An investigation just concluded has determined that pilot error at an Ohio air show recently caused a tragic crash that killed both the pilot himself and a woman working with him as a wing walker. The accident happened while the 44-year-old woman was engaged in her wing walker performance. Both her and the 64-year-old pilot died instantly in the flames that engulfed the plane when it crashed.
It was not known whether the deaths will be the subject of a workers' compensationclaim against the operators of the air show. The Ohio State Highway Patrol carried out an investigation of the causes of the accident. A further investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will look into the possibility of some sort of mechanical error being involved in the accident, with its conclusion not expected for up to a year.The plane used was a Boeing Stearman biplane and thousands at the show watched in stunned horror as it crashed. The two in the plane who died had been engaged to be married and had talked about holding their ceremony in the plane while aloft. The wedding was planned for next year. The male pilot had been flying sailplanes beginning in 1975. The woman wing walker had been an airplane pilot since 1989 and later suffered a spleen and lung injury causing her to halt her activities, returning recently to wing walking. She eschewed the use of a safety line in her activities.
Workers' compensation is a system for making sure that employees suffering injuries or the families of those killed on the job are adequately compensated. After such workplace injuries, an experienced workers' compensation attorney should be consulted.
Source: ToledoBlade.com, "Police report says 'pilot error' caused Ohio air show tragedy" No Author Given, Jul. 02, 2013