Infamous Indy Car Racer, Reno Air Racer Bill Whittington Killed In Metro III Crash in Winslow, AZ

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FlyingElvii

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flyingElvii
All I can say is... WOW.....
Had the opportunity to meet him a few times through the years, let's just say he lived a "Colorful" life. Look it up, it is well detailed.

Won the 24 hours of LeMans
Raced P-51's and an F8F Bearcat at the Reno Air Races.
Ran 5 Indy 500's, NASCAR Daytona, and many other races...

Had apparently taken a friend with terminal cancer up for a ride, and was doing aerobatics in a Swearingen Metro SA226-T(B).

From the Article:
"FlightPath shows the plane made several loops and a figure 8 before crashing at 5,700 feet. Winslow is over 4,800 feet in altitude. At times, the plane flew higher than 15,000 feet, and speeds in excess of 300 mph before the one-hour, seven-minute flight ended. Speed was 100 mph when it crashed."

Tweet from Chip Ganassi:
"
RIP Bill Whittington. You had your crosses to bear but you checked every box in life my friend. We will miss you. #Lemans24winner #renoairracewinner #indycardriver #father #husband #friend"
1:04 PM · Apr 24, 2021"

The Aircraft:
ViewPic.aspx
 
He and his brother did some amazing things with race cars, but they are/were of pretty low moral character otherwise.
 
Groundpounder said:
He and his brother did some amazing things with race cars, but they are/were of pretty low moral character otherwise.
Click to expand...
Why, for selling something that is now legal in many states? Or did they do something really bad that I don't know about?
 
Looks like a big bird to be doing aerobatics in.


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Kenny Phillips said:
Why, for selling something that is now legal in many states? Or did they do something really bad that I don't know about?
Click to expand...

In 1986, Bill pleaded guilty to income tax evasion and conspiracy to smuggle marijuana into the USA from Colombia and was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison and ordered to surrender $7 million in property and other assets. A year later, Don pleaded guilty to money laundering in association with his brother’s activities.

Bill served five years in jail before being released in 1990 and Don spent 18 months behind bars.

Then, in 2018, Bill was charged with tax evasion for failing to report a $10 million investment generated through two off-shore bank accounts and also under-reported income from a Colorado resort owned by his daughters. He paid $1.8 million restitution to the IRS as a condition of his plea bargain and was sentenced to 18 months in jail.

Upon his release, Whittington’s name and his Florida-based World Jet Inc. company appeared last year after it was awarded nearly $20 million in purchase orders from the state of Oklahoma to provide masks and PPE needed during the height of COVID-19. With World Jet’s failures to provide the PPE, the purchase orders were cancelled.

And

https://www.madcowprod.com/2013/12/12/fort-lauderdale-florida-is-a-protestant-palermo/

And other things I've heard second hand that I can't prove 100%.
 
Sad. Hadn't heard of him but clicked on the thread cause I know a few Indy Car racers and my son raced against about 7 or 8 current and past drivers, most notable being Mark Dismore, who we became good friends with. Funny thing is Mark Jr had pics of their kart track from overhead in a Cessna several years ago.
 
bbchien said:
I wonder which substance it was.....
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The Cocaine Cowboy Era... Lots of Pilots were making big money flying for the Cartels, they have even made movies about them.
He was in no way a role model for anyone, but he was legendary. Good or bad legendary, well that's a judgement call.
 
thats a merlin not a metro. news reports are never to be trusted, i doubt that he was doing aerobatics in it. it appears they did some 360 turns and a few pattern 8's
I had met them at reno several times, and even thought they were one of my least favorite crews at reno, they were legendary. RIP bill.
 
Groundpounder said:
In 1986, Bill pleaded guilty to income tax evasion and conspiracy to smuggle marijuana into the USA from Colombia and was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison and ordered to surrender $7 million in property and other assets. A year later, Don pleaded guilty to money laundering in association with his brother’s activities.

Bill served five years in jail before being released in 1990 and Don spent 18 months behind bars.

Then, in 2018, Bill was charged with tax evasion for failing to report a $10 million investment generated through two off-shore bank accounts and also under-reported income from a Colorado resort owned by his daughters. He paid $1.8 million restitution to the IRS as a condition of his plea bargain and was sentenced to 18 months in jail.

Upon his release, Whittington’s name and his Florida-based World Jet Inc. company appeared last year after it was awarded nearly $20 million in purchase orders from the state of Oklahoma to provide masks and PPE needed during the height of COVID-19. With World Jet’s failures to provide the PPE, the purchase orders were cancelled.

And

https://www.madcowprod.com/2013/12/12/fort-lauderdale-florida-is-a-protestant-palermo/

And other things I've heard second hand that I can't prove 100%.
Click to expand...

Doesn’t seem like low moral character to me. Illegal activities yes.
 
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