The Ultimate New York Jets Fail – The Day They Killed A Patriots Fan With A Flying Lawnmower
You know life is good when the New York Jets hold a press conference, or are put in charge of anything important. Because the end result of whatever their grand plans may be, will almost assuredly be an unmitigated disaster. The greatest of their disasters came in the form of a flying lawnmower, but we will get to that in a minute.
Salah-nara – The Jets End The Salah Era
This week they fired their defensive head coach, Robert Salah, due to an inept offense. Promoted the defensive coordinator(assumingly because the defense was doing well…) to head coach, leaving the number 3 guy to run the defense. All while making no offensive changes.
But wait, the next day, the new head coach strips the offensive coordinator(Hackett) of his play calling duties, meaning the #2 guy(Downing) is in charge of the offense on game day. Couldn’t they have simply stripped Hackett, or better yet fired him, have the same guy in charge of the offense as they do now, but still have Salah and their defensive coordinator in place? Yes, but then they wouldn’t be the Jets.
Take a look at their Top 10 draft picks. There is a HoF player on there, John Riggins, but he played almost all his games, and won all his fame and honors, with the Redskins.
The Flying Lawnmower Incident
Is there a lowest moment in Jets history? A moment so dubious that no other team could approach it, and even the Jets would avoid doing it for almost 45 years?
On December 9, 1979, the NY Jets hosted the New England Patriots at Shea Stadium. The Jets won the game 27-26.
However it was a halftime incident that the 45,000 spectators probably remember most. For the sum of $800, The Electronic Eagles of the Radio Controlled Association of Greater New York put on a 15 minute show of radio controlled airplanes, and one Flying Lawnmower.
Now, most of you are now probably thinking, Is it a good idea to have a dozen radio controlled airplanes and a flying lawnmower buzzing over the head of 45,000 in a windy open aired stadium like Shea?
The answer is an unequivocable NO to everyone save the New York Jets. It wouldn’t take much for this to become a disaster of unprecendented proportions, and the “much” ended up coming in the form of the guy flying the flying lawnmower. The lawnmower crashed out of control into the crowded stands.
John Bowen, 20 years old of Nashua, N.H., was taken to hospital in critical condition & died from the injuries suffered. A witness said it appeared as if he had been hit by an axe. Kevin Rourke, 25, of Lynn, Mass., was released in satisfactory condition.
“They were sending those things right over the crowds,” said a witness, Ray Warner of Montclair, N.J. Mr. Warner attended the game, between the Jets and the New England Patriots, with a friend, Frank F. E. Bartholomew, also of Montclair. “I had an aisle seat near an exit and I had it in my mind that if it came near me, I would run,” Mr. Warner said.
“It seemed so stupid, so sick, to send this thing over these people.”
Mr. Warner, who was seated in the deck above Mr. Bowen and Mr. Rourke, said that the planes, several of which were on display, were flown directly over the heads of some of the 45,000 spectators in the stadium. The one that crashed nose‐dived into the stands after circling the stadium, hitting about five rows behind the Patriots’ bench along the thirdbase line.
Earlier in the show, Mr. Warner said, one of the planes had crashed on the football field.
“I just lost control, that’s what it was,” Mr. Cushman(the pilot) said yesterday. He declined to go into details. “My lawyer said I shouldn’t make any statement,” he added.
The Flying Lawnmower Video
This sounds like an Urban Legend right? I mean who would even build a flying lawnmower? And could an NFL team be dumb enough to fly one at halftime over their own fans?
I have four pieces of evidence that confirm that this is a true story. The first of which is the NY Times story after the Flying Lawnmower incident. That is followed by a NY Times piece on the fan dying of his injuries days later.
Below that will be posted the third piece of evidence: Another NY Times article about the NY Jets being sued as a result of the incident. The headlines are also links to the articles.
As for the fourth piece of evidence, video of a Flying Lawnmower.
While I could not confirm this was the lawnmower that was involved in the deadly incident, it is video of a flying lawnmower from the same time period.
In addition the NY Times article gave a description of the Flying Lawnmower “The two‐foot‐long plane that crashed was shaped like a lawnmower with a red reel and a silver handle.” That is very close to the description of the lawnmower in this video.
However, in the interview section, a man refers to the owner/pilot of this lawnmower as Art, and the name of the pilot in the Shea Stadium incident was Philip Cushman. Unfortunately, I could find no video or photos of the, or relating to, the incident itself.
