LSFM Galveston Gal down near Galveston TX

[NathanT24]

Local news is reporting P-51 is down, both pilot and pax killed!!! www.khou.com

[Warbird Kid]

Oh no.

[DH82EH]

My sincerest condolences to family and friends.

Andy Scott

[lmritger]

Just heartbreaking.

My deepest condolences to the families affected, as well as all those at the Lone Star Flight Museum.

Lynn

[Jerry O'Neill]

This is very sad news. My prayers go out to those lost and their families.

[Flying Pencil]

UPDATE:
The pilot has been identified as 51-year-old Keith Hibbet, and the passenger has been identified as 66-year-old John Stephen, a United Kingdom native who was visiting Texas with his wife to celebrate their 41st wedding anniversary.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=9298405&vid=9298595
http://www.khou.com/news/local/Historic-fighter-jet-missing-in-Chocolate-Bay--228969091.html

That is tragic indeed, on their anniversary. I feel sorry for the now widow.

/update
====================
My sincere condolences.

How do you know its Galveston Gal? There is another P-51 based not too far away (AXH).
(news actually first reported as an ultralight, but updated since shows 51).

Still, when I called LSFM if it was theirs, they "not at liberty to comment", usually means "we think its us, but not sure".

Last edited by Flying Pencil on Wed Oct 23, 2013 9:37 pm, edited 4 times in total.

[Obergrafeter]

God I wish the media could get terrible news like this right. One reported it as a Fighter JET!!! Please get it right or don't report at all!

[TAdan]

Here is a link to a news article.

http://www.khou.com/news/local/Historic ... 69091.html

How sad. I was just admiring the Gal on my Ghost Warbird Calendar.

My condolences to the friends and family of the pilot and passenger. RIP

[Wildchild]

From the looks of it, it was a high speed impact... looks like parts were floating in the bay as well.

http://www.khou.com/news/slideshows/Pho ... =y&c=y&c=y

RIP to both on board.

[SaxMan]

Our condolences to all the families involved. The warbird community is a tight knit one. Any loss is a loss felt by all.

[p51]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/23/us/vintage-plane-crashes-texas/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
I must admit this prospect did cross my mind the time I flew on one severla years ago, I paid a lot of attention to the safety brief and ratcheted down the straps to the parachute really tight, just in case. I wasn’t too cool on the idea that the pilot alone had access to the canopy release, as something coming through the prop could hit him and miss me, which could have meant I’d have ridden the thing down, unable to get out. But you can’t turn down an opportunity like that on such an unlikely possibility.
I just hope whatever it was, it came fast for them both.

[Big Daddy]

Very sad news. My condolences to the families.

[LadyO2Pilot]

Prayers for the pilot, who we know as a very good pilot, and his family and for the passenger. Prayers also for the whole Lone Star Family.

[cooper9411]

Condolences to all of the family and friends.

[Chappie]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/23/us/vintage-plane-crashes-texas/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
I must admit this prospect did cross my mind the time I flew on one severla years ago, I paid a lot of attention to the safety brief and ratcheted down the straps to the parachute really tight, just in case. I wasn’t too cool on the idea that the pilot alone had access to the canopy release, as something coming through the prop could hit him and miss me, which could have meant I’d have ridden the thing down, unable to get out. But you can’t turn down an opportunity like that on such an unlikely possibility.
I just hope whatever it was, it came fast for them both.

Ah, I thought this was a TF-51. Sad day.

Chappie