Early Analysis: Reno Air Races T-6 Midair September 17, 2023

[@LandonChapman]

So incredibly sad that this was Mr. McSpadden's final report. RIP

[@lanceanz]

As a New Zealand armchair pilot, I've loved watching Richard's videos and listening to his podcasts. He comes across as the quintessential pilot. Calm, knowledgable, skilled, and totally trustworthy. My condolences to his family and friends.

[@ryanpace6351]

Such a shock to hear of the loss of one of the absolute pillars of the community. Rest in peace. Your videos were absolutely instrumental for me when i started flight training, and helped me on several occasions to "break the chain" and realize when im starting to get behind the aircraft. You will be missed sir. Clear skies and tailwinds.

[@dakotagorder2731]

Rest in peace sir, thanks for making me a safer pilot.

[@ellioth4319]

Rest in Peace Col, Richard. Your commentary and wisdom will have a forever lasting effect on how I view safety in aviation. Thank you.

[@soulsurvivor1001]

Rest in peace Richard. Thank you for everything you have done for the aviation community.

[@oscar_charlie]

So sorry to hear of the passing of Richard McSpadden. Blue skies, sir! Thank you for your service and your efforts to keep us safe and educated. To the rest of the Air Safety Institute team, sorry for your loss. I hope you will continue making content that will help the pilot community in the years to come.

[@tboss5653]

Rest in peace Richard, always loved watching these videos thank you for everything you have taught me, fly high.

[@jaxwilson3345]

Blue skies and tailwinds Richard, your commitment to making everyone a better pilot won’t be forgotten. God bless

[@byrondover]

All of general aviation lost a dear friend today. You were and will continue to be such an inspiration to me and so many others. Rest in peace. ❤

[@phoneix035]

Rest in peace Richard, thank you for your contribution to the aviation community. Strength to your family.

[@64_Falcon]

This host Richard died yesterday in a plane accident. RIP Richard thanks for working to make general Aviation a safer place

[@GabeClendenning]

Just really really sad to hear the news about Richard’s passing, what an incredible contribution he has made to aviation safety and flying.

[@blancolirio]

Check out the Live Feed, sounds like these racers did NOT go into the cool down pattern and instead went directly into the landing pattern, then the mid-air. Jb.

[@mrpickles536]

Interesting. Look forward to your analysis of this.

[@GONE_Organizing]

Richard thank you for keeping us Safe RIP

[@dagwood527]

I've been following Nick Macy and Six Cat since I was a kid. When I was looking at his plane in 2000, he invited me under the rope and walked me around it. Asked me about flying, and then offered to sign my program. He was such a good guy.

[@rattler254]

Rest in Peace and fair winds Richard. You were an inspiration to many.

[@ChimkenNuggers]

Rest in peace Richard. Your content has made a profound impact on the aviation community. You will be missed.

[@OmarKnowCars]

Very sad day. The speaker in this video has just passed in a Cessna crash today Sunday October 1st, 2023. After many years of providing so much for the safety of General Aviation. Rest in peace Mr. McSpadden. You will be missed 😢

[@JMChladek]

OMG, seriously? The Reno crash is bad. But this is a major gut punch.

[@sethtenrec]

@@JMChladekit’s called irony

[@wallyzworld7108]

It was a long day yesterday. I was at my brother's house (last house on Coyote Run Court) watching the racing, but the race had finished so wasn't really paying attention. Heard a loud initial bang looked up to see Barons Revenge in a left bank and Six Cat's prop impacting and severing the tail section on Barons Revenge. Six Cat immediately made a hard right barrel roll over the house and impacted inverted near vertical 250 yards behind the house. Barons Revenge went down behind the trees so couldn't tell at the time if it hit the houses on Osage. Barons Revenge's tail was recovered from the backyard area of the houses on Osage between Coyote Run Court and White Owl Drive. Sad to see the races end this way.

[@GLC-1979]

Was the tail found in the bed of Fred Sandford's truck?

