An air show in West Virginia ended in tragedy on Saturday, less than 24 hours after another similar tragedy in an air race in Nevada left 9 people dead. The West Virginian incident took the life of one pilot and has prompted an investigation from the National Transportation Safety Board. The air show incident involved an acrobatic demonstration plane crashing onto a runway causing an explosion, all the while thousands of spectators looked on in horror. Then plane was a T-28 fixed-wing plane which lost control and smashed onto the tarmac. People in the crowd were reported to have hugged each other and cried at the sight of the plane as it went up in flames. According to General James Hoyer, a West Virginian Air National Guard adjutant, the next-of-kin of the pilot is being informed before the media can report on it, out of respect to the family. He also stated the group was part of an acrobatic team that tours the United States of America (USA) performing in various airshows. Due to the incident, all remaining performances, including Sunday's performances were cancelled. “We were fortunate that the safety measures put in place by the Federal Aviation Administration ensured the safety of those on the ground,” Hoyer said in a statement. “Right now our thoughts and prayers are with the family members of the deceased.” An NTSB investigator is expected to arrive on the scene later in the day on Sunday and a news conference is expected to be held shortly after. The North American T-28 Trojan is a basic trainer plane, according to The Being Co.'s website, used by the U.S. Navy. The first flight was in 1949 and was designed as a transition plane for pilots to move on to jet aircrafts. The crash on the previous day in Nevada killed at least nine and injured dozens more when the pilot, Jimmy Leeward, crashed into a box of spectators. “It just happened so fast, it was a split second event,” a witness told the USA's channel 9. “People were awestruck. They weren't really moving or running, they were just standing in shock,” he added. Friends and family of Leeward have spoken out on his behalf, along with witnesses of the crash, saying Leeward would have done everything he could to the end to minimize casualties. BM
