Air show pilot Kyle Franklin seems to be in good spirits and is upbeat about his wife Amanda’s recovery from serious burns after the couple was involved in a mishap at a Texas airport March 12. In a Facebook posting , which serves as a caption for the accompanying photo, Franklin says his wife is “doing well” as she awaits more surgery. “Me working at my computer, after my auto skin graft,” Franklin wrote on his wall. “Amanda’s down the hall, doing well. She goes in on Monday for more surgeries.” Franklin promised a full update on Amanda’s progress shortly. Meanwhile, at least two funds have been established to raise money to help the Franklins recover and rebuild. Click here for the fund organized by the International Council of Air Shows and here for the fund created by the Brownsville Air Fiesta, the show during which the Franklins had their accident.
The NTSB’s preliminary report of the crash doesn’t add much new information, other than the fact that the almost vertical drop of the aircraft into the mesquite collapsed the landing gear and there was plenty of fuel in the wing that didn’t get to burn thanks to the speedy response from the airport fire department. Franklin’s friends and relatives have recovered the wreck and hauled it back to their home base in Missouri. The engine, which apparently failed during the couple’s wing walking act, causing the forced landing, has been sent to Tulsa for analysis.
