Video could yield clues to World War II-era plane crash

Associated Press

RENO, Nev.

A World War II-era plane had a video camera facing outward, and memory cards were found at the scene where it crashed near a grandstand in Reno.

It raises the possibility of video of the crash that killed nine, including the pilot.

Investigators with the NTSB said Sunday the cards will be analyzed to see if there is any footage. Before it crashed, the aircraft also sent information to the racing-team crew including oil pressure and temperature, altitude and velocity. That information could help investigators determine what caused the plane to crash.

Officials said they have heard reports the pilot sent a mayday call before crashing. They said so far, there is no evidence of a call.

The plane hit the first few rows of VIP box seats like a missile Friday, causing a crater roughly 3 feet deep and 8 feet across with debris spread out over more than an acre.

Some members of the crowd have reported noticing a strange gurgling engine noise from above before the P-51 Mustang, dubbed The Galloping Ghost, pitched violently upward, twirled and took an immediate nosedive into the crowd.

The plane, flown by a 74-year-old veteran racer and Hollywood stunt pilot, disintegrated in a ball of dust, debris and bodies as screams of “Oh my God!” spread through the crowd.

The death toll rose to nine Saturday as investigators determined that several onlookers were killed on impact as the plane appeared to lose a piece of its tail before slamming into the crowded tarmac.

Noah Joraanstad, 25, said he watched in horror as the vintage plane came hurtling toward where he was sitting in the VIP section. He started running, then was blown off his feet.

Flying shrapnel hit his back, barely missing his spine and kidney. He was covered in aviation fuel that burned his skin as spectators tried to wash it off.

When he looked around, the plane was just gone.

“The biggest pieces I could see, it looked like just someone sprinkled Legos in every direction,” Joraanstad told The Associated Press from his bed at Northern Nevada Medical Center.

The crash killed the pilot, Jimmy Leeward, and eight spectators.