Stead Airport (Monday, Sept. 8) Tragedy struck the Reno National Championship Air Races this afternoon. During a qualifying session for the Sport Class there was a fatal crash.
At the north end of the course the aircraft flown by Lee Behel suffered some kind of failure and went down. He was the president of the class and one of its founders.
Behel’s racer was powered by a Chevy small block V-8 modified for aviation use.
Behel is listed as retired and was a pilot for many years with the Nevada Air National Guard when they flew RF-4C Phantoms. And he was the father of two sons.
The exact cause is not known at this time but the FAA and NTSB are investigating so they can find out exactly happened and make recommendations to improve safety.
Lee Behel taxies out for a morning practice and qualifying session. During the afternoon session his plane went down and he perished in the crash.
After the crash all flying was halted at the Air Races but will resume on Tuesday morning.
We here at Nvracingnews, wish to offer our condolences to Behel’s personal and extended aviation family. May he rest in peace.
