the pilot's name is jimmy leeward, among the dead.ave more for you tomorrow on "today in the bay." >> thanks for joining us. good night. >> announcer: it's "the tonight featuring rickey minor

jimmy leeward was a veteran flyer. the 74-year-old florida real estate developer even worked as a stunt pilot for the movies. leeward flew stunt scenes in "the tuskegee airmen" and "amelia." days before the crash he expressed confidence about how he would do. >> right now i think we've calculated out, we're as fast as anybody in the field or maybe even a little faster. but to start with we really didn't want to show our hand until about saturday or sunday. >> again, sadly pilot leeward died in that crash. a memorial that was scheduled for leeward in reno today has now been cancelled. all right. take a closer look at this photograph. the photograph of leeward's p-51 mustang taken just before the crash. is getting a whole lot of attention right now. that circled area right there, you'll notice there's a piece missing. that elevator trim tab that our dan simon was talking about, steve cowell is an aviation expert and knows jimmy leeward. steve, i know this is very difficult to talk about the examination of this plane just

. >> the ntsb confirmed that veteran pilot leeward modified his plane to go faster by shortening the wing span by five feet. >> he has simulated access to exemplar aircraft that has helped the investigators further understand the systems in the modified aircraft. >> they will be also looking into the pilot, the plane and environment despite the impact that shattered the plane into thousands of tiny pieces. they recovered portions of the tail from the crash that left a crater 3 feet deep and six to eight feet wide. >>> investigators have recovered an object which may be the piece seen falling off the tail section. at this point they are just calling it an object. >> as we mentioned, the pilots and crewmembers are now questioning the fate of their sport. abc7's johnathan bloom sat down with some of them and talked to one man who is worried this crash could bring the entire sport of air racing to an end. >> we know it could happen and the pilots, there's always someone that crashes every year but it's never been in a crowd. >> taylor has been building airplanes with his father since he

. >> they confirmed that veteran pilot leeward modified his plane to go faster by shortening the wing by five feet. >> he has simulated access to exemplar aircraft that has helped the investigators further understands the systems in the modified aircraft. >> they will be also looking into the pilot, the plane and environment despite the impact that shattered the plane into thousands of tiny pieces. they recovered portions of the tail from left a crater 3 feet deep and six to eight feet wide. >>> investigators also recovered an object which may be the piece seen falling off the tail section. at this point they are just calling it an object. >> as we mentioned, the pilots and crewmembers are now questioning the fate of their sport. abc7's johnathan bloom sat down with some of them and talked to one man who is worried this crash could bring the entire sport of air racing to an end. >> we know it could happen and the pilots, there's always someone that crashes every year but it's never been in a crowd. >> taylor has been building airplanes with his father since he was 12 years old. he's a

we're here at leeward air ranch. we finally have "galloping ghost" back in the air. >> reporter: leeward, who was also a stunt pilot in several movies, gave an interview at the air show on thursday. >> or maybe even a little faster. >> reporter: sounding confident, he didn't want to show his hand on what kind of speeds his plane could reach. >> we've been playing poker since last monday and so it's ready -- we're ready to show a couple more cards. so we'll see on friday what happens. and then saturday we'll probably go ahead and play our third ace. and on sunday we'll do our fourth race. >> reporter: race organizers say leeward's medical records were up to date. initial speculation from attendees and other aviation experts has focused on the tail of the aircraft. that's because photographic evidence shows a key part missing. investigators came across what may be that piece to break away from the aircraft. >> a component has been recovered in the area where that was observed. but i think it's critical at this point to

leeward is a fixture in the races. people worldwide watch as it is genuinely a chariot race in the sky and unfortunately a chariot race has got inherent risks. we take risks every day, get on the freeway and drive our cars, it is not quite as dramatic or romantic but everybody here does their best to ensure safety. the pilots go to schools to debriefings, to make sure that it's safe, but nothing is entirely safe. we live in a world of risk, and young men and women in the air force, in the military, they take risks every day, and that is inherent in life, and these men brave these situations, and the most remarkable thing is that many of these people that race, these older, these aircraft are magnificently maintained by people who have the funds or the resources to maintain them, to keep history alive and it's an amazing group of people >> mr. mccrae, we appreciate you taking the time for us this morning, certainly a story everyone's haertearts go out to victims. the ntsb investigating and we'll learn more but our heart

