VIDEO: Jet crashes during an air race

Pilot dies in jet crash during Reno Air Races – NBC News

On Sunday afternoon, a pilot died when his jet crashed during the Air Races in Reno, Nevada.

In a press conference Sunday evening, Reno Air Racing Association CEO Fred Telling said the pilot was the only fatality.

In a preliminary statement, the Federal Aviation Administration said an Aero L-29 Delfin crashed behind a Reno residential area at about 3:45 p.m.

According to Telling, it happened near a pylon used to mark the flight path.

Washoe County Sheriff’s Office tweeted after 4 p.m. that it was responding to the crash, located about two miles north of the races’ venue at 13945 Red Rock Road.

Originally designed for military training, the jet plane model crashed during the third lap of the “gold” race of the jet class.

He did not identify the pilot, but said the host organization and the “September family” of pilots and fans who attend the event “express our deepest condolences to his family and friends.”