A vintage Stearman crashed and exploded into flames on Saturday at an Ohio airshow, killing pilot Charlie Schwenker and wingwalker Jane Wicker.
The pair were killed instantly while performing at around 12:45 p.m. at the Vectren Air Show at the Dayton International Airport as thousands of spectators watched. Amateur video of the crash shows Wicker hanging from the lower wing of the Stearman as it rolled slowly inverted before rolling sharply in the opposite direction and cartwheeling into the ground.
Wicker, who owned the airplane and worked as a budget analyst for the FAA, was a well-known performer who started wingwalking in 1990. Schwenker was an award-winning aerobatic pilot and instructor in Virginia.
The show was canceled for the remainder of the day, but resumed on Sunday. No spectators were injured in the crash.
Caution: The following video shows a fatal crash. Normally Flying’s policy is to not show photographs or video of accidents, but in this case, because this material has already been widely distributed in the mainstream media, we are making an exception. But be warned. It is graphic and disturbing.
