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The Nevada air show tragedy has now claimed 9 lives, as investigators look into how a vintage aircraft lost control and plunged into spectators. Dozens more were injured when the World War Two-era plane slammed into a box-seat area in front of the main grandstand.
The injured have been rushed to hospital. Out of 56 people hurt, 15 are said to be in a critical condition. Mike Houghton, president and CEO of the Reno Air Races, told a news conference that pilot Jimmy Leeward had died in the crash, Associated Press reports. The 74-year-old veteran Hollywood stunt pilot was the owner of the Leeward Air Ranch Racing Team and a well-known racing pilot.
Leeward's "Galloping Ghost" plane was a P-51 Mustang fighter -- a class of plane that can fly at speeds in excess of 500 mph (800kph). Houghton said there appeared to be a "problem with the aircraft that caused it to go out of control".
