Ohio
Stunt walker, pilot die at international airport
CINCINNATI – A plane carrying a wing walker crashed at an air show and exploded into flames Saturday, killing the pilot and stunt walker instantly, authorities said.
The crash of the 450 HP Stearman happened at around 12:45 p.m. EDT at the Vectren Air Show at Dayton International Airport. No spectators were hurt.
A video posted on WHIO-TV shows the plane turn upside-down as the performer sits on top of the wing. The plane then tilts and crashes to the ground, erupting into flames as spectators screamed.
Federal records show that biplane was registered to wing walker, Jane Wicker, who lived in Loudon, Va.
The show was canceled for the rest of the day, but organizers said events would resume today. The National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating the crash.
Texas
President of KFC Japan buys ‘Colonel’ Sanders’ white suit
DALLAS – The president and chief executive of Kentucky Fried Chicken Japan purchased the trademark white suit worn by company founder “Colonel” Harland Sanders at auction Saturday for $21,510 – then promptly tried it on.
Masao “Charlie” Watanabe grinned while putting on the suit jacket and black string tie at the Heritage Auctions event, standing beneath a photograph of Sanders. He had already planned to attend a company marketing meeting in Dallas, but arrived early after he found out about the auction, he said.
Watanabe was one of hundreds of in-person, telephone and online bidders vying for various items, including a gun belt owned by legendary outlaw Jesse James and leg irons that restrained abolitionist John Brown.
Illinois
Southwest planes flying after computer glitch
CHICAGO – Southwest Airlines was operating normally Saturday afternoon after a system-wide computer failure caused it to ground 250 flights for nearly three hours late Friday night.
Full service was restored just after 2 a.m. EDT Saturday, but the Dallas-based airline experienced lingering delays in the morning as it worked to clear a backlog of flights and reposition planes and crew.
The airline – the country’s largest domestic carrier – canceled 43 flights Friday night and another 14 Saturday morning.
The problem was detected around 11 p.m. EDT Friday, Southwest spokesman Brad Hawkins said. It impaired the airline’s ability to do such things as conduct check-ins, print boarding passes and monitor the weight of each aircraft.
Texas
4 workers hurt in Texas A&M construction accident
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Four workers were hurt, three critically, after a barn frame collapsed Saturday at an $80 million Texas A&M University equestrian complex that’s under construction.
The collapse happened on university property about a mile from the main campus, Texas A&M spokesman Lane Stephenson said.
College Station and Bryan fire departments, campus police and Texas A&M emergency medical personnel all responded to the accident, which happened shortly before 11 a.m. Saturday.
The accident involved an approximately 300-foot barn, according to the College Station Fire Department. Twisted metal beams could be seen at the site, where ground was broken last fall.
Associated Press
