NEW YORK, NY – An air-show went terribly wrong over the weekend and injured various spectators!
What was supposed to be a fascinating Fleet Week demo turned into a catastrophe. On Monday, a $70 million Osprey sent tree branches flying and individuals ducking for cover. 10 spectators were injured and among them were a 1-year-old girl and an elderly man.
The Memorial Day flight demonstration on Staten Island went from fun to terror when a MV-22 Bravo Ospry – a hybrid that flies like a plane but land vertically like a helicopter – descended at Clove Lakes Park whipping up fierce gusts. Heavy tree branches began to rain down on the crowd. Spectators were injured with cuts, bruises and scrapes and the event has city officials asking whether organizers took the proper safety precautions.
“It was a really scary and horrific scene. I’m all shook up right now and I can’t stop shaking,” said Yolanda Maiurrno, 80, whose ankle was hit by a piece of wood.
Air Force vet John Wilson, 72, was sent flying some 30 feet,
“I closed my eyes and turned away and the air pressure hit me and had me rolling,” said Wilson.
Seven people were taken to Richmond University Medical Center, according to Deputy Fire Chief Roger Sakowich. Three were treated at the scene. The MV-22 Bravo Osprey was attempting to land in a ball field about 9:10 a.m. for a meet-and-greet celebrating 2010 Fleet Week and Memorial Day. The exercise was designed to show civilians how Marine rifle platoons use the bulked-up aircraft to touch down in war zones.
Organizers of the annual Fleet Week event acknowledged that the Osprey hadn’t been used in the past, but said hay had clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration, and the city’s parks, police, and fire departments.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqB5CAhgarI]