[@jaredl.1738]

It was terrible, especially the hour or so before they announced no one was walking away from it. People started crying when they announced it, and we all knew the races would be over forever after that.

[@vangroover1903]

@@GLC-1979 No you Fool, the junkyard is the other way!!!!!!!!

[@vangroover1903]

So, the planes are a write off as well then?

[@Mike-01234]

@@jaredl.1738 Maybe they find another place to run the races I think tribal land is the best in Arizona. We have casino hotels already support drag racing at wild horse pass won't have the problem with developers on that land. Lower altitude then Reno they only need to adjust the date a few weeks forward heat won't be a problem. Metro area of Chandler is only 30-minute drive same distance from Reno to the Stead airport now. They could even build a runway dedicated to Air racing with grandstands don't really need an existing airport.

[@ericfielding2540]

Thanks for the respectful discussion of the early information about the accident.

[@phogan1971]

I watched all of Richards analysis with great interest. He radiated the wisdom of a seasoned pilot. His professionalism and respect for pilots and their families was always at the forefront of his commentary. As a pilot from Ireland, I gained much from his analysis and all the content of AOPA. My condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. I hope you can recover and continue your invaluable work in his name. RIP

[@drzoltanvajo142]

When I read about his accident, I was completely shocked! Thank you, sir, for making these videos for us. Rest in peace, Richard! You will be missed!

[@edkostiuk5148]

RIP Rich it was a pleasure of knowing you all these years.

[@Jetairplane]

Richard you will be missed. A lesson that anything can happen to anyone.

[@57Jimmy]

Thank you very much for this highly professional and empathy filled report. That freeze framed photo speaks volumes. No need for video. The absolute final moment of a highly respected pilot that, if not for missing the tail, would still be flying that beautiful ol’ T-6 Texan. 😢

[@Volcanicsquash]

Always appreciated the way you presented the facts and analysis without creating speculation, thank you for everything. Rest easy sir

[@Turboy65]

I would have personally expected that rules would have been in effect that require the racers to go into the cool down pattern and hold their race order and land one at a time under tower directions.

[@jackprier7727]

Me too-

[@NoelleTakestheSky]

I’m astonished that they’re not under tower, even a remote tower or other controller, directions for landing. Seems supremely stupid and dangerous that they’re not. That needs to change.

[@richardnolan4763]

It's an "uncontrolled airport" which means although there is a "tower" there is no tower staff....not even during the races. Stead Airport Operations Airport use: Open to the public Activation date: 08/1943 Control tower: no ARTCC: OAKLAND CENTER FSS: RENO FLIGHT SERVICE STATION NOTAMs facility: RTS (NOTAM-D service available) Attendance: MONDAY - FRIDAY 0700-1630 Pattern altitude: 5850.1 ft. MSL TPA-6246(1200) HEAVY/HIGH PERFORMANCE ACFT. Wind indicator: lighted Segmented circle: yes Lights: ACTVT HIRL RWY 08/26 & 14/32 - CTAF Beacon: white-green (lighted land airport) Operates sunset to sunrise.

[@AviationJeremy]

That’s definitely something that should change at the new location. Have a controller, even a temporary controller, coordinating the takeoffs and landings, and to take charge in the event of an emergency or anomalous situation.

[@superzee172]

@@richardnolan4763 Couldn't we simply have a temporary controller for this event, just for safety? We have done this at the Copperstate Fly-In for years.

[@Convair_F-106]

Rest in peace Richard. Such a tragedy that this was your last report. Blue Skies and Tailwinds!🩵

[@Brian.Murray]

I'm working on a video for tomorrow about what I saw, with some details that I didn't show on stream.

[@Dusty7460]

Rest in peace Richard. Thank you for knowledge and passion for improving aviation.

[@happyhome41]

This recalls the accident in Texas of the P-63 mid-air with the B-17. In that case, the P-63 pilot had been pushed to rush, and was blind to the B-17 below him by the low wing. Here, the photo you showed, shows the vertical fall was hit from above with the evident propeller strikes. Yes, you covered all those points. Thank you for this report !

