Bill Anders Crash 7 June 2024

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[@jake_]

William Anders did not die in his bed. He lived his life to the full, achieved what very few did. At 90 years old he was performing aerobatic manoeuvres. Very few men like him have walked the Earth.

[@charleshaggard4341]

Died doing something he loved. A life lived to the fullest. RIP

[@dyer2cycle]

@@charleshaggard4341 I don't usually go for that "died doing what they loved" tagline...but at 90 years old, I think it does apply here...far better than lying in a nursing home waiting to die....

[@Restorationshopyt]

The fact that he was still doing something he loved so much proves that he wasn’t done living yet. Even at 90, to die this was is still absolutely a tragedy. Lots of people believe in this soundbite sentiment while they’re still alive, but you don’t get to ask anyone if their opinion changes after they’re dead. Dying doing what you love is always tragic.

[@ronhaworth5808]

Amen

[@samryan7954]

Way too early to state such! Autopsy, toxicology, etc. needs to be performed.

[@wdhewson]

Anders took the world's most famous image, "Earthrise"

[@RoseSharon7777]

😂😂😂

[@BrainWasherAttendent]

lol not a real photo but ok

[@scottiniowa1]

​@@BrainWasherAttendentYou're a sad little man and you have my pitty

[@kylenobes1]

​@@BrainWasherAttendentglad to see you're brainwashed 😂

[@kylenobes1]

This comment is sure to trigger all the space deniers.

[@Bill_N_ATX]

Well, he was an old pilot so he must have been careful for much of his life. He had over 8000 hours and a trip around the moon on his log books so if anything he knew better. But, it might have been one of those things he’d gotten away with many times before till that one time he just didn’t. Without regard, he was an amazing man. Annapolis graduate but joined the Air Force. Trained electrical and nuclear engineer. Astronaut, businessman for GE, Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Major General in the Air Force Reserves, and Ambassador to Norway. Left a wife of 69 years, six children, and many grandchildren and great grandchildren. Can’t say he didn’t lead a full life.

[@DrJohn493]

...and think about the (more) full life his kids and grandkids coulda lived if he had known when to stop flying.

[@evanm6739]

@@DrJohn493 oh come on really?

[@mikemorr100]

​@@DrJohn493 His kids are likely in their late 60's or 70's. His grandkids in their late 40's or 50's. While I'm sure he was an important person in all their lives, it's not like they depended on him anymore. While sad, I'm sure they weren't expecting him to be around forever. 90 is a long life.

[@-Hardhat-]

Around the moon eh lololo🤡 Vaxxanated eh ?

[@calvinnickel9995]

Sometimes luck runs out late in life. Same with Scott Crossfield who was first past Mach 2 but died in a small Cessna he tried to take through a thunderstorm.

[@raybame5816]

Juan, please don't let some of these comments get under your skin. The point is a really great guy and person whose done EVERYTHING, died doing something he loved dearly. I'm 80 and can tell u 10 more years goes by so quickly - blink of an eye. "He reached out on silvered wings, and touched the hand of God". RIP Gen'l Anders.

[@glenmoss02]

Well said, sir.

[@catherinenelson4162]

Thank you for your comment. I was thinking that he recently Had some bad news from his doctor.

[@catherinenelson4162]

So well said!

[@Gus_R]

RIP Bill Anders. He took the famous pic that was known as "Earth Rise" from the Apollo 8 command module which had a big impact on humanity. I saw him fly his P-51 over 15 years ago.

[@shauny2285]

That and Pale Blue Dot are the two most iconic space photos, IMO.

[@johnhouchins3156]

I did too, although it was before that. It was at the Camarillo air show and gave an autograph to my sons.

[@michaelclements4664]

I love the phrase "2 mistakes high". I started using it flying R/C airplanes and still use it today.

[@Paiadakine]

Same with paragliding.

[@TheSportFlyer-xy6sn]

Yup, common R/C saying, most GA pilots I meet seem unfamiliar with the phrase.

[@shmaknapublar]

We called it "two thumbs high". :)

[@eggertakerlie7320]

I had the honour of having Mr. Anders joining me on a helicopter flight in Iceland a few years ago. An amazing personality, a true gentleman. Godspeed Mr. Anders

[@jeffr6280]

I feel better about a 90 year old former test pilot/astronaut flying aerobatics than I do about a 16 y/o driving 75 mph on the interstate next to me. That being said, this was a very sad ending to an illustrious flying career.

