The loss of the P-51D Mustang “Big Beautiful Doll” in a mid-air at the Legends 2011 airshow was tragic for aviation enthusiasts but the skill displayed by the pilot in regaining control and bailing out at such low altitude is amazing. Factor in the snakes in the cockpit, confusion, his age, jettisoning the canopy, and physically jumping from the plane – it’s amazing he survived. In typical British understatement Rob Davies attributed the accident to a “simple error in judgement.” Dash 2 in the Skyraider clipped his flight lead but managed to land his plane with a significant part of the wing missing. Both were indeed lucky.
RIP Doll.
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