Wing walker, pilot had clean records

Associated Press

CINCINNATI

An aerobatic pilot and a wing walker killed in a fiery crash at an air show over the weekend had clean safety records, according to Federal Aviation Administration records released Monday, when new details emerged about the lives and love stories of the fallen performers.

Neither wing walker Jane Wicker, who had a pilot’s license, nor pilot Charlie Schwenker had accidents in the past or was disciplined for any reason, FAA spokesman Roland Herwig said the agency records show. The information was released as the result of a public records request by The Associated Press.

Wicker and Schwenker, both of Virginia, were killed Saturday in a crash captured on video and witnessed by thousands of horrified spectators at the Vectren Air Show near Dayton. Wicker was performing a stunt on the wing of the plane when it suddenly went down, exploding on impact. Federal aviation officials are investigating the crash.

Wicker, a 44-year-old divorced mother of two teenage boys, was engaged to be married next year on top of an airplane.

Schwenker, 64, would have celebrated his nine-year wedding anniversary today.