"Wings To Adventure" Executive Says Aircraft Wasn't Involved In Video Shoot

Initial reports on what the pilot of a Glasair Sportsman 2+2 was doing when his aircraft went down during AirVenture 2005 were wrong. That's the word from the executive producer of the Outdoor Channel's "Wings to Adventure" program in a statement to ANN Tuesday.

As Aero-News reported last week, the aircraft, piloted by Glasair demo pilot Michael Crowell, impacted the ground on Wednesday at the Wautoma airport near Oshkosh. The aircraft was slated to be the subject of a video shoot involving the new high-definition television series produced by Tom Gresham.

Local news reports, along with the NTSB's preliminary report, indicated the Glasair was already embarked upon the photo mission when the mishap occurred. Not so, said Gresham.

"The Glastar Sportsman which crashed was scheduled for a photo shoot with us later in the morning.  At the time of the crash, however, we were several miles away, shooting video of a Cessna 210," Gresham said in an email to ANN. "The pilot of the Sportsman was flying around the airport.  We had a videographer on the ground at Wautoma, waiting for the return of the 210. That photographer was able to get video of the crash, and we turned that tape over to the feds."

The NTSB report read, in part:

Witnesses observed the aircraft (file photo of type, above) conduct a steep climbout after takeoff, turn downwind, and reduce power with a downwind altitude of about 200-300 feet AGL, and the aircraft then was observed to yaw left and right, and enter a steep left turn. An increase in power was heard, and then the aircraft impacted the terrain. A post impact fire occurred.

FMI: www.outdoorchannel.com/index2.cfm?SectionID=55&SS=117