The pilot of a World War II era GEICO Skytyper plane has been killed after the plane crashed in Melville, Suffolk County Wednesday afternoon.
Lauren Peller -Twitter
The pilot of a World War II era GEICO Skytyper plane has been killed after the plane crashed along Northcote Drive in Melville, Suffolk County, Wednesday afternoon.
A T6 Geico sky-typing plane with the words “U. S. Intrepid” on the fuselage crashed in a wooded area on Long Island Wednesday afternoon, killing the pilot, according to authorities. The plane appeared to break into pieces before it hit the ground, according to a spokeswoman for the Town of Huntington.
Officials confirmed one fatality — the pilot, who the only person aboard the plane. The pilot’s name has not been identified pending notification of family.
Here’s what you need to know:
A small vintage plane has crashed along Northcote Drive in Melville, Suffolk County, Wednesday afternoon. Photo credit: Lauren Peller
The SNJ-2 plane was part of the Geico sky-typing and air show team and was one of several flying in formation shortly before it plummeted from the sky and went down just off of Northcote Drive in Melville around 1:55 p.m., officials said.
According to NBC New York, the plane involved in the crash was a T6 Texan, a high-performance World War II trainer craft.
“The plane was based out of Republic Airport and was thought to be a skytyper plane that was part of the canceled Jones Beach Air Show last weekend.”
@Newsday @LongIslandPress @longislandernws @News12LI: A small plan crashed in front of my house on Northcote Drive in Melville pic.twitter.com/IEkpILeOMH
— Lauren Peller (@lauren_peller) May 30,2018
Bystander Lou Scaglione was out to lunch when he saw a formation of what he described as five World War II planes, according to Newsday. When he looked back at up, there were only four planes remaining. Then, he saw smoke over the trees.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Scaglione, 53, told Newsday. “These planes are part of Long Island. It’s a shame that one of them is down over there.
Al Alami, 21, of Queens, was landing at nearby Republic Airport in East Farmingdale in a Piper Warrior when he saw the plane that crashed spiraling downward. Alami said he is studying to be an airline pilot and came to the crash site hoping his fellow airman was alright. pic.twitter.com/z8dcvxyh6J
— Janelle Griffith (@janellefiona) May 30,2018
Mike Jewels, 22, who lives down the street from the crash, said he was on his way home from work when he heard the loud sound of a plane overhead.
“I turned down the block and saw all these flames and smoke,” he said.
The GEICO Skytypers Air Show Team are an aerobatic team that perform at airshows around the United States using six SNJ-2 World War II-era planes, according to PR News Wire. The team was recently sponsored by GEICO.
“The SNJs flown by our team were originally used as training aircraft for WWII and Korean Conflict pilots,” says Team Flight Lead Larry Arken, according to PR News Wire.
“During our air show performances, we are able to demonstrate the amazing capabilities of these vintage warbirds on behalf of our sponsor, GEICO. The 75-year-old SNJ aircraft are a testament to the engineering genius of the Greatest Generation.”
As training aircraft, the SNJ can perform all the maneuvers of a fighter plane, but at slower speeds. “The historic sound of the vintage engines fills the air as the team demonstrates more than 20 different tactical maneuvers.”
WANTAGH, NY – MAY 28: The Geico Skytypers fly through the sky during the New York Airshow on May 28,2005 at Jones Beach in Wantagh, New York. The airshow, which featured the Air Force Thunderbirds along with other planes, is part of Memorial Day weekend celebrations in the area. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Getty Images)
With the right conditions, the team can also sky-type giant messages for the crowd below. The fleet of aircraft ascends to 9,500 feet to fly in a “line-abreast formation” to type messages over 1,000 feet tall, according to PR News Wire.
The messages are actually taller than the Empire State Building, so people can view the messages from up to 15 miles away in any direction.
“In less than two minutes, 20-25 characters are generated utilizing a patented program to generate smoke releases at timed intervals,” according to PR News Wire. “Because the typing speed is 17 times faster than traditional skywriting, viewers are often drawn in to guess words, similar to playing “Wheel of Fortune” style games.”
ANDREWS AFB, MD – MAY 16: Members of the Geico Skytypers maneuver their WWII era SNJ-2 planes during the Joint Services Open House and Air Show May 16,2008 at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. Military families, their guests and students attended the show, which opens to the public this weekend, featuring demonstrations by the U. S. Navy’s Blue Angels and others. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)
In April 2007, the GEICO Skytypers performed the missing man formation in a special tribute to Kevin “Kojak” Davis who was killed in the 2007 Blue Angels South Carolina crash, according to Wikipedia .
Another missing man formation was dedicated to Jan Wildbergh, who was killed while returning to the runway after a successful rehearsal for the annual Naval Air Station Oceana Air Show in Virginia on September 7,2007. Wilbergh wasn’t able to complete the break in formation after the final maneuver and lost altitude until the aircraft hit the ground. According to the team spokesman, Wildbergh was too low to use his parachute and did not have an ejection seat.
In May 2016, the Skytypers performed another missing man formation at the Jones Beach Air Show for pilot Bill Gordon, who passed away the day before in a P-47 crash into the Hudson River.
On June 4,2016, the Skytypers performed a missing man formation at the Great Tennessee Air Show in Smyrna, TN for USMC Capt Jeff Kuss. Capt. Kuss was a pilot for the US Navy Blue Angels but was killed during a practice run after he had inaccurate altitude information and forgot to reduce throttle before colliding his F/A-18 into a golf course.
Labeled for Reuse – Google The GEICO Skytypers
The Skytypers have done a variety of shows across America since the early 2000’s. They have opened the season in Florida at the Vero Beach Air Show, performed at the inaugural Wings Over Myrtle Beach Air Show and are planning on having The Miss GEICO offshore racing team join the Skytypers at special events throughout the year.
