Mass casualties as plane crashes into crowd at air show

Sep 17, 2011, 2:13 GMT

San Francisco - At least three people died and dozens were injured when a World War II plane crashed into a crowd of spectators at an air show in the US state of Nevada, media reported Saturday.

Two spectators and the pilot died in the accident on Friday, according to media reports. Reno television station KOLO had earlier said that up to 12 people were feared dead.

Mike Houghton, Reno Air Racing Association chief, said that 54 people were injured.

The P51 Mustang called the 'Galloping Ghost' was being flown by well-known stunt pilot and racing veteran Jimmy Leeward.

Witnesses said the pilot appeared to be trying to steer the plane away from the crowds shortly before crashing.

'He saved many people's lives today. It could have been far worse,' spectator Ben Cissell told CNN.

Witnesses told the broadcaster that the plane had crashed into a row of seats reserved in part for air show organizers.

Houghton said the National Transport Safety Board was investigating the crash, which appeared to have been caused by mechanical failure.

'There appears to have been a problem with the aircraft that caused it to go out of control,' he said.

A local broadcaster reported that the pilot had sent a distress call shortly before the crash.

Organizers called the incident a 'mass casualty situation.'

Witnesses said the plane slammed into the ground in front of grandstand filled with spectators at the Reno National Championship Air Races, sending debris and shrapnel flying into the crowd.

'There were lots of bodies with missing parts,' Greg Schwab of Provo, Utah, told the Gazette. 'I did not see a single person standing.'

'It was the most sickening thing I've ever seen just watching the plane, there was no plane left,' witness Greg Erny said.

The pilot was considered extremely experienced. He had been taking part in flying competitions since the mid-1970s, according to his Facebook page. He had also performed as a stuntman in several films, according to movie database IMDb.com.