Officials ID WWII veteran killed in vintage fighter crash during charity ride
Pecos Bill
Loyd Brumfield, Breaking News producer
A pilot and passenger, both WWII veterans, were killed when a vintage World War II airplane crashed into the parking lot of an apartment complex Saturday afternoon in Fredericksburg.
The crash destroyed the P-51 Mustang plane and several cars, according to Austin television station KTBC.
Cowden Ward, the pilot and owner of “Pecos Bill,” has offered hundreds of rides to veterans at annual reunions since 2013, National WWII Glider Pilot Association chairman Otto Lyons wrote in a statement.
Ward, of Burnet, flew a B-17 in the war and started the Pecos Bill Freedom Flyers to take WWII veterans and Purple Heart recipients on flights, the foundation said in a Facebook post.
“We hope that everyone will remember his infectious smile, his passion for flying our nation’s veterans, and above all remember him for the amazing pilot, friend and caring person he was,” the post said.
The only saving grace in this tragedy is no one on the ground was injured. Fair winds and following seas, gentlemen. The entire article may be found at the Dallas News
Thanks to GDContractor for the link.
Category: Blue Skies
This particular aircraft was one of a number of variations of the original P-51.
“Pecos Pete” was a P-51D.
It has shown up here locally during the annual EAA Air Adventure a number of times in the past. In fact, it was here this year (2018) in July.
While I didn’t make it out there this year, I have seen “Pecos Pete” a number of years ago.
Here is a pic of it (note the tail number) at the 2018 Oshkosh EAA Air Adventure.
http://aviationweek.com/business-aviation/p-51-fighters-flock-eaa-airventure#slide-3-field_images-1829641
Here also are the specs. on the P-51D, if anyone is interested.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_P-51_Mustang_variants#P-51D_and_P-51K
For the past eleven years, I believe, Ford has built a special Mustang to be auctioned off during the annual P-51 & Ford Mustang show at the EAA grounds.
Here is a pic of the “Eagle Squadron Mustang GT” auctioned off this year.
https://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/ford-s-latest-eagle-squadron-one-off-will-come-with-vaughn-gittin-jr-s-input-ar181529.html
As AW1Ed put it, “Fair winds and following seas, gentlemen”.
Crap!! Should read “Pecos Bill” not “Pecos Pete”.
Sorry about that folks.
I think the reason no one was injured on the ground was because this “hero” aimed for an unoccupied parking lot! He took it in, in a place where no civilians would be hurt…imho! God Bless Him!
That’s sad. Catch the tailwind, Mr. Ward.
May God bless and keep you.
Prayers go out to you and your family during this very sad time.
As AW1Ed mentions above, it could have been worse. The last big P51 crash occurred in 2011, when a heavily modified P51 crashed during the National Air Race in Reno, killing ten bystanders on the ground as well as the pilot…
Grew up in an area where a local spud farmer started his own crop-dusting business because nobody could provide good service. It grew into the Red Baron air racing team, had an unlimited class P-51 (RB-51, serious mods, wasn’t much P-51 left in use), a warbirds class P-51 and T-6, and a modified F-104 (RB-104). Set a few world records before the inevitable wrecks. Amazing aircraft to see and hear in flight, especially for a Jr. High kid.
Me too! My grandma used to drive me 12 miles from their dairy farm and drop me off at the Comanche County TX airshow each summer. I vividly remember Lefty Gardner and one of his colleagues bouncing off the 4 corners of the sky in “White Lightning” (Lefty’s P-38), a F4U-Corsair, and an unnamed P-51 that was part of the nascent Confederate Air Force inventory at the time. RIP Lefty Gardner and the other pilots who displayed the magic of defying gravity to generations of young kids like us.
When I was doing my cross country’s to get my private license…one of my stops was in Fairfield Cal. just after I landed, a P-51 took off, went straight up! What an amazing aircraft…I sadly and meekly then went to my cessna and quietly took off LOL 😉
Like I said in the other thread. I’m comforted that two brothers in arms, both having flown B-17s in WWII, went out together with their boots on.
Until Valhalla, gentlemen. *Hand Salute*
The media was wrong in its reports. The pilot/owner of the aircraft did not serve in WWII. For one thing he was not old enough to have done so. From his photos, it is obvious he was not in his late 80’s. One report I read said he was a great fan of our military though he never served in it.
It is always heartbreaking to read these stories, but as Mason commented, they went out together with their boots on.
Rest In Peace, Gentlemen.
I’ve read elsewhere that Cowden Ward was not a veteran. I think the DMN got that part of the story wrong.
I myself wondered how many P-51’s remain in existence. I know that one in England went down in the past few years, almost killing the pilot/owner who was known as “Merlin engine expert, Planet Earth”. I hate seeing them wrecked and ruined. But…review the link.
http://www.mustangsmustangs.com/p-51/survivors
Thanks for that linkie GDC, good stuff there. Ahh Confederate Air Force. One of the 1st casualties of political correctness. Became Commemorative Air Force IIRC. May have to dig into that. Some of those fellows use to come to Robins AFB GA for Air Shows back when. Haven’t been able to make one of the shows in several years, but the Museum of Aviation there is a first class facility. It is truly a destination type visit. If you ever have a chance to come into GA, you need to get by
there.
As commented on the other thread; God Speed and Fare Well Gentlemen. Peace be unto the families. They died doing what they loved. How many of us will be able to have that carved on our stone. Ironic to survive the “Hun” and everything since.
Robins’ AFB museum is a great facility. Well worth a trip.
There was an air show event several years ago that had about 100 P-51’s attend the event.
Definitely not the worst way to go out.