Pilot of Modified Pitts Model 12 Lost

ANN is monitoring recent details of yet another tragic airshow accident, the second today, involving a highly modified Pitts Model 12 biplane. It was the first airshow accident for the annual Kansas City Aviation Expo Air Show, based at the Wheeler Downtown Airport.

Limited details suggest that the pilot, Bryan Jensen, failed to recover from a maneuver (described by various local media sources as a spin or descending 'spiral') and impacted the ground in a grass field away from spectators. The show was closed thereafter and for the rest of the day and is expected to reopen Sunday, according to local officials.

Jensen's bio is considerable... "Bryan graduated from UND and after flying for several commuter airlines, Bryan was hired by a Major airline at the age of 23. Bryan has since flown numerous types of large and small aircraft including the Convair 580, DC9, MD80, Boeing 727, Airbus 320 and Boeing 747-400. Several mergers later, Bryan is still flying for a Major airline and has over 23,000 hours of flight time. You can find him in the Captain’s seat of a Delta 747-400 when not flying 'The Beast.' Bryan has been flying aerobatics for 17 years. All during this time, the quest for bigger and better aerobatic aircraft intrigued him. After flying the Christen Eagle, Laser 200, Pitts S1S, and Extra 300L, the thought of having an aircraft with a 1:1 or greater thrust to weight ratio was intriguing to Bryan. One thing led to another, and before long the 'Beast' was developed, making it the only piston powered biplane on air show circuit with a thrust to weight ration greater than 1:1!"

“Our hearts go out to Bryan’s family and loved ones,” Ed Noyallis, director of the Kansas City Aviation Expo Air Show, told local media. Jensen was a native of Ponte Vedra, FL. 

FMI: www.beastairshows.com