Dad suffers horror death after being impaled by model plane in freak accident
Roger Wallace, 60, was killed after being struck by his own model plane in a freak accident at Pima County Fairgrounds in Arizona. The father-of-two lost sight of the 5ft-wide radio-controlled plane in the sunlight before it hit his chest.
A father-of-two tragically lost his life in an extraordinary “freak accident” when he was struck by his own model aircraft, sustaining fatal injuries.
Roger Wallace, 60, was operating the 5ft-wide remote-controlled plane at the Pima County Fairgrounds in Tucson, Arizona, when disaster struck. He momentarily lost track of the aircraft in bright sunlight, and the 3kg model inflicted severe damage to his heart and lung.
Roger collapsed immediately, with his companions attempting to assist him until paramedics arrived. Despite their best efforts, he was declared dead at the location.
Roger had been a member of the Southern Arizona Modelers, a radio-controlled aircraft enthusiast group, for three years. Club President Jerry Knebel remarked to the Arizona Daily Star in 2002: “This was not a common thing. This was just the freakiest of freak accidents that could possibly happen.
“No one can believe this. We can’t believe it ourselves, and we’ve been doing this the past 30 years.”, reports the Mirror.
Roger had previously owned an automotive parts business which he had sold years earlier, continuing to work for the new proprietors whilst considering retirement before the fatal incident.
Before discovering his passion for model aviation, Roger had been participating in drag racing at the local strip – ironically seeking out what he believed would be a less dangerous pastime.
Knebel added: “He talked so often about how the flying was safer than the drag strip. He came over because he thought our sport was the safer sport.”
The group maintained strict safety protocols with a designated safety officer present during flights and adhered to Academy of Model Aeronautics safety standards.
Knebel said: “We pride ourselves on not having any accidents at all. We haven’t had one in many, many years.”
Roger’s obituary described him as: “He was a kind, loving, friendly man and so ful of life and laughter. He will be greatly missed by all his friends and family.”
In September, an aviation content creator perished before more than 1,000 spectators when his ultralight aircraft crashed and erupted in flames during a live broadcast.
Tang Feiji was streaming when his twin-rotor machine made a sharp banking manoeuvre before plummeting into Jiange County, central China. Horrified watchers inundated the stream’s comments with frantic appeals to “call the emergency services” and “save him”.
Their urgent appeals proved futile, and Tang, 55, was declared dead at the crash site from the collision. The pilot had gained recognition online in Guangyuan City, Sichuan Province through his regular aviation content, amassing approximately 100,000 followers on Chinese social media platform Douyin.
