Team Performing at the Thunder Over The Blueridge Open House
And Airshow In Martinsburg, WV
ANN RealTime Update, 09.17.11, 1821ET:
While no official word has been released as to the identity of a
pilot killed at the Thunder Over the Blueridge Open House And
Airshow, the aircraft involved is registered to Jack "Flash" Mangan
-- an alternate wing team member of the Trojan Horsemen. Mangan has
an impressive bio, he is a graduate of the United States Air
Force Academy and spent 13 years on active duty, flying more
than 2,500 hours in F15s and F4s. He was awarded three
Meritorious Service Medals and the Tactical Air Command's
Instructor Pilot of the Year award and is reported to have
logged more than 4,000 flight hours and holds Airline
Transport Pilot and sailplane ratings.
A statement by the airshow organization
confirms that the show is completely canceled throughout the
weekend. "Thunder Over the Blue Ridge Open House and Air Show,
Sunday September 18, 2011 is canceled. A T-28 aircraft crashed at
about 2:30 p.m. today during an acrobatic demonstration at the 2011
Thunder Over the Blue Ridge Open House & Air Show at the 167th
Airlift Wing in Martinsburg. There were no injuries among
spectators on the ground."
According to Maj. Gen. James Hoyer,
adjutant general of the West Virginia National Guard, "We were
fortunate that the safety measures put in place by the Federal
Aviation Administration ensured the safety of those on the
ground... Right now our thoughts and prayers are with the
family members of the deceased."
ANN RealTime Update, 09.17.11, 1619ET:
Local media sources are now reporting that the crash of a Trojan
Horsemen team T-28 was fatal. The pilot's name has not been
released at this time...
Original Report: Once again, the airshow
industry is getting rocked by tragedy... and to put it mildly,
we're all pretty shaken. ANN has learned that one aircraft from the
Trojan Horsemen Warbird Formation Acrobatic Team has gone down at
the Thunder Over the Blueridge Open House And Airshow.
According to media reports, the accident occurred when two of
the aircraft, flying in oposing manuevers formation, passed and
separated, with the westbound aircraft having 'lost control, rolled
and crashed on the runway in front of the hangars.'
There have been no reports of any ground injuries and the fate
of the unnamed pilot has yet to be confirmed.
The Trojan Horsemen is a 6-ship T-28 formation demonstration
team, closely associated with the Veteran's Airlift Command (indeed
VAC's Chairman, CEO and Founder, Walt Fricke is one of the
demonstration pilots). The team has a pretty solid record and flies
a pretty strong roster of shows each year.
The Thunder Over the Blueridge Open House And Airshow has been
shut down, and closed due for the rest of the day, to the accident.
We'll have more info when it becomes available. Please keep all
involved, the pilot, his friends and family, in your
prayers...
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