Airshow Pilot Kent Pietsch Injured Following Wetaskiwin Airshow | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-10.06.25

AirborneNextGen-
10.07.25

Airborne-Unlimited-10.08.25

Airborne-FlightTraining-10.09.25

AirborneUnlimited-10.10.25

Mon, Aug 06, 2012

Airshow Pilot Kent Pietsch Injured Following Wetaskiwin Airshow

Accident Reportedly Not Part Of Weekend Airshow Performance

A well-known and highly-experienced member of the airshow community is recovering from an accident in his 1942 "Jelly Belly" Interstate Cadet.

Airshow Pilot Kent Pietsch is reported in stable condition following a 1700 (local time) Saturday accident that occurred during the first day of a weekend airshow in which he was listed as a featured performer. Wetaskiwin is some 70 km South of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

According to local media reports, Kent had finished a performance at the show when the accident occurred in which the aircraft flew close to the ground in a bank, struck a wingtip, and thereafter impacted just off the runway. Some reports indicate that a power failure may have led to the accident. A crewmember for another performer flying at the show, Jack Sim, is reported in local media as stating that, “He tacked in to land, the wing hit the wheat field, ripped the wing off, spun around, he hit the dash. He got wounded. He got out of the plane (and) wandered around it and laid down in the field.”

The Jelly Belly aircraft is a popular sight at a number of North American shows. Kent Pietsch uses the 1942 Interstate Cadet as part of a comedy act, "which includes extreme maneuvers, such as the aileron falling off in mid air!"

Kent is also well-known for a dead stick (power off) aerobatic routine that starts at an altitude of 6,000 feet, with the finale of this performance concluding with Pietsch landing in front of the crowd and coming to a stop while placing the spinner into the hand of an individual.

Pietsch hails from Minot, North Dakota, and has been a consistent presence on the airshow circuit, as well as a member of a highly regarded airshow family. Flying since 1973, Pietsch's online bio notes that he has performed in more than 400 airshows. Kent reportedly soloed at 16 years old, in 1967, and went on to enjoy an aviation career that included air charter, air ambulance, ag work, and flight instruction. He started flying Airshows in 1974 and also enjoyed a career that spanned some 29 years with Northwest Airlines.

FMI: www.kentpietschairshows.com

Advertisement

More News

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (10.13.25): Homing [ICAO]

Homing [ICAO] The procedure of using the direction-finding equipment of one radio station with the emission of another radio station, where at least one of the stations is mobile, >[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (10.13.25)

Aero Linx: European Regions Airline Association (ERA) The European Regions Airline Association (ERA) represents a diverse membership of over 50 airlines and more than 150 associate>[...]

ANN FAQ: Q&A 101

A Few Questions AND Answers To Help You Get MORE Out of ANN! 1) I forgot my password. How do I find it? 1) Easy... click here and give us your e-mail address--we'll send it to you >[...]

NTSB Prelim: CubCrafters Carbon Cub

While On Short Final, About 300 Ft, The Pilot Performed A Forced Landing Near Trees On September 7, 2025, about 0932 eastern daylight time, a CubCrafters Carbon Cub EX airplane, N4>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (10.14.25): Severe Icing

Severe Icing The rate of ice accumulation is such that ice protection systems fail to remove the accumulation of ice and ice accumulates in locations not normally prone to icing, s>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC