After Stewart Accident Some Wonder if Air Shows Should Be Banned

Sadly, the death of a pilot practicing for the NY Air Show at Stewart Airport this weekend was just one of many air show deaths this month, making some wonder if the shows should be banned.

On August 15 tragedy struck the Chicago Air and Water Show after a parachutist died during a mid-air collision. This past week alone there were two additional air show accidents. One in England ended in the deaths of 11 people. A German pilot was killed in another recent show that took place in Switzerland.

These stories are not new. Just this year there have already been eight air show accidents. A quick Google search for "air show accident" leads to countless news stories of pilots and spectators being killed at air shows.

After the tragic accident at Stewart Airport during a practice run on Friday, some wondered if air shows are worth the risk. Many questioned what could have happened if the tragedy took place during the actual show with thousands of people in attendance.

On the WPDH Facebook page, Arlene Russel wrote:

I said to my sister when they told me that they will have an air show over there at Stewart that they should not have an air show because only tragedy happens at these things they need to stop doing these shows

Facebook user Denise Laskey added:

just one of the many reasons why I hate these shows. i am always thinking about the previous crashes. and I know that many people love them, it's their right to go. i just choose not to

Others defended the popularity of air shows. Dave Thompson posted this message:

I believe these should continue as they are a "show" and each pilot knows what can happen just like in any sport or show (baseball for example) there are possibilities of severe injury or death.

We want to know what you think. Are air shows too dangerous? Will you still continue to attend them knowing the risks?