What happened
On September 17, 2011, at approximately 1434 EDT, a North American T-28C, registration N688GR, crashed during an aerobatic demonstration at the Eastern WV Regional Airport/Shepherd Field (MRB) in Martinsburg, West Virginia. The flight was part of the Trojan Horsemen Demonstration Team's performance for the Thunder Over the Blue Ridge Open House and Air Show.
The aircraft was performing an opposing pass maneuver with another airplane. The plan required the two aircraft to cross at 50 and 6 altitude of 500 feet with smoke on, followed by an aileron roll. Witnesses and high-definition video recordings indicated that after the aircraft crossed, the pilot of N688GR initiated a left roll that degraded into a barrel roll. The aircraft reached approximately 270 degrees of the roll before the roll stopped, and the airplane entered a nose-low, right-wing-down descent. The aircraft impacted the ground near the approach end of runway 26, resulting in 1 fatal injury to the pilot.
The investigation
Post-accident examination of the wreckage showed the fuselage was fractured at the front seat area and near the vertical fin. The vertical stabilizer and rudder were structurally separated from the aircraft. While the flight controls showed no evidence of pre-impact failure, the engine examination revealed that four cylinders were separated and the supercharger impeller was fractured.
Review of the pilot's medical records showed a history of significant cardiac issues, including a 2003 heart attack that required a four-vessel coronary artery bypass surgery. Although the pilot held a special issuance third-class medical certificate, his records indicated ongoing issues with coronary artery atherosclerosis and diabetes.
An autopsy of the pilot revealed that while the cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries from the crash, a contributory factor was evidence of a fresh heart attack. The medical examiner noted an acute myocardial infarction involving the lateral wall of the left ventricle.