Two Pilots Die After Their Planes Collide During Florida Air Show
Two planes flying above a crowd of 5,000 people collided at a Florida air show Sunday, killing the two stunt pilots, police said.
The two biplanes from the Red Baron Flying Group collided 1,500 feet above the crowd at the Kissimmee Air Show of the Stars, police said.
Pilots James Edward Lovelace and Randall L. Drake were killed, and two police officers suffered minor injuries when they tried to pull the pilots from the burning wreckage.
Sean Kelly was taking pictures when the planes hit.
“I believe the strong wind pushed them into each other--it was real windy,” Kelly said.
“When they hit, you could hear the loud clap of the wings hitting each other,” he said. “They got intertwined, and they couldn’t break off. Then they started falling very rapidly. There wasn’t any fire until they hit the ground.”
“Nothing seemed to be wrong with the planes, but there was a lot of wind,” witness Rod Carver said. “They were doing some loops and then they all came together. I don’t know how close they were to each other.”
The Kissimmee Airport reported wind gusts of 30 mph during the show, which was in its second day.
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