Caught on camera: Two pilots killed in tragic plane collision during Nevada's Reno Air Races
Snapshot of the video of the plane crash.
Two pilots were killed in a tragic plane collision just a month after the officials cancelled the Reno Air Races over safety issues.
The plane crashed outside Nevada's Reno-Stead Airport on Sunday (September 17) which brought an end to the tourism event of the region.
The updates were shared by the Reno Air Racing Association on Facebook, as they identified the deceased pilots as Chris Rushing and Nick Macy. It added that no civilians were reported to be injured.
Both the men were described by the association as "expertly skilled pilots and Gold winners in the T-6 Class."
“Safety is the foremost concern of RARA and we work year-round to host the safest event possible. As we always do, we are co-operating with the National Transportation Safety Board, the FAA and all local authorities to identify the cause of the accident and ensure that all of our pilots, spectators and volunteers have the necessary support during this time,” wrote the associationin one post.
“I am completely devastated and heartbroken today,” stated Fred Telling, Chairman of the Reno Air Racing Association and President of the T-6 Class, as per a second post.
“These two pilots weren’t just an integral part of the National Championship Air Race family, they were a part of my family. My heart goes out to their own families and to all of the spectators and fans who have so enthusiastically supported us this week,” he added.
Live stream footage captures horrific incident
The incident was captured in live stream footage and showed terrified people screaming after seeing the crash. Months back, the board of trustees of the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority voted to discontinue the event over safety issues after a pilot was killed last year because of a plane crash, as per The US Sun.
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There were plans to celebrate Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority's 60-year anniversary with an air show.
The decision of the board was also fuelled by economic challenges as the airport's insurance costs reached $1.3 million.
"We've very publicly stated that we hope to stay here forever," said RARA Chief Operating Officer Tony Logoteta. "But sometimes things change and things don't go exactly as we planned or hoped,” he added.
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