[@calvinnickel9995]

@jeffr6280 Pretty erroneous to do so. First is the fact that light GA is far more dangerous than driving. Second is that when you get into aerobatics and warbirds the risk increases exponentially. Third is the sheer number of 16 year olds driving vs 90 year olds. 90 year olds get cheap insurance only because they drive a fraction of the amount. Fourth is that when you’re driving next to someone.. your relative velocity is nearly zero. The big wrecks you see are from people overreacting to a lane incursion rather than allowing low speed contact. 90 and aerobatics. This was an inevitable outcome from something who should have stopped flying years before. Sad.

[@georgegilbert7347]

@@calvinnickel9995 90 and aerobatics does not mean an accident is inevitable. It depends on the person's experience and physical and mental state. Granted, there are some old folks who should not walk across the street, but there are also a lot of old people who are still quite capable.

[@michelebouvet8074]

A men to that !

[@samryan7954]

Not an analogous thought. This guy was @ 1 000 feet. Try again....

[@darwinism8181]

I don't agree in any way to that. I was driving from the age that I could sit on my grandfather's lap and steer the car down the dirt road. I was driving on highways doing 75mph safely by 16 easily. A 90-year-old pilot is irresponsible and pure ego and hubris. It is driven by the urge to continue doing what gives you joy, not by anything else. There comes a time where you need to hang up your wings for the safety of everyone else around you, and if you ignore that then you are if anything more to blame than a novice who makes a terrible mistake.

[@lawrencerose5558]

He was one of the first 3 men ever to leave the planet earth and go to the moon. I’ve had beers and conversations with him at the monthly QB meetings . I’m not a hero worshiper but he was an exception. I felt like I was in the presence of Ferdinand Magellan and I told him so. Rest in peace, Bill.

[@Chatta-Ortega]

QB meetings?

[@adrianklaver113]

His plane collection used to be here(Bellingham, WA) at BLI until the Port of Bellingham pushed it out and he ended up one county south at the Skagit Regional Airport. They put on a air show every summer and I used to go with my Dad so he could see some of the planes that flew over him when he was a kid in occupied Netherlands. It was low key event where you got to talk with the pilots including Bill Anders. He was fun to talk with, he will be missed.

[@patrickkenney1080]

Godspeed Bill Anders. Colonel Borman was a friend of mine and he also had an immaculate T-34 that was an Oshkosh winner. Frank sold the T-34 when he couldn't climb in it anymore and bought a beautiful Cardinal with a full glass panel-he quit flying at 93. The word Earth was never capitalized until Anders took the Earthrise photo. Their legacies are National Treasures.

[@georgespalding7640]

Bill Anders lived an incredibly full life. His life was a veritable who's who of a combination of military discipline, engineering and leadership skills and versatile career in the Air Force. Anders was one of the first three men to leave the bounds of earth and venture to orbit the Moon. Maybe it's fitting that his final moments were in a flying machine. RIP.

[@georgespalding7640]

@@danielgregory3295 you're right. I just corrected that.

[@blancolirio]

Note: I missed pronounced Skagit...if that's all you got out of this video YOU ARE ON THE WRONG CHANNEL- try cnn.

[@YZ250W1]

All good Juan. My mom lives on Samish Island. Thanks for your efforts.

[@Jennifer-007]

Wow, harsh way to treat your viewers

[@j.griffin]

@@Jennifer-007 Not everyone is concerned about whether people are offended over trivial matters. This is an air safety channel, not a geography channel.

[@skagited9617]

LOL It's a Very common mistake, Juan.... But I was VERY tuned in to find out as much as I could about the accident! Life-long 'Skag(j)itonian here! My youngest son learned to fly out of Skagit Regional Airport. His first 'paying' flight was taking me and my fiance out to Friday Harbor for dinner. I had told him he could live 'rent free' as long as he was making progress on the license... and I got 'first flight'!!! Very sad accident!!

[@LuMaxQFPV]

I lived in the Seattle and Islands area from about 87 to 98. Had to learn all the weird names of places, and their even crazier local mutations. lol. I pronounced everything wrong for a couple years. "Skă-jət". for those curious what we're talking about.

[@LuMaxQFPV]

I had Anders' Earthrise poster on my wall for many years as a kid. RIP great man.

[@paolobernardi6835]

Me too!

[@briangarrow448]

Rest in peace. This man was a real American hero and gave us the better part of his career to helping us understand space. He lived 3 lives in his years here. Sincere condolences to his family and friends. He will be missed by many.

[@austinmccombs5606]

Juan, thanks for covering this incident. I live in Skagit County and have seen Bill fly this, and other aircraft, on numerous Fly Days that the Skagit Heritage Flight Museum puts on. They have lots of Apollo 8 memorabilia, but the best Apollo 8 memorabilia was always Bill, being there, flying and sharing his stories. His presence will be sorely missed. Prayers and well wishes with the Anders family and Heritage Flight Museum extended family in this awful time.

