Veteran air show performer Howard Pardue was killed on Wednesday afternoon, April 4, when his F8F Bearcat crashed shortly after taking off from the Stephens County Airport in Breckenridge, Texas, about 100 miles west of Dallas. Although the cause of the accident has not yet been confirmed, the National Transportation Safety Board has begun an investigation according to ICAS.
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Howard Pardue- EAA image
He is a former U.S. Marine Corps pilot with jet experience. He spent a tour as a Naval Training Command pilot instructor. In warbirds, Howard has been an aerobatic performer for many years in his Grumman F8F Bearcat, which he also raced at the Reno air races. Howard also owned a Hawker Sea Fury and a Grumman F4F Wildcat. He has been a Tailhook Legacy Flight pilot since 2002 and was inducted into the Warbird Hall of Fame in 2004. Pardue logged well over 14,000 flight hours in 120 different types of aircraft over 50+ years of flying. He will be dearly missed in the aviation community and beyond. - Staff Report
Howard Pardue- EAA image
He is a former U.S. Marine Corps pilot with jet experience. He spent a tour as a Naval Training Command pilot instructor. In warbirds, Howard has been an aerobatic performer for many years in his Grumman F8F Bearcat, which he also raced at the Reno air races. Howard also owned a Hawker Sea Fury and a Grumman F4F Wildcat. He has been a Tailhook Legacy Flight pilot since 2002 and was inducted into the Warbird Hall of Fame in 2004. Pardue logged well over 14,000 flight hours in 120 different types of aircraft over 50+ years of flying. He will be dearly missed in the aviation community and beyond. - Staff Report