NTSB: ‘Data collection’ ongoing in Dayton Air Show crash

Jason Aguilera, the investigator in charge of scrutinizing the Dayton Air Show crash that killed two performers Saturday said data collection is ongoing at this point and a cause determination could be months away.

He said they will be looking at, “man, machine and environment,” meaning the pilot, the plane and weather or other conditions that could have impacted the crash.

He said video from different angles of the crash is crucial to understanding what happened and encouraged individuals who may have photos or videos to come forward and make that footage available to investigators.

“We’re going to take a look at the pilot’s history, training and medical conditions,” he said. That will include an autopsy and toxicology tests on 64-year-old Charlie Schwenker.

He was killed along with 44-year-old Jane Wicker, who was sitting on the underside of the inverted plane when it crashed and burst into flames at 12:46 p.m. Saturday.

Aguilera will be on scene in Dayton for a few more days. A preliminary report will be published on the NTSB web site in about a week.

Aguilera said this is his first air show accident as an investigator.

The wreckage of 450 HP Stearman biplane is in a secure hangar on Dayton Airport Property, he said.

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