[@stevewallace1117]

I spoke with his son, a former F-15 pilot, at the 2023 Abbortsford after he flew the P-51 Valhalla. The Anders family and the Flight Museum added so much to the Burlington Regional Airport. The museum has a tribute section devoted to the Apollo 11 flight.

[@jimw1615]

Earthrise Gallery In spring of 2022, HFM opened the Earthrise Gallery, an exhibit that walks visitors through mankind’s first trip to the Moon. The successful Apollo 8 mission set many firsts in the history of human spaceflight. Frank Borman, James Lovell and William Anders became the first humans to leave Earth’s gravity and enter the gravity of another celestial body. They were the first humans to see the far side of the moon with their own eyes. The famous “Earthrise” photograph taken by William Anders later became known as one of Life Magazine’s “100 most influential photographs.” Six display units tell the Apollo 8 story from its inception to its lasting legacy. Video displays recreate the awesome launch of the Saturn V rocket, the crew’s life aboard the Command Module and the famous first Christmas Eve broadcast from the Moon. Artifacts on display include a piece of the Moon encased in NASA’s Ambassador of Exploration Award and presented to HFM founder William Anders.

[@EfficientRVer]

Hopefully you mean Apollo 8.

[@putteslaintxtbks5166]

To me, not so sad. He died with his boots on and doing what he loved. Sad would be withering away in an old folks home or an illness eating away at him. Few at 90 yrs old are still so active. RIP. Prayer to family.

[@eartha911]

My dad's last airplane was a T-34B that he bought from the Kentucky Civil Air Patrol in about 1983. He restored it to Navy livery, and did many airshows. I loved taking trips and doing aerobatics in that rear seat. They took his license due to a recurring cancer about a decade ago. He was a retired veterinarian, so I used to tease him about how technically, he was a doctor in a Bonanza. God Speed, Mr Anders. Tell Papa hello.

[@rescue270]

For those who don't know, the V-tailed Beechcraft 35-series Bonanzas were nicknamed "The Fork-Tailed Doctor Killers" because only someone with a doctor's income could afford to buy one, and many who did were not ready for such a high performance airplane. Quite a few well-off doctors got into trouble and died in their new Bonanzas back in the day.

[@cal-native]

My ex's son would refuel Bill's P-51 Valhalla at Ramona airport in the nineties. They struck up quite a friendship, and Bill would give him rides in his Mustang. Apparently one of Bill's walls at his residence was completely covered with the "Earth Rising" photo. He was a great guy. RIP.

[@michelebouvet8074]

Right on! 👊

[@evanm6739]

RIP to a great astronaut

[@tu_alum5619]

I flew the Navy version of the piston-engine T-34 in primary training in 1969. I'm sure that he was well beyond expert in many airplane types, but I do recall that you could fairly easily pull the aircraft into mild buffet when coming down the backside of a loop, pointed straight down. Also, judging your altitude above water can be really difficult, at any age.

[@georgegilbert7347]

Same here (in 1968 for me). I remember loops were pretty easy but at that stage of training they did make be nervous. I do remember the Navy was VERY insistent on entering with the right airspeed. I am thinking Basic had a minimum altitude for aerobatics, but don't remember what it was; do you?

[@kenmarsh2668]

Went through primary in early 1969 also; old man now but if memory serves me, we did aerobatics from 6000 ft. Spins, loops, split s etc. could be wrong but that’s what came into my head first so correct me if I’m wrong.

[@tu_alum5619]

@@georgegilbert7347 No, I don't remember a minimum entry altitude requirement, but since the Navy had a procedure for everything, I'm sure there was one.

[@rickdecastro4584]

Blue skies and tailwinds, Brother.

[@MikeKobb]

Very sad. RIP to a hero of our time. Not speculating about this accident specifically, but my dad always agreed with you on altitude for acro. He would fly anything at 6,000 or above, and taught me to do the same.

[@theblackbear211]

I'm up here in the PNW - I saw the report and video first, and I've bee waiting to hear your take on this.

[@dmh54321]

RIP Maj. Gen. William Anders. The "Earthrise" photo is my favorite photo of all-time. Thank you.

[@davemyers7507]

Thanks for the update 😊

[@geofiggy]

Thanks for the update JB. You clean up real good after that bike excusion. ❤ Take care and fly safe. 🤟🏼🖖🏼

[@evanm6739]

Sucks that KZbin is demonetizing you we are just trying to get educated

[@jamescollier3]

only the propaganda can fly

[@alanw.4511]

Why would YT do this???

[@lmrecorders]

@@alanw.4511 The news channel might be the rights holder and youtube doesn't want to monetize content where people die or are injured in the video - even if it is news.

