In 1990 Jane Wicker was working as a budget analyst for the Federal Aviation Administration when she applied for a wing-walking position posted in a classified ad. Today she was at the Dayton International Airshow when the performance went horribly wrong.
While the Ohio State Highway Patrol has confirmed the death of Jane and her pilot, the names have not technically been made public. Wicker is listed in the program schedule as performing at the airshow, and much of
Wicker's website is closed down at this time.
FoxNews reports the rest of today's airshow has been cancelled. The
Dayton Daily News reports that a notice has been posted on the official company Facebook page of the deaths of Wicker and the pilot Charlie Schwenker.
In performing her normal routine, the video shows the plane rolling upside down with Wicker in position and then the Stearman plane lurches downward and almost immediately explodes in a fireball after it struck the ground.
“My understanding is there was nothing (emergency responders) could do for the victims of the crash,” said Lt. Mark Nichols. There have been no reports of injuries to anyone on the ground. (Director of Aviation for the city of Dayton Terrence Slaybaugh )
There is already an investigation in process by the FAA and the Ohio Highway Patrol. The FAA was on scene for the airshow. The accident occurred at 12:46 p.m. local time.
