Witnesses: ‘Hero’ Pilot Tried to Steer Plane Away From Crowd, Saving Lives
- Posted on September 17, 2011 at 11:23am by
Madeleine Morgenstern
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Jimmy Leeward, 74, died Friday when his plane crashed at a Reno air show. (Media credit: Jimmy Leeward/Facebook)
Some witnesses at the Reno air show where a plane plunged into the grandstands Friday are calling the 74-year-old pilot a hero for preventing the crash from being far more deadly.
The pilot, Jimmy Leeward, was killed in the crash, along with at least two bystanders. More than 50 others have been reported injured.
Witnesses said that as the World War II-era plane took a nosedive toward the crowded stands, Leeward pulled up to avoid hitting a wider swath of spectators.
“The way I see it, if he did do something about this, he saved hundreds if not thousands of lives because he was able to veer that plane back toward the tarmac,” Johnny Norman, who was at the show, told the Associated Press.
Tim Linville, who watched the race with his two daughters, agreed: “If he wouldn’t have pulled up, he would have taken out the entire bleacher section.”
Ben Cissell told CNN the plane crashed about 100 feet from where he was seated:
“I think that pilot in the last seconds pulled up because he saw the bleachers and saved about 200 or 300 others,” Cissell said.
“I don’t mean this as a disrespect to others injured, but that pilot is a hero. He saved a lot of lives today. It could have been much worse.”
Kim Fonda said she also saw the plane streaking toward where she was seated in the grandstand.
“I closed my eyes and said I am going to die now,” Fonda said. “I was literally preparing to die and then he jerked the plane away and it landed like 25 feet from us. I want his family to know he was a hero.”
Many took to Leeward’s Facebook page in the hours following the crash to offer their condolences and to thank the pilot for his efforts.
“[T]he last moments of Jimmys life saved many of his fans–we could see him in the cockpit he did a great job saving alot of us! RIP Jimmy and condolances [sic] to his family and those that were involved!” Ralph Hatley wrote.
Dale Ryker wrote that he was at the show and thanked Leeward for saving his life.
“Thank you Jimmy for saving my life yesterday. Your amazing piloting moved your flight path away from my Dad and I in the grandstands. I would be proud to be half the pilot that you were,” he said.
“He did what a real hero would do. In the final seconds of his life he gave his all to steer his crippled plane away from the crowds. God Bless him,” Daniel Wells wrote.
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Comments (56)
tankyjo
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 10:38pmSo sad, Jimmy, you are a hero. Accidents happen. You naysayers have no idea what this man was made of. Spend that energy on prayers for those left behind folks.
Report Post »itsafact
Posted on September 18, 2011 at 1:07amI was also there.The plane hit 50 feet in front of me.I had my eyes on it as it rounded the pylon pulled up and rolled over and down into the crowd.As I watched I saw as every move the plane made brought it closer to the spectators.There was no movement any direction other than out of control and down.He never cut the power and hit at 400+ mph completely disintegrating on impact.I‘m sorry but I can’t call anyone a hero here.It was either mechanical or physical but the fact is he lost control and impacted the ground on box seats filled with 10 to 20 people or more leaving a 4′ hole where they sat.It was the most awful feeling when I looked at pictures in my camera taken earlier of people that were essentially vaporized on impact.It will take weeks if not months before the total loss is known.I’m sorry for the loss to all families of the spectators and pilot.
Report Post »db321
Posted on September 18, 2011 at 3:09amWow! Thank you for adding your knowledgeable comments and first hand experience – I now have a better understanding of what I watching on the videos.
Report Post »M 4 Colt
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 10:02pmIt just kills me to read some of the opinions coming from some of you people, like he’s too old to fly or that since the plane was set up to race something went wrong with it or that he WAS NOT a hero.
Now most of these opinions here are coming from people who ARE NOT EVEN PILOTS and don’t know what the hell they are talking about.
I have been flying for almost 30 years and have thousands of hours in high performance aircraft and am in a better position then most to offer an opinion as to what happened but before i start second guessing this mans actions i will wait for the NTSB to investigate.
I think it would be best for all of you to hold your opinions until the NTSB is done with their investigation.
