Airshow Fatality In Georgia

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Key Takeaways:

  • Airshow pilot Greg Connell was killed when his Pitts Special crashed at the Good Neighbors Air Show at DeKalb Peachtree Airport on Saturday.
  • Connell's aircraft dove vertically into the ground during a formation routine.
  • His social media confirmed the tragedy shortly after the crash, though a fellow pilot flying with him was initially unaware.
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An Augusta, Georgia, airshow pilot was killed in the crash of his Pitts Special at the Good Neighbors Air Show at DeKalb Peachtree Airport on Saturday. Greg Connell has not been officially identified as the crash victim but his own social media accounts have confirmed the tragedy. Connell was doing a formation routine when his aircraft dove vertically into the ground just before 5 p.m. EDT. Connell’s Facebook page carried the following posting shortly after the crash: “Please keep Greg’s Family and Friends in your prayers. There are no words to describe what we all are feeling right now. God Bless & Godspeed Greg.”

Connell flew a Wolfpitts designed by Steve Wolf, which he described as the “most aerobatically capable biplane in the world.” He was flying a routine with Gary Ward and Ward said he was unaware of the crash immediately. “Greg flew underneath me and I had no idea Greg crashed like a second later. So I pulled off and the plan we had,” Ward told WSB-TV News, “I came back in the show for the next maneuver. We did individual maneuvers at that point, and I went ahead and did my next maneuver, not knowing that Greg had crashed.”

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