[@Abledoggie42]

Great news!

[@bernieschiff5919]

@@alanw.4511 The video shows an explosion or fireball as the aircraft hits the water at an angle and skips. It seems if he had about2 or 300 feet additional altitude he could have recovered. My question, what was he thinking? A pilot with his experience and smarts apparently exhibiting very poor judgement. Showing off to someone on the ground or on the water perhaps?

[@MaryMaguire01]

There is another news clip out there that interviewed the couple that took the video. If I remember correctly the plane was doing some maneuvers which made them start taping. Condolences to the family, at least he was doing something that he loved to do.

[@kristinahansen1]

That makes sense and aligns with the potential scenario described in the video. Unfortunate.

[@AndersMcA]

I met Bill's son Greg at Seafair in 2022. I refueled Valhalla, the P-51, after it returned from the performing in the show. The first time I'd met another Anders (even if just a last name) out there in the world. I remember he mentioned something about his dad, so I did some googling. After that meeting, it led me down the rabbit hole learning about Bill Anders, making the Earthrise connection, and putting the heritage museum up at Skagit on my to-do list. Quite surreal when I saw the news and video of this crash. Even moreso when I learned it was Bill. This just adds to a tragic few weeks for aviation in the PNW, with each crash seemingly hitting closer and closer to home. Rest in Peace, Bill.

[@Vvardenfell_Outlander]

Been waiting for your video on this. Godspeed to Bill. A great man. Just a point of clarification, the airport is pronounced with a JIT sound instead of a GIT sound.

[@MusicMom123]

🙏💙 Thanks Blanco. Blue Skies to our Nation's Astronaut. What a great Life he lived. His interviews are so fascinating and interesting. As tragic as any Aviation loss is, it's wonderful to know he was enjoying himself up there in the Sky. Prayers for Comfort to his Family and Loved Ones. 🙏✈️

[@813Aviation]

90 years old and still doing aerobatic flying!! I'm not a pilot, not even on MSFS. Some comments say if he had another hundred he would have made it. I hope when he met the Good Lord, he said "Missed it by that much!" Rest in Peace Sir! IF I live to 90, I'll be glad if I'm aware enough to know which direction the restroom is. :)

[@falsedragon33]

He is an absolute legend. You make a good point on age. 90% of this chat will not see 80, as they can't stop participating the poison that is our food supply, or one of the many drugs that gets people through life. Their biggest accomplishment, being avoiding that 3rd divorce. This man was flying aerobatics at 90. That is so damn impressive, the idea alone is worth 10 years of any of our pathetic lives.

[@superwhuffo1]

I like your comment.. but the "Good Lord" is an invention of human thought.

[@bretyoung1869]

Great video Juan !!! You are the best investigator.

[@frankgulla2335]

Thank you, Juan. I knew you would have more details.

[@keithwalker6892]

Glad to hear from you again .retired engineer and pilot.

[@justsnappy]

“Two mistakes high.” Good advice!

[@clarencegreen3071]

Yep, even RC pilots flying their toy airplanes recommend this.

[@robertdavis6708]

Thanks for the updates. Your 310 is looking beautiful too.

[@markfox6596]

As we have seen many times before, 35 Year old pilots mess up... If his medical was up-to-date, it doesn't matter how old he was... It was an accident. I was glued to the black and white tv as they orbited the moon, I was 8 years old at the time.

[@foghornleghorn8536]

" If his medical was up-to-date, it doesn't matter how old he was... " Get back to us when you're ninety and we'll see how you feel about that comment then.

[@davidkavanagh189]

The medical is not a certificate of capability of judgement in aerobatic flying. Flying solo at 90 should not be allowed in any kind of flying.

[@jllucci]

​@davidkavanagh189 Agreed. There come a time where if you want fly where it good enough to get up there and leave acrobatics to the younger pilots.

[@MattyEngland]

I watched bambi when I was 8, that wasn't real either

[@jonathanellis1842]

I haven't read all the comments but when I watch the attached clip, it looks like the 2015 Shoreham Airshow crash. Both pilots were very experienced and had many hours of flight time, both ran out of room in very similar ways, as I see it.

[@Andrew-hi6il]

90 years old, Space Explorer, Family Man, Military Man. That is how to live and die. ❤

[@pwhite2579]

Thanks for the info!

[@MaryK4242]

Thank you Juan.

[@cvkline]

Holy crap, I won't even let my students practice simple stalls at less than 2000 AGL.

[@falsedragon33]

Its inappropriate to compare him to normal people, for at best they are pathetic in comparison.