[@lutomson3496]

and sheared the tail and part of the wing, the other aircraft was seen to have lost a wing also i posted above also and the witnesses said one aircraft didnt turn and went straight while the other planes turned, that would be the 2 place finisher hitting the first place finisher

[@imana3808]

@@lutomson3496how do you know? I want more info (not saying I don’t believe you I’m just actually curious as to where you found out)

[@connorjohnson4402]

@@lutomson3496 Except that it didnt, one aircraft was above and the other either came up into it or the upper aircraft dropped down into it, this happened while getting into a pattern to land on the runway its not a case of a group of planes turning and one not, after the race and leaving the cool down its up to the pilots individually to maneuver themselves and get into a pattern to land. There is also a controller that can direct planes into the pattern to land but usually its left to the pilots to handle it among themselves. Also the second aircraft did not loose a wing it was probably damaged in some way but stayed together and didn't loose any major pieces. I don't think there's enough to go off of in that photo to say it was hit from above the prop strikes on the wings would look similar being above or from below . I was there didn't see the collision but saw the crash sites.

[@christophergagliano2051]

If you read the transcript of the p63/b17 accident it's clear that the air boss told the fighter pilots no less than three times to be above the bombers, three times and none of the fighters complied with that direction. Also the B-17 and other bomber pilots should have spoken up that the fighters continued to be at their altitude even though the air boss told the fighters to be above the bombers.

[@davesbrown]

I was thinking the same, blancoliro did a great analysis of that tragedy.

[@rnzoli]

Thanks for the factual, informative and respectful video again. This place feels like a tiny oasis in the vast desert of often disrespectful and highly speculative world of many other aviation channels and sites.

[@AnonyMous-jf4lc]

Boohoo

[@aristhought]

Rest in peace Mr McSpadden, what a sad day, and a huge loss for the aviation community. His analysis and expertise through the years undoubtedly saved many lives and made many people better pilots. RIP, and condolences to his loved ones.

[@waynejh]

Best explanation of how the pattern works for the Reno races. So sad. I’ve had the misfortune of seeing a crash years ago at a small air show in Santa Paula California in the 90’s. A Long Easy looped too tight at too low an altitude. Always sad!!!

[@connorjohnson4402]

@@My_Fair_Lady Yea agreed its not really the best I've never seen planes fly that green landing circuit he showed

[@danielcarlson800]

Closest I've seen was an old (straight-tail) Cessna 310s gear fail to lock down upon landing at Brackett Field (KPOC). Not sure if the pilot had foreknowledge of the situation.

[@NarbonneGauchoBoingo]

RIP Mr. McSpadden, condolences to the family. Thanks for all you did to promote safety and keep pilots smart by learning from these reports.

[@robwhite2282]

RIP brother Richard. My condolences to your family. Thank you for making us all better pilots.

[@rilmar2137]

RIP Richard. The aviation community will miss you

[@SR71_Blackbird]

Blue skies and tailwinds, Richard.

[@reyesben]

I’ve always been enamored with the fighter plane style, continuous, turn from downwind to short final, but you just outlined a very good reason for the rectangular pattern when discussing the belly-up risk. One can’t check to see that final is clear in that continuous turn

[@ezragonzalez8936]

And 2 weeks later our prayer are with your family Richard such a tragic shock!!!

[@dt10825]

Shocked as well to hear the news about Richard. I've learned so much from his videos. My condolences to the family. Rest in peace.

[@stefanschutz5166]

Thank you so much from Amsterdam for this respectful video.

[@inspector4133]

All mid airs like this are so sad, but it's especially so in circumstances like this. I grieve for the family and friends of the pilots, and heartbreak of the Reno Air Race family that try to hard to prevent things like this from occuring.

[@Saltlick11]

Good report, so very sad. RIP aviators. May God bless the families.

[@john-jk2ni]

Wow. Just wow... May Richard rest in peace.

