Feds say pilot error led to Ohio air show crash

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Federal safely investigators say pilot error was the probable cause of a fiery crash at a 2013 Ohio air show that killed a wing walker and pilot in front of thousands of horrified spectators.

The Boeing Stearman biplane crash killed veteran wing walker Jane Wicker, 45, and pilot Charlie Schwenker, 64, both Virginia-based performers, at the Vectren Dayton Air Show on June 22, 2013.

The Dayton Daily News reported today that the National Transportation Safety Board concluded the pilot attempted to fly “a modified air show maneuver, which placed the airplane at low altitude and airspeed and out of position within the performance area.”

The findings follow an initial Ohio State Highway Patrol investigation in July 2013 that attributed the cause to pilot error. NTSB spokesman Keith Holloway said the board doesn’t determine pilot error, but details probable causes.

The crash was more than 500 feet away from spectators, and air show organizers said the public wasn’t endangered. Performers fly in an “acrobatic box,” or safety zone, away from spectators.

“He was a fully qualified pilot,” said Terry Grevious, the air show’s executive director. “These things unfortunately happen sometimes, but he was experienced to do the maneuver.”