Pilot Dead in New York Stunt Plane Crash

A pilot was killed Friday after crashing during practice for the New York Air Show, according to state police.

The aircraft, a single-occupant propeller-driven stunt plane, crashed at 2 p.m. in New Windsor, N.Y., said Trooper Steven Nevel, a spokesman for the New York State Police Department. The pilot had been practicing for a demonstration at the airshow this weekend at Stewart International Airport.

No other injuries were reported, Nevel said.

Benjamin Granucci, a photographer and editor of nycaviation.com, said he saw the plane slow down during a corkscrew climb and then fly toward an off-limits area near spectators before it crashed. When he looked back at his photographs, he saw that the tail-section of the planed had twisted off mid-flight, the Associated Press reports. State police also said the crash was apparently caused by a structural failure.

The New York Air Show, taking place Aug. 29-30, features flight demonstrations from a range of planes, including vintage aircraft and current Air Force vehicles.