Wing Walker Plunges to His Death

A horrified crowd watched yesterday as a Michigan wing walker plunged to his death during an air show stunt. Todd Green fell some 200 feet at the Air National Guard Base in Selfridge near Detroit as he attempted to grab onto a helicopter hovering over the plane. "I thought it was part of the stunt," one witness told the Detroit News. "It felt surreal. It wasn't until the ambulance came that it set in." It was "very somber," said another witness. "It's a pretty sad situation." Green was the son of legendary aerial stuntman Eddie "The Grip" Green, and had performed the helicopter transfer stunt several times.

"Todd was extremely good at what he did and logged many hours doing stunts," said a fellow stunt man. "He was one of the best in the business. He was very proud of his legacy and his family's legacy." Authorities are investigating the accident. It was the third air show death over the weekend. A pilot in England and one in Kansas both died when their planes crashed. "Air show accidents aren't as common as you think," said Green's stuntman friend. "We're professionally trained and we know what we're doing." (More air show stories.)