Image: Lauren Peller
GEICO Skytypers pilot Ken Johansen was killed in the crash of one of the team’s aircraft in Melville, New York, this Wednesday. Johansen’s SNJ-2 – a U.S. Navy variant of the T-6 Texan – went down in a residential area shortly before 2 p.m. about five miles from Farmingdale’s Republic Airport (FRG) where the Skytypers are based. No one on the ground was injured.
It has been reported that Johansen was flying in formation with three other aircraft when witnesses say they saw the plane come out of a loop and “drop straight down.” ATC did not receive any emergency communications from the pilot prior to the crash. Audio from FRG Tower, provided by LiveATC.net, can be heard below. The NTSB is investigating the accident. No statement has yet been issued about how this will affect the team’s show schedule.
Johansen, 52, served as executive officer for the Skytypers. He was a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, former Naval aviator, and commercial airline pilot. Johansen’s death is the second for the team, who lost pilot Jan Wildbergh to an accident during an airshow rehearsal in 2007.
