The pilot of a post-World War II aircraft died Saturday after a fiery runway crash at a West Virginia air show.

The crash came the day after a stunt pilot crashed his older-model plane at a Nevada air show on Friday, killing nine people.

In this most recent crash, the West Virginia Air National Guard said no spectators were injured on the ground. Only the pilot was killed.

The plan was part of the T-28 Warbird Aerobatic Formation Demonstration Team, known as the Trojan Horsemen. The group performs at air shows around the country.

“We were fortunate that the safety measures put in place by the Federal Aviation Administration ensured the safety of those on the ground,” Maj. Gen. James Hoyer, adjutant general of the West Virginia National Guard, said in a statement. “Right now our thoughts and prayers are with the family members of the deceased.”

Officials have not released the pilot’s name. The North American Aviation-built T-28 Trojan plane date back to 1949 test flights. Nearly 2,000 were built in the 1950s. It is a single-engine propeller training craft.

The Associated Press reported that the plane was built in 1958 and was owned by John Mangan of Concord, N.C.

According to the Journal of Martinsburg, the crashed T-28 was part of a six-plane formation. It lost control and crashed near a group of hangers as thousands of onlookers cried and prayed.

About The Author

John Guilfoil is the editor-in-chief of Blast: Boston's Online Magazine and the Blast Magazine Network. He can be reached at [email protected]. Tweet @johnguilfoil.

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