[@Restorationshopyt]

@falsedragon33 The laws of physics do not care even slightly about a pilot’s skill level. Performing acrobatics at extremely low altitude is unbelievably foolish, as this very crash proves.

[@MattyEngland]

​@@falsedragon33OK boomer. Muh tinfoil and LSD

[@shadowdog500]

There may be something to your low altitude roll theory. Here is a statement from a witness that I just heard on a news brief. "It went into a barrel roll, sort of a loop. It was inverted, went into this barrel roll loop thing Tried to pull up before it hit the water, but it was too low and it started to loop, and it didn't clear the water. It looked like it clipped a wing at first and went down very hard, burst into flames, broke apart, and instantly went underwater."

[@jimarcher5255]

Looks like he dished out on a roll at a low altitude. Ive done the same and witnessed experienced acro pilots do the same - one with a fatal outcome. Altitude is your friend.

[@davidatovar]

Yup. That's what I saw and I'm not a Aviator.

[@michaelharper4989]

Sad News!!! I sailed my small sailboat in those waters. It is a wonderful area as are all the areas from the lower sound to Alaska. I wish I had been rich enough to have a vacation home there. The Apollo era was an era when America was a Can Do country. Sad we have become a Can't do country. I was lucky enough to work on Apollo projects that are still on the moon. Our division chief was one of the Apollo astronauts - Al Worden. I worked at TRW for a bit till the program was canceled and TRW laid off hall of the staff and I escaped to the loving arms of NASA..

[@Chris-Nico]

I have that photo in my office along with the Wright Brothers first flight in Dec 1903. Those two photos represent 65 years of aviation innovation and invention. RIP Gen Anders. Great American 🇺🇸

[@FLFlyGirl]

My 100 year old mom keeps telling me not to live until 100 so I've told her I'm going to start flying aerobatic maneuvers at 85.

[@baomao7243]

Drug addiction is cheaper and quicker.

[@antontsau]

@@baomao7243 but aeros is much more attractive!

[@baomao7243]

@@antontsau won’t disagree

[@ehsnils]

Base jumping?

[@ninjalectualx]

Is your mom suicidal? She sounds like she hates her life

[@Raptorman0909]

He was one of the last of the Apollo astronauts, he circled the Moon but didn't land so he was an Apollo astronaut that went there but didn't get to walk on the Moon. He did, however, capture one of the most historically significant pictures with "Earthrise". There are only six remaining and all of them are 88 or older. I hope when we return to the Moon, as we must, that at least one of them is still with us. I have to say piloting an aerobatic AC at 90 is kinda pushing it, but I have no way to know how mentally and physically fit he was to be doing that. Just that 90 is getting up there.

[@falsedragon33]

Really, he captured that picture? I didn't get that from the 1000 other comments and articles that mention that. I must be dense.

[@MarcDasent-wh9ej]

As usual. Great video

[@spankyharland9845]

so sad, he was one of the very first men who traveled to the moon. Frank Borman passed away and only Jim Lovell is left to tell us the adventure of Apollo 8. Bill Anders is the astronaut who took the famous Earth rise photo- whenever I look at that photo, I will always remember Bill Anders.

[@Halli50]

What strikes me was his age: 90! The good news: He went out with a bang - alone! No collateral damage... Regardless of his experience, anyone fooling around with potentially high-G maneuvers at this age is playing with fire. I am a long-retired professional, still flying privately at 74. My father is 96 now, but he was a low-time private pilot that had the good sense of quitting while he was still ahead. I am currently pondering when to quit. I am still quite competent, but I find that I am losing heart, losing my interest in flying. That is probably a very strong hint...

[@christopheroliver148]

There I'd agree. Aviation is demanding enough that if the motivation starts to flag, then other important things might go by the wayside. E.g. you're just not quite as thorough with your pre-flight, and that catches up with you to fatal effect. I thought about taking lessons, but I came to realize that I'm just not sharp enough that way. The way great pilots such as Dale Snodgrass and Matt Hayden died made it clear I just have too many brain farts to be a pilot, and I'm saying this as someone who took a degree in math and has programmed computers for most of my life.

[@psiturbo]

Someone posted in another YT vid a sentence that applies to this tragedy; The older I get, the better I was...

[@dwainsellers6453]

Maybe it was his choice to go out this way. He was 90 and had nothing left to prove. RIP

[@falsedragon33]

Men like that never tired to prove anything. They left that for the pathetic. RIP, and absolute legend.

[@sarahalbers5555]

I thought about that as well.

[@tedpeterson1156]

I’m not persuaded first of all, he would wreck a nice plane like that. Occam was pretty sharp like that. He did provide interviews where he intimated that he would be flying so long as he could crawl in the cockpit. That’s not a bad philosophy. That’s how I will remember him. Never give up!

