Vicki Cruse (December 13, 1967 – August 22, 2009) was an American aerobatic pilot and administrator. She won the U.S. national unlimited aerobatic title in 2007. She had been president of the International Aerobatic Club (IAC) since 2005 and was also an Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) director and board member.[1]

Cruse was a native of Springfield, Missouri and was shortlisted as one of the all-female slate of candidates in the Fossett LSR land speed record bid.[2] At the time of her death she lived in Santa Paula, California.

Cruse died on August 22, 2009, when her light plane, a borrowed Zivko Edge 540, registration N540BW, crashed at the Silverstone Motor Race Circuit, Northamptonshire, England, during a qualifying flight for the World Aerobatic Championships. According to witnesses, having completed a vertical climb, she had pushed the nose over at the top in order to descend vertically. She then performed a one and one-quarter snap roll. The objective was to stop rotation after the aircraft has rolled one and one-quarter times, but rotation in this case only slowed, continuing to the ground. She was pronounced dead at the scene.[3][4][5]

The accident investigation concluded that the rudder pedal extensions could have contributed to a rudder control restriction but that pilot incapacitation was also considered a possible contributory factor.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Gone West – Vicki Cruse". Archived from the original on 2009-08-28. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
  2. ↑ Steve Fossett LSR Declares Driver Short-List
  3. ↑ Californian pilot dies at British air show
  4. ↑ "Champion aerobatic pilot Vicki Cruse dies in air crash". The Daily Telegraph. 22 August 2009. Archived from the original on 2022-12-30.
  5. ↑ American woman dies during practice at World Aerobatic Championships
  6. ↑ "AAIB Report 9/2010" (PDF). Air Accident Investigation Branch.
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