Jim LeRoy (April 5, 1961 – July 28, 2007) was an American

aerobatics Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aeroplane" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and gl ...

pilot. He died upon impact in a crash at the Dayton Air Show in

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

Background

A former

US Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the Marines, maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expedi ...

Scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

Sniper A sniper is a military or paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with telescopic si ...

, Jim LeRoy held a B.S. degree in

Aeronautical Aeronautics is the science or art involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of air flight-capable machines, and the techniques of operating aircraft and rockets within the atmosphere. While the term originally referred solely to ''ope ...

Aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial, and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astron ...

engineering as well as an Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) license.

Stunt flying

Initially flying solo performances, he gained a reputation with his highly energetic aerobatic displays. In 2003, LeRoy joined a daring and successful

airshow An air show (or airshow, air fair, air tattoo) is a public event where aircraft are exhibited. They often include aerobatics demonstrations, without which they are called "static air shows" with aircraft parked on the ground. The largest air ...

troupe, the X-team, who referred to themselves as the Masters of Disaster. Their performance generally consisted of three pilots flying a simultaneous, chaotic, interweaving aerobatic display through clouds of smoke generated by circling jet-powered trucks below. After two seasons of successful airshows, an accident occurred on July 10, 2005, during a routine performance when Jimmy Franklin and Bobby Younkin collided in mid-air. Jim LeRoy was not involved in the collision and landed safely. LeRoy was one of only eleven pilots ever to be awarded both the '' Art Scholl Showmanship Award'' (2002) and the ''

Bill Barber William Charles Barber (born July 11, 1952) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played twelve seasons for the Philadelphia Flyers in the National Hockey League (NHL). As part of the famed LCB ( Leach, Clarke, Barber) line, ...

Award for Showmanship'' (2003). He was also one of only a handful of full-time

air show An air show (or airshow, air fair, air tattoo) is a public event where aircraft are trade fair, exhibited. They often include aerobatics demonstrations, without which they are called "static air shows" with aircraft parked on the ground. The ...

pilots in the world who actually made his living by performing for air show audiences. LeRoy also held the following pilot ratings: single-engine, multi-engine, airplane instructor, helicopter, helicopter instructor, instrument instructor and aerobatic competency evaluator.

Death

Around 2:15PM EST at the

Vectren Vectren Corporation was a Fortune 1000 energy holding company headquartered in Evansville, Indiana. Through its utility subsidiaries (Vectren North, Vectren South, and Vectren Energy Delivery of Ohio), the company distributed natural gas to appro ...

Dayton Air Show at Dayton International Airport outside

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

, LeRoy crashed his S2S Bulldog II, while in performance with the X-Team ''Codename: Mary's Lamb'' aerobatics team. Initial indications showed that he was performing a 1/2 Cuban 8 and snap rolls on the 45-degree down line, but recovered too low to the ground to pull out. He hit the runway at , although his vertical speed was only around ; the plane slid and burst into flames.Coroner: Pilot Died Instantly - News Story - WHIO Dayton

/ref> LeRoy was pronounced dead in a military

MEDEVAC Medical evacuation, often shortened to medevac or medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to patients requiring evacuation or transport using medically equipped air ambulances, helicopters an ...

helicopter while in transit to

Miami Valley Hospital Premier Health Miami Valley Hospital is a large urban hospital in Dayton, Ohio. It is part of the Premier Health Partners network. The hospital has two additional locations: Miami Valley Hospital South in Centerville, Ohio, and Miami Valley H ...

. The

coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death. The official may also investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...

's report states that LeRoy died on impact due to a

fracture Fracture is the appearance of a crack or complete separation of an object or material into two or more pieces under the action of stress (mechanics), stress. The fracture of a solid usually occurs due to the development of certain displacemen ...

of his neck, but that he also was badly burned.

References

External links

Official websiteX-team Airshows
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leroy, Jim 1961 births 2007 deaths Accidental deaths in Ohio Aerobatic pilots Air shows American aviators Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States United States Marines Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 2007 American military snipers