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24 Sep 2011 18:31

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U.S.: Early investigation: Mechanical failure may have caused Reno crash

  • A tiny part of the plane might have gone missing. Competitive planes such as Jimmy Leeward’s Galloping Ghost are often highly-customized to help them move quicker and more efficiently. One of those part is the “elevator trim tab,” a piece of the plane that helps neutralize controls during a flight — something which comes in handy more than usual if, say, you regularly fly more than 500 miles per hour, like you might in a racing plane. In planes like Leeward’s, not having that piece would have made maneuvering the plane very difficult, and may have forced the plane to pitch severely upward. It might have even caused him to black out just before the crash itself. While the NTSB’s own report was vague, those in the aviation community suggest this combination of things caused Leeward to black out, leading to the crash. In the photo above, the part appears to be missing from the plane, so it’s entirely feasible. source

17 Sep 2011 21:43

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U.S.: Reno Air Races press conference: Here’s the latest on the deadly crash

  • nine number of people killed during yesterday’s crash; it’s unknown if this total will rise
  • 69 number of people treated for injuries at local hospitals; 54 were brought there by medics
  • 31 number of people admitted for their injuries; eight patients in critical condition source
  • » Crater left by plane crash: A three-foot deep, eight-foot wide crater was left by the plane crash, according to Chief investigator Howard Plagens. Meanwhile, NTSB member Mark Rosekind says that the focus right now is gathering factual information, not analyzing it. He says that although the crash took seconds to happen, retracing its steps will take months. (information gathered via live press conference)

17 Sep 2011 20:44

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U.S.: Reno Air Races update: Death toll rises, NTSB press conference soon

  • reno The latest report is that nine people died in the accident yesterday, including the pilot, Jimmy Leeward. Many of those in the hospital — roughly three dozen — suffered head injuries. NTSB officials will have a press conference at 9:15 EDT to relay the latest updates.
  • martinsburg Another crash — a day after that at the Reno Air Races — spooked people at a race in Martinsburg, West Virginia today. The crash killed the pilot but did not affect anyone in the crowds. The pilot, much like Leeward, was flying a vintage World War plane. source

17 Sep 2011 10:06

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U.S.: What we know about last night’s Reno Air Races crash

  • one At least three people have died and more than 50 were injured after a plane crashed into the stands. Many of the injured — some critically — have lost limbs. There was no explosion.
  • two The air races have been cancelled for only the second time in their history — the first being in the wake of September 11, 2001. A memorial will be held today for pilot Jimmy Leeward.
  • three Leeward himself was a qualified pilot, and witnesses say it looked like he tried to salvage the landing. But officials have avoided offering a definitive description of events. source

10 Sep 2011 14:01

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World: Tanzania ferry accident kills hundreds off coast of Zanzibar

  • 240+ people killed in last night’s ferry sinking off Zanzibar
  • 607+ people rescued; overcrowding was blamed for the disaster source
  • » A depressingly common occurrence: Accidents like these happen in the region every few years, most recently in 2009. And while this incident was certainly a tragic event, it wasn’t the worst maritime accident Tanzania’s ever experienced. That happened in 1996, when at least 443 people died on a sinking vessel, but as many as 800 could’ve been on board.

15 Feb 2011 10:31

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U.S., World: Dalai Lama’s nephew killed in unfortunate car accident

  • Yesterday, Jigme K. Norbu, the nephew of the Dalai Lama, started a 300-mile walk across Florida (with a large group of other people, by the way) to help raise awareness for the Tibetan Independence Movement. He didn’t get very far. Norbu was hit by a car less than 50 miles from his starting point, near the end of the first leg of the journey, off the coastal State Road A1A. A terrible, meaningless accident. source

04 Feb 2011 21:24

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Culture: Reddit’s hivemind accidentally turns on girl’s cancer fundraiser

  • cause A girl who was looking to raise donations for a charity head-shaving event (in support of cancer victims) posted a few times on Reddit for the campaign.
  • effect The Reddit community turned on her after one user claimed she was a total scammer; even the FBI was called. Problem was, the girl was a real girl and not lying.
  • result The Redditor was proven wrong, and she even ended up raising a couple more bucks than she would’ve otherwise – and Gawker even wrote about her. source
  • » Postscript: Now, after scolding Reddit for almost ruining a girl’s head-shaving campaign, the site’s community manager, Erik Martin, is offering to shave his head if the site can raise $30,000. As for the girl, Maya Gilsey of St. Lawrence University, she got her head shaved today. Good for her.
 

05 Dec 2010 22:36

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U.S.: Today in random-plane-crash-in-residential-neighborhood news …

… a plane crashed into a residential neighborhood in Roy, Utah. Nobody has died, but the pilot took the brunt of the crash and is severely injured. source

05 Dec 2010 12:12

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Culture: Shocking injury on German television overshadows Justin Bieber

  • bad Last night, Justin Bieber had to cancel a planned performance on German television at the last second. (So did the reunited Take That.) Always a bad day when that happens to the Bieb.
  • worse It was because a guy trying an insane stunt involving spring-propelled stilts, Samuel Koch, failed at his attempt on the show and is severely injured, possibly paralyzed. Yikes. source

04 Jul 2010 10:22

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Offbeat: Happy 4th of July! Let’s celebrate with a fireworks mutilation story

  • 1 dude blew off his arm with fireworks by accident (USA!!! USA!!!) source