Pilot dies in WW1 plane in upstate NY amid airshow after engine catches fire (original) (raw)

Pilot crashes and dies in World War I replica plane in upstate New York during airshow after engine bursts into flames

Acclaimed pilot Brian Coughlin perished over the weekend after he crashed a replica plane while performing in an airshow in upstate New York

Brian Coughlin was a treasured member of the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

A pilot flying a replica of a WWI plane died in a fiery crash over the weekend during an air show in upstate New York that took a tragic turn.

The air show was held in upstate New York about 80 miles north of Manhattan. The engine of the pilot's aircraft, a Fokker D.VIII, caught fire while soaring over Rhinebeck Aerodrome. Airman Brian Coughlin of New York, 60, tragically died Saturday after he crashed the replica plane, according to the Red Hook Police Department.

The replica plane, according to The Museum of Flight, replicated the original's "high maneuverability" and was considered an effective German fighter plane, though it suffered from wing structure problems that caused it to crash at times in 1918 when it was first introduced to aerial combat.

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Coughlin had survived one other plane crash

The deceased pilot was pronounced dead on the spot around 3 p.m. The cause of the engine fire is currently under investigation. Coughlin, a Cazenovia native, served as an Aerodome volunteer and board member, according to a tear-jerking tribute made by the aviation association on it's Facebook page.

At least one person assumed the pilot's engine bursting into flames was a part of the show. Aviation fans who knew of Coughlin's work and enthusiasm for the industry flooded facebook with tribute posts. Some said they were lucky enough to speak with him following an exhibition. “Brian was a great pilot and his passing will be a great loss to antique aircraft owners and pilots,” wrote one flight fan.

"This is a difficult message to pass from today...Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome has lost pilot Brian Coughlin to a catastrophic failure during a flight display resulting in his fatality. I had just helped him get his OTW biplane from KSCH to Old Rhinebeck and had a great conversation with him after picking him up from Kline Kill Arpt to KSCH," wrote another. "I can't help but be shocked as his love of aviation is what I saw in Cole Palen himself when I was a child. My condolences go out to his family and the Old Rhinebeck Community as I know they are suffering."

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The Fokker D.VII was known to have faulty wing structure during WWI (

Image:

Getty Images/Stocktrek Images)

Coughlin also had a reputation as a bit of a daredevil who narrowly escaped death when a 1915 Nieuport 11, complete with an original engine, suddenly lost power about 75 feet in the air, according to Syracuse.com. He crashed landed in a field that was several thousand feet away from where he'd taken off. Luckily, he was taken off and treated at a nearby hospital.

The pilot's father was said to have also dabbled in airmanship and served on the battleship New Jersey.