Kevin Eldridge Super Corsair Accident- Phoenix Air Races

[riderpoet]

Was that an actual, honest-to-goodness factory-built F2G-1?

[FiveCentsPlease]

@riderpoet

No, modified from a factory Corsair back in the 1980s. Original Bu. No. and service history of the Corsair were unknown.

[geemanz59]

I, too, was in Phoenix on that day when Kevin had to do what he had to do.

[spacetownman]

That is ONE lucky pilot!

[Taildragger2411]

Well who ever makes the best of what ever, at least the guy got out and is alive to tell the tale .

[talkyrocko]

nice jump, though

[1974SuperBeetle]

How sad it is that these people ruin aircraft that should be preserved in original condition and shown off in that state at airshows.  Wanna race one, build it from scratch!!!

[FiveCentsPlease]

@1974SuperBeetle

The original history for the donor airframe used to build the Super Corsair was lost. It was a former movie prop aircraft. In the 1980s when this project began, these planes did not have the historical significance that is being given to them today as they being restored to pristine original condition. So many new parts are being made today that many of the remaining racers are already built mostly from scratch.

[4NICK8TER1]

She done blowed up

[GhostHawk76]

BACK TO THE WW2

[zip95]

I am glad you posted this, I was there that day and still remember it vividly.

[CHOADspewer]

I didn't see this...I wasn't there. I don't remember it.

[WizardOfChicamunga]

@CHOADspewer Congratulations! You have just successfully demonstrated the most extreme example of 'zero intelligence' that I have ever seen by choosing this particular video to showcase your adolescent humor. I'll bet you're just a real charmer for the 13 year old age bracket. Tell me something, does chronic Encephalitis run in your family?... Too bad about the brain damage.

[CHOADspewer]

@WizardOfChicamunga

Encephalitus....of all the diseases to pick, you went with encephalitus? You could have went with retardation, fetal alcohol, anything......but encephalitus? Wow....are you a fucking stupid idiot. Tell you what there mr. wizard (and I'm sure your about as sharp as a bowling ball) go and lose some weight, and stop acting gay. You fat goof.

[WizardOfChicamunga]

@CHOADspewer Hallucinations aren't to uncommon for people with your chronic affliction! I weigh 168!

[CHOADspewer]

@WizardOfChicamunga

Ya but your 4' 5" and still gay

[WizardOfChicamunga]

@CHOADspewer Thanks for confirming your age as being 12. It lets you off the hook.

[CHOADspewer]

@WizardOfChicamunga

Thanks for confirming that your gay. That lets you off the hook. Not just gay...Super-Hero Gay.

[daveyl123]

MrBigInfidel, there was no fire in the inital sequence. As the aircraft rounded the turn parallel to the spectator stands, only a small wisp of smoke was visible from the top of the engine cowling. At that point, all he had to do was make an 80 degree left turn to a left downwind, climb perhaps two hundred feet, slow down for gear extension and flaps, and make a base and final turn to land on runway 30L/C/R.

[daveyl123]

Bd4flyfast, I was there, too. What truly mystified me about the crash was the pilot's decision to pull up and head away from the runways. There are three runways at the old Williams AFB, plus alot of taxiways, any one of which he could have lined up on for an emergency landing. I remember the announcer claiming the pilot was angry as the helicopter approached his location. In reality, he had severe injuries, including broken bones, and he was in no condition to cop an attitude.

[MrBigInfidel]

@daveyl123 "What truly mystified me about the crash was the pilot's decision to pull up and head away from the runways."

Sitting in a seat that is not on fire I could see how that would mystify you, but the Corsair had fire and smoke in the cockpit and he didn't have time to set up for an approach to land. Aluminum burns very fast and with a fuel tank in front of you, even if he did land he might have died and the plane would have burned to the ground anyway.

[Stingray4]

I remember this day. IT was out @ the old Williams Air Force BAse. Which now is Williams Gateway Airport. I was there watching the races. And really enjoyed it, Except for the crash.

[TheParsonsRS]

Lucky man.

[pixal8tedmess]

@ztwan19 I'm all for what you said. But, DON'T TALK SHIT ABOUT HONDA! The make a fine ass motorcycle,btw harlys break down every mile.

[511marko]

I saw this on ESPN when it happened. What a shame, it was my favorite plane.

[phambo101]

Please do not use profanity on the 'Tube...It is not healthy and wise for one's mind to do so...Oh, so very sorry...O.K...U.S.A!!!

[kbahboh]

what a great man,he stayed in the plane so he could take it as furthest as possible from the civilian's

[sanfranciscobay]

Has the pilot of this plane ever done interviews or written a story about this incident that is available online for reading?

That fireball coming from the plane looks huge. The whole event looks extremely dangerous.

[jimnrel]

Was the cause of the Fire ever found out or was there nothing left to find??

[phambo101]

But wait a minute there: Why was that Corsair on fire?...I mean, I thought the last armed Japanese Zero got shot down at Okinawa...Who shot down this dude's Corsair?!!! BUY JAPANESE PRODUCTS, FOLKS, THEY'RE MUCH BETTER THAN AMERICAN MADE!!!

