Keith Breazeal Video Productions

The show was about Wayne Handley's airshow crash in the Turbo-Raven and how he survived the horrific crash landing. At the 1999 California International Airshow, Wayne's Saturday performance was perfect and a great crowd pleaser. On Sunday, Wayne experienced an engine failure below bailout altitude and was left with no choice but to fly the Turbo-Raven into the ground. Compounding the problem was the propeller going into a "zero pitch" condition and acting like a giant air brake.

Wayne Handley Turbo Raven Crash at Salinas Airshow in 1999

Wayne Handley's custom built Turbine Powered "Raven" experienced an engine malfunction. Below 1,000 feet, there is no option but to crash land.

Nothing comes even remotely close to this. The Turbo-Raven's 750 horsepower turbine develops 2,800 pounds of thrust off the propeller. The airframe only weighs 1,600 pounds. From brake release to 10,000 feet, the Turbo-Raven does it in one minute.

Wayne Handley races his Raven aerobatic plane against Jim Cheatham in the R-22 helicopter. The rules are from a standing stop to one quarter mile down the runway, then back to the start line. Jim was a helicopter pilot in the Army and Wayne a fighter pilot in the Navy. Ahhh, the feud continues!