Death Toll Rises to 9 in Reno Air Races Tragedy

As the death toll in Reno climbs to nine, a second vintage airplane crash occured on Saturday.

In Martinsburg, West Virginia, another old U.S. military plane went down in a fireball at an air show on Saturday, killing the pilot. There were no other casualties.

In the Reno crash, two people who died of injuries at hospitals and seven died on the tarmac following the Friday night crash, Reno Deputy Police Chief Dave Evans said. More than 50 people were injured. Officials said previously the crash killed at least three people.

The pilot, Jimmy Leeward, 74, was among those killed when his P-51 Mustang dubbed the "Galloping Ghost" crashed into a box seat area in front of the main grandstand, said Mike Draper, spokesman for the 48th Annual National Championship Air Races, also known as the Reno Air Races.

"It was like a war zone where the box seats were," Draper said.

Of the 35 injured in Reno, six were hospitalized in critical condition on Saturday, two were in serious condition and five in fair condition. One person was listed in good condition, and others had been discharged.

Draper said the planes sometimes fly at high speeds "about 50 feet off the ground and it's an exciting, exciting sight."

The thrill has been a deadly one on occasion, with a total of 28 people killed in the history of the race flown every year in Reno since 1964, Draper said.

"The Reno Air Racing Association extends its most sincere heartfelt condolences and sympathies to all of those affected by yesterday's tragic events," the association said in a statement.

Leeward was the son of a pilot and his own sons have also flown planes. He worked as a stunt pilot on some movies, including the 2002 release "Dragonfly."

Video of the Reno Air Races Crash

Wow!

This video is short but the impact is seen and felt by the fans further down the course.

Here's the vid...

Death Toll Still Unknown at Reno Air Races

A racing plane plunged into the stands at an air race event in Reno in what an official described as a "mass casualty situation."

It wasn't immediately known how many people were killed. But video of the crash showed a horrific scene of bodies and wreckage at the front of the stands.

The National Championship Air Races draws thousands of people every year in September to watch various military and civilian planes race.

Kind of ironic, but earlier this week, race officials posted this video of how fans could stay safe and healthy at the races.  This ended up being a little more serious than a sunburn.