Reno air show crash death toll rises to 11

RENO, Nev. - A 47-year-old Washington man who loved airplanes has been identified as among the 11 people killed in a Reno air show crash.

Darlene McMichael told The Associated Press Tuesday that her son James McMichael of Graham died from injuries after a fighter plane dived into a crowd of fans midway through a race.

Stunt pilot James Leeward also died in the Friday afternoon plane crash. He was 74 years old and was flying a WWII-era fighter plane.

Darlene McMichael says her son is survived by his wife and an extensive family.

Reno police announced Tuesday that the death toll had grown to 11 people. At least two of the victims have not been identified. Emergency officials are trying to compile a list of missing persons.

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Among the other victims were a wheelchair-bound businessman who loved to travel, a former airline pilot who owned a vintage airplane and a construction worker attending his first race. Most of the victims were there for leisure, but Sharon Stewart, 47, died while trying to make a few extra bucks.

"She was so happy she was going to make some extra money, we were going to pay the rent and save some money to go see the kids,'' said Jose Cacheux-Ojeda, 59, the father of her children and her longtime boyfriend.

Stewart needed money to visit her four sons in California so she took a minimum-wage job picking up trash at the National Championship Air Races in Reno. She was almost done with her 11-hour shift when a WWII-era fighter plane veered off course and crashed into the VIP seating section.

Her friend found her dead body on the tarmac moments later, covered by a sheet of tarp.

More than 70 people have been treated for injuries, some of them life threatening. The dramatic injury toll was stoking fears across the nation, as relatives and friends flooded Reno officials with inquiries about the whereabouts of spectators.

19 Photos

Deadly crash at Reno air races

[venusvegasvada]

Such a tragedy. My heart goes out to all who lost a loved one.

[KiTTyBang]

I'm not bashing that the "New 74 is now the New 24" however, I'm 45, fought cancer and feel other physical pings and pangs daily. I workout take my vitamins, keep mentally active. Still, I look younger, but my motor is slowing down. My organs are still 45, not 25. So how in the hell did this 74 year old man get the authority to fast fly this plane in an air show? My 82 year old grandfather always said, "Yeah I'm fast, I'll stop twice tomorrow for that stop light I just went through!" NO KIDDING! Your mental/physical motors slows way down as we age. I think in our new contemporary mass media minded society, we let our ultra egos get sucked into that monster massive lie! That's like getting someone crocked at a party with their car keys in their hands. Of course they're gonna say, "Hiccup, don't worry about me, I can handle the trip home!" And these old boozer pilot friends of his hanging out by the hangers are worried to death that this incident might exclude their future flights. What fly at the age of 90? I seen the photos of the "Galloping Ghost cockpit. That man's head could NOT be seen. He must have had a massive stroke or heart attack, common 74? They should've called that plane,"The Galloping Goat!"