The fatal collision occurred during a performance that was being conducted for the final occasion at the Reno-Stead Airport, situated in the northwestern region of Nevada.
The Reno Air Racing Association has reported that two pilots participating in the National Championship Air Races in Reno, Nevada, lost their lives on Sunday following a collision between their planes during landing. The incident occurred at approximately 2 p.m. during a race that marked the end of a five-day air show. The event was being held for the final time at the Reno-Stead Airport after almost sixty years in the northern Nevada desert. The pilots have been identified as Nick Macy and Chris Rushing. Fred Telling, Chairman of the Reno Air Racing Association, expressed his deep sorrow and grief in a statement on social media, describing the two pilots as skilled aviators whom he regarded as family.
The races were immediately suspended following the accident. The National Transportation Safety Board has dispatched two investigators to examine the wreckage of the North American T-6G and North American AT-6B planes involved in the collision. The annual air show has been held since 1964, and a series of fatalities at the event over a decade ago raised concerns about the adequacy of regulations. In 2007, three pilots died over four days, and in 2011, ten spectators and a pilot were killed in a crash, leading to a National Transportation Safety Board hearing several months later. In March, organizers announced that they were searching for a new venue after the Reno Tahoe Airport Authority decided to discontinue hosting the event.