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Howard was a local celebrity and I’ve been around him, and his Bearcat, most of my life. He raced in Reno for years and only recenlty retired from it... Sadly, about 25 years ago his daughter incorrectly gaged her distance and attempted a barrel roll that ended in her death.
Howard Pardue Dies in Bearcat Crash
By Robert Goyer / Published: Apr 04, 2012
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Airshow performer and air race pilot Howard Pardue died on Wednesday when his Grumman F8F Bearcat crashed shortly after takeoff from his home field of Stephens County Airport in Breckenridge, Texas, located about 100 miles west of Dallas. The Bearcat, one of only around a dozen airworthy Bearcats in the world, had just taken off when it crashed and caught fire. Pardue, 77, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a report in a local newspaper. Pardue was a veteran Reno air racer, air show performer and member of an historical tribute flying team, the Navy Legacy Flight team, which performs formation flights with front line Navy fighters of today.
Pardue was involved in a crash in 2004 in Texas when the Grumman Hellcat he was flying at an airshow went out of control and flipped over. Pardue suffered only minor injuries in that mishap. In 1999 Pardue’s Bearcat was heavily damaged when a Corsair piloted by another experienced warbird pilot took off early on a formation takeoff and collided with the wing of the Bearcat. The Corsair pilot was permanently disabled by the accident; Pardue escaped uninjured.
The NTSB is investigating Wednesday’s tragic crash. Our thoughts here at Flying are with Howard’s family and his many friends throughout the aviation community. We will report more details as they become available.
A well-known Big Country oilman and pilot is dead after a plane crash in Stephens County.
Howard Pardue, 77, was killed shortly after 2:00 Wednesday afternoon.
"There was a big hole where the plane had actually hit the ground. And then there was parts just scattered probably for a quarter mile," said Justin Read of the Breckenridge Fire Department.
Pardue, an experienced pilot with thousands of hours flight time, was killed shortly after taking off from the Stephens County airport. According to DPS authorities, the plane was gaining altitude when it went into a spin and crashed nose first. The debris was found just south of the airport off Highway 183 near Breckenridge.
"He was very independent. He always said he didn't want to die in a bed. He got his wish," said David Easley, a friend of Pardue's.
Easley said this isn't the first crash Pardue has been involved in.
"I did personally work a plane crash of his several years ago. I went to where the plane was, and then came back up toward the gate and there he was standing with a hankerchief on the side of his head," he recalled.
"I've been here quite a few years and I've worked probably four crashes on him," said Bob Sims, a DPS trooper who worked the crash.
Pardue was well-known in the area and instrumental in starting the Breckenridge Airshow.
"He had a lot of vintage World War Two airplanes that he had rebuilt. That was his thing, that's what he enjoyed doing," Easley said.
Friends said his loss is a tremendous one not only for his family, but for the entire Breckenridge community.
"He was such a great man. Everybody knew him, he was a friend. I had known him for as long as I can remember, and I'm going to miss him terribly," Sims said.
Authorities from the FAA and NTSB are in Breckenridge and will be investigating the crash.
Howard Pardue Dies in Bearcat Crash
By Robert Goyer / Published: Apr 04, 2012
Related Tags: News
Rate it! or
Airshow performer and air race pilot Howard Pardue died on Wednesday when his Grumman F8F Bearcat crashed shortly after takeoff from his home field of Stephens County Airport in Breckenridge, Texas, located about 100 miles west of Dallas. The Bearcat, one of only around a dozen airworthy Bearcats in the world, had just taken off when it crashed and caught fire. Pardue, 77, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a report in a local newspaper. Pardue was a veteran Reno air racer, air show performer and member of an historical tribute flying team, the Navy Legacy Flight team, which performs formation flights with front line Navy fighters of today.
Pardue was involved in a crash in 2004 in Texas when the Grumman Hellcat he was flying at an airshow went out of control and flipped over. Pardue suffered only minor injuries in that mishap. In 1999 Pardue’s Bearcat was heavily damaged when a Corsair piloted by another experienced warbird pilot took off early on a formation takeoff and collided with the wing of the Bearcat. The Corsair pilot was permanently disabled by the accident; Pardue escaped uninjured.
The NTSB is investigating Wednesday’s tragic crash. Our thoughts here at Flying are with Howard’s family and his many friends throughout the aviation community. We will report more details as they become available.
A well-known Big Country oilman and pilot is dead after a plane crash in Stephens County.
Howard Pardue, 77, was killed shortly after 2:00 Wednesday afternoon.
"There was a big hole where the plane had actually hit the ground. And then there was parts just scattered probably for a quarter mile," said Justin Read of the Breckenridge Fire Department.
Pardue, an experienced pilot with thousands of hours flight time, was killed shortly after taking off from the Stephens County airport. According to DPS authorities, the plane was gaining altitude when it went into a spin and crashed nose first. The debris was found just south of the airport off Highway 183 near Breckenridge.
"He was very independent. He always said he didn't want to die in a bed. He got his wish," said David Easley, a friend of Pardue's.
Easley said this isn't the first crash Pardue has been involved in.
"I did personally work a plane crash of his several years ago. I went to where the plane was, and then came back up toward the gate and there he was standing with a hankerchief on the side of his head," he recalled.
"I've been here quite a few years and I've worked probably four crashes on him," said Bob Sims, a DPS trooper who worked the crash.
Pardue was well-known in the area and instrumental in starting the Breckenridge Airshow.
"He had a lot of vintage World War Two airplanes that he had rebuilt. That was his thing, that's what he enjoyed doing," Easley said.
Friends said his loss is a tremendous one not only for his family, but for the entire Breckenridge community.
"He was such a great man. Everybody knew him, he was a friend. I had known him for as long as I can remember, and I'm going to miss him terribly," Sims said.
Authorities from the FAA and NTSB are in Breckenridge and will be investigating the crash.
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