[@jimslimm6090]

I think that more likely was a brain "hiccup." I am only 70 and I am starting to notice me having done something that makes me think, why did I do that, I know better. I grant you that because he was capable of doing what he was still doing at 90, his brain was probably working better than mine; but, I can easily imagine a situation where he could have not considered his altitude. If you are under 70 or 80 or 90, and say that you can't imagine something like that happening to you, just wait and see.

[@dougscott8161]

RIP, Gen Anders, you've lived a full and envyable life. His flying skills at his age makes me wonder if he might have recently received news of a fatal illness and decided not to wait for nature to take things out of his hands.❤💯💢💥

[@sx300pilot5]

If you are not a highly experienced professional, the biggest rules to not violate in low-level aerobatics is never let the nose get below the horizon. Once he hit that downline, he was dead, he just didn’t know it yet.

[@tsbrownie]

I got an aerobatic signoff when I was in my late 30s. I can tell you a pull out takes blood pressure control (the big grunt) and strength. It was not easy then in a Citabria, let alone a heavier and less maneuverable plane. Better men than me agree. I have a Tomcat colleague who quit at age 38 because he was too old. In the end, Anders had a great life and died doing what he liked.

[@gwiyomikim5988]

Yes. Is a 90 year old doing acrobatics at greater risk of blacking out? Too early to conclude anything, but Anders had a remarkable life for sure.

[@antontsau]

I am 52 and do not feel any significant problems from 4g pullout. Problems start at 6G, on 8G they are unevitable, but its only for jets or very special hardcore sport planes rated 10G.

[@raybame5816]

@@antontsau No problem 4 u youngsters. wait 'til u try it at 80. Maybe @ 90 u pull back hard enough to blackout. just thinkin.

[@antontsau]

@@raybame5816 at 80 mb. But not "40, its time to retire from flights!"

[@georgewoodland1766]

He was just offshore and doing an inside loop from what I could tell from the complete video a person on a neighboring island took. It was shown on Seattle TV. Looked like he was trying to pull out and was too low and hit the water just as he was at the bottom of the maneuver.

[@burlatsdemontaigne6147]

That's what it looked like. Ran out of sky.

[@kennixox262]

Bill Anders was what, 92 years old? There comes a point that one has to leave the cockpit. Who was the other very notable test pilot who in later years died flying a small private aircraft over the mountains? Same thing. There comes a point to where you have to hang up the helmet.

[@peterredfern1174]

Sad report Juan,may he R.I.P,safe flight mate,😢🙏🙏👍👋🇦🇺

[@gmcjetpilot]

The video from king 5 had an eye witness described a roll / loop. This person may or may not be a pilot but he said he started the maneuver too low.

[@P_RO_]

It makes sense when you see the vid. He simply ran out of sky at the bottom of whatever he was doing.

[@glenmoss02]

A very sad loss for the country. Condolences to the family.

[@falsedragon33]

How is that a sad loss? He lived until 90, and gave more than 1000 other men to society. Only to die doing what he does with a body that can no longer do it. It was his time. Now its ours to celebrate, for someone showed us how to really live.

[@ghimmy47]

Sure glad we had you to critique his flying.

[@howardnielsen6220]

Wow. That a major loss I grew up less then a 1/4 mile from his childhood home in Mt Helix La Mesa California. His cousin Jerry Anders was a very good friend of mine His father Bill Anders Sr. had a ver interesting background her was the skipper of the Panyan River boat that was strafed by the Japanese on the Yansee River China in 1937 Sorry about the chines spelling it’s the best I can

[@thesparkypilot]

Condolences to the Family of this national treasure. This has been a scary week for us Pacific NW GA pilots. Two deadly incidents in two days- both areas are places I have personally flown to a number of times. Having to wait twice for a tail number to make sure it wasn’t your friend was tough. Everyone, please please fly safe ❤

[@christibritton1436]

Was a pilot in Civil Air Patrol in the late '60s. Our squadron had a T-34 and my dad & I had a Beech Bonanza - basically the same airframe & engine as the T-34. Our planes were equally matched, washing & waxing skill determined the winner. I was rather concerned about the altitudes that he was performing aerobatics, both the Bonanza and the T-34 have wicked stall characteristics and take upwards of 5000 ft to recover. But Juan's last few comments indicate he misjudged how much altitude he needed for the maneuver or perhaps hit an unexpected downdraft. In any case, a tragic loss of beloved pilot and aircraft.

[@bernieschiff5919]

My theory: he may have suddenly pulled harder after realizing he might be too low and couldn't complete the maneuver, loaded up the wing and stalled. The video appears to show a flattening of the curve before he hits the water. Analysis of the video might be able to plot the flight path more accurately.

