DAYTON, OHIO A plane carrying a wing walker crashed Saturday as she sat on top of the inverted plane at the Dayton Air Show, killing the performer and her pilot, CBS Dayton affiliate WHIO-TV reports.
Terrence Slaybaugh, Dayton's director of aviation, confirmed to WHIO-TV that two people died in the crash.
"Obviously this is a tragedy for what is a very small community," he said.
The identity of the pilot of the plane has not been released.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating along with the Federal Aviation Administration, which was already on scene for the show.
"Right now there is no conclusive answer about why the accident happened," Slaybaugh said. He said the investigation could take months.
The 450 HP Stearman burst into flames when it hit the ground just before 1 p.m. A fire truck was at the crash site within seconds and extinguished the flames.
"All of a sudden I heard screaming and looked up and there was a fireball," Stan Thayer of Wilmington, Ohio, told WHIO-TV.
Shawn Warwick of New Knoxville, Ohio, said he was watching the plane through binoculars.
"I noticed it was upside-down really close to the ground; she was sitting on the bottom of the plane," Warwick told WHIO-TV. "I saw it just go right into the ground and explode."
His wife was getting a drink when the crash happened.
"I came back, and everybody was just in shock," Cara Warwick told the affiliate.
Many spectators were already leaving when show organizers canceled the show for the day at 1:30 p.m.
The show announcer encouraged parents to move children away from the crash scene.
The act was the third of the day at the 39th Vectren Dayton Air Show.*
*taken from youtube description
