Crash at Travis today

Jimmy cooper said:
I can't recall bob Hoover being upside down that low. I do remember he had some trouble with the Feds with his medical as he grew older.
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You need to inform yourself a bit better about what happened to Bob Hoovers medical.
 
Funkeruski said:
Nice response there by the emergency crews. Poor guy probably burned to death after surviving the initial crash.
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Serious/not so serious ? :confused:

Took them 3 minutes to get there. Very odd for an air-show.
 
Dav8or said:
I can say that the reaction was telling. The Air Force shut the show down and kicked everybody out. Do think there will be another show there?:(
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I suppose they are plenty ashamed about their response time. I was there Saturday and don't recall seeing any fire trucks anywhere near the flight line....
 
My co-worker is former Air Force Crash/Fire Rescue. According to her, "Someone screwed up big time."
 
From the video it looks like there's a couple air show officials/helpers out there by the crashed biplane, milling around and not showing much urgency. Granted, those two probably weren't trained emergency personnel and it would have been an act of bravery to go near a plane that may erupt in flames any moment. But that, and the lack of any emergency trucks for so long, implied a lack of concern or understanding of how serious the emergency was. At least to me. Disclaimer -- I'm not military, not an airshow pilot either.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FI4w2PKL4zk
 
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weilke said:
You need to inform yourself a bit better about what happened to Bob Hoovers medical.
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No, in fact I don't need to. I'm well informed about bob hoovers medical and the controversy. Let me repeat, I'm glad he chose to retire finally with out mishap. Incidentally the crash that killed this fellow is very similar to the other Stearman accident of a year or so ago. Very very similar.
 
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I can't say I know him well, but I've talked to him a few times at his base at KHAF, and at airshows in the past. I've seen him do laps around the pattern in his Yak a few times. Pretty top notch guy.

Low level inverted flight is just risky any way you break it down, and unfortunately it just got the better of him yesterday.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Low level inverted flight is just risky any way you break it down, and unfortunately it just got the better of him yesterday.
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I was in a 182 doing SAR exercises some 15 miles away from Travis in the Delta at the time. At 500 AGL, there was a whole lot of wind shear, gusty winds of at least 20 knots from about 300, with light turbulence.

I'm not an aerobatic pilot at all, but this seems like poor conditions to be flying inverted 20 feet off the ground. It wasn't fun trying to focus on the ground in the back seat of a 182 (there was quite a lot of wallowing going on).
 
May he rest in peace. With no report on the cause,a lot of posting is about age. If I where on the crash crew I wouldn't be proud of the response time. What was the age of the crash crew?
 
What you may not realize is that Eddie was one of the hardest working people out there. This is not someone who would retire quietly on the golf course. He was still working building foundations and roads doing hard labor instead of hitting golfballs or on a cruise ship. Just the other day, i saw him driving something that looked like this down highway 1. You are not talking about your average senior here. You have to take that into context. We can only be so lucky at that age!

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Should we say that age is why he crashed? No. Should we completely rule it out? No. Sh-t happens. That's why they are called accidents.
 
I suppose if his ticket was up, it's a lot better way to go than sitting in a convalescent hospital waiting to die.
 
Sad to hear that he didn't make it. Crash looks survivable. Upper wing didn't collapse- looks like the prop was still turning when it came to rest. Wonder if he had his harness locked, or if it was a locking harness type. Very sad.
 
frfly172 said:
With no report on the cause,a lot of posting is about age.
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It seems to be a common reaction/ question to bring up whenever an accident happens and the pilots age is over 60. It tends to be even worse on some of the pro boards where there are a lot of younger 121 pilots that are still upset at the age 65 rule.
 
jchang10 said:
What you may not realize is that Eddie was one of the hardest working people out there. This is not someone who would retire quietly on the golf course. He was still working building foundations and roads doing hard labor instead of hitting golfballs or on a cruise ship. Just the other day, i saw him driving something that looked like this down highway 1. You are not talking about your average senior here. You have to take that into context. We can only be so lucky at that age!