. >> reporter: he even trained pilot jimmy leeward on it in 1972. >> leeward was in the front cockpit, i was in the back. >> reporter: it was leeward in this cockpit when it suddenly crashed. fans in reno hope the show will return next year. >> this was a fluke. it could have had a news helicopter fly over head and fly out of the sky, anything can happen. >> reporter: but perkins says the disaster will have an impact beyond that event. >> yes there will be a ripple effect. yes there will be some diminishment of the airways venue, yes the faa will make more rules. >> reporter: yes he says there's an important difference between air races and the kind of air show pilots are planning for this weekend. >> it's a well scripted presentation of the airplane out in front of the audience. no energy directed toward the audience at any time. all the variables very well controlled. >> reporter: no spectator has been killed in an air show in the u.s. since 1952. perkins says it's a level of safety he can vouch for. >> i do air show, have i had close calls? yes, have i had close calls at air shows,

leeward said the plane was faster than anyone on the the field or even faster. leeward was 74 years old and was from ocala, florida. he was a well known stunt flier. he loved the p51 because it was a plane of legendary pilots such as chuck leward. >>> officials in reno have set up a victim phone lime. that number is # 75-972-6663. >>> the reno air races have a history of crashes. in fact, there was actually a nonfatal crash just yesterday. in 2007 and 2008 there were a total of four deaths. this was one of the crashes. the air race is similar to an car race and shows planes flying wing tip to wing tip at times going in speeds in excess of 500-miles-an-hour. the faa closely watches the pilots races. we spoke to a pilot who has been to the races before. >> it's a different type of flying. it's low to the ground, it's fast and you're with several other airplanes in kind of the same area. you have to be certified as a race pilot before you can race. >> reporter: the reno air races have been held since 1954. since that time seven people have died. today's crash is th

leeward said the plane was faster than anyone on the the field or even faster.eeward was 74 years old and was from ocala, florida. he was a well known stunt flier. he loved the p51 because it was a plane of legendary pilots such as chuck leward. >>> officials in reno have set up a victim phone lime. that number is # 75-972-6663. >>> the reno air races have a history of crashes. in fact, there was actually a nonfatal crash just yesterday. in 2007 and 2008 there were a total of four deaths. this was one of the crashes. the air race is similar to an car race and shows planes flying wing tip to wing tip at times going in speeds in excess of 500-miles-an-hour. the faa closely watches the pilots races. we spoke to a pilot who has been to the races before. >> it's a different type of flying. it's low to the ground, it's fast and you're with several other airplanes in kind of the same area. you have to be certified as a race pilot before you can race. >> reporter: the reno air races have been held since 1954. since that time seven people have died. today's crash is the

the pilot, jimmy leeward, believed to be killed in that crash.b cashell. mr. mayor, what is the latest? do you have any sense of a number of casualties at this point? mr. mayor, it is anderson cooper. can you hear me? >> yes, sir. can you hear me? >> yes, sir, i can. any -- do you have any sense of casualties or injured at this point? >> no, sir, we don't have any report on those at this time. the ntsb is out on the field now going through everything, but we don't have any numbers at this time at all. they been evacuated from the area? >> everybody injured was evacuated. emergency management team out here did an unbelievable job, and everybody was in the hospital in short notice. >> were you at the race when it occurred? >> no, i just was leaving my office when i heard about it and the city manager and i and the fire chief and chief of police came out here. >> any idea what went wrong? >> no, sir, not at this time. i haven't been given anything on that and i have been looking for it. >> do you have a sense -- it seems like ntsb officials, faa off

leeward named the plane the galloping ghost. it was brought out of retirement three years ago. leeward made several modifications to the plane, including shortening the wings by five feet to make it more efficient. >>> back in 1999 another airshow crash in reno was caught on home video. if you look closely, the plane just beneath the red one. this one was also a world war ii era p-51 world war ii mustang. the pilot was killed and a girl hurt. >>> a man opened fire as a gas station at lincoln and cartner about 10:30 yesterday morning. two hours later he carjacked a the suspect is now in custody and police say they have his weapon. they aren't going into any details on that. police also aren't saying how many officers fired their guns or how many shots they fired. san jose police are searching an apartment complex for a man suspected committing a string of violent crimes. it started at a gas station at lincoln and kurtner about 10:30 yesterday morning. two hours later he carjacked a vehicle at a shopping center. still missing. we of we report about the search. >> as police surrou

nannette miranda reporting live. >>> jimmyly ward was -- jimmy leeward was flying the plane. he was a represented pilot and known for his skill and a legend among enthusiasts. they say fatalities of today's scope are extremely rare. >> and the history of airshows and air racing, this essentially never happens because of all of the regulations and policies safeguards put in place. in fact, in the last 50 years there has only been one spectator fatality at an airshow or an air race. so the safety record of airshows and air races has been spectacular for decades and decades. >> he was speaking about spectator fatalities, but over the course of the sport's 44-year history there have been a total of 19 deaths from crashes and collisions in 2007. two pilots died over the course of four days. >>> leeward named his plane "the gal loping ghost" and it was a muss take fighter. the plane sat in a hangar for 40 years and brought out of retirement three years ago. he made several modifications including shortening the wings by five feet to make it for efficient. and back in 1999, another