[@theargonauts8490]

These guys were the best of the best, rare breeds. Their lives made us a better people. Thank You Sir 🙏

[@pcowdrey]

Years ago, my instructors son decided to take our clubs T-34 for a loop and almost had enough altitude for the pullout. He survived but 61V did not. The T-34 is not a Cub. =PC=

[@Ea-Nasir_Copper_Co]

Fly High, sir.

[@bw162]

Juan, you cleanup good! No beard or dirt.

[@ElsinoreRacer]

What I remember about acro in a T-34 is that there wasn't that much asymmetric yaw (that I remember, anyway), so not so sure he dished out of a roll. But I DO remember it gathered speed in the vertical surprisingly fast. Pretty clean for its weight, and you wanted to start anything heading to the downward vertical with no extra airspeed.

[@teddsheyda7206]

I had the privilege of flying him from Langley AFB to Cape Canaveral in an Army King Air (U-21) back in the 70’s. He gifted me a personally signed official NASA Earthrise😊 photograph that currently hangs on my office wall. Was truly an interesting individual.

[@mkusch2337]

Years ago I was pulling yet my brain was starting to shut down. I had to reduce the pull to keep alert while entering the next maneuver which was partially botched as a result. All that to say that maybe there were two choices. 1) pull harder and GLOC or 2) ease the pull to minimize G effects and hope to not impact terrain. An important reason to have altitude while doing acro. 🙏💔

[@igclapp]

That seems like a very reasonable explanation of what might have happened here.

[@guidolyons4912]

Went out like a boss. 90 years old doing a loop in the T-34. Altitude insufficient for the maneuver. Better end than a hospital bed.

[@jimmierturner3597]

Thanks!

[@SPU858]

Simply a hero. Still remember as a kid, that beautiful pic he took of our earth on Apollo 8. He will be missed but his legacy will be remembered always!

[@jossy573]

Another GA accident JB. With the summer flying season underway, folks have to be careful and not push the limits of the aircraft and /Or the operator. Thank you very much as always @blancolirio. Looking forward to your full breakdown of events.

[@tra757200]

moving back home to the Skagit, (ska-jit), Valley. Makes me very sad and I hope they can keep his museum going.

[@masonjones3780]

Beautiful airplane. Been watching for a while now. Can't remember if you ever gave a tour of your plane

[@F84Thunderjet]

Many unanswered questions. I remember experiencing accelerated stalls going straight down during attempted spin recovery in a T-34 at Graham Air Base (now Marianna FL airport) while in Air Force primary flight training in 1959.

[@jerrynorton1080]

I have heard pilots say, the only thing one should be doing at less than 1,000 feet, is landing it

[@falsedragon33]

And none of those pilots were 1/100th of the man he was. Bill dominated the game of life.

[@secondrule]

@@falsedragon33 If something goes wrong, at 1K feet, there's NO time to recover. 1/1000 of the man he was...what are you in grade school? No one attacked the man, calm down. 3:50... are you going to call him 1/000 of the man he was.... ?

[@marsgal42]

"ska-jitt" Looking forward to learning more...any event like this affects us all.

[@astat148]

I was just going to say that…

[@flmoose1]

Same

[@jimdavis1939]

Me too.

[@calebdegard7759]

Thank you!!!

[@707Berto]

Roger...

[@samphillips8322]

He will always be remembered as a member of the Apollo 8 crew from 1968. Few people realize that was the first manned launch of the Saturn 5 (AS-503). The two prior launches were unmanned. (Schirra and his crew rode the S-1B into earth orbit.) Making Apollo 8 a translunar mission was a gutsy move with a lot at stake, but the crew (Borman, Lovell, and Anders) signed up for it. I was working in Saturn Flight Evaluation in Huntsville at the time. Your analysis of the accident based on the information we have appears to be very accurate. BTW, 86H looks good!

[@davidobyrne9549]

3000 feet minimum altitude is what we are always taught here in UK, right from initial PPL training when we carry out steep turns, stall turns and incipient spins. As soon as you mentioned the ADSB data I thought "he was too low" for a recovery from a poorly executed or mismanaged manoeuver.

[@timdykes6675]

Went out the same way Scott Crossfield. Flying. Don’t think they would want it any other way

[@trappedinkalifornee]

He was a great aviator and gentleman…..RIP SIR.🫡

[@yasumitsunaka6094]

The edited footage reminded me of the 2015 Shoreham Airshow crash but I am no expert and you are absolutely right that all the evidences have not been presented yet. RIP Bill Anders.