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He was an excellent operator particularly on a grader. Did a big job for me south of Half Moon Bay and was a terrific guy to work with. Was honest, fair and a lot of fun. I'll never get that ride in the Yak he promised me. I'll miss visiting him at his hangar.
 
timwinters said:
Actually I did. That's why I said "a few". 48 is still a long way from 77.
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Just curious as to how old you are. I am sure we could find something wrong at whatever your age is, hmm, I think I already know
 
flyingriki said:
He was an excellent operator particularly on a grader. Did a big job for me south of Half Moon Bay and was a terrific guy to work with. Was honest, fair and a lot of fun. I'll never get that ride in the Yak he promised me. I'll miss visiting him at his hangar.
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Sounds like a great man and he will be missed by many. It's my misfortune to not have had the chance to meet him or see him at his trade. God speed ...
 
timwinters said:
It might be cold but it's factual.

There's a reason there are no athletes still competing at the top level past 40 years-old or so...even in baseball which isn't very demanding. Hell, even golfers are lucky to remain competitive after 50.

I just think it's really dumb that guys who are pushing 80 are competing &. performing in airplanes that are almost as old as they are.

Fortunately no one else was killed this time.

May Eddie rest in peace.
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Have you ever flown with the man?

If you haven't I really don't understand how you figure he's slow.

Stick with the facts and don't speculate on the physical condition of someone you probably have never even met
 
I was the airshow announcer for the inaugural celebration of Lincoln Beachey day over San Francisco Bay back in 1998. Eddie was the main airshow performer and I spent some time interviewing him the day before so I would be more familiar with his routine. He didn't stick to his plan which made announcing a bit of a challenge, but he was a gracious gent the day before. He showed me around his hangar and let me ask a ton of questions about his Stearman. He didn't do any low level work on show day but I'm glad I got to meet him.

I used to fly acro in a Pitts S2A, and had my low level waiver for a couple of years. I quit low level flying and stuck to higher level IAC work after that. Later, I sold my share in the Pitts and went back to straight and level flying. Now pushing it means squeezing my Maule into 1,000' strips (pushing it for me, not for the plane). If that doesn't work out, at least I'll be straight and level and the Maule lands slow enough I'm likely to walk away from any accident. My personal capability assessment told me when to reduce the level of risk I exposed myself to. I quit low level work first, then I quit acro all together and now I have fairly high minimums for myself when flying IFR. The time to reduce risk exposure comes at different points for each pilot, and it is tied to a lot more than just age.
 
Pathetic, someone wake me up when people who are actually qualified to speak to this loss are here.

So much misunderstanding on display you could fill a supertanker.

Bunch of whiny Puddknockers trotting out the same old tired memes without a shred of comprehension, respect or compassion.

Blue skies Eddie.

'Gimp
 
Sadly, it looked survivable if the fire was put out, now that the videos are out. The info that he aborted the attempt twice is also interesting.

Side note into airshow stuff in general: I see the tradition of parking the damn jet team's aircraft right in the way of seeing the show, so the crowd can get five minutes of nifty salutes and junk, with an otherwise obstructed view all day long, also continues. That always bugs me. They're usually not show-center at least, but they're always parked blocking show-left or show-right views.

Age, malfunction, fire, whatever... It's a bummer of a way to go out, but as Sac said, a hell of a lot better than drooling on yourself in a skilled nursing facility.

I won't succumb to the touchy-feely "he died doing what he loved" garbage, because I always ask at pilot funerals if crashing was what he loved. Quietly of course, to whomever I came with. I'll personally come back and haunt any idiot that says that at my funeral if I ever bite it in an airplane.

"Blue skies and tailwinds", also seems wrong since a tailwind probably wouldn't be a good thing for his particular non-travel form of flying.

Sounds like he lived his life the way he wanted to. That's good enough for me.
 
FYI - Eddie always cut on the 3rd 'try', it is called showmanship.

The fire response was, by appearances, shamefully slow as the impact itself looked survivable and the Stearman was essentially intact until fully enflamed.

