Three killed in US air race crash

16 September 2011 Last updated at 22:17 ET

Three people have died and scores are injured after an airplane crashed near a grandstand at an air race near Reno, Nevada, say medical officials.

The vintage World War II-era P-51 Mustang crashed at about 1630 local time (2330 GMT) at the National Championship Air Races.

There are unconfirmed reports that up to 12 people may have been killed.

Eyewitnesses said smoking debris and body parts were strewn across the airfield.

‘Just pulverized’

Stephanie Kruse, a spokeswoman for the Regional Emergency Medical Service Authority, told AP news agency that 75 people had been injured, 25 of them critically, and another 25 seriously.

“This is a very large incident, probably one of the largest this community has seen in decades,” she said.

“The community is pulling together to try to deal with the scope of it. The hospitals have certainly geared up and staffed up to deal with it.”

Kathy Carter, a spokeswoman for Renown Medical Center in Reno, said that two people had died, not including the pilot.

The Mustang, named The Galloping Ghost, was flown by well-known racing pilot Jimmy Leeward, 80.

Mike Houghton, head of the Reno Air Racing Association, told a news conference that Leeward, from Ocala, Florida, was a real estate developer who had been racing planes since the mid-1970s.

He added that most of Leeward’s family had been at Friday’s event.

Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval was on his way to the scene.

Jimmy Leeward has been racing planes since the 1970s

Leeward’s web says he has flown in more than 120 races and had been a movie stunt pilot.

Ronald Sargis, who was sitting in the box-seat area, said spectators could tell the plane was in trouble before it crashed.

“About six or seven boxes down from us, it impacted into the front row,” Sargis told KCRA-TV in Sacramento. He added: “It appeared to be just pulverized.”

Jeff Martinez, a local weatherman who was just outside the air race grounds, said he saw the plane veer to the right and then crash into the ground.

Mr Martinez said he saw “pieces and parts going everywhere”.

‘Unbelievable gore’

The Reno Gazette-Journal web has posted a witness video of the crash from Tube.

Eyewitness Dr Gerald Lent, of Reno, told the newspaper: “It’s just like a massacre. It’s like a bomb went off. There are people lying all over the runway.

“One guy was cut in half. There’s blood everywhere. There’s arms and legs. One guy just said, ‘hey, there’s another foot over here.’”

Maureen Higgins of Alabama, who has been coming to the show for 16 years, told the Associated Press that the pilot was on his third lap when he lost control.

“I saw body parts and gore like wouldn’t believe it. I’m talking an arm, a leg,” Ms Higgins said.

“The alive people were missing body parts. I am not kidding . It was gore. Unbelievable gore.”

National Guard members who were already on helped with the response, air show spokesman Mike Draper told CNN.

Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were also at the scene, he added.

Democratic Nevada Senator Harry Reid issued a statement saying he was “deeply saddened” about the tragedy.

“My thoughts are with the families of those who have lost their lives and with those who were wounded in this horrific tragedy,” he said.

The National Championship Air Races are held every year in September in Reno.

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