If anyone can find out really what caused this crash, and if the pilot really did steer the aircraft away from the grand stands before impact saving many lives it will be the NTSB not peoples opinions on the Blaze.
Report Post »last frontier
Posted on September 18, 2011 at 12:28amA CBS photo shows the elevator trim tab missing, that most likely was the cause of the accident, the next photo shows an empty cockpit, he was unconscious right before impact from the high G load, he was a great pilot and will be dearly missed.
Report Post »db321
Posted on September 18, 2011 at 3:00amYes it is very disturbing that people comments are insensitive, they thank it’s funny, I thank it is disrespectful – kinda like the idiots that protest and call our fallen heroes names at their funerals. It is well know that people who do this type of thing are usually cowards and they don’t have the guts to make comments face to face.
Report Post »db321
Posted on September 18, 2011 at 3:10amI was at Daytona when Dale Earnhardt died in the accident – No one knew anything until later at the Airport waiting on our flight – it was announced over the intercom that Dale had died and I assure you their were no rude comment – not one! Like I said they are cowards.
Report Post »j_blaze14
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 9:19pmso the guy was 74 racing planes at over 400mph, he didn’t start flying yesterday. probably spent more of his lifetime in the air than on the ground. looks to me like engine froze at full throttle and he could not keep control of the plane. older planes did not have electronics or hydraulics to control them, it was all man power. instead of arguing about the pilot lets prey for the survivors, witnesses say there were body parts scattered everywhere. prey for the families of those who died. prey for those who died, who sadly won’t see their country restored in the near future.
Report Post »rockstone
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 10:22pmPray….. it’s pray….. Now… about your analysis of what happened. It just went down the drain because you don’t know the difference between pray and prey.
Report Post »markjz
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 8:49pmI hate when people hand out the title “hero” so lightly
Report Post »rockstone
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 9:02pmYeah,,,,, This was folly and…how does anyone know for sure just WTF he was doing at the end? Out of control is out of control.
But hey, for those of you who think this guy a hero there is some good news. I heard the Al Queda judges gave him a 10.
Report Post »Trance
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 8:26pmSo many people are heroes these days, I wonder if we’d even recognize a true hero if we saw one. What was he supposed to do, aim for the crowd?
Report Post »W@nd@
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 6:36pmPeople know there are risks to this sort of thing and
Report Post »we tragically we have seen a few more deaths this year, unusually so.
I have seen 50 yr olds less fit than this guy looked.
It is irrational to think because you are a certain age
you should go to a nursing home, stay in your rockin chair,
wear depends, and try to work electronic gadgets…
To me this is just age-ism!
There is no magic age when you should just go pack it in…
Certainly you don’t want there to be one do you?
When you go to an air show there could be incidents of all sorts…
caused by any number of issues
age of the pilot is just another factor…
I always wonder about insurance in these situations…
Do they have to carry insurance? and
if they must have insurance
they would certainly have to qualify medically
for it no doubt, if age was a factor!
But i am ignorant on how these things work for this type of event!
BOMUSTGO
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 6:13pmEven Chuck Yeager still flys at his age.And Bob Hoover up until they told him he couldn’t.Search Bob Hoover on utube. He was awesome.
Report Post »Avi8or
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 7:56pmYeah he was! Pour a cup of tea while rolling the airplane. Backhanded… With the engines off…
Report Post »swampbuck
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 5:51pm“Witnesses: ‘Hero’ Pilot Tried to Steer Plane Away From Crowd, Saving Lives”
Very sad but I’m calling B.S ..
Report Post »Mil-Dot
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 6:31pmSo am I. How does somebody on the ground know what he was doing in the cockpit? They haven’t even finished the investigation and they are already saying he is a hero and saved people. What BS.
Report Post »rockstone
Posted on September 18, 2011 at 2:45amI’m with you. I went on this guy’s FB page. Scary. He was flying an old airplane and at least 8 people died. Countless others are injured for life… and somehow… this guy walks on water?? The people calling him a hero are people that either knew him or… are pilots that don’t want to see things put on hold….things like their liability insurance for pulling crazy, (Yes. Going in circles at 400mph 50ft from the ground is crazy.) stunts. Or…. the doctors and examiners who cleared him to fly. Oh yeah…. Those guys will swear on anything they can find that old “Jimmy” made one “helluva heroic” move and “saved thousands” of people!! Right! See you in court!
