KCTV 5Kansas City Air Show continues after deadly pilot crash

The Kansas City Air Show reopened Sunday less than 24 hours after the tragic death of a pilot performing aerial maneuvers.

The gates to the air show opened Sunday morning at the Downtown Airport. Air show organizers say after consulting with other performers they made the difficult decision to go on with the show.

Bryan Jensen, an experienced pilot, died in the crash that unfolded before horrified spectators, including children.

According to eyewitnesses, it all happened in a matter of seconds about 1:45 p.m. Saturday Jensen, a Minnesota resident, piloted the red bi-plane known as "The Beast."

"We heard an impact of some kind, followed by screaming and yelling.  We saw smoke coming up, so we responded," said Brian Young, a paramedic at the air show.

Young's job with Superior Response Solutions is to respond to emergencies where a paramedic is needed. So he rushed to the plane's flaming wreckage.

"We made it out to the scene.  The plane was still burning, although the fire department was putting foam and water on it. Once it was extinguished, I walked out to the plane to check for survivors and found there were none," said Young.

A witness told KCTV5.com that he was watching the air show from a business towering about 25 floors over Kansas City. He said the pilot was doing stunts that included loops and spirals and, during one downward spiral, the plane never pulled up. 

John Baggs said the plane crashed in what he described as the infield portion of the airport, between runways. 

"I looked at my wife and said, ‘That's not part of the show,'" he said. 

Baggs said he then saw a ball of fire. 

Matt Stone, another spectator at the air show, described the plane crash as a "butterfly who lost its wings."

He said the plane stalled and was free falling during stunts as expected. Stone said during the fatal stunt that the plane fluttered toward the ground but the engine never reignited. He said the plane belly flopped onto an area between the two runways and a "huge explosion" then rang out.

The rest of Saturday's air show was canceled.

"The public was never in danger and airspace guidelines were followed. Emergency response worked as planned and emergency personnel were quickly on the scene," Noyallis said during a brief news conference held about 3:30 p.m. at the Downtown Airport.

He described Saturday as a "tough day for us."

A native of Iowa, Jensen was an experienced pilot who flew for Delta Airlines. According to Jensen's bio on the air show's website, he has been flying aerobatics for 17 years.

The crash occurred before thousands of horrified spectators, including Jensen's girlfriend.

Video shot by those in attendance captured the plane plummeting into the ground before erupting into a ball of flames. An announcer urged spectators to remain in their places and stay out of the way of emergency vehicles and personnel rushing to the scene. Children could be heard asking their parents, "What happened?"

The thick black smoke spread over the downtown area. Firefighters needed about two minutes to get the flames out, one spectator said.

Some of the show goers turned to social media to share their feelings of helplessness.

"Worst feeling watching a plane crash right in front of (your) eyes," a Missouri woman tweeted under the handle of ChrissyLynn74.

Carly Redondo of Lawrence wrote on Twitter, "Today I saw how the plane crashed. It was one of the most horrible feelings I ever had! God Bless his soul!"

Justin Meyer, who is a member of the Kansas City Aviation Department's media relations office, described on Twitter seeing the plane's wreckage on fire. He assisted with the news conference and later offered prayers to Jensen's family.

A Kansas City firefighter attending the show with his young daughter struggled to explain the gravity of what she saw to his wondering daughter.

Jensen's death was the first fatality during the air show's history, officials said.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash. It could be months before the cause of the crash is known.

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