The NTSB recently released its final report on the Super Corsair crash that killed Bob Odegaard last year, and while the findings leave many questions surrounding the accident unanswered, they do provide additional details into the revered air show performer’s final flight.
Odegaard was performing a practice run at Barnes County Airport in Valley City, North Dakota, at the time of the crash, reaching altitudes of about 2,000 feet while executing maneuvers without incident. Odegaard then began a four-point roll, with one witness saying it looked like he was was performing a barrel roll due to the way the airplane pitched nose up and rolled to the left.
When the airplane went into the inverted position, the roll reportedly stopped and the airplane then pitched down, impacting the ground shortly thereafter. A witness reported seeing vapor trails coming off the wing tips as Odegaard attempted to recover from the dive. The NTSB blamed the accident on Odegaard’s insufficient altitude — which was around 1,000 feet — at the time of the maneuver. The NTSB said it found no indications of mechanical malfunctions, but that the state of the airplane after the crash did not allow for a complete analysis.
Odegaard was a well-known figure in general aviation and played a large role in the restoration of Duggy, one of GA’s most recognizable DC-3s. He performed at air shows around the country for decades.
He reportedly had more than 17,000 hours at the time of the Super Corsair crash.
View our photo gallery of Bob Odegaard flying his Super Corsair.
