mr. 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

mr. leeward, was competing at the national championship air races and air show at the reno stead airport. witnesses say his plane was about 400 to 500 feet in the air when it nosedived. the regional medical center confirm it had has received a total of 21 parents so far. joining me now is fred schultz, he witnessed the crash, a pilot himself. fred, what did you see? >> well, what i seen, we looked up above the grandstands and he was in trouble and coming straight down. i think he was trying to do whatever he could right up to the end. i could hear the engine of the plane changing rpms and it just happened so fast. i thought he was coming in on top of us. instead, he missed us by about 100 feet and went out into the box area in front of us. >> and there was no fireball as a result, right? >> no. i was sort of surprised p you know, we are all kind of like a deer in the headlights. i have been coming to the air races for over 20 years. as a matter of fact, we stay out here for the entire five days, camping, go to the air races, but there was no fire whatsoever. so the direction of impact, ha

mr. leeward. >> yes, it's very possible. he may have encountered this problem, called the mayday. i think he was trying to salvage it. you know, these guys, i'm sure the last thing he thought was, oh, my gosh, i'm going into a crowd of people which, you know, it's very safety oriented out here. and this was just, you know, a bad -- bad luck situation is what it was. >> the pilot was a real estate developer out of ocala, florida. we believe killed in the crash. have -- you have been to a lot of -- to air races, a lot of air shows. have you ever seen anything like this? >> well, we have seen, you know -- i've seen three or four now, fatal air crashes, you know, from racers, but this is the first one that's been this close. you know, it is an extreme motor sport. you know, it goes back to the barnstorming days. i'm sure there's an inherent danger involved in all of it, in the plane or in the stands. >> the event itself has been canceled. there will be a memorial for the pilot held at 1 p.m. saturday, september 17th, the "galloping ghost" pit at the reno stead airfield. i also just wa

mr. leeward, was competing at the national championship air races and air show at the reno stead airport. witnesses say his plane was about 400 to 500 feet in the air when it nosedived. the regional medical center confirm it had has received a total of 21 parents so far. joining me now is fred schultz, he witnessed the crash, a pilot himself. fred, what did you see? >> well, what i seen, we looked up above the grandstands and he was in trouble and coming straight down. i think he was trying to do whatever he could right up to the end. i could hear the engine of the plane changing rpms and it just happened so fast. i thought he was coming in on top of us. instead, he missed us by about 100 feet and went out into the box area in front of us. >> and there was no fireball as a result, right? >> no. i was sort of surprised p you know, we are all kind of like a deer in the headlights. i have been coming to the air races for over 20 years. as a matter of fact, we stay out here for the entire five days, camping, go to the air races, but there was no fire whatsoever. so the direction of impact, ha

mr. leeward. >> yes, it's very possible. he may have encountered this problem, called the may day. i think he was trying to salvage it. you know, these guys, i'm sure the last thing he thought was, oh, my gosh, i'm going into a crowd of people which, you know, it's very safety oriented out here. and this was just, you know, a bad -- bad luck situation is what it was. >> the pilot was a real estate developer out of ocala, florida. we believe killed in the crash. have -- you have been to a lot of -- to air races, a lot of air shows. have you ever seen anything like this? >> well, we have seen, you know -- i've seen three or four now, fatal air crashes, from racers, but this is the first one that's been this close. you know, it is an extreme motor sport goes back to the barnstorming days, inherent danger involved in all of it in the plane or in the stands. >> a memorial for the pilot held at 1 p.m. saturday, september 17th, the galloping ghost pit at the reap know stead airfield. i also just wanted to tell anybody who is concerned about loved ones who were attending this event, i saw

mr. 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

mr. leeward's age, it could have caused him to black out or pass out.f a sudden it could snap 0 one's neck if they are not prepared for that. >> reporter: imagine if you will that your helmet is suddenly 150 pounds because of the g-forces. our aviation experts say this plane did not stall. this plane wound over. it turned and went into the crowd full throttle upwards of 400-plus miles per hour. which gives you an indication why that crater in the stands was so deep. the ntsb has not weighed in on this, but these theories are all being looked at as this investigation takes one step closer to some answers. alisyn: just incredible to have such close up pictures of what was going on inside the cockpit. trace gallagher, thanks so as much. a trip to the drive-thru ends with felony charges. what this guy is accused of doing when taco bell forgot his hot dog. it went into orbit in 1991 and it falls back to in the next 48 hours. we'll show what you nasa and fema are doing to get ready. ♪ [ male announcer ] when it comes to saving energy, we're off to a good star

pilot jimmy leeward and also authorities announcing that michael joseph wogan, 22-year-old from arizona who suffered from muscular distrophy, wheelchair bound was in the v.i.p. section and died. mr. wogan described as a magna cum laude student and had a weapon development business and lived a life filled with independence despite his disability. we are told that george and wendy hewitt died. they lived in seattle. airplane aficionados, members of an airplane club. the medical examiners office needs to still identify some victims or notify next of kin. >> thank you very much, dan. . another plane crash is under investigation this weekend. this one in west virginia. it happened at an air show in martinsburg. the pilot of the t-28 had just kpleetd a demonstration when the plane dived to the ground. investigators are talking to witnesses. part of president obama's plan to reduce the deficit is to tax millionaires more. how will that fly? we will discuss it with our political panel next. is the state of georgia about to execute an innocent man? we are looking at the evidence against convicted cop killer troy davis. it feels like help is never far away. it feels like you're protected

mr. houghton describing as a mass casualty event. the breaking news at this hour is a vintage world war ii era plane piloted apparently by 80-year-old jimmy leeward, a real estate developer, from florida has crashed into the grandstands at this air race in reno. according to "reno gazette journal" the number they're putting on it in terms of injuries, so far 40 people have been taken to local hospitals by ambulances and one person flown to the hospital. we hear the round number of dozens have people having been injured here. mr. houghton, the head of the racing association on site there speaking to the press. when asked if there were deaths on the ground, he said i imagine that is true given what happened with this crash. but, again, deaths are not being confirmed officially at this point. we're being told that the governor, brian sandival of nevada and the mayor are on their way out to the site of this crash in reno. joining us on the phone now, greg fithe, former investigator with the ntsb. thanks very much for joining us. appreciate your time tonight. >> you're welcome. >> how dangerous are air race events like this? and have there been recent