Biplane Crashes At Northern California Air Show (Video)

A vintage civilian airplane crashed onto the tarmac at Travis Air Force Base in California while performing low-altitude aerial acrobatics during an air show Sunday, killing its pilot, officials said. Air Force base officials identified the dead pilot as Eddie Andreini, 77, of Half Moon Bay, Calif.He was performing an acrobatic aerial maneuver at the "Thunder over Solano'' Air Expo when his PT-17 Stearman biplane aircraft crashed at approximately 2:05 p.m. The base posted online that an air show at the base "has been cancelled due to the aircraft crash of an aerial performer.''An Air Force statement identified Edward Andreini of Half Moon Bay as the killed pilot; Federal Aviation Administration records show him to be the registered owner of the 1944 Stearman biplane. The World War II-era aircraft was commonly used to train pilots. Col. David Mott, 60th Operations Group commander at the base said the plane was trying to perform a maneuver known as "cutting a ribbon" where it inverts and flies close to the ground so that a knife attached to the plane can slice a ribbon just off the ground.Spectator Angie Giles, from Antioch, said the plane "flipped over to do a trick and hit the ground and dragged over the ground." Sgt. Rachel Martinez, a spokeswoman for the base, said nobody in attendance was injured. Martinez said organizers estimated that 100,000 people attended the air show Sunday. The plane crash cut short the air show as emergency responders flooded to the scene. The plane crash cut short the "Thunder Over Solano" air show as people were evacuated. Sgt. Rachel Martinez, a spokeswoman for the base, said organizers estimated that 100,000 people attended the air show Sunday. The pilot had flown planes since he was 16 years old and had performed stuns in shows for 25 years. Andreini's website advertising his air show says "your audience will be thrilled at the sight of this huge biplane performing double outside loops, square loops, torque rolls, double snap rolls, and ... a heart-stopping, end-over-end tumble maneuver."