Andrew Wright Lost As Giles G-202 Suffers Fuselage Seperation/Failure

It's been a tough few weeks for the airshow industry... and now this -- a practice flight, Friday, August 28th was the scene of a tragedy as Andrew Wright's Giles G-202 suffered what appeared to be a complete structural failure of the rear fuselage just forward of the junction of the horizontal and vertical tailfeathers.

The accident occurred at approximately 1400 local time, near Stewart International Airport in Orange County, New York. Wright apparently did not get the chance to bail out of the aircraft and was believed to have perished on impact.

A New York State Police statement noted...

"On Friday, August 28, 2015 at approximately 2:00 pm, a single-engine civilian aerobatic pilot who was flying a GILES 202 crashed and perished during practice for this weekend’s New York Air Show at Stewart International Airport in New Windsor.

The GILES 202 aircraft appeared to have experienced an apparent structural failure. The plane entered into a steep dive and landed in a wooded area on Town of New Windsor property (behind the crowd line).

The pilot, who was the only occupant of the aircraft, was deceased at the scene. No other property damage or injuries were reported. Officials are withholding the name of the pilot until the notification of next of kin.

The joint investigation of the accident scene is being conducted by New York State Police and the National Transportation Safety Board. The New York Air National Guard also responded immediately to the scene.
The remainder of Fridays’ flying activities were canceled due to the tragic accident. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the deceased pilot.

The New York Air Show activities this weekend will go on as scheduled. All established safety protocols will continue to be followed and enforced."

The management of the New York Air Show, where Wright was to perform, stated, "We are saddened by the death of Andrew Wright today, 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. Tomorrow's flight performance will be flown in honor of him."

The Giles G-202 was a very high performance 2 place homebuilt aerobat, usually powered by a Lycoming AEIO360, designed by Richard Giles, following his work on the original single place G200... both aircraft being known for "high roll rates, very linear control properties and outstanding energy profiles -- this thing is a radical flyer in the right hands...' as described by ANN Editor-In-Chief, Jim Campbell, who flew both prototypes. Unfortunately; the Giles manufacturing operation, known as Akrotech Aviation, ceased operations over a decade earlier though there is some airframe support available through the Giles community.

Both the G200 and G-202 were subject to an Akrotech issued Service Bulletin (#19) calling for inspections and upgrades tot he rear fuselage. At least one known inflight breakup of a CAP 222 (based on the G-202) has been reported/documented in which a pilot was also lost.

FMI: www.carbonfiberairshows.com