death from above: Shea 1979

http://www.nytimes.com/1981/11/18/nyregion/the-city-jets-sued-on-death-as-result-of-show.html

Here it is from the NY times a credible source. Doesnt say anything about a lawnmower though.

 

I've heard the lawnmower story, but don't remember hearing that anyone died.

We need a "Today in Jets History" thread.

 

someone can correct me I am wrong but I believe it was a HELOCOPTER with a lawn mower engine. I was not there that day but I do remember this story and it did happen. I was there at other games when this show went on

 

I was at the game. Wasn?t sitting near what happened thank God. And was not at all interested in what the show was about.

All of a sudden this flying mower helicopter thing flew into the stands and wiped out two people.

Shortly afterward everything when back to normal. They were Pats fans

 

So you're saying the mower/copter was not really flying out of control.

 

Didn't we use to have this?

 

If we do, then it needs to include stories like this.

 

I think it was Jetsin2004 that used to post a daily threads on "today in jets history" or something along those lines.

 

It was a plane shaped like a lawn mower.
Philip Cushman was the pilot.
The other guy hit was named Rourke and it was behind the Pats bench.
One was from NH and the other from Mass. so they probably both were Pats fans as you said.

 

it was a model plane expedition. I was 11 years old at the time and I thought i remember the plane that crashed being a model of Snoopy House w Wood stock laying on top. Perhaps this is not the one that crashed but I remember it as that as it was my favorite plane that day.
I remember the model plane kind of crapping out and just like dive bombing into the crowd. I don't think that we knew the severity of the accident at the time.
If it was not the first game I went too it was certainly one of my first few. I should have realized at that moment that folllowing this team was gonna be painful

 

It's been a while since I thought about the story but I'm pretty sure it's accurate. I know they were Pats fans. Could you imagine being on the end of that phone call? This is the Flushing PD... your first recation isn't that your husband was killed by a flying lawnmower.

 

Death From Above 1979 is one of the best bands ever. Bass and drums, nothing more than that. Very worth checking out...

 

I blame Shea stadium.

 

This is a crazy story that I had never heard before. Thanks for sharing.

 

I was there what a disaster those two guys never had a chance....

 

Flying Lawnmower

I was there. It was my first season with seats. This article and the other accounts posted here are pretty accurate. What I recall is that the remote control flying objects flew one at a time, and that the flying object prior to the lawnmower (and it was a lawnmower, or at least a plane fashioned to look like one) was a flying Snoopy's Doghouse plane. The crowd loved that one as it flew around the stadium, but what me and my friends noticed was that it seemed to be a bit wild and almost out of control. When it landed, it landed very hard and may even have broken up on the infield. The crowd went wild. Obviously the radio flyers were having issues with their connections and commands. In retrospect, the show should have ended there

Next up: The Flying Lawnmower. Like the Snoopy plane, it too seemed to be taking chances and flying pretty close to things. The crowd loved it as much as they'd love any odd spectacle at the Giants Stadium ramp spiral during halftime. From my seats in the Loge section at the closed end of Shea, I remember seeing it fly over the opposite end zone at the open end from left to right, and then it turned towards us. As it approached, it climbed steep enough so that we lost sight of it due to the Loge roof overhang. A few seconds later, we saw it nosedive straight down into the Field Box level seats to our left, a few rows up behind the Pats bench as someone else mentioned. The start of the second half was delayed, as an ambulance was driven in across the field from the open end zone. From Loge Section 2 Row J, we couldn't tell how seriously hurt they were, but obviously is was pretty bad for an ambulance to be driven across the field to tend to them.

The Jets won that day if I'm not mistaken. Crap, I guess this makes me an old-timer...

 

Since the Pats are involved I keep getting visions of a present day flying lawnmower chasing Tom Brady around the field.