Biplane Crashes at Northern California Air Show

Fairfield: Authorities say a vintage biplane has crashed while performing at a Northern California air show, killing the pilot.

Lynn Lunsford of the Federal Aviation Administration said Sunday that the plane was a Stearman biplane. The plane was part of the Thunder Over Solano airshow at Travis Air Force Base in Solano County.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports (http://bit.ly/1j02Wav ) that the biplane crashed in an open field away from spectators at 2:05 p.m. Black smoke rose from the wreckage as crowds were evacuated from the base.

Lunsford says emergency responders said the pilot did not survive.

Air show organizers cancelled the air show shortly after the crash on the tarmac.

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The 1944 plane was registered to the Eddie Andreini Air Shows, Inc. based in Half Moon Bay.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

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A vintage biplane crashed Sunday while performing at a Northern California air show attended by thousands of people.

Lynn Lunsford of the Federal Aviation Administration said the plane was a Stearman biplane. The plane was part of the Thunder Over Solano airshow at Travis Air Force Base in Solano County.

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Sgt. Rachel Martinez, a spokeswoman for the base, said there was no information on the pilot, but nobody in attendance was injured in the crash that happened at 2:05 p.m. as the pilot performed an acrobatic aerial maneuver over the tarmac. The plane was operated by a civilian, Martinez said.

The 1944 plane was registered to the Edward Andreini of Half Moon Bay, according to FAA records.

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The plane crash cut short the air show as emergency responders flooded to the scene. Martinez said organizers estimated that 100,000 people attended the air show Sunday.

The National Transportation Safety Board will head up an investigation, said Lunsford adding that the FAA was already on site and will be a member of the team.