An air race that was taking place in Reno, Nevada, on Sunday afternoon resulted in the death of a pilot when a plane crashed.
During the Reno Air Races, a video was uploaded to social media showing many planes in the air with people watching on from below. This video was taken just moments before the plane crashed. After the aircraft crashed, footage showed smoke coming from the wreckage of the jet.
During a press event held on Thursday evening, Reno Air Racing Association Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Fred Telling revealed that the pilot had passed away.
“We can confirm that during the jet gold race on the third lap, there was a fatal accident on outer pylon five today,” Telling said.
According to what Telling had to say, both the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration will conduct an investigation.
The racing organization subsequently tweeted that all other planes that were in the air at the time landed safely and that no other pilots were injured. They also added that “all race activities for 2022 have been halted,” which means that no further races will be held in 2022.
The identity of the pilot who passed away was not disclosed. There was also no instant confirmation on the sort of plane that went down.
The STIHL National Championship Air Races, more often referred to as the Reno Air Races, were taking place over the course of four days, with the final day of competition taking place on Sunday. The racing organization said that there were 152 aircraft competing in the event along with 156 pilots.