miles on hour, officials say the p-51 mustang was having mechanical problems and the pilot, jimmy leeward lost control of the aircraft. >> all of his medical records were up to date, spot on. he was a very experienced pilot. >> reporter: we slowed down the video as it nosed dive into the stands. witnesses describe what they saw. >> something must have broke. a couple. it wobbled and it came up and he started heading towards the stands, he will going to try fly over the stands to get away and the plane turned hard and when it started coming down looked like he was pulling hard to get it as far away as possible. >> going up, above vertical, gets twisted and turned and wam! and it was all brown smoke. >> i saw a lot of bloody people. people standing in shock looking around. they came over the loud speaker and asked people to don't come down here, but don't leave. stay where you are and turn your children away from it because it was a horrific site with lots of blood and lots of very cat trophic injuries. >> reporter: emergency responders rushed to help people. there was debris everywhere. th

pilot john parker is the same age as jimmy leeward and every bit as seasoned. >> the jimmy leeward incident was a tragic accident but that's all it was was a tragic accident and should the incident have happened ten seconds sooner or ten seconds later you wouldn't be here. >> reporter: the reno air race was already the last of its kind. many here expect that friday may have been the last, period. david wright, abc news, reno. >>> and in a moment we're going to ask all of you to join us in taking a test. a crime scene. can you remember the thief? take a look at it. and can you believe your own eyes? >>> also ahead on "world news," the new college student who tweeted us that she wants to help buy what is made in america and we show you what we did and how it could create 500,000 american jobs. >>> and we know the teacher who helped change oprah's life. well, which teacher helped change yours? if you think occasional irregularity is no big deal, think twice. it may be a sign that your digestive system could be working better. listen to this with occasional irregularity, things your body doesn'

never dreamed that something like this would happen to someone that you know. >> reporter: leeward and eight spectators died in the crash, including john crate, who his family believes he protected his son and two friends who survived. >> he probably sheltered his son. that's the kind of guy he was. a very, very good dad, very good husband, very in love with my sister. >> reporter: emotions just like the questions that continue to linger after the tragic crash. jay gray, nbc news. >>> elsewhere this morning, president obama will unveil a deficit reduction plan that calls for an increased tax rate for those making more than $1 million a year. but republicans opposed to any tax hikes whatsoever are calling the president's suggestions dead on arrival. nbc's tracie potts joins us from washington with more on this. good morning. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. taxes, the president today will propose a plan that he says should cut nearly $4.5 trillion from the deficit over the next decade. but here is the catch. the rich have to pay more within $1.5 trillion in tax changes, including the ex

witnesses say it appears the pilot jimmy leeward fought the diving plane in an attempt to miss the main grandstand. with the air races cancelled pilots and crew members are questioning the future of their sport. we sat down and talked to some of them and talk to one man that is worried it could bring the sport of air racing to an end. >> a crash every year but never in thedowns. >> he has been building airplanes with his father sin he was 12. he has always known air racing was dangerous. >> it's rough. seen my dad crash his plane. >> but watching the fighter plane plunge to the ground was like nothing he has ever seen. >> it looked like it was coming toward us. i was running for the hills. seeing ambulance after ambulance going by. a sick feeling in your stomach. >> eldridge says he is dealing with another sick feel knowing that a result of the crash, he might never see the reno air races again. >> i look forward to this. it's hard to know we're not coming back. >> not going to come back next year? >> there won't be any races. such a tragedy and horror, that half the pilots i have heard

74 aÑos en este accidente., y al parecer, no era ningun novato, pues segun su pagina web, leeward habiavolado en mas de 120 de estas competencias aereas en 200 diferentes tipos de aviones. ---leeward tambien habia trabajado como doble de pilotos en varias peliculas, algunas de ellas: "amelia" y "cloud dancer". stop open take sot - animated open cu --buenas noches les saluda blanca garza, gracias por acompaÑarnos . cu ---en san jos, se reporta una balacera en una gasolinera, ubicada en el vecindario willow glen. take vo ---el incidente ocurrio cerca de las 10 de la maÑana en el dispensario de gasolina ubicado sobre la avenida lincoln. ---segun la policia, un hombre llenaba el tanque de su auto cuando alguien se le acerc, sac un arma y le dispar una vez a la victima. ---2 horas despues, se cree que el mismo sujeto, se robo un auto toyota camry, y el conductor de dicho vehiculo se encuentra desaparecido. top-vo ---y siempre en san jose, esta madrugada la policia dispar contra un sospechoso de haberse robado un automovil. ---todo comenz, entre las calles barrington court, y la avenida mclau

. >> pilot jimmy leeward was flying his p51 mustang, the galloping ghost, when something went terribly wrong. >> the plane just kind of turned hard and when it started coming down, it looked like he must have been pulling really hard on the stick to try to get it as far away from the stands as possible. >> his plane drove directly into the box seat area to one side of the grandstand, resulting in what many described as a mass casualty situation. one medical officer at the scene said more than 75 people were injured, many critically. scores were taken to area hospitals. >> i am just wondering how many people got hurt. >> faa inspectors at the scene during the crash say there were no flames upon impact but the debris field was widespread. >> we are all devastated by this tragedy and we are doing everything we can to move along and communicate and work with the folks that are directly and adversely affected by this. >> the cause of the crash is still under investigation, but an airshow official thinks there are indications that point to mechanical problems. in reno, i'm nannette miranda.