The fact that airshow accidents are incredibly rare and as such make 'big' news when they do occur is a testament to the hardwork by ICAS, the FAA and other regulators, and the performers themselves to mitigate/manage risk while providing amazing entertainment to millions every year.

Eddie was a great stick, a true gentleman, and a genuine lover of all things aviation; his loss is being felt deeply across the airshow community including by several friends of mine who are themselves performers.

Out of respect for Eddie, his family, and all of those who actually knew and flew with him it would be nice to keep the baseless recriminations and speculation under control until at least some facts are known.

'Gimp
 
Maybe I'm seeing it wrong, but the images I've seen look like most of the aircraft is intact, except for the top wing. The fuselage looks like it's resting quite near the ground, which would NOT be survivable.
 
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AcroGimp said:
The fact that airshow accidents are incredibly rare and as such make 'big' news when they do occur
Out of respect for Eddie, his family, and all of those who actually knew and flew with him it would be nice to keep the baseless recriminations and speculation under control until at least some facts are known.

'Gimp
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What is the average for airshows? One or two fatal accidents a year? Seems plenty for such a small community. Not suggesting any rules or limitations and I have no problem with folks taking risk.
As to your second point you might want to step away from the internet cause those things are what the internet does. Pretty much all it does.
 
MAKG1 said:
Maybe I'm seeing it wrong, but the images I've seen look like most of the aircraft is intact, except for the top wing. The fuselage looks like it's resting quite near the ground, which would NOT be survivable in an open cockpit.
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Eddie's Super Stearman had an enclosed cockpit that appeared fully intact once the plane came to rest.

'Gimp
 
ClimbnSink said:
What is the average for airshows? One or two fatal accidents a year? Seems plenty for such a small community. Not suggesting any rules or limitations and I have no problem with folks taking risk.
As to your second point you might want to step away from the internet cause those things are what the internet does. Pretty much all it does.
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Not one or two fatals per year, but the last year was tough.

As to the second point, I understand what you are saying but it doesn't hurt to call for civility and respect when the folks who are speculating on causes clearly have no idea of the training, practice, ACE evalautions, insurance requirements, etc., that go into being an airshow pilot, let alone one with a surface waiver and who performed in several different makes like Eddie did.

I know there are a'holes out there who won't respect the request, but I felt it should be made nonetheless.

'Gimp
 
jchang10 said:
What you may not realize is that Eddie was one of the hardest working people out there. This is not someone who would retire quietly on the golf course. He was still working building foundations and roads doing hard labor instead of hitting golfballs or on a cruise ship. Just the other day, i saw him driving something that looked like this down highway 1. You are not talking about your average senior here. You have to take that into context. We can only be so lucky at that age!

657G.jpg
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That's exactly right. Anyone that's driven through or near Half Moon Bay has probably drove or parked on a road Andreini Brothers built. He's a well known local contractor.
 
MAKG1 said:
Maybe I'm seeing it wrong, but the images I've seen look like most of the aircraft is intact, except for the top wing. The fuselage looks like it's resting quite near the ground, which would NOT be survivable.
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Did you see the video with the prop still turning after the aircraft came to a rest? The top wing braces were still intact for the most part. Initially, the top of the rudder was gone, but enough of the vertical stabilizer remained that I believe the windscreen would have still been intact. If so, his harness (assuming it was locked and did not fail) should gave kept him in place enough to survive the impact.

For the pilot's sake I hope that something in the harness or seat failed and he didn't die waiting for the crash crews to wake up.
 
Fearless Tower said:
Did you see the video with the prop still turning after the aircraft came to a rest? The top wing braces were still intact for the most part. Initially, the top of the rudder was gone, but enough of the vertical stabilizer remained that I believe the windscreen would have still been intact. If so, his harness (assuming it was locked and did not fail) should gave kept him in place enough to survive the impact.

For the pilot's sake I hope that something in the harness or seat failed and he didn't die waiting for the crash crews to wake up.
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Agreed.... The white smoke coming out of the exhaust was literally the smoke system working properly.. The motor was running for several seconds after he came to a stop.... Just watch the prop.....