NY Times December 11, 1979, Section B, Page 1
Two men remained hospitalized yesterday as a result of head injuries suffered Sunday when a model airplane that was part of the half‐time entertainment at football game in Shea Stadium crashed out of control into the crowded stands.
At Booth Memorial Medical Center in Flushing, Queens, John Bowen, 20 years old of Nashua, N.H., was listed in critical condition and Kevin Rourke, 25, of Lynn, Mass., in satisfactory condition.
An uncle in Nashua said that Mr. Bowen was on his first trip to New York and had gone to the game with his 19year‐old brother, Timothy. The game was between the New York Jets and the New England Patriots. After the accident at about 5:30 P.M., the Jets went on to win the game, 27‐26.
The model‐plane show, put on by the Electronic Eagles of the Radio Controlled Association of Greater New York, had become an increasingly popular part of the half‐time entertainment at games of the Jets and other teams over the last few years. The 15‐minute show, for which the model‐plane fliers were paid $800, included such attractions as simulated aerial dogfights and planes made in novel shapes. The two‐foot‐long plane that crashed was shaped like a lawnmower with a red reel and a silver handle.
There are no Federal restrictions on model‐plane flying. A regional official of the Federal Aviation Administration at Kennedy International Airport said that model planes had not been a problem in the past and that the agency had only issued guidelines suggesting mainly that model‐plane operators avoid populated areas.
Model‐airplane enthusiasts could recall no similar accident and had looked on the flight shows at Shea Stadium as a way of promoting the sport as safe.
There were some 45,000 people in the stadium when the model plane suddenly dived into the fifth row on the visitor’s dugout side. One spectator said that Mr. Bowen “looked like he had been attacked by an ax.”
The model plane had been built and was being guided by radio from the ground by Philip Cushman, a Brooklyn auto collision repairman who said he had been building and flying models without serious accident for more than 20 years.
“I just lost control, that’s what it was,” Mr. Cushman said yesterday. He declined to go into details. “My lawyer said I shouldn’t make any statement,” he added.
A spokesman for the Jets, Steve Gutman, said the Electronic Eagles had already put on some 400 model air shows. Mr. Gutman said. “We’re just terribly saddened.” Asked if the incident would bring an end to the air shows, Mr. Gutman said: “I just don’t know,”
The air show had been arranged for the Jets by Bob Cleveland, whose main job is director of Music Education and Performing Arts at the public schools in Bayport and Blue Point, L.I.
Mr. Cleveland said he was shocked by the incident. “We never had an accident,” he said. “I certainly won’t use them again, that’s for sure. “
Fan Hurt by Model Plane At Halftime at Shea Dies; Disregard Charged
One of two spectators struck by model airplane flown by remote control as part of a halftime show during a New York Jets football game in Shea Stadium last Sunday has died of his injuries.
There are no Federal regulations governing the flight of model airplanes, but witnesses said the model was being flown without regard to an “advisory circular” put out by the Federal Aviation Administration that recommends that such planes not be flown in heavily populated areas.
John Bowen, 20 years old of Nashua, N.H., died at New York Hospital Thursday of an injury suffered when the model plane crashed in the crowded stands. Mr. Bowen was struck in the head and badly cut. He underwent surgery Sunday night at Booth Memorial Medical Center in Flushing, Queens, before being transferred to New York Hospital.
The other injured spectator, Kevin Rourke, 25, of Lynn, Mass., suffered a concussion in the incident. He was listed in satisfactory condition yesterday at Booth Memorial.
“They were sending those things right over the crowds,” said a witness, Ray Warner of Montclair, N.J. Mr. Warner attended the game, between the Jets and the New England Patriots, with a friend, Frank F. E. Bartholomew, also of Montclair. “I had an aisle seat near an exit and I had it in my mind that if it came near me, I would run,” Mr. Warner said.
“It seemed so stupid, so sick, to send this thing over these people.”
The model‐plane show was put on by the Electronic Eagles of the Radio Controlled Association of Greater New York.
Mr. Warner, who was seated in the deck above Mr. Bowen and Mr. Rourke, said that the planes, several of which were on display, were flown directly over the heads of some of the 45,000 spectators in the stadium. The one that crashed nose‐dived into the stands after circling the stadium, hitting about five rows behind the Patriots’ bench along the thirdbase line.
Earlier in the show, Mr. Warner said, one of the planes had crashed on the football field.
The 15‐minute show included simulated aerial dogfights and planes made in novel shapes.
Philip Cushman, a Brooklyn auto collision repairman who had built and was guiding the model plane by radio from the ground, refused to comment. Officials of