. >> the pilot jimmy leeward was flying his mustang went something went terribly wrong. >> the plane turned hard he must have been hard on the stick to get as far away from the stands as possible. >> he went boxed seat area to one side of the grandstands in the resulted of mass casualty situation. one medical officer at the scene more than 75 people were injured many of them critically. scores were taken to area hospitals. >> i was wondering how many people got hurt. >> inspectors at the scene during the crash saying there were no flames upon impact but the debris field was widespread. >> we are all devastated by this tragedy. we are doing everything we can to work with the folks that directly and personally affected by this. >> the cause of crash is still under investigation. an air show official thinks there are indications that points to mechanical problems. i'm nannette miranda "abc 7 news." >> jimmy leeward was flying the plane, he was well known for his skill and a legend among flying enthusiasts. fay taltsd in yesterday is extremely rare. >> in the history of air racing this n

the pilot jimmy leeward owned the leeward air ranch racing team. >>> most powerful woman in the 0bamd a house in san francisco this morning. secretary of state hillary clinton spoke to a gathering of foreign diplomat and business leaders at economic summit. and she says the key to growth is simple. her solution from abc 7 political reporter mark matthe matthews. >> secretary of state hillary clinton told the audience of mostly women that economic parody for women will benefit women. >> when everyone has a chance to participate in the economic life of a nation we can all be richer. >>reporter: clinton cited goldman sachs report that said lowering barrier for women in the work force could raise the u.s. gd p by 9 percent. >> it would increase the euro zone by 13 percent and they need it and japan by 16 percent. >>reporter: clinton said it takes time and concerted effort but increasing participation for women will raise productivity and the economy of nations. >> this is the beginning of a very promising future for us all. thank you very much. [applause]. >>reporter: she got a standing

. >> we have now learn that had the pilot was jimmy leeward from florida. his fan page says he has been flying planes since the 70s. he was flying a plane like this one a world war ii flight capable of hitting 300 miles per hour. now it is on his way to reno right now. we will have a live update on the crash for you tonight on the 10:00 news. >>> now to san jose there's a search underway for a 52-year- old woman -- police say the gunman first shot a customer at 11:00 a.m. then car jacked the missing woman about one hour later. video show it is man wearing a texas rangerring catch. we are told the victim is expected to survive. police say the gunman then drove to the shopping kenter and aparently kidnapped 52-year- old cindy. then called back to helping her. in 1-9d 97, the license plane 5gxw 452. we will have a live update for you on this developing story tonight on the 10:00 news. >> within just the past hour the highway patrol reopened all lanesover interstate 8 o after a deadly crash that still has traffic backed up. a motorcyclist was killed in a collis

this apparently from leeward's son, chad.his says thank you to everyone for the incredible outpouring of support, also include the bible scripture saying cast your cares on the lord and he will sustain you. we continue to follow that story. again, right now, they are investigating, but no word on what caused the crash. let's turn back to politics now. the news has not been very good for president obama this week. the latest cnn/orc poll says 55% disapprove of how president obama is doing his job. an even larger number, 61%, disapprove how he is handling the economy. democrats lost two key election necessary congress this week. on top of that, democratic strategists dane carl tells cnn it is time for president obama to panic. and he needs to start firing some folks. >> this is not working, not politically, not economically, not anything. so bring in a new team and indicate to people that you get it, they understand that you were dealt a very tough hand, but you keep playing the same hand over and over again, it's not working.

this is leeward, he said in this recent youtube video that he made radical modifications to his plane. the modifications included shortening the wings significantly. now listen to this. today a pilot from placerville named ray sherwood is telling the police about a similar incident back in 1999. the same kinds of modifications caused the very same plane to lose its trim tab back in 1999. in that case the pilot deeded and nobody else was hurt. >> who oversees -- obviously the racing pilots want to go fast and they want to modify the planes. but who oversees that to make sure it's safe? >> reporter: the faa checks thoroughly. they check the planes and the modifications and the pilot. in the case of the reno race, they eliminated six of the 22 jets that were involved in this competition. they were barred because of concerns about the modifications including changes to their engines. so they are checked. but as part of this process with the ntsb will be reviewing what happened here. they say they may be checking into how thoroughly the faa checks the planes. >> we should point out this pi

annual air race there are mass casualties according to locals on the ground and the pilot, jimmy leeward, is believed to have died, ktvn is reporting the pilot was 80 years old, from florida stunt pilot who has appeared in films, been a pilot much of his life, not clear how many other people were killed or injured. we are waiting for a press conference to begin, we believe that will begin momentarily. we will take it live to get the latest information. meantime, we want to show you what was caught on tape. look at the left side of your screen. as you look at this you will see the plane coming straight down before that person's head get notice way. we will continue to show that to you just so you get a sense of the speed with which it was traveling and the direction, heading straight down, should have been traveling in a horizontal position as other planes were during this race. crashing to a box seat area in front of the main grandstand. the plane, a p-51 mustang, a world war ii era fighter plane known as the gal long ghost. the pilot, mr. leeward, was competing at the national champions

