Moment of Silence Planned for Pair Killed in Ohio Air Show Accident - East Idaho News
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Moment of Silence Planned for Pair Killed in Ohio Air Show Accident

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GETTY N 051412 Cessna?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1371996325508Hemera/Thinkstock(DAYTON, Ohio) — The Vectren Dayton Air Show in Ohio will re-open Sunday afternoon with a moment of silence for the wing walker and her pilot who were killed in this weekend’s air show crash, an air show spokesman told ABC News.

The moment of silence will take place Sunday at 11:55 a.m., before the show continues at noon. Continuing an air show after a fatal accident is a time-honored tradition to honor the dead.

“The thing is if you would ask virtually any of the air show pilots if something happened to them during an air show what they would want to have done, they would tell you they would want to have the show go on because that’s what they live for and that’s what they really love,” Andy Stanley, a search and rescue pilot, told ABC News’ Ohio affiliate WKEF-TV.

In a statement released on Saturday, organizers of the Vectren Dayton Air Show confirmed the deaths of wing walker Jane Wicker and her pilot Charlie Schwenker.

“The Vectren Dayton Air Show Presented by Kroger expresses its condolences to the families of wingwalker Jane Wicker, 44 and pilot, Charlie Schwenker, 64, whose lives were lost during their performance at the show on Saturday, June 22nd. The FAA and other agencies are currently investigating the accident and results are not expected for several months,” organizers said.

Video from the event appeared to show a wing walker sitting on the wing of her single-engine plane as it suddenly crashed into a grassy field at the Dayton International Airport.

“I’m not sure if it was a mistake or if there was a mechanical problem,” said Joel John, who witnessed the crash, told ABC affiliate WKEF-TV. “From what I saw the plane was really low, they tried to do a flip and that’s where it looked like the pilot lost the balance.”

The plane that crashed was licensed to Wicker, an FAA official told ABC News.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating the crash.

Kris Nuss had worked with the wing walker and pilot before.

“Absolutely fabulous people,” she said. “I was amazed at how much trust both of them had in each other.”

A post on the Jane Wicker Airshows Facebook also addressed the crash.

“It is with sad hearts that we announce that Jane Wicker and Charlie Schwenker were tragically killed while performing at the Vectren Dayton Airshow,” the post said. “We ask for your prayers for the families and privacy of all involved and allow them time to grieve and work through these events.”

According to her website, Wicker has been wing walking since 1990, when she answered an ad because she thought “it would be an exciting way to enter the air show business.”

In addition to being a wing walker and pilot, she is also a full-time budget analyst at the FAA.

A man who answered the number listed on Jane Wicker’s website declined to comment.

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