[@koruakillsityes3002]

Our hearts are with you and your loved ones Richard...and also with Russ Francis and his. God Bless and care for all of you. The world is a lesser place today.

[@great-life-experiences2024]

R.I.P Sir. You seemed like a real top notch guy. Would have enjoyed going for a flight with you . Fly high, Colonel 🫡

[@DadsTimeOutdoors]

There is audio from a Valley of Speed Live Feed video that was running at the time of the incident .....it caught sounds only of the whole incident...... you can hear on the frequency in the background "Race 6 Downwind abeam" then a few seconds later "Race 14 Base Gear Down" is heard..... then you hear the people in the background start screaming and gasping as they witness the midair....... very likely SixCat Race 6 didnt see or know soon enough that Race 14 was in front of him and in the turn for base to final and likley in his underwing blindspot when he turned base... so sad that it happened.......i remember watching SixCat and Nick Macy when i was a kid in the 90s..... Household name in the T6 class.... very sad to see happen......

[@nickatnite68]

RIP. Just watched this video a few days ago and was impressed with Mr. McSpadden's commentary. Prayers for him, Russ Francis, and their families.

[@Paul1958R]

Colonel McSpadden, Thank you for this. Paul (in MA)

[@zachinquarantine8937]

RIP Mr. McSpadden. You were an inspiration to all of us. 💔

[@kaba4466]

Just heartbreaking. Absolutely hate to hear of the fatalities. Condolences to the families of the pilots, may they continue to soar in our hearts.

[@leehill9083]

We are heartbroken we need prayers

[@kkteutsch6416]

These " accidents" became common on those air shows... I'm an aviation enthusiast and r/c modeller but something needs to do about...

[@tomasinacovell4293]

It's built into their draw, it's a race, ditz. Unless these wealthy people start production lines for these old war birds there should be a ban of these gladiatorial "races". They should save these aircraft and go back to designing and developing large scale aircraft like these and others from the 30's, maybe develop super-prop eclectic, anything that would advance this and keep from losing yet another few irreplaceable relics. I personalty just love to see them collide and spin in, stupid pilot errors and poor planing "cutting corners" on more than just design and safety like they do in the companies that these tyrants run, it's a good way to laugh at the rich scum buying more than our real estate .

[@sethtenrec]

@@kkteutsch6416yeah, and even the host of this video. Rich boys in toys.

[@NoelleTakestheSky]

Thank you for being so quick with these videos. Obviously they aren’t the final word from the NTSB, but they’re great analyses that limit baseless speculation, and they give those of us who watch crash videos to see what we can learn some great information to go on. I’m just a student, but try to learn all I can. My thought is that not trying to learn causes the deaths of others to be in vain. So…what can I take away from this? I’ll be reflecting because there will be something, however small, and I think we’ve all got a duty to take what we can to try to be even a little safer.

[@theraptorsnest5891]

The day you get handed your pilot's license, is the day you being a lifelong education about flying/aviation. Good luck getting your ticket!!!

[@ericmcleod7825]

The take-away is that all pilots need to actively check for traffic on every leg of the traffic pattern. The commentator in the video calls them 'belly" turns. All pilots also need to make accurate and correct position reports in the traffic pattern.

[@jimmyhaley727]

dont fly and save your life/$$$$

[@woogiewoogie0012]

So saddened to hear of his passing. RIP Colonel. Thank you for sharing your insights and perspectives with a community that you clearly loved and cared for. The feeling is mutual.

[@theraptorsnest5891]

Prayers for all involved. What a tragic event.

[@tysongonsorowski8574]

Fastest guys were the ones that crashed.. huh.

[@rollsmerlin1659]

yeah ... that'll help !

[@graysonwilliams4826]

Rest in peace, Richard. You have undoubtedly saved many lives with your reports.

[@edwardthayer9386]

WOW! that picture is heartbreaking! To know his was alive in that picture and there's nothing you can do to save him. Plus he knows something is wrong. That had to be terrifying!☹️

[@aml258]

He “knows something is wrong?” At that point, the pilot already knows his fate. Horrible.