part of the plane's tail section looks like it's missing, which could have caused pilot jimmy leeward to lose control. >> shock. absolute shock. never dreamed that something like this would happen to someone that you know. >> reporter: leeward and eight spectators died in the crash, including this man whose family believes he perished protecting his son and two friends, who survived. >> he probably sheltered his son. that's the kind of guy he was. very, very good dad. very good husband. very in love with my sister. >> reporter: emotions just like the questions that continue to linger after the tragic crash. jay gray, nbc news. >>> elsewhere this morning, president obama will unveil a deficit reduction plan that calls for an increased tax rate for those making more than $1 million a year. but republicans opposed to any tax hikes whatsoever are calling the president's suggestions dead on arrival. tracy potts joins us from washington with more. >> reporter: including what lawmakers already agreed to last summer, this plan would cut over $4 trillion over the course of a decade, but it wou

- 74-year-old jimmy leeward, a veteran of numerous air races and stunt pilot. friends were stunned. >> shock, absolute shock. never dreamed that something like this would happen to someone that you know. >> reporter: one of the spectators who died, john craig, may have been trying to save his son and his son's two friends. they survived. >> i think that he probably sheltered his son and that's the kind of guy he was. so very, very good dad, very good husband. very in love with my sister. >> i'm running this way. >> reporter: one of those injured, commercial pilot noaa turnstead says in this youtube video he can see himself trying to run away from the impact area. >> it was like a missile coming out of nowhere. just, like, i don't know how i'm going to survive this. >> reporter: the crash in reno is raising concerns about the safety of these events. >> the whole issue is really what is the benefit of these air races. and what is the risk? and you have to weigh the benefits against the risk. >> reporter: the ntsb says that one thing that may come out of its inves

safety officials say the pilot of the plane jimmy leeward was operating the plane at a low altitude and high speed when it nose dived to the ground. the renowned hollywood stunt pilot was killed. he had been flying since he was 14 years old. today national transportation safety board officials are on scene trying to determine what caused leeward to lose control of that plane. investigators arrived here at 8:30 this morning and have been sifting through the evidence. >> the investigators have isolated the accident site. they've walked the accident scene, which means that they've gone through and identified and processed the wreckage. the reno police department and nevada highway patrol is mapping the wreckage area with a very high technology gps laser system. the runway has been swept and that's in preparation to open up for operation again. >> there are also reports the fighter plane was missing a piece of its aircraft before the crash. safety officials are looking into that. they are also looking at amateur video clips and photos. they have a tremendous amount of video to go through be

spectators watched in horror and leeward's family was said to be in the crowd when he was killed. the renowned hollywood stunt man had been flying since he was 14 years old. today national transportation safety board officials are sifting through the evidence and say the key part of their investigation will be finding out if a piece of the vintage world war ii plane was missing before it crashed. >> a component has been recovered in the area where that was observed. but i think it's critical at this point to know that we have not identified the component. it will be examined. so we don't really know what the component is or even if it came from this particular aircraft. we are very clearly going to focus on that and that's part of the factual information gathering going on right now. >> safety officials are also looking at amateur video clips and photos. they have a tremendous amount of video to go tlhrough because so many people were at the air race when the accident happened. officials are trying to figure out if there was a black box recording device in that plane but say it is

. >> reporter: and many people here are calling that pilot, 74- year-old jimmy leeward, a hero for the split second decision to crash onto the tarmac in front of the vip box seats instead of into the grandstands where there would have been more cash wait a minutes. more casualties. the seen is back that way. ntsb officials are conducting a formality investigation. watch and listen to this gut wrenching home video of the crash. the plane, a p-51 mustang, world war ii vintage, had a mechanical malfunction. authorities are reporting the pilot and two others are the only ones confirmed dead but that number is expected to rise. dozens were wounded. the plane burst into smithereens sending shrapnel into the crowd. witnesses described widespread carnage, severed limbs and bodies flying through the air. >> the next thing i saw, a small fireball and shrapnel flying straight up in the air. at that time i turned my back. i turned around to protect my son and my daughter. >> it's a tragedy for all of us in this small family of air racing. our fans, those that are injured, the victims, those that a

