• 23
  • September
    2011

Thousands of aviation enthusiasts flock to Reno, Nevada, every year in September to watch the National Championship Air Races. Everyone from bookies to schoolchildren on field trips turn out to watch the races.

Not every person there is there for a love of aviation or stake in the outcome of the races, however. One woman present at the races was there for work. She took a minimum wage job picking up trash at the races. She wanted to earn money to go visit her four sons who live in a different state.

Her 11-hour shift had nearly finished when The Galloping Ghost, a WWII-era Mustang fighter plane veered off course and crashed into the VIP seating area. She would never get to see her sons again. The woman was one of ten people who died that day. The plane's pilot, a 74 year-old stunt pilot, also died in the crash. Three of the victims still remain unidentified.

More than 70 people were injured in the unexpected aviation accident. Some who witnessed the crash and escaped with minor injuries grapple with the grisly sight of limbs mixed with debris at the accident site. One man stated that everyone in the area in which he was sitting except for him was hit with debris and injured.

Plane crashes are often unexpected and tragically fatal. Most people are aware of the dangers of flying, and most people attending the air show knew there was some risk of a plane crash. It is doubtful, however, that anyone could have anticipated this kind of tragedy.

Source: CBS News, "Nev. air crash victims shared love of aviation," Sept. 20, 2011