[fixanypc]

@phambo101 fuck off you pile of scum, this plane is heavily modified and shit breaks when you race. I dont know how many nissans and toyotas I've seen blow up at drift events in the past.

[xxxfatalityxxx1995]

@phambo101 Your parents should take your mental disabilities into consideration and not let you come on youtube anymore....

[ztwan19]

@phambo101 hey guy hey buddy thats not even funny. 1 america rules! 2. the corsair boasted a kill to death ratio of 12:1 against the japanese in ww2 and not to mention was used through the vietnam war. 3. no one makes a better product than america anythign made in the usa will out last anything made in japan. 4. maybe it was on fire because there was a mechanical malfunction thats what can happen you modify for speed but you wouldnt know cause you couldnt pass a turtle with your honda

[slickstrings]

@ztwan19 I know its an old comment but no, americas products are not superior. I personally am a guitarist and a motoring enthusiast. I can say that in these 2 areas at least, america is seriously lacking. Even americas best guitars (fenders, gibsons) dont match the build quality of a japanese built ibanez. And i dont think its even worth mensioning an american built car in terms of build quality. Jap built cars r famous for quality. The japs dont muck around when it comes to that.

[ztwan19]

@slickstrings well I'm not a man for stupid youtube arguments so the maps do build a car that lasts but i am a muscle car man myself however the usa builds the best war products such as planes and tanks and bombs and guns!

[slickstrings]

@ztwan19 there's something to be proud of.

[GCD89]

Wow. Amazing. Thankful he survived.

[obese1konobe]

Fantastic effort getting the canopy back and successfully bailing out at such high speed.

My heart was in my throat watching this.

So good to see a fellow pilot survive in such extreme circumstances.

[evadine1000]

felicidades al piloto por que espero en el momento adecuado para yebar la avioneta aun lugar dodne no hubiera personas

[4Firearms]

RIP. 

[AmericanAviator]

@4Firearms This wasn't the Reno crash of Galloping Ghost, Eldredge is still very much alive and still racing.

[7249xxl]

@4Firearms he jumped out idiot

[groov539]

Nice ejection.. What a pilot!  I have to agree with some comments here that we gotta preserve these old war birds and not overwork and crash them!

[datzfast]

@groov539 it wont be long untill they are all gone. but computers and machines can build exact copies. and they will be built someday. a part can be machined that used to be cast, so even though the factory no longer exist all you need is the software and the parts could be made in hundreds of different locations. shiped to one location and put together. because they sell for millions of dollars , its the next logical step.

[PhrynosomaTexas]

Nice job getting it out to a safe place to bail. It looked like he was going to tip stall there for a bit as he went pretty nose high. Corsair is a bitch and a lot of them end up this way. Glad he's ok but I really really really wish these people would STOP using these irreplaceable classic warbirds in such a risky manner. We're not going to have any flying left in 20 years at the rate air racers crash them.

[shitmypants119]

so sad to watch

[incurableboy]

Glad he got out.. but im still sad about loosing a corsair.

[bd4flyfast]

I was there that afternoon. I'd spent hours on-line over the years looking for this footage which is why I posted the video. As this was all unfolding you could hear Bob Hoover yelling for Kevin to bail out over all the radios in the stands. Hoover was in a BD-10 chase aircraft that race. Kevin's willingness to stay with the aircraft is noteworthy. He was seriously injured breaking limbs and his back as he became temporarily tangled with the horizontal stab. Now he flies his NXT at Reno.

[plasticspastic201]

@bd4flyfast yeh whatever. shame the stupid ass mechanics couldnt maintain the engine. the dipshit pilot should have checked. moron.

[PhrynosomaTexas]

@plasticspastic201 Exactly what the fuck do know of it? Were you even born when this happened?

[childsca]

@plasticspastic201

It's not really that the mechanics can't maintain the engine, it's more that when you are running at 3-4 times the manifold pressure that the engines ran at stock stuff is bound to break.

[plasticspastic201]

@childsca oh idiot am i? well what happened today then? badly maintained engine caused the crash in reno. plus the geriatric flying it. pfffft idiots

[childsca]

@plasticspastic201

First off, I never called you an idiot, you are just being a troll. Second, there is no evidence that yesterdays crash was caused by an engine failure of any kind. It was a structural failure of the elevator trim tab. There is a chance that it was caused by poor maintinance, but the fact that it flew in quialifiers at much faster speeds suggests that it was a product of chance and not faulty maint. Also it would matter if he was 20 or 80, such a failure is fatal either way.

[plasticspastic201]

@childsca not at all. if he was younger he would have recovered gloc quicker. you have no idea what you are talking about. i was right. maintainace failure.

[SgtGrant23]

@plasticspastic201 It wasn't the engine retard it was the trim tab on the elevator learn some stuff about airplanes before you insult

[plasticspastic201]

@SgtGrant23 thats what i said stab trim fell off. thats why he went inverted and dive bombed. you are stupid arent you.

[ChicaWolverina]

@SgtGrant23 FIVE STARS! *****

[AdamMT1618]

@bd4flyfast Thanks for the update. I'm glad he is okay.

