Reno Air Race Crash Update: NTSB Unable to Recover Onboard Video

Galloping Ghost Galloping Ghost
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Key Takeaways:

  • NTSB investigators were unable to retrieve any onboard video from memory cards found in the wreckage of the deadly Reno air race crash.
  • Investigators are still working to extract potential clues from a memory card used in the P-51 Mustang's onboard telemetry unit.
  • The crash killed 11 people and injured 74, with the cause, possibly a trim tab separation, being investigated using witness videos, photos, and ground telemetry data.
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Accident investigators looking into the deadly Reno air race crash were unable to retrieve any onboard video from memory cards found amongst the wreckage, the NTSB announced on Friday.

Investigators are still working to determine whether they will be able to extract any clues from a memory card used in the onboard telemetry unit of the P-51 Mustang, known as Galloping Ghost and flown by 74-year-old veteran racing pilot Jimmy Leeward.

Eleven people were killed and at least 74 injured when the vintage race plane nose-dived into stands of spectators during the Reno Air Races last month. The cause of the crash has been the subject of much speculation, with many placing focus on the separation of the airplane’s trim tab shortly before its rapid descent.

The NTSB said investigators continue to review the dozens of video and hundreds of photos provided by witnesses at the site of the crash, as well as telemetry data transmitted from Galloping Ghost to the race crew on the ground.

View a photo gallery looking back at the history of the Reno Air Races.

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