Pilot killed in crash before air show
STUART — A pilot died Friday afternoon when his military plane nosedived into a runway just hours before the start of the annual Stuart Air Show, officials said.
The fatal crash happened about 1:10 p.m. during a practice routine on Witham Field, where the air show is scheduled for this weekend. Tonight’s show was set for 5 p.m.
Friday night’s event is canceled, according to the air show’s social media posts.
“At this time, the remainder of the weekend’s event will resume as planned,” a post on Facebook said.
This was the first fatality in the air show’s 30-year history, officials said.
Authorities have not identified the pilot but he has flown at the Stuart show in the past. They are working to notify next of kin.
Organizers are working to re-schedule tonight’s event for after Saturday’s show.
Friday night tickets will be honored all weekend.
“If you have a ticket for TD Bank’s Dirty Flight Suit Party, stay tuned to in a our social media channels and your email, as we will be providing updates as soon as we can,” the Facebook post said.
“It was in its practice routine and it went nose down into the runway,” Chris Kammel, bureau chief of Martin County Fire Rescue EMS, told Treasure Coast Newspapers.
From afar people saw a black smokey plume shoot into the sky when the military aircraft crashed. Firefighters staged at the airport for air show witnessed the impact.
The Grumman Mohawk was fully engulfed in flames but quickly extinguished, said Martin County Sheriff William Snyder.
“There was nothing that could have been done,” Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Herdon, of Martin County Fire Rescue, told Treasure Coast Newspapers.
According to the the Grumman website, OV 1 Mohawk is a twin-engine turboprop armed military observation and attack aircraft, designed for battlefield surveillance and light strike capabilities and was intended to operate from short, unimproved runways in support of United States Army maneuver forces.
A statement from air show organizers said local and federal agencies are on site to ensure the safety of the air show before it continues.