tomorrow, there will be a memorial service for the pilot, jimmy leeward, at his hangar. we are also told that nevada governor brian sandoval is on his way to the accident scene. this is a very fluid scene. they are still trying to figure out what caused this aircraft to plummet out of the sky and injure so many people. to run the totals here, 75 injuries, the report we're getting, at least 25 of those in critical condition, three confirmed fatalities, and there may be more. if we get more information, we'll pass it on to you. >> ken, thank you. >>> now, we want to update breaking news out of san jose. a suspect who is armed, considered very dangerous, shot a man at willow glenn gas station, then apparently car jacked a woman at a shopping center close by. robert lyles has the late details on the car jacking victim. robert? >> reporter: well, allen and dana, this story continues to develop as we speak. just a few minutes ago, we have learned the identity of that car jacking victim. she is 51-year-old cindy nguyen, a well-known real estate agent with pn real estate group r

spectators watched in horror as leeward's family was said to be in the crowd when he was killed. the renowned hollywood stunt man had been flying since he was 14 years old. this morning national transportation safety board officials arrived here at 8:30 to sift through the evidence. again, a key part of their investigation. finding out if a piece of the vintage world war ii plane was missing before it crashed. they have recovered a component of the plane, of a plane, but it's still unclear if it is the p-51 fighter plane. safety officials are also looking at amateur video clips and photos. they have a tremendous amount of video to go through because so many people were at the air race when the accident happened. officials are also trying to figure out if there was a black box recording device in the plane but because of the model of the plane because it again is a vintage model, it is unlikely that there was a black box in it. again, they are sifting through all of the evidence. they have a tremendous amount to go through. investigators will be here for the next few days. then th

seasoned. >> the leeward incident was a tragic accident that's all it was was a tragic accident andhe incident have happened 10 seconds sooner or 10 seconds later, you wouldn't be here. >>reporter: reno air race was already the last of its kind. many here expected friday may have been the last, period. david wrait, abc news, rain 0. >> and in southern california 2 marines were killed this afternoon when an attack helicopter went down during a training exercise at camp pendleton. still no word yet what caused the accident that setoff a brush fire that spread to 120 acres. sfichlt president obama today unveiled new plan to cut the federal deficit by 2 trillion i don't know dollars. it calls for raising tax on his nearly everyone making more than 25 250,000 dollars a year. and establishes a minimum tax on people making 1 million or more per year. >> it is wrong that in the united states of america teacher or a nurse or a construction worker who earns 50,000 dollars should pay higher tax rate than somebody pulling in 50 million dollars. >>reporter: president also called for can you get

jimmy leeward died at the crash.ion of the tail called the trim tab appears to be missing. investigators say they have recovered a component which they say may be related to what is seen in the photos. >>> it's been a tragic weekend for air shows. we've learned today of a crash at a thunder over the ridge air show in mart inzburg, west virginia. the crash involved a 228 aircraft. our reporter jen clark took these photos. she called the crash very scary. no information on injuries so far. we'll bring you the details just as soon as we get them here on krn. thank you so much for watching us. i'm don lemon. i'll be back here an hour from now. in the meantime, ""the situation room" with wolf blitzer" begins right now. >> many republicans are looking at the gop

the pilot's name, jimmy leeward, real estate developer, stunt pilot, from ocala, florida.u see the crash there no official confirmation but does appear he was killed in the crash and a memorial is planned tomorrow at the airfield. just yesterday, he had this to say about the upcoming race. >> right now, i think we are calculated out, as fast as anybody in the field, or maybe even a little faster, but to start with we really didn't want to show our hand until about saturday or sunday. we have been playing poker since last monday. so it's ready -- we are ready to show a couple more cards, see on friday what happens and saturday, we will probably go ahead and play our thirds aand on sunday, we will do our fourth ace. >> his dad was a pilot, avenues pilot all his life. joined once again on the phone by jim tillman, retired airline pilot. also cnn reporter kelly smooth is live on the scene in rein he know you just talked to an eyewitness. what did they say? >> yeah, i was -- i was arriving here this evening after crash, a couple of amateur pilots themselves from ontario who wit

the pilot is jimmy leeward of ocala, florida. he's an 80-year-old man.r of leeward air ranch racing team, a well known racing pilot. he's flown more than 120 races and served as a stunt pilot for numerous movies. in an interview with the ocala star banner last year, he described how he has flown 250 types of planes and has a particular fondness for the p-51. they're more fun, more speed, more challenge. speed, speed and more speed. terms of the event that this happened at, the associated press describes it as like a car race in the sky. with planes flying wing tip to wing tip as low as 50 feet off the sage brush at speeds sometimes surpassing 500 miles per hour. pilots follow an oval path around pylons with distances and speeds depending on the class of aircraft. ntsb -- a former ntsb we spoke with told us that there is no other air race exactly like this in the country. in terms of what we know about injuries and deaths, the person who is the head of the air racing association that puts on this event said that pilot was killed in this crash. that is not

