Post-WWII plane pilot dies in W.Va. air show crash
MARTINSBURG, W.Va. (AP) - September 17, 2011
The West Virginia Air National Guard said that no spectators
were injured and that the crash site was far away from anyone at
the show. Still, air show officials posted a notice on their
website encouraging those who witnessed the crash to seek support
if they felt viewing it had been traumatic.
The crash occurred a day after a stunt pilot crashed at a Nevada
air show Friday, killing nine.
"We were fortunate that the safety measures put in place by the
Federal Aviation Administration ensured the safety of those on the
ground," Maj. Gen. James Hoyer, adjutant general of the West
Virginia National Guard, said in a statement. "Right now our
thoughts and prayers are with the family members of the deceased."
Officials have not released the pilot's name. The fixed-wing,
single-engine T-28 plane is registered to John Mangan of Concord,
N.C., and was built in 1958, according to a Federal Aviation
Administration registry.
The Journal of Martinsburg (http://bit.ly/nJ268P ) reports the
aircraft lost control during a six-plane stunt formation and then
crashed on a runway near hangers at the airfield, causing thousands
at the show to cry, hug and pray afterward.
The plane was part of the T-28 Warbird Aerobatic Formation
Demonstration Team, which performs at air shows around the country.
The team is known as the Trojan Horsemen and its website says
Jack "Flash" Mangan is part of the alternate wing. His biography
on the site says he is a former Air Force fighter pilot who won
three Meritorious Service Medals and Tactical Air Command's
Instructor Pilot of the Year.
A message left at Mangan's North Carolina home was not
immediately returned on Saturday.
According to The Boeing Co.'s website, the North American T-28
Trojan was a basic trainer that was used by the U.S Navy, including
for carrier operation. Its first flight was in 1949 and it was
designed to transition pilots to jet aircraft.
