Greg Conell
A pilot who was carrying out a stunt show in front of many people has suddenly gone out of control and lost his life in the process. A video showed the shocking moment hundreds of people watched as a pilot spiralled out of control and was killed while performing at an airshow.
The video captured by spectators shows the pilot performing an aerial stunt in tandem with another plane when it goes horribly wrong
The biplane pilot, named as Greg Conell, appears to lose control due to "mechanical failure" while performing an acrobatic trick and plummets to the ground.
One onlooker who captured the moment said he was "sickened" by what he saw.
The man, Super SpotterATL posted the video on Youtube and said: "As he comes out of a 180 turn he spirals down and crashes.
"I'm sorry I didn't get the impact but I was in total shock. Sickened by what I witnessed as I saw one of my worst fears come true."
The man who attended the PDK Airshow in Atlanta, USA on Saturday May 14 said the pilot was a "nice guy" who "loved what he did" after meeting him the year before.
Speaking about the cause of the accident at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport he added: "I won't get into extremely gory details but I think it might have been a mechanical failure.
"The winds had no effect and planes were performing fine all day when they were at their worst early afternoon. He came down spiralling fast and tried to recover but couldn't."
Mr Connell had been performing a "perfect" midair tandem routine with fellow pilot Gray Ward.
"He and Gray were in perfect sync throughout there show yet on this maneuver he Gray is looping around in line and not spiraling downward while Greg is.
"It was hard to witness. Rest in peace Greg."
No spectators or any personnel on the ground were hurt in the crash officials said.
In a statement released by his family they said the stunt pilot had 27 years experience and would be "greatly missed".
"We are extremely saddened by this tragic event. We wish we could respond to each of you individually. We are greatly humbled by the outpouring of love and prayers.
"Greg has been an avid aviation lover since 1989. He was well respected in the airshow and aviation community in Augusta and throughout the United States."
Watch the video below:
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