[3] During the 2011 Reno Air Races, James Leeward and The Galloping Ghost were in third place and had just rounded pylon number 8 when the aircraft abruptly pitched up, rolled inverted, then nosedived.

[4] The aircraft slammed into the apron at over 400 miles per hour (640 km/h; 350 kn) in front of the grandstands in an area containing box seating, disintegrating on impact.

The former United States Air Force aircraft, serial number 44-15651, was owned by Aero Trans Corp in Ocala, Florida.

[9] On September 18, 1970, the airplane (then known as Miss Candace) crashed while attempting an emergency landing caused by an engine failure during that year's Reno Air Races at Reno-Stead Airport.

However, they were still attempting to extract information from an onboard data memory card found among damaged aircraft components and other debris scattered over more than two acres following the crash, as well as hundreds of photos and dozens of videos provided by spectators.

The investigation report, released in August 2012, found that the probable cause of the crash was reused single-use locknuts in the left elevator trim tab system that loosened.

These included course design and layout further away from the spectators stands, pre-race inspections, airworthiness of aircraft modifications, Federal Aviation Administration guidance, pilot g-force awareness, and ramp safety.

[23] The Cineflix television show Mayday covered the case in the second episode of season nineteen, titled "Death Race".