Plane in crash at Nev. air race had camera

RENO, Nev. -- A World War II-era plane had a video camera facing outward, and memory cards were found at the scene where it crashed near a grandstand in Reno.

It raises the possibility of video of the crash that killed nine, including the pilot. National Transportation Safety Board investigators said yesterday the cards will be analyzed for any footage.

Before it crashed, the P-51 Mustang also sent information to the racing team crew including oil pressure and temperature, altitude and velocity. That information could help investigators determine what caused the plane to crash.

There were reports the pilot sent a mayday call before crashing, but officials said so far there is no evidence of a call.

The plane hit the first few rows of VIP box seats like a missile Friday, causing a crater 3 feet deep and 8 feet across with debris spread out over more than an acre. Some in the crowd reported noticing a strange gurgling engine noise from above before the P-51, dubbed The Galloping Ghost, pitched violently upward, twirled and took a nosedive into the crowd.

The plane, flown by a veteran racer and Hollywood stunt pilot, Jimmy Leeward, 74, disintegrated in a ball of dust, debris and bodies as screams of "Oh, my God!" spread through the crowd.

Noah Joraanstad, 25, said he watched as the vintage plane hurtled toward where he was sitting in the VIP section. He started running, but was blown off his feet. Shrapnel hit his back, barely missing his spine and kidney. He had nine stitches in his head and was covered in aviation fuel that burned his skin as spectators tried to wash it off.

When he looked around, the plane was gone. "The biggest pieces I could see, it looked like just someone sprinkled Legos in every direction," Joraanstad told The Associated Press from Northern Nevada Medical Center.

Sixty-nine people were treated at hospitals, including 46 who have been released and 31 who remain. Six were in critical condition yesterday morning.

The Mustang had a minor crash almost exactly 40 years ago after its engine failed. According to two websites that track P-51s that still fly, it made a belly landing away from the Reno airport Sept. 18, 1970. The NTSB report says the engine failed during an air race and it crash-landed short of the runway.