One Of The Most Tragic Weekends In Recent Airshow History?

There is nothing common in any of the horrific events that transpired this weekend, but three amazing aerial performers, dedicated to entertaining people all over the world with the excitment and thrills inherent in aviation, lost their lives in airshow demonstrations in three unique airshows and airshow acts.

The most recent accident happened just a few hours ago as wing walker Todd Green (pictured above in a Franklin Airshows pic) was engaged in a plane to helicopter transfer and fell from a height estimated at 200 feet. The 1330 (Local time) accident occurred at the Selfridge Air National Guard Base during a weekend airshow at a location some 20 miles NE of Detroit. 

Green, the son of legendary wing walker, Eddie "The Grip" Green, attempted to transfer from a biplane flown by John Mohr to 'Otto The Helicopter' (flown by Roger Buis) when the in-flight transfer went wrong and Green fell to the ground. Green was rushed, by ambulance, to Mount Clemens Regional Medical Center, where hospital spokeswoman Diane Kish states that Green died from his injuries. Reports indicate that the transfer was conducted successfully on Saturday but not without some problems and issues that required a number of attempts (though some of those attempts may have been undertaken in order to increase the dramatic tension of the performance).

Yesterday (Saturday), the airshow industry was rocked by the loss of a member of the RAF Red Arrows, Flt Lt Jon Egging, as well as the death of 'Best biplane' pilot Bryan Jensen when he failed recover from a spin at the KC Air Show.

Despite the coincidental tragedies, all falling within some 24-36 hours of each other and in the same weekend, there is no common thread in any of these. Further and (again) despite the coincidence of the three accidents all occurring at nearly the same time, the industry manages to pile up a pretty solid safety record... especially where the safety of airshow attendees is concerned (hence the reason for ANN's extensive coverage of the UARC Fiasco and the potential for hazard to airshow attendees if the FAA hadn't put a stop to that foolishness).

The International Council of Airshows notes that, "In the United States, we have now had four fatal air show accidents during the 2011 air show season. They are all tragic and, as an industry, we will do everything in our power to learn from these accidents and do what we can to keep them from happening again. But, in both 2009 and 2010, there were no fatal accidents at any North American air shows. And, in 2008, there was just a single fatal accident. The spike in accidents this year is very likely an anomaly and a broader view of accidents during the last several years confirms this."

ICAS adds that, "Most importantly, there has not been a spectator fatality at a North American air show involving aircraft since 1952.  People - and especially reporters - sometimes report on fatal accidents and don't mention this fact. It is critical that, as an industry, we do what we can to distinguish between the risk willingly and knowingly assumed by performers and the spotless safety record that our industry has with spectators."

FMI: www.selfridgeairshow.org, www.facebook.com/selfridgeairshow