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thedrifter
10-15-07, 07:40 AM
Blue Angels crash led spate of deaths
Published Monday October 15 2007
By JASON RYAN
Special to The State

When Jan Wildbergh was killed last month in a plane crash, he was the third aviator to die who had taken part in an ill-fated April air show in Beaufort.

Experts say the three fatal crashes involving Beaufort air show performers are just eerie coincidence, part of an above-average number of accidents this year that is plaguing the country's relatively small group of professional fliers.

Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort hosted its first air show in three years in April, inviting the Navy's elite flying squadron, the Blue Angels, and an all-star lineup of aerobatic and vintage plane pilots to perform.

During the Blue Angel's performance on April 21, Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Davis' F/A-18 Hornet crashed, killing the 32-year-old pilot.

Three months later, aerobatics pilot Jim LeRoy, who participated in the Beaufort air show, died after his biplane crashed at an air show in Dayton, Ohio.

On Sept. 7, another Beaufort performer, Wildbergh, died when his vintage World War II plane, part of the GEICO Skytypers squadron, crashed during practice for an air show performance at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Va.

There have been six fatal air show accidents in 2007, up from an average of 2.8 deaths a year over the last 15 years, said John Cudahy, president of the International Council of Air Shows.

Cudahy said pilots and regulators are scratching their heads over why there have been so many crashes this year.

"None of these accidents we've seen have much to do with each other," said Cudahy.

Davis was flying for one of the military's premier flight groups and both LeRoy, 55, and Wildbergh, 74, were experienced pilots.

In Beaufort, Wildbergh flew as the "missing man" in a six-plane formation the day after Davis died, honoring the fallen pilot by peeling off from the group.

Afterward, he told The Beaufort Gazette, "You cannot be mentally devastated by an accident. You have to get it out of your head."

"Nobody likes to buy the farm," he said. "But if you've got to buy it, it's a good way to go."

Preliminary accident reports and witnesses indicate:

Davis' plane plummeted to the ground and clipped pine trees during a sharp turn as the Blue Angels prepared for a final maneuver

LeRoy recovered too late as he dove toward the ground while performing snap rolls

Wildbergh inexplicably continued a slow descent before crashing, his plane apparently still with full power.

The Skytypers, which spell smoke messages in the sky, were attracted to the Beaufort air show because of its marquee lineup, said spokesman Ralph Roberts.

It was their first of 12 shows this year.

Of all the Skytyper pilots, Roberts said Wildbergh had the most experience, flying with the group for 21 years.

"He'll be sorely missed."

Ellie