[EngineerAeronautical]

@bd4flyfast FYI: Kevin Eldridge (the pilot in this video) is NOT the Kevin Eldredge that pilots "Relentless" NXT. It can be easy to confuse their last names since they are so close, but these are two different people with two different last names. Both are great pilots though!

[chris37865]

Omg, ok, of course it went out the plane was probably touching 400-500mph going straight towards the ground. It is obvious he stayed with the plane until he found a safe spot to ditch it, there are no crowds around where it went down. You try to pull out of a dive like that at 1000ft agl, you will tear the wings off and probably pass out from the g forces. It is stupid to try to land a plane that is on fire, this is not a video game. You are ignorant, know nothing about flight, and are an idiot.

[plaugedyeti]

they should remake corsairs

[plasticspastic201]

i do fly them. are you jealous? is that why you ask?

[PaulFarace]

And what about any poor bastard below on the ground when tons of flaming metal comes rocketing down out of the sky????

[plasticspastic201]

@PaulFarace yeh true. dumbass pilots for sure.

[Mushenzi]

@plasticspastic201

At the pre race safety briefing one of the reasons you are supposed to bail out is for a fire. You don't stick with a flaming airplane you jump out. Speaking of dumbasses what makes you think you know anything about flying?

[plasticspastic201]

@Mushenzi you cant fly for shit. i can.

[plasticspastic201]

they really shouldnt let dickheads fly these rare planes. dumbasses. no talent dweebs. no better than trainspotters and they are let loose on these historic birds. sacrelidge.

[FLY172M]

@plasticspastic201 I'd like to see you fly one, then we'll see who the real dickhead is.

[chris37865]

@plasticspastic201 Why is this man a dickhead? You know nothing about the accident other than what you saw in this video. Anyone with a pilot's license can't really be defined as a "dumb-ass no talent dweeb". I doubt you have the skill, or for that matter, the balls to race a 60 year old plane doing 400 mph 20 feet from yet another plane doing the same thing. Also, proper punctuation and sentence structure would help your cause, people would take you more seriously.

[plasticspastic201]

@chris37865 i know everything about this accident, including the fact that you should shut the fuck up. these asswipes should be banned from destroying these rare aircraft just for the sake of bravado, they are ruining the countries heritage. twats like yourself should be severely berated. hope my deliberate lack of punctuation offends and angers you.

[chris37865]

@plasticspastic201 Go troll somewhere else. This is what keeps our heritage alive, I would much rather sees these old war birds in action than to see them in a museum, and there are plenty in the museums. Quit hating on these people for doing what you can't.

[pewtoobe]

Guess there's not much left to put in the museum now.

[plasticspastic201]

@chris37865 hey dickhead. watch the video. the fires go out. if he had stayed with it instead of crapping himself and jumping out he could have saved the plane instead of risking more lives by letting it crash into a crowd. STFU

[TheFreakyKidz]

@plasticspastic201 and if you REALY knew ANYTHING about what happend he had absolutely no control over the plane prior to his bailing out. and the fires went out because the plane was going down so fast.

[plasticspastic201]

@TheFreakyKidz No not really. Try reading up on the "accident" or should i say incomptetant airmanship shown here.

[TheFreakyKidz]

@plasticspastic201 i know EXACTLY what happened because my father was on the crew AND ive talked to Kevin himself.

[plasticspastic201]

@TheFreakyKidz bwhahaah! you are freakin gay

[TheFreakyKidz]

@plasticspastic201 why, because you have no other comeback than loosely tied together swears and insults while i have actual facts?

[DaScatman]

@plasticspastic201 Hey kid, shut your wordy talkhole. You haven't a clue what you're fucking gabbing about. Flying your shitty RC toys and playing video games does not make you knowledgeable about the subject matter.

At least you're aptly name, you fucking spaz.

[plasticspastic201]

@DaScatman hey dickwipe who the hell asked you? if i wanted gibbon opinion i would have gone to the zoo.

dont get so butthurt that i am right and all you plane fags are as bad as train spotters. dorks.

[TheFreakyKidz]

@plasticspastic201 realy now, do you know everything? they do not intentionaly destroy them, its againt their beliefs, their mind set. this was a purely custom made aircraft, not an authentic one. the pilot bailed so late because he was trying to save the plane, not because he was trying to destroy it. and they sure as hell dont air race for fame or fortune, they do it to have a fun time and meet new people. i personaly know all the people who were a part of the crew, and they loved this plane.

[plasticspastic201]

@TheFreakyKidz shut the hell up asswipe

[TheFreakyKidz]

@plasticspastic201 why? because ive shown your ignorance? and swearing every other word just shows your limited vocabulary.

[BSoontirfel]

I was there that year. I saw that live from the stands.  and was very sorry so loose such a fine plane

[farmer6987]

not an f2g super corsair

[drumbrains]

oh such a waste!! that beautifual airplane lost.

[boomboxork]

@drumbrains what about the piolet u idiot

[drumbrains]

@boomboxork Hey I'm not saying that I wasn't concerned about the pilot!! Those aircraft are just really rare these days.

[irish89055]

what a waste... got to watch those P&W 4360's..

[8literbeater]

awesome