it was piloted by a gentleman named jimmy leeward.nfirm the status of the pilot or anyone for that matter. we're working on it. >> do you know the circumstances under -- was he having trouble in the air? do you know why it crashed? >> he it was about a lap or two into the unlimited race. we don't know why it crashed. the pilot did call in. he did pull out of the lap, which is what they do. they usually pull up, directly up to clear the race track. but outside of that, we don't have any details as to what that. the course of action, the faa is on the scene, as well as the national transportation safety board. they will investigate. and i'm sure are investigating right now to determine a cause. we don't have anything yet. >> you said it was your unlimited race. what does that mean? unlimited class? >> exactly. a race is broken up into, the events are broken up into six weight classes. the unlimited class is our most recognized class. the engine, it is the gold race out here today. was a qualifying day. tomorrow is -- tomorrow and sunday

the pilot's name, jimmy leeward, real estate developer, stunt pilot, from ocala, florida.ou see the crash there no official confirmation but does appear he was killed in the crash and a memorial is planned tomorrow at the airfield. just yesterday, he had this to say about the upcoming race. >> right now, i think we are calculated out, as fast as anybody in the field, or maybe even a little faster, but to start with we really didn't want to show our hand until about saturday or sunday. we have been playing poker since last monday. so it's ready -- we are ready to show a couple more cards, see on friday what happens and saturday, we will probably go ahead and play our thirds aand on sunday, we will do our fourth ace. >> his dad was a pilot, avenues pilot all his life. joined once again on the phone by jim tillman, retired airline pilot. also cnn reporter kelly smooth is live on the scene in rein he know you just talked to an eyewitness. what did they say? >> yeah, i was -- i was arriving here this evening after crash, a couple of amateur pilots themselves from ontario who wi

the pilot's name, jimmy leeward, real estate developer, stunt pilot, from ocala, florida. you see the crash there no official confirmation but does appear he was killed in the crash and a memorial is planned tomorrow at the airfield. just yesterday, he had this to say about the upcoming race. >> right now, i think we are calculated out, as fast as anybody in the field, or maybe even a little faster, but to start with we really didn't want to show our hand until about saturday or sunday. we have been playing poker since last monday. so it's ready -- we are ready to show a couple more cards, see on friday what happens and saturday, we will probably go ahead and play our thirds aand on sunday, we will do our fourth ace. >> his dad was a pilot, avenues pilot all his life. joined once again on the phone by jim tillman, retired airline pilot. also cnn reporter kelly smooth is live on the scene in rein he know you just talked to an eyewitness. what did they say? >> yeah, i was -- i was arriving here this evening after crash, a couple of amateur pilots themselves from ontario who

. >> the ntsb confirmed the pilot jimmy leeward modified his airplane by shortening wing span.ow, they will determine if he gave up control with more speed. >> he has exemplar aircraft which let us understand the system in the modified aircraft. >> they will be looking into a plane and environment. despite the impact that shattered the plane into thousands of tiny pieces, investigators recovered portions of the tail from the crash that left a crater three feet deep and six to eight feet wide. >>> investigators have recovered an object which may be the piece alan was talking about that was seen falling off the plane's tail section but at this point they are calling it an object. with the air races cancelled they are questioning the fate of their sports. jonathan bloom sat down with some of them and talked to one man who is worried this crash could bring the entire sport of air racing to an end. >>> we know it could happen. there has been a crash every year but never in a crowd. >> he has been building airplanes since he was 12 years old. he has always known it was dangerous but

this is 74 year old jimmy leeward. we hope to hear from a lot more people today who can give us some insight about what happened here. >>> and stay with us ktvu for the latest on this crash. we have more information as well as video on our website at ktvu.com. >>> a woman is still missing after a shooting suspect stole her car while she was inside. alley is live at an apartment complex where the gunman was last seen. >> reporter: san jose police say the last time they saw this shooting and carjacking suspect was 6:00 yesterday evening. they spotted him as he was running into this housing development. they say he ran right down the court directly into the housing complex. police started searching for him immediately afterwards. police are still looking for that man this morning. just in the last hour we watched san jose police go door to door in neighborhoods nearby. those police officers were giving residents information about the man that they are looking for -- people who lived here weren't allowed inside while polic

nannette miranda reporting live. >>> jimmyly ward was -- jimmy leeward was flying the plane. he was a represented pilot and known for his skill and a legend among enthusiasts. they say fatalities of today's scope are extremely rare. >> and the history of airshows and air racing this essentially never happens because of all of the regulations and policies safeguards put in place. in fact, in the last 50 years there has only been one spectator fatality at an airshow or an air race. so the safety record of airshows and air races has been spectacular for decades and decades. >> he was speaking about spectator fatalities, but over the course of the sport's 44-year history there have been a total of 19 deaths from crashes and collisions in 2007. two pilots died over the course of four days. >>> leeward named his plane "the gal loping ghost" and it was a muss take fighter. the plane sat in a hangar for 40 years and brought out of retirement three years ago. he made several modifications including shortening the wings by five feet to make it for efficient. and back in 1999, another a