Keep spinning folks…. the lawyers aren’t going to see it that way. I hope his estate gets the check book ready. Then we’ll see how much of a hero he was.
Report Post »LPpaladin
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 5:30pmSorry to say! that as you get older your reflexes slow down. At that age one should not be flying in a race. He might have blacked out from the G’s when he pulled up?
Report Post »BOMUSTGO
Posted on September 18, 2011 at 10:35amThe G forces may have caused his tail we to come down too.There is a photo of it hanging out in the slipstream as it was going down.
Report Post »Sleazy Hippo
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 3:25pmIt’s a sad story.
In the old days, pilots were responsible for the condition of their aircraft. And they needed to be in tip top condition.
People might think he was selfish for competing with an older aircraft, when his advanced age made him a flying risk, but it’s obvious he was just trying to delight the spectators. Excite the audience. Wow the crowds. When things went wrong, he knew there was no way to save himself at all.
His last moments will help the aviation community more than harm it, because he was such a good sport.
And he want out with a bang, kind of like heroes do in wars.
Report Post »Lloyd Drako
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 3:14pm74 is not too old to fly, but it probably is too old to fly 450 mph at 100 ft AGL in an aircraft, no matter how heavily modified, that is over 65 years old.
As for the hero part, I suspect the plane zoomed because of the loss of trim, and the pilot had too little time to react and steer away from the crowd.
Report Post »Alky
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 7:20pmIt was apparently highly modified for this years race with a lot of control surface areas trimmed down. The wings were also shortened.
Report Post »dragerjoe
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 3:00pmWith thousands of spectators, one would think there would be at least one decent video of what happened.
Report Post »Sleazy Hippo
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 3:16pmThe poor guy looks just like Ronald Reagen (before getting Alzheimer’s. PS: Nancy did NOT divorce him for that like Pat Robertson recommends).
Report Post »thetreyman
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 6:23pmi think he looks like william devane who played sec def heller on 24.
Report Post »Ronald Reegan
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 2:04pmGod Bless him, too old too fly
Report Post »Sleazy Hippo
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 1:44pm“ he saved hundreds if not thousands of lives because he was able to veer that plane back toward the tarmac” (event participant Quote )
There were only 800 tickets sold, and less than that were persons present. They guy is absolutely heroic, but “Let the legend begin” of the half million children on crutches that were spared!
Report Post »loriann12
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 2:06pmIt’s like Jeff Foxworthy says, southerners aren’t all stupid, they just can’t keep the stupidist amongst us off the TV. Some people exaggerate.
Report Post »Sleazy Hippo
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 3:14pm“like Jeff Foxworthy says, southerners aren’t all stupid”
Are Nevada folks considered ‘southerners” – I always thought of them a westerners. More like cowboys than planters.
Report Post »rockstone
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 10:17pmSincw when do I have to hold my opinion for the NTSB or anyone else. BTW…. are you suggesting that I let a government agency tell me what to think?????? But I digress…..
He was an old boy….. playing with an old toy….. who effed up and killed a lot of people.
You don’t need to be a pilot to figure that out.
And if that’s not the case, please explain how all of those body parts were strewn about.
Report Post »edie1945
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 1:19pmMay the blessingsof the Lord shine upon one and all. The pilot is a “true” hero
Report Post »KOCHLEFFEL
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 3:09pmEDIE, the lord has nothing to do with this. It was a deadly misjudgment by a 74 old man who in my opinion had no business to do a stunt.
Report Post »teresa2010
Posted on September 18, 2011 at 9:23amAge has nothing to do with it…Look at all the young pilots that made poor judgements under mechanical failure. In fact younger pilots have less experience and knowledge..DUH!!
Report Post »salvawhoray
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 1:12pm@motherof18 “The word hero being over used”
The same goes with the word “Epic”.
Report Post »inblack
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 12:44pmTo the anti-hero idiots:
Hero was the word chosen by the people who saw it – if you don’t like the word hero, don’t use it.