[@danielmacpherson1630]

It must have been because it has been edited out. That picture is the only thing that gives a clue as to what happened. Prop strikes, no wing strikes. It does not appear anywhere in the media.

[@LOTI2000]

Boom! Splat.

[@flybayer_official]

Where is the photo? Don’t see it anywhere in the video

[@Roland_Rohrle]

Thank you for the detailed explanation of how the pilots usually prepare for landing after a race.

[@mikemorr100]

Have there been more mid-airs recently? I feel like I've read about more this year than usual. I suppose though that every accident is mostly an isolated incident and a pattern is likely coincidence if it exists at all.

[@Triple_J.1]

Air Venture and now Reno were mid-airs. The P-63 and B-17 in Texas was mid air also of course. Most crashes have been single aircraft. The Mig-23 ejection, AT-6 stall/spin into lake at OSH '23, etc.

[@jamesjohnson6309]

Rest in Peace Mr. McSpadden

[@chuckpegram439]

Thanks Boss....Thunderbird Supply 1980-83..First F16 Team.

[@leilanirocks]

Find myself here again just to hear Spad’s calm and knowledgeable discussion about the Reno tragedy, just weeks before he himself was lost. ✈️ 👼

[@thebestofj.fraley]

I've lived in Reno and Stead and was there during the last accident when a plane went into the crowd. I lived right by the base and could watch the air shows from my back yard.

[@Oldpocalypse]

I knew Richard a little bit (I've done some freelance editing/writing for AOPA over the years). A wonderful guy, a true gentlemen. He did such good work with AOPA. RIP to one of the greats.

[@gluon81]

Thank you for the informative, clear, professional and respectful analysis.

[@sheldonholy5047]

I just heard the news via Avweb. What a shock. My condolences to Richard's family.

[@lisajohnson1763]

I saw the whole thing. We were about 400 yards from where the first plane landed.. I kept thinking that they could see each other and one of them was going to pull up. On the cool down I noticed the black plan seemed to not fly out further and come around like the other planes at the very end you could see they saw each other but what they did countered one another. Such a sad end to a wonderful event. Thoughts and prayers to both families.

[@Bruce.-Wayne]

Can't believe my ears, I just found out about this terrible news....he was my favorite guy in this channel...RIP, you were a Great Aviator

[@EirikV]

Rest in peace Col McSpadden. Thank you for your work. It has made me a better and safer pilot. My condolences to your family and friends.

[@captaincurle4529]

Rest in Peace, Richard. Thank you for your outstanding service to the aviation community.

[@AndersMcA]

Rest in Peace, Richard.

[@alexandrembuyu9041]

R.I.P. 🖤✈️🖤

[@santiagochapa2380]

Rest in peace brother Richard. Thank you for your service, and commitment to making the skies a safer place. You have undoubtedly saved many lives by graciously extending your knowledge to us through this platform. You will be missed. ❤

[@kaci-qm5mz]

For everyone saying that the tower is "not manned" or there is "no tower" at the races, I regret to inform you that you are horribly mistaken. There is in fact an active tower during races, once all racers are on the ground for the day, there are additional FAA controllers that hike up to take over for a few hours for aircraft that wish to go up for check rides, photo ops, ect.. How do I know this you may ask? Well I've worked in the tower during races for years. Not only is there an Air Boss in the tower, there is his backup (mini-boss), there is a person in charge of performers when they are flying, there is "race control" (their job is providing runway info, wind speed/direction, and basically relaying any other pertinent information to pilots). Race control has an "assistant" you could say, who helps them keep track of who's in first and what's on second while racing, cool cool down, and landings are taking place. In years past, we used to keep a board with magnets for each racer on it and move them into their respective positions while on the course, cool down, and landing order. There is another person manning the ground frequency who takes over once aircraft are on the ground. Fire Control typically has 3 representatives in there as well, moving crash fire rescue assets to where they need to be for incidents, or prepositioning them. There also used to be 3 spotters in the tower. One on the east side, one in the middle, and one on the west side of the tower. Spotters jobs are obviously to keep eyes on aircraft from the time they're wheels up, until the time they're safely on the ground. They're also in there for accountability purposes. The spotter sitting directly behind Race Control would call out race numbers as they took off and landed to let Race Control and Fire Control know who's airborne, and who has landed safely. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) i was not in the tower this year, I was merely a spectator, so I cannot vouch for who or what positions they had in the tower. What I can tell you was as soon as we noticed there was something wrong, everyone in the tower was on their feet. So yes, the tower was manned last week during each and every single race.

