Turbulence cited in crash at air races

RENO -- Turbulence from another aircraft caused a crash that killed a Wyoming pilot at the Reno National Championship Air Races in September, a federal agency concluded.

A National Transportation and Safety Board investigation found that Brad Morehouse, 47, of Afton, Wyo., flew into the wake of a jet just ahead of him.

The NTSB has not yet released reports about the cause of two other deadly crashes at last year's air races.

Morehouse was flying an Aero Vodochody L-39C at a low altitude when it rounded a pylon, rolled to the right and then hit the ground, the NTSB report states.

Morehouse's jet was immediately behind a T-2B Buckeye jet that was leading near the end of the first lap.

Michael Houghton, CEO and president of the air races, said the Sept. 13 crash has prompted the event to add more training for pilots on how to avoid aircraft turbulence.

The races are like a car race in the sky, following an oval path over the runway and around pylon markers at various distances and within a few hundred feet of the ground.

"It is an extremely short amount of time that they have to react in order to correct successfully," Houghton said.