A pilot died in a horrifying plane crash watched by thousands of spectators, when his jet crashed on Sunday afternoon during the Reno Air Races, the Reno Air Racing Association announced.
The victim was identified as Aaron Hogue, a 61-year-old man who won the race’s Rookie of the Year award in 2021.
During a news conference, Fred Telling, the CEO of the Association, said that Hogue was alone and was the only victim. The Association also confirmed the pilot’s death in a tweet sent out via their Twitter account. In the tweet, the association sent condolences to the pilot’s loved ones, confirmed that he was the sole fatality, that all other pilots had landed safely, and the races had been suspended.
A video posted on social media shows two planes racing across the Reno Mountains in Nevada and then one of them getting too low and crashing in a field. The pilot was in an Aero Vodochody L-29 aircraft, which burst into a ball of fire as it skidded across the field. Thousands of people at the event watched the horrifying event, and others watched via Livestream.
Speaking at a follow-up news conference, Telling said that the tragedy had occurred on the third lap out of six on the fifth outer pylon during what’s known as the Jet Gold Race.
Fans of the late Aaron Hogue started to express their condolences and tributes on Facebook right after the race. Spectators speculated that Hogue had experienced some unknown complications with the plane just before he crashed.
In 2011, The National Championship Air Races experienced a catastrophic event when a plane lost control and smashed into spectators, killing 11 people and leaving more than 60 injured. The fatal incident threatened to end the races, but they resumed the following year after event organizers said they had made all the recommended safety improvements by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Aaron Hogue’s profile on the Racing Jets website reads like a book. It described him as the ultimate flying enthusiast. He made a plastic L-29 scale model when he was eight-years-old. The former Navy Electronics technician was a private IFR pilot and had over 2300 hours flying several aircraft. He also earned a certificate in aerobatics from the Shawn Tuckers Tutima Academy.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it would be conducting investigations to determine the cause of the plane crash in cooperation with the National Transportation Safety Board.
The National Championship Air Races have been happening for over 50 years and are the fastest motorsport in the world. They feature seven racing classes, Formula 1, Jet Racing, T6 Class, Unlimited, Biplane, Sport, and STOL Drag. The annual event is held every September at the Reno-Stead Airport and features military airplane displays.