Toronto man killed in jet crash at Ottawa air show
Last updated Jun 16 2006 02:04 PM EDT
CBC News

A former Canadian Football League player from Toronto was killed Friday when his small, home-built airplane crashed at an airport west of Ottawa.

Scott Manning died when his BD-5 jet, nicknamed "Stinger," hit the ground at the Carp Airport at 12:14 p.m.

Manning had been scheduled to perform in the single-seat airplane at Air Show Ottawa this weekend.

Eyewitness David Morgan-Kirby was standing at the end of the runway watching the microjet when it crashed.

"He was just doing a sort of pre-air-show display," Morgan-Kirby said.

"The engine was still running when he hit the ground, and it ran for another two or three seconds afterwards."

The BD-5 is often described as the world's smallest jet. The one flown by Manning was one of just six BD-5s in the world.

BD-5s have been used for secret radar testing for the U. S. government, and one was featured in the James Bond film Octopussy.

Manning, who lived in Toronto, played football for the Montreal Alouettes and the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

At 6' 3" and 215 pounds, he was known as the world's tallest BD-5 pilot. Manning held a commercial pilot's licence and had flown numerous types of airplanes, including some of the most advanced aerobatic aircraft.

Whitney Zelmer, a spokesman for Air Show Ottawa, confirmed that Manning was the pilot killed in Friday's crash.

Zelmer said the air show would go ahead as planned on Saturday.

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RIP Manning and your awesome BD-5