MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- No spectators were reported injured when a World War II-era plane crashed at a West Virginia air show and burst into flames on Saturday.
The crash comes a day after a stunt pilot in Nevada crashed at an air show there, killing nine.
West Virginia air show officials posted a notice on their website encouraging those who witnessed the crash not to hesitate to seek support if they felt that viewing it was a traumatic event.
West Virginia Air National Guard spokesman Lt. Nathan Mueller said the T-28 aircraft crashed while it performed during a routine at the Thunder Over the Blue Ridge Open House and Air Show in Martinsburg.
Mueller did not have any details on the pilot’s condition.
The pilot’s name has not been released.
The fixed-wing, single-engine plane is registered to John Mangan, of Concord, N.C., and was built in 1958, according to a Federal Aviation Administration registry.
The aircraft lost control during a six-plane stunt formation and then crashed on a runway near hangers at the airfield. The plane was part of the T-28 Warbird Aerobatic Formation Demonstration Team, which performs at air shows around the country.
The team is known as the Trojan Horsemen, and its website says Jack “Flash” Mangan is part of the alternate wing. His biography on the site says he is a former Air Force fighter pilot who won three Meritorious Service Medals and Tactical Air Command’s Instructor Pilot of the Year. A message left at Mangan’s North Carolina home was not immediately returned Saturday.
FAA spokesman Jim Peters said the crash happened about 2:40 p.m.
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