NO excuse for that pi$$ poor response from Fire/Rescue...

And Nate has a great point too... Why park the jets at show center blocking the view of 10's, if not 100's of thousands of paying spectators...

My guess is the guv wants to "force feed" you their toys in a cruel " up front and in your face" kinda way......

I hope to god the autopsy doesn't show smoke in the pilots lungs and it was an instant death...
 
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Disturbing video indeed. As an old paramedic, how would a person be able to extricate the poor gentleman from the wreckage in a timely fashion?

Sad, sad, sad.
 
Jthamilton said:
Disturbing video indeed. As an old paramedic, how would a person be able to extricate the poor gentleman from the wreckage in a timely fashion?

Sad, sad, sad.
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With liberal application of fire extinguisher, and a jack. Even a 2x4 under the wing as a lever. There's no need to stand it rightside up, just lift the side a foot or two. The extinguisher buys time to work, but not when it's a couple of miles away and the "rescuers" are walking slowly. :sad:
 
My wife's grandfather was a WWII P-47 pilot from Half Moon Bay who passed away very recently. I remember him mentioning Mr. Andreini a number of times and know he and his wife were close with her grandparents. In fact, he checked on her grandmother often since the funeral. Terribly sad news.
 
Wonder if he pulled the mixture...no doubt that plane was rigged for inverted operation. Engine was running unobstructed until it stopped,,,,

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
 
Jthamilton said:
Disturbing video indeed. As an old paramedic, how would a person be able to extricate the poor gentleman from the wreckage in a timely fashion?

Sad, sad, sad.
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I wonder this too. Someone above posted that he had a fully enclosed cockpit, so likely the exit was jammed. So without serious fire suppression, what were the people nearest supposed to do? Gnaw through the side of the plane like badgers?

There should have been fire trucks there in under a minute. After the fire was under control, then they should try to break him out. Sadly, that's not what happened.

Ultimately, the man put himself willingly in a very dangerous place and this time, something went terribly wrong. Such are the risks of the airshow performer. They know the hazards but they weigh that against the thrills and personal satisfaction and go right in.

We can ***** about the terrible response time of the emergency crews, but in truth they could easily have gotten there in 30 seconds and still found the top half of his head scrapped off. It was a plane crash. It is what it is.

RIP Eddie. I did not know you, but based on the good words here and elsewhere, you must have been a good man. I thank you for your good work in promoting aviation and your support of a lifestyle I love so much. From all accounts you have led a fantastic life much better than the vast majority of people on this planet both past, present and future, so mission accomplished.

You have done well. Time to take a short rest, get acquainted with your new digs and then get a check out in what ever fantastic machines they have up there!! :happydance:
 
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I didn't see this video posted here yet. It appears around the two minute mark that the tail gets lifted up a bit then comes crashing back down as the fire intensifies near the cockpit.
Rest In Peace Eddie.
http://youtu.be/nYnWR8cprgA
 
comanche pilot said:
I didn't see this video posted here yet. It appears around the two minute mark that the tail gets lifted up a bit then comes crashing back down as the fire intensifies near the cockpit.
Rest In Peace Eddie.
http://youtu.be/nYnWR8cprgA
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Oh man.

I am not aware of this man but I will echo prior comments based on what I am reading on here. He must have been a really stand up guy.

I am torn between thinking the fire got him and maybe he was incapacitated prior to impact. It appears that no corrections were being given to the plane in the brief moment seen before it hits. If a younger less experienced pilot, I might think they were distracted at a critical moment but probably not this guy.

Sorry to Tuesday Morning Quarterback but just my thoughts having not seen the video before.

Hopefully he also would have chosen this over drooling in a nursing home and hopefully, he missed the fire at the end.

RIP.
 
housefly said:
He cashed in doing what he loved, beats cancer or something
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Nope. Long slow deaths suck. But dieing because you screwed up, or something broke at work/play is not something to celebrate.
 
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