To the 74 is too old people:
Report Post »I’m sure the airshow contracts the pilots. If you want to crawl into a cave when you get old, feel free. The vast majority of air show deaths happen with younger people so jumping to your “74 year olds must be feeble” comments is just stupid. If you don’t want to go to an airshow, don’t go.
neverending
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 12:59pmAmen and amen to that one.
Report Post »Conservative New Yorker
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 1:10pmBeautifully said!
Report Post »dontbotherme
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 12:22pmThis man was a hero. He used the last few seconds of his life to save as many people as he could. God bless him. God bless all of the injured. God bless the families & witnesses.
Report Post »Dabldo
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 11:00pmUsing the last few seconds of your life to save others is only slightly less a hero than putting it on the line when you didn’t have to at all. Yeah i hate all the people who use Hero too lightly, but this should qualify.
Report Post »I.Gaspar
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 12:05pmIsn’t 74 a little old for this sort of thing?
Report Post »I’m sure he loved flying, but at what point should you step away from the bar, so to speak?
thegreatcarnac
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 12:04pmOh Oh!…I am sorry for the dead and hurt but here is a chance for the Nanny State a-holes to come in with their regulations. Obama (the interloper) will appoint an Air-Czar who will set heights and speed limits. The planes…from now on…will be so high you cannot see them. The crowd must set a mile away and view with binoculars. Pilots must be below the age of 45 because…with obama care…anyone older should be dead anyway. Also..you must pay a safety fee along with your ticket cost to enter. All fees will eventually go to the re-elect obama campaign.
Report Post »Carl1 Supports Israel
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 12:00pmPraying for all the families that lost loved one’s or was Injured……. But, Should a 74 year old man be flying at Air shows?????? Don’t think i would feel safe knowing a guy at that age is flying above my head.
Report Post »Kasey
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 12:12pmWe trusted people of this age and caliber to defend our nation in these machines, I think we can feel safe watching them screw around in the skies for a few hours a year. Idiots.
Report Post »Mil-Dot
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 6:40pmThe only people with the temerity to proclaim that a 74 year old man has any buisiness flying around crowds, very low to the ground are senior citizens themselves or pilots that want to selfishly fly until they are over 100 no matter who else gets killed while they do it.
Report Post »rockstone
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 10:27pmYesterday’s results would beg to differ with you….idiot.
Report Post »4BlueStars
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 11:59amNot to diminish the loss of life and limb here, that goes without saying. Of course it is a human tragedy. But on top of that is the loss of that beautiful, vintage aircraft. Like that B-17G that crashed last spring, they’re not making those anymore either.
I‘m just sayin’ . . . .!
Report Post »Hefsmaster
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 11:37amPulling back is liking jamming the brakes…. Instinct was at play here. No hero worshipping to be done here.
Report Post »Dustoff
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 12:54pmFly much?
Report Post »motherof18
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 11:36amThe word hero is overused. Every single person alive on earth, except homicidal maniacs, would have tried to miss the crowd also. He knew he was going to die, it’s not like he could have lived if he had done something different. The word hero should be used when a guy has a chance to live but sacrifices himself to save others.
Report Post »hersey10
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 11:34amI don’t know about calling him a hero . Since 9/11 that’s become the most water down adjective on earth . Marcus Luttrell is a hero .
Report Post »hersey10
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 11:50am*watered down*
Report Post »randy
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 12:39pmI Agree…..
Report Post »And…….. 74 is too F@#$ng old to be flying unlimited at RENO
I‘ve been flying since I was 17 and will hang up my wings when I’m 60, 6 years from now.
TomFerrari
Posted on September 17, 2011 at 1:09pm@Randy – dollars to doughnuts, you’re still flying after 60!!!
Once it is in your blood… you’re hooked!
You know that !
Besides, this guy does not look the least bit incapable.
We all KNOW when we are pushing our limits.
It is up to us to be responsible and quit when it is time.
Pilots have the added scrutiny of regular medical exams and BFR’s (Biennial Flight Reviews), etc.
Tragic accident. I’m guessing a high speed stall.
If, in fact he altered course, he saved many, many more lives.
Report Post ».
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