Pilot Killed in Air Race Near Reno
A pilot was killed Saturday when the plane he was flying in an air race crashed into a residential neighborhood, breaking apart and hitting cars and homes.
A young girl on the ground was treated after she was hit in the finger by shrapnel, said Tom Medland, a spokesman for the Washoe County Airport Authority.
Gary Levitz, 61, of Grand Prairie, Texas, was flying in the last heat of the 36th annual National Championship Air Races when structural damage in the tail of his P-51 Mustang caused it to break apart, Medland said. Federal authorities were investigating the crash in Lemmon Valley, about 12 miles north of Reno, he said.
In the same race, Matt Jackson of Calabasas made an emergency landing in his plane.
The races continue today with crowds approaching 50,000.
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