A stunt plane crash at a New York airport led to the death of pilot Andrew Wright. Despite the horrific incident, the New York Air Show took place as scheduled over the weekend.
Andrew Wright has died after his stunt plane crashed during a practice routine for the New York Air Show on Friday.
Mr. Wright, who had been the pilot of a G202 since 2001, was preparing for the weekend show at the Stewart International Airport in New Windsor when the tail section of the plane blew off in mid-flight.
An eyewitness claimed that the Giles G202 experimental aircraft soared leaving a thick white smoke trailing behind, and it rapidly fell from the sky. Benjamin Granucci, the editor for NYC Aviation who witnessed the incident, tweeted:
“What I saw was the aircraft come in for a dive. As it pulled up, it suddenly crossed the crowd line and spun towards the ground. I’m absolutely sick to my stomach right now. Hoping that the pilot is ok, though that would take a miracle…”
In a statement issued by Jeff Lee, president of LiveAirShowTV, it was revealed that while Wright did give a reporter a preview flight, he was alone during the fatal crash.
According to Lee, the Federal Aviation Administration is currently investigating the accident. The incident did not lead to the cancellation of the event, which took place on Saturday and Sunday.
The show’s flight performances on Saturday were in memory of Wright. Mr. Lee also presented his condolences to Wright’s family and friends:
“We are saddened by the death of Andrew Wright (Friday), a seasoned and skilled pilot who had been looking forward to inspiring audiences this coming weekend.Our thoughts and prayers are with Andrew’s family and friends. We want to thank everyone for their support during this challenging time.”
The Texas born and Canadian raised pilot worked as a cyber security guy who loved to fly. According to his official website, Wright was planning to try to get into the Guinness World Records book by breaking the world record for the inverted flat spin.
The stuntman was supposed to attempt the fly this spring at an air show in Corpus Christi, Texas, but was forced to cancel due to bad weather.
#NYAirShow pic.twitter.com/ii6zzHyxPO
— Amanda LovizaVickery (@amandalv845) August 29, 2015
Wooooo @geicoskytyper! #NYAirShow pic.twitter.com/8HYGzmk72J
— Amanda LovizaVickery (@amandalv845) August 29, 2015
Good morning from the final day at the #airshowny! #NYCAattheairshow pic.twitter.com/AJoMEbn2hD
— Benjamin Granucci (@BLGranucci) August 30, 2015
Inside the @USMarineCorps KC-130. #avgeek #airshowny pic.twitter.com/4WtaLPExvr
— Benjamin Granucci (@BLGranucci) August 30, 2015