[@jamesmurray3948]

Very informative, thank you. A commenter below who had been racer mentioned Airboss pressure to get the gaggle on the ground ASAP to the point of chewing out guys who had to go around. He since has edited that comment for what reason we don't know. What has your experience been. Deconflicting overhead patterns seems fairly simple.

[@bruceferris1635]

Notice how this guy never says anything about the two planes collided over houses in a residential section. The news didn’t even say that it was in a residential section. Why can’t the airplane stay over the airport?

[@jaredl.1738]

Terrible day yesterday. Hard to explain the feelings being there, knowing it was over for good. Tragic.

[@doubledistilled]

Rest In Peace Richard. You will be missed. Thoughts and prayers to the family and friends.

[@gerryortiz8324]

High density traffic like he mentioned with adrenaline and non standard patterns and cool zone drop downs etc seems like there needs to be a focus on returning to fundamentals. Long extended downwind patterns that are squared off. Also where did the communication breakdown? A quick I’m here who’s there ok I’ll come in behind you would of been enough to prevent any of these pattern issues. I don’t understand why the FAA frowns upon that type of communication. May they RIP 🙏

[@dalemullins4562]

wow. a lot to be learned from that horrific photo of the tail less T6 with prop marks across the wing. God Bless them.

[@garthrichert5256]

Thank you for such a thoughtful summary.

[@carloscortes5570]

I would have them do the cool down circuit for as long as they please but once they ready to land , instead of the "standard military pattern " you mentioned I would have them go down wind a few miles xtra in order to have more separation and then turn base...I feel the "standard military pattern "circuit is too short and congested...just common sense!!! BTW..I'm not a pilot just stayed at the Holiday Inn a few nights and watched " Probable Cause " by DG !! No...seriously my heartfelt condolences to the families of these great aviators and their colleagues!! May the both RIP!! Sad preventable tragedy!!!

[@connorjohnson4402]

Yea that circuit he showed isnt really correct I've never seen planes fly that as a circuit to land

[@dogfoodking]

Wow...that pic of the broken airframe.. devastating. Condolences to the familys

[@vangroover1903]

It's such a shame to see those vintage planes all smashed up like that.

[@aml258]

@@vangroover1903Seriously? That’s your concern?

[@johnsheppard314]

may peace be upon them. thank you for covering it so calmly and well. I hope the races can find another airfield as good as Reno has always been, for the future.

[@cedhome7945]

A parralel with the motorcycle TT road racing on the Isle of Man the old saying is the throttle goes both ways. Very sad but the urge to race is so strong so mourn and selebrate the spirit of compatishion

[@louissanderson719]

Rest in Peace Richard. Blue skies!

[@TheWalachecman]

May you rest in peace Richard :(

[@exit328]

I saw the collision. It was on the downwind to base turn.

[@Cbonniesmom]

Prayers going up for the families 💙🙏 Blue Skies✈️💙

[@johnhopkins4920]

Quite sure praying to allah, god or hermes will not bring these poor souls back.

[@davidd6635]

Does each pilot call downwind, base and final? Such a simple pattern, at Every airport, IF every pilot communicates his location. If not.... I can see how the gray T6 could be hard to see blending with the desert and sky, compared to the dark blue. RIP Flyers and comfort for your families and friends.