. >> witnesses called jimmy leeward a hero for apparently ditching his plane on the tarmac. >> i think both for that pilot because he pulled back and saw the bleachers. i would guess he saved 200 or 300 other people. >> you would not be able to tolerate the fact that there was anybody hurt much less died. >> what went wrong question or investigators are on the scene right now trying to find out. they say video and photographs are going to help their efforts, including photos of a broken piece of the plane's tail very at. >> is a component has been uncovered in the area where that is observed. but i think it is critical at this point to know that we have not identified the component rated it will be examined, so we don't really know what the component is or is it even came from this particular aircraft. >> brad pillow was taking photos. he says the broken tail could seriously have impacted the plane in flight. >> especially if it didn't come completely off. it's going to change the attitude of the plane. it would be like turning your steering will sharp on the freeway and you flip over.

leeward had just run past me and i was thinking how beautiful the aircraft sounded.d because there was something uncharacteristic, the wing waggled and then departed from the organized flight into the vertical. i knew something was wrong. i thought hopefully it was not too serious, but then it obviously became obvious that it was extremely serious. and people were crying out in the desert. there were women crying. this is just a tragic event all around. >> federal investigators are on their way to reno to try to determine why that plane went down. >>> the high cost of natural disasters, you might not live in a flood zone one may not have been hit by a tornado or hurricane, but it could still cost you. we'll explain. it's 33 minutes past the hour. there's so many choices. the guests come in and they're like yeah i want to try this shrimp and i want to try this kind and this kind. they wait for this all year long. [ male announcer ] it's endless shrimp today at red lobster. your favorite shrimp entrees, like garlic shrimp scampi or new sweet and spicy shrimp. as much a

jimmy lee leeward is the 20th 20th pilot to die at the renoç air crash but friday's crash was the firstin which spectators were killed. >> a new book reveals the unsavory side of the white house. the author's claim about the obama administration. >> the test results are in for more than 200 families living without water in redwood city, and a chiang change of scenery coming to san bruno a year after the pipeline blast. >> leigh: finally some heat in the last few days of summer. more heat expected tomorrow. we'll run through the numbers in a bit.çÑooñq7ñ7ñ7ñ7ñ7ñ7ñ7ñ7ñ7l hi honey, what are you doing? just having some chicken noodle. starting my progresso soup for lunch plan, huh. nope, just having some tender chicken and so tasty noodles. let's see... south western vegetables... 60 calories, oh beef pot roast... ...ya' know those jeans look nice. they do? yup. so you were checking me out? yup. [ male announcer ] progresso. 40 soups 100 calories or less. >> closed captioning brought to >> closed captioning brought to >> alan: the water is now safe to drink for people in redwood city. nea

the pilot identified as jimmy leeward was killed. dozens were injured. >> the plane was flying. there was speculation he had gone on a different areas as to what took place. different people see different things. there appeared to be some air flight problem with the aircraft that constitute go out of control. we all know what the end result was of that. >> the wreckage was spread across a wide area causing panic among the onlookers. have beenpital is receiving the injured. the fear is the number of dead will rise. the competition has been cancelled but the future of such a future races will be under scrutiny. pilot fatalities are relatively common with planes flying as low as 15 meters from the ground. critics say that with some of spectators it was on a matter of time before a serious accident happened. these are questions for later. for now reno is in shock at the terrible lands to the spectacle. -- end to the spectacle. >> joining me from los angeles is peter. do we know it anymore what happens to this plane and a caused it to crash? >> we do not know the cause of the crash.

. >> reporter: in a promotional video, jimmy leeward, the pilot who crashed, described the extensive modifications that made this old propeller plane race as fast as a jet. >> you need those type of speeds. you need jet speeds. >> any time you modify an airplane that has been designed for one function to make it do another function, it makes it less safe. >> reporter: eyewitnesses say they saw pieces of the plane's tail fall off as it made its final turn. the photos support that. and there's this picture. taken the instant before the crash. >> there is no pilot's head in that cockpit. it tells me he was likely unconscious, slumped over the controls. >> piecing together exactly what happened is now the task of federal investigators. >> really, our mission is identify what caused it and then make safety recommendations so it never happens again. >> reporter: even some longtime fans of the reno air race now admit in hindsight this was an accident waiting to happen. the national transportation safety board says its most promising clues may come from a forward facing camera mounted on the

that horrible crash here in reno with 74-year-old jimmy leeward at the controls.nd then there was this in west virginia just hours later, another air show crash, the pilot was killed. fortunately, no spectators were. the two incidents cast a spotlight on an event that counts close proximity to the action as its most appealing aspect. no barriers, just open skies, a front row seat to what's billed as the fastest motorsport in the world. so far this year four pilots have been killed, but until friday, there hasn't been a spectator killed at an air show or air race since the 1950s because of specific precautions. >> so you could have safety procedures that are in place where they actually carried out correctly in this circumstance. we'll be looking at that. >> reporter: there are definite distinctions between air races and air shows. at shows, fans sit parallel to the action. the planes are kept a significant distance away from the fans. compare that to races where plane planes hurtle around pylons at speeds up to 500 miles an hour, spectators watching from all sides