Dogfight Routine Goes Wrong, One Pilot Killed

The world famed Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome suffered a tragedy late Sunday when a simulated dogfight, a part of a scheduled aerial performance for this NY area tourist mainstay, went awry. The act involved two aircraft, one of them a "French WWI" biplane, which was reported by witnesses as having gone into a spin and crashed near the site of the Aerodrome. The other aircraft involved was a German warbird of the same period -- which was reported to have landed safely. The German warbird is thought to be a replica WWI Fokker DR1 triplane, often the "villain" in a number of the Rhinebeck reenactments.

No midair collision was reported.

The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome is a well-known Northeastern aviation museum and air field, first conceived of by the legendary Cole Palen (who passed away in 1993). Maintained as a true "living" museum of antique aviation located in Rhinebeck, New York, the ORA organization presents "one of the largest collections of early aeroplanes in the world, many of which regularly take to the air in all their glory during our weekend airshows. The Aerodrome features aeroplanes, automobiles, motorcycles, early engines and memorabilia from 1900-1935. In addition to the airshows, there are four museum buildings displaying aircraft form the Pioneer Era, World War I and the Lindbergh/Barnstorming era. These were the golden years of aviation."

Weekend air shows take place from mid-June through mid-October.

The accident took place at approximately 1600, EDT Sunday. The pilot was reportedly killed on impact and has yet to be identified, according to Dutchess County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Mark Femenella. A witness to the accident, Roger Christenfeld, a Poughkeepsie NY resident attending the show with his family, stated that the accident happened during a simulated dogfight when one 'apparently lost control and crashed.' "It was surreal..." he told local media, "One minute it was pretend danger, then it went suddenly to real danger."

Christenfeld also added that the 'French plane went into a spin and crashed behind some trees.'

FMI: www.oldrhinebeck.org