[@connorjohnson4402]

Yes they call leaving the cooldown , downwind , base and final with gear.

[@DUBSTEP_KUSH305]

I was watching it LIVE WHEN TRAGEDY. STRUCK... RIP TO THOSE 2 PILOTS

[@waynenelson4829]

I was in the stands Sunday and saw both planes go down but did not see the mid air. It was about 2 miles away from the stands. So sad it happened and on the last day of racing. I’ve been there 8-9 times over the years and 1st time seeing a crash.

[@GbengaAmedrovi]

Got up to the shocking news. My condolences to his family and friends. He will truly be missed. 🙏

[@jackprier7727]

Thanks for this--I get my news from Reno, needed more details- I wonder how the order of pattern-entry to final is determined-

[@mikebridges20]

What happened to the freeze frame shot? I saw it once, then when I came back to study it some more it's missing.

[@crashburn3292]

3:34 The left wing looks like it was chewed up by the propellor.

[@JayM-ww4cp]

Yep, from above too. Probably came in from the chewed side then took the hull.

[@elenbrandt290]

Thank you for the clear analysis of the whole situation.

[@happydan20]

Devistated that the calm voice of reason is silenced

[@M5guitar1]

Is it possible to mount an under belly camera like cars have for rear viewing? Seems that would increase safety.

[@maxenielsen]

Great idea!

[@Convair_F-106]

totally possible. some experimental taildraggers have forward facing cameras so they see where they are taxiing. I think Mike Pateys planes even have rearward facing cameras. A wide angle lens under the belly should not be an issue except that you'd need a glass panel in the cockpit to show the image. I don't think that the T6 racers are loaded up with multiple garmin panels.

[@Britcarjunkie]

In this day & age, I don't see why not. Hell, that blue & yellow T-6 (forget the pilot's name) that was shooting video during the race, that plane even had a glass instrument panel! Never seen that in a T-6 (or in any warbird) before.

[@z31beck]

This, too, baffles me. Not just this instance, but imagine... Seeing gear down, or seeing a blown tire, or trail of oil out the bottom of the cowl, or has an animal or person wondered upon your belly, how close to the edge of a taxiway are you with your wheels... The list is crazy long if you just go down a list of one year's worth of accidents.

[@Convair_F-106]

@@z31beck you make a very good point there.

[@tommynikon2283]

I'm not a pilot- but I did stay at a Motel 6 awhile back: this is another glaring example of it DOESN'T matter how much experience you have....REAL sobering. Two guys who put in alot of time, EFFORT, and money to make it to that level, in that platform. In that race. Other examples that just left me shaking me head...fmr F-14 Jock, Dale Snodgrass, and adventurer Steve Fossett. HOW the first could forget to check the controls for full movement, prior to take-off.... or Fossette- having already flown around the world, got lost and crashed in a box canyon, stateside. Or Scott Crossfield, a famous military test pilot- getting killed in his own plane. All are reminders to me about how unforgiving- how HARD aviation can be, because all died despite their massive experience. It can be ANYBODY.

[@johnberkstresser5645]

Don’t forget about Sherman Smoot!

[@rnzoli]

it can happen to anybody, but certainly with less probability to pilots who fly on the safer side of aircraft-airman-task envelope, run checklists dutifully, subject themselves for check rides to detect slips, consider constructive criticism from others, maintain a healthy level of paranioa about mid-air collisions. One specific problem of highly experienced pilots is that the respect they earned from their peers and fans block them from helpful criticism. But as it was said already: physics only respect everyone equally.

[@ducthman4737]

At that height, one mistake is enough.

[@PRH123]

Same thing can happen to you and it’s statistically more likely in your automobile, on your motorcycle, or standing on a stepladder…. all pilots know the level of risk they take on (or they should), so they de facto are OK with it and the possible consequences….

[@Mike-01234]

If it happened higher up might have been able to bail out there is a video of a P-51 that was hit by a Skyraider not at Reno it was in the UK. The P-51 pilot was able to bail out the Skyraider was able to land.