file photo
Veteran pilot Lee Behel was killed in a crash at Reno on Monday afternoon during a qualifying heat for the National Championship Air Races. Behel, 64, from San Jose, California, was flying an experimental GP-5 racing airplane. “This was a single-plane incident and no other pilots or spectators were injured,” the race organizers said in a statement on Tuesday. Behel was one of the founders of the Sport Class and its current president. He also was a retired U.S. Air Force pilot. The accident is under investigation by the FAA and NTSB.
“Lee was a very talented pilot but, more importantly, an enthusiastic and compassionate friend, and the entire Air Race family will miss him deeply,” said Mike Major, chairman of the Reno Air Racing Association, in a statement. “This is a difficult day for all of us, and our thoughts and prayers are with Lee’s family and friends.” Behel had been involved in the races for more than 20 years and won a championship in the Sport Class in 2008. The air races will officially open on Wednesday and continue through Sunday. During the 51 years of racing at Reno, 19 pilots have been killed, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal.
In the video below, Behel talks about his airplane with a reporter from Press-Gazette Media at EAA AirVenture in July 2013.
