By Steve Perez and Jeff Dillon
SIGNONSANDIEGO
October 15, 2004


The Cabo Wabo SkyRocker, flown by Sean deRosier, is shown in this file photograph from a publicity web site.

MIRAMAR – Planes will return to the sky after a stunt pilot who crashed during aerobatic maneuvers on Friday morning at Miramar Air Show was killed.

The pilot, identified as Sean deRosier, 31, of Nut Tree, Calif., was taken off the tarmac via a Yuma Search and Rescue helicopter to Scripps Memorial Hospital, where he was declared dead.

After a moment of silence, Brig. Gen. Carl B. Jensen, commanding general of western Marine air bases, said the show would go on.

"Sean, in any event, would have wanted to continue this air show and that is what we're going to do. That's what professionals do," Jensen said.

The annual air show, which was expected to draw about 700,000 people, began at 9:30 a.m. and resumed around noon after a two-hour delay.

The crash of the Cabo Wabo Skyrocker, reported at 10:15 a.m., occurred between runways where the planes take off and land for the air show. The plane was coming out of a loop when it crashed, according to reports.

"I thought it was going to come down and do a low fly-by," said Lance Cpl. Casey Roach, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines at Camp Pendleton. "It was pretty close to the deck. Then it went behind some tents. "I heard a thud and then I saw it skidding past."

There was no explosion, he said, "just a lot of dust."

The plane involved was built from a $300 set of plans, with a Lycoming-custom built 210-horsepower engine. It was built by deRosier and his father. Weighing 900 pounds, it is capable of speeds of up to 184 mph and spews smoke from a pair of mini-jet engines custom built into the plane's wing tips.

The pilot was in the middle of an acrobatics show that features a multitude of loops and other manuevers when the incident occurred.

A loud crash was overheard and the program's public address announcer halted normal narrations while authorities checked on the pilot's condition.

Kelly Moody of Houston, Texas, viewed the craft's acrobatics for about 20 minutes, when the plan suddenly swooped low in front of the grandstands.

"I saw him going down and I thought he was going to come back up," she said, "but he didn't."

The cause of the crash is under investigation and authorities are asking the news media to make any video footage or photgraphs of the flight available that would shed light on what happened, according to Maj. Curtis Hill, public affairs director for Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.

Was it the 'tequila body shot off the bimbo waitresses tits" stunt that's killed so many others?

Not funny......

Quoted: Was it the 'tequila body shot off the bimbo waitresses tits" stunt that's killed so many others?

Quoted: Not funny...... Quoted: Was it the 'tequila body shot off the bimbo waitresses tits" stunt that's killed so many others?

Nope, not at all.

The plane involved was built from a $300 set of plans

How 'bout that?  Anybody?

Just flew it into the ground...

The jets are up and flying again.

Quoted: The plane involved was built from a $300 set of plans How 'bout that?  Anybody?

Yep, that's about what a set of homebuilt plans cost. Pretty neat, isn't it? With a set of plans and some skills, you can build and fly your own airplane. Of course, the complete construction of the aircraft must be meticulously examined by an FAA examiner before you get the thing in the air.

Real shame about the pilot. May have mis-set his altimeter prior to the flight. I'm sure he was just as surprised as everyone else when the ground was 10' higher than he thought it was.

Unfortunate that it happened, but what a way to go huh?

It's such a sad cliche.  I've been to three airshows my entire life, and there were serious crashes where people died at two of them!  WTH?

I live a few miles away from Miramar, and just saw the planes flying on my way home a few minutes ago (it is 1352 local).

I had no idea.

Quoted: It's such a sad cliche.  I've been to three airshows my entire life, and there were serious crashes where people died at two of them!  WTH?

Small experimental planes pretty much fall like rain around here.

Buy the ticket, take the ride.  

Not my cup of joe, but if you're into it I guess you're into it.

I'ld bet that he wasn't using the altimeter, he was flying based on visual points, keeping his head out of the cockpit.

Quoted: The plane involved was built from a $300 set of plans How 'bout that?  Anybody?

What about it? Is that supposed to be a bad thing? What do you know about aircraft or people that build aircraft that are flown in the experimental class?

The Blue Angels just flew by.  They must be doing the afternon show.

Here's one from last summer where a Thunderbird pilot did the same coming out of a loop - he's about 1/2 second away from impact.  The pilot cleared the fireball and survived.

That picture is both way cool and way tragic.

That sucks.

Flying is just about the most fun thing I've ever done.  It is probably also the most dangerous and unforgiving.

Quoted: Quoted: It's such a sad cliche.  I've been to three airshows my entire life, and there were serious crashes where people died at two of them!  WTH? Small experimental planes pretty much fall like rain around here. Buy the ticket, take the ride.   Not my cup of joe, but if you're into it I guess you're into it.

That's a pretty uninformed way of putting it.

The reason that you hear about "experimental planes" crashing is because they're about the only ones built any more.  Lawyers sued the manufacturers of small planes into oblivion.  Nowadays, you either shell out the US$150,000+ for a Cessna -- about 3/4 of which is the cost of liability insurance for the manufacturer -- or else you build one yourself for as little as $20,000.  (Yeah, you can go as high as a few million bucks if you want your own homebuilt jet, but a basic aircraft is "cheap".)