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Chilling final moments of stunt woman caught on video as she was sitting on plane's wing before fiery crash

Home> Community> Viral

Published 15:58 25 Jun 2024 GMT+1

Chilling final moments of stunt woman caught on video as she was sitting on plane's wing before fiery crash

The wing-walker was hanging upside down on the edge of the plane moments before her death

Joe Yates

Joe Yates

Chilling footage which has been circulating online shows the final moments of a stunt woman walking on the wing of a plane mid-flight before crashing.

The horrifying footage - that has recently been shared online - shows 44-year-old Jane Wicker sitting on the aircraft's wing while it was flying upside down, which was piloted by 63-year-old Charlie Schwenker.

The recording, from 24 June, 2013, shows the pair's final seconds as wing-walker Wicker hangs upside down before Schwenker manoeuvred the plane in the same way.

However, the pilot ended up encountering difficulties during their performance at Dayton International Airport for the Vectren Air Show in Dayton, Ohio.

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Wing-walker Jane Wicker can be seen sitting on pilot Charlie Schwenker's a mere seconds before death. (YouTube/Bill Omar)
Wing-walker Jane Wicker can be seen sitting on pilot Charlie Schwenker's a mere seconds before death. (YouTube/Bill Omar)

The daredevil duo died instantly when their biplane hit the ground and erupted in flames.

According to the air show's official site, Wicker's act involved 'climbing, walking, and hanging all over her beautiful 450 HP Stearman aircraft … with no safety line and no parachute'.

Only two seconds passed from the moment the plane started tilting to its impact on the floor, and then another two seconds before it burst into a ball of flames and a plume of black smoke bellowed out before the video ended.

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Tragically, mom-of-two Wicker was preparing for life as a wife with a wedding being planned a year later with fiancé Rock Skowbo - who she met by her aircraft.

Shortly after the incident, the Vectren Air Show released the following statement: "The accident was isolated and no other injuries were reported. FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] and other officials are on site investigating the incident.

"Air show officials have announced that the Saturday show flying operations have been cancelled and normal operations will resume on Sunday."

Harrowing footage showed a fireball erupt on the plane's impact with the floor. (YouTube/Bill Omar)
Harrowing footage showed a fireball erupt on the plane's impact with the floor. (YouTube/Bill Omar)

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It wasn't the first death to take place at Dayton Air Show - Jim LeRoy was killed when his aircraft crashed at the end of the runway while attempting to perform a half Cuban eight trick, one of the more complex aerobatic manoeuvres.

The reason for LeRoy's crash was reported as pilot error by the National Transportation Safety Board.

While in 2017, Capt. Erik Gonsalves and Sgt. Kenneth Cordova ran off the runway and overturned while preparing for the same air show.

The pair were trapped inside the plane for over an hour, subsequently an investigation proceeded and revealed that excessive airspeed, coupled with landing too far down the wet runway caused it to tip over.

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They were just three examples from one air show on a list hundreds strong - we all love watching planes do flips in air, but is it worth it?

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Bill Omar

Topics: Viral, US News

Joe Yates
Joe Yates

Joe is a journalist for UNILAD, who particularly enjoys writing about crime. He has worked in journalism for five years, and has covered everything from murder trials to celeb news.

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@JMYjourno

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