he died.
“He had just finished restoring a Korean era Mig-17 to probably the finest condition of any airplane of its type in the wo
News video | 561 views
Glenn Smith left a lucrative job at a Dallas-area technology firm for an early retirement of restoring Soviet fighter jets and flying to exhibitions across the country.
He died Saturday when his nearly 30-year-old training plane nosedived during an air show in eastern Iowa and crashed into a field, authorities said. Spectators watched the 59-year-old Smith's plane erupt into flames, followed by a cloud of gray smoke. Nobody on the ground was hurt.
Smith had been flying in formation with other members of the HopperFlight team at the Quad-City Air Show in Davenport.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash. Senior air safety investigator Aaron Sauer said Sunday that a preliminary report on the crash is expected within a week, but a final report will likely take several months.
He said inspectors would examine the few remaining pieces of the plane, as well as Smith's autopsy and toxicology reports.
Smith did not make a mayday call or suggest any sign of distress before the crash, according to Sauer and Randy Ball, a good friend of Smith's.
Ball said Smith was a meticulous flier who would map every step of a flight plan beforehand.
'They practiced the day before and everything went fine,' Ball said.
Smith was a longtime technology entrepreneur whose company was acquired by Tyler Technologies, a Dallas-based com
News video | 646 views
Glenn Smith, the pilot of a plane performing at an air show in Davenport, Iowa, was killed when the plane crashed and exploded in front of thousands of spectators Saturday,
A plane performing at an air show in Davenport, Iowa, crashed and exploded in front of thousands of spectators Saturday.
The pilot of the plane was killed in the accident Saturday afternoon when the plane nosedived into an alfalfa field during the Quad City Air Show, officials said.
The pilot, who died on impact, was not immediately identified by authorities.
The plane, a high performance L-39 Albatross jet trainer, was attempting a 45-degree bank when it crashed, Assistant Police Chief Don Schaeffer told CNN affiliate WQAD.
The pilot was a member of the Hopper Flight, a group of exhibition fliers, Schaeffer said.
A home video taken by a spectator showed what appeared to be three airplanes flying in formation when one appeared to experience a problem.
Seconds later, the plane hit the ground and exploded in a giant fireball.
'Ladies and gentlemen, please keep your seats,' an announcer can be heard saying on the video obtained by CNN affiliate KWQC.
'We have training and personnel on board to handle these situations.'
The crash is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety, officials said.
The air show was temporarily halted after the
News video | 779 views
Every year since 1987 Davenport Municipal Airport puts on the Quad City Airshow which bring people from all around the mid-west. In 2010 the reported attendance to the air show was around 100,000 people packed in the airport to see deft and dangerous maneuvers put on by professional pilots. The 2012 Quad City Airshow this year was put in September 1st, 2012 through September 2nd, 2012. This year was mired in a dramatic air show crash killing a pilot.
At first authorities were not releasing the name of the pilot involved in the air show disaster but his name has seen been revealed. It was reported by WFAA in Dallas / Forth Worth that the name of the pilot in the airshow crash was Glenn Smith of Dallas, Texas.
Credit: HopperFlight.com
Glenn Smith was 59 years old and worked for a professional air show team called the Hoppers Jet Team. Their website is HopperFlight.com and features their complicated flight patterns and performances that they put in flying L-39 Albatros jets throughout air shows across the country. In addition to the L-39 Soviet-era military jets they also fly MiG-17 Fresco jets, F-86 Sabre and A-4 Skyhawk planes.
Glenn’s nickname at The Hoppers Jet Team was “Skids.” The bio under the team description for Glenn Smith describes his background and what he specialized in:
The Quad City Airshow crash was reported to have happened when Mr. Smith could not pull out of a 45 degree bank and crashed into a field north of
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