List of Air Show Accidents and Incidents - 1972

1972

• September 24 – Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour crash (Sacramento, California) – A privately owned F-86 Sabre jet piloted by Richard Bingham failed to take off while leaving the Golden West Sport Aviation Show. The jet went through a chain link fence at the end of the runway, across Freeport Boulevard, crushed a parked car and then crashed into a local Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour. The ice cream parlor was occupied in part by the Sacramento 49ers "Little League" football team. Twenty-two people were killed, including twelve children and two people in the parked car. An eight-year-old survivor of the accident lost nine family members including both parents, two brothers, a sister, two grandparents and two cousins. A family of four were also killed in the accident. Immediately after the crash, an elderly couple trying to cross the street to the crash site were struck by a vehicle, the wife was killed.
• June 10 – Trenton Air Show at CFB Trenton, Ontario – Canadian air force Snowbirds solo Captain Lloyd Waterer died after a wingtip collision with the other solo aircraft while performing an opposing solo manoeuvre.
• June 4 – Transpo 72 Airshow (Washington, D.C.) – Major Joe Howard of the US Air Force Thunderbirds flying Thunderbird 3 was killed at Dulles International Airport when his F-4E-32-MC Phantom II, 66-0321, lost power during a vertical maneuver. The pilot broke out of formation just after he completed a wedge roll and was ascending at around 2,500 feet AGL. The aircraft staggered and descended in a flat attitude with little forward speed. Although Major Howard ejected and descended under a good canopy, winds blew him into the ascending fireball. The parachute melted and the pilot plummeted 200 feet, sustaining fatal injuries.