Pilot Marcus Paine was killed today when his Stearman biplane crashed during a performance at the Airshow of the Cascades in Madras, Oregon. He was the only person on board and no one on the ground was injured. Paine was reportedly performing aerobatics when he hit the ground. The remainder of the airshow was canceled following the crash, and the show was not scheduled to be held on Sunday.
A brief bio, from the Airshow of the Cascades website:
Marcus Paine brings the thrill of aerobatic flight from his hometown of Anchorage, where he has lived for more than 40 years. Raised on a homestead in Rabbit Creek, Marc has been a pilot for over 20 years and is a skilled instructor – teaching pilots of all skill levels new ways of thinking about the principals of flight. He is also a distinguished graduate of the Virginia Military Institute and a former U.S. Army Special Forces Officer, Airborne Ranger, and Jumpmaster. He commanded a combat dive A Team and worked projects throughout the Middle East and South America. He’ll be thrilling our audience with his 450 Stearman!
Andy Barnes
My friend! Such an inspiration! You will be missed! Geronimo, Sir! Airborne! Until we meet again!
Michael Thompson
Very saddened by this. Fly on, pilot.
Our thoughts are with his family.
Mark Pritchard
R.I.P. Sir….. Blue skies
Anton
Sad news. RIP….
Bernard
Terribly sad news. RIP Marcus …
Anonymous
Was at the show watching when he died. He was coming out of his signature looping stunt, where he would do a loop and then come out of it close to the ground. He started to pull out of it but was much too close to the ground, causing him to do a slanted nosedive that instantly destroyed the plane. I haven’t thought about it in a long time until today, R.I.P. sir.