[@desertviews7503]

I took a friend up on their first ever flight in a GA airplane today - up to Skagit and over to Friday Harbor. I wasn't aware of the crash until they asked as we were flying over the islands if I knew where the crash had happened.

[@Carl_Aznable]

Rode in a Stearman once. Pilot took us up to 5000', we did aerobatics. Cold and amazing! We came back down to 1000' and he let me take the stick for a few minutes. It was just like Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 2. RIP Bill Anders

[@paulbervid1610]

Great conversation. Sad a great historical pilot had to pass in such a way. But he went out the way Patton said. The last shot in the last battle of the war.

[@trd4d]

Three small aircraft accidents in two days in western Washington. San Juan Islands, Auburn, and today in Ocean Shores.

[@ericvadekro8334]

Rest in peace Sir and thank you for your service …. Respect

[@briansilcox5720]

Anders was experienced enough to know what altitude to start a split S (or other maneuver) in a T-34 would be too low. Something else is at play here.

[@tulmar4548]

Has noone met a 90 year old ? . Most arnt even allowed to drive a car anymore in most countries let alone fly a plane.

[@toddburgess6792]

Doing what he loved ain't such a bad way to go. He lived THE life. R.I.P.

[@joebouch1779]

Back in the late 1980s an F-16 test pilot did the same thing while messing around with some workers on top of a house while returning to Carswell after taking an F-16 on a factory test flight. When he realized he wasn't going to make it he ejected but was too low and the vertical velocity was outside the envelope of a safe recovery.

[@Beltfedshooters]

90 years old and pulling positive Gs is not a good mix.

[@johngreydanus2033]

Why no one mentions medical episode? Perhaps a stroke?

[@steverowe1728]

Love ya Juan Be safe out there

[@klsc8510]

Juan, I was saddened to hear this news. I was at the Cape December 1968 to watch the launch of Apollo 8. It was my dream back then to watch a manned space flight launch. The Saturn V rocket wat beyond awesome to see being 3.5 miles away. The ROAR of those 5 F-1 engines was beyond words to describe! Thanks to Mom and Dad for making my dream come true! Getting there was another wild adventure when the pickup truck with an 11 foot pickup camper blew a rear tire just north of Valdosta GA on I-75. Dad did an amazing job fighting for control keeping the truck on the road. Juan, if in the air, this would have made your cut for broadcast! Dad used almost all of the paved surface in fighting for control! Me, I was in the cabover of the camper at the time! What a scary ride!

[@e030396]

Well put! "All To Common". What a tragedy to an icon who probably had another 10 years of productivity in life and someone to continue to look up to and emulate. These low altitude maneuvers have been hinder biters to Thunderbird pilots, Blue Angels, not to mention airshow military and civilian acrobatic demonstrations. It is great to have the experience, but without a consistent, focused and disciplined mindset at each cockpit entry the unprepared mind is at risk of being able to favor chance. "Chance favors only the prepared mind" Louis Pasteur. Thank you for your quality and informative updates.

[@mbvoelker8448]

I had wondered if he'd suffered a medical event, but what you're saying makes that sound unlikely.

[@LadyLithias]

I wondered the same. But then I have to wonder.... if he could choose from a list of three endings, wouldn't he choose the one he got? (A) A little Oops in his maneuver, and just long enough to say to himself "One little mistake", (B) Sudden coronary with him going "Damn it, I woulda made that maneuver, too!, or (C) dying in his sleep. Pretty sure that the caliber of human he was, He'd rather face his demise, own his mistake, and take the fallout with dignity, even if it was only a second or two between the oops and lights out. Just a thought.

[@johngreydanus2033]

Why no one mentions medical episode? Perhaps a stroke?

[@antontsau]

@@johngreydanus2033 when stroke or any other uncapacitancy happens the plane goes straight down, without any traces of pullout, controlled loop with vertical acceleration.

[@bernieschiff5919]

@@johngreydanus2033 An aneurism or stroke in an older person could happen quickly, it's usually preceded by symptoms or headaches, but not always. After reading comments here, it seems possible he exhibited poor judgement on altitude he needed for recovery. A flattening of the flight path in the video is curious, was he trying to level just above the water or was there a stall buffet as he tried to recover? Someone with a Mentor or aerobatic Bonanza (Scott Perdue of Flywire) should go out and try this maneuver (at a safe altitude) to find more clues.

[@bernieschiff5919]

@@LadyLithias I think you are probably close; I watched the video several times again last night, as an experienced military aviator, he probably knew entering this maneuver this low was fatal. Skipping off the water would just kill him but could be seen by some as a misjudgment. We are not aware of any family discussions he may have had but transitioning to riding in the backseat as a passenger in his T-34 may not have appealed to him.