Second fatal US airshow crash in 24 hours

Pilot dies in second air show plane crash in the United Show in two days [Reuters]

The pilot of a vintage plane has died in Martinsburg, West Virginia, after crashing into a runway and bursting into flames in the second deadly airshow crash in 24 hours in the United States.

Nine people died on Friday at a crash at the Reno Air Races in the state of Nevada when a World War II-era fighter plane crashed into the edge of the grandstand.

The West Virginia Air National Guard said that no spectators were injured and that the crash, on Saturday, was far away from spectators at the show.

“We were fortunate that the safety measures put in place by the Federal Aviation Administration ensured the safety of those on the ground,” said James Hoyer of the West Virginia National Guard.

“Right now our thoughts and prayers are with the family members of the deceased.”

Officials have not released the pilot’s name.

The fixed-wing, single-engine T-28 plane is registered to John Mangan of Concord, North Carolina, and was built in 1958, according to a Federal Aviation Administration registry.

The Journal of Martinsburg reported that the aircraft lost control during a six-plane stunt formation and then crashed on a runway near hangers at the airfield.

The plane was part of the T-28 Warbird Aerobatic Formation Demonstration Team, which performs at shows around the country.

The team is known as the Trojan Horsemen and its website states that Jack “Flash” Mangan was part of the alternate wing.

Mangan’s biography on the site describes him as a former Air Force fighter pilot who won three Meritorious Service Medals and Tactical Air Command’s Instructor Pilot of the Year.

According to website of aviation company Boeing, the T-28 Trojan was a training plane used by the US Navy. Its first flight was in 1949 and it was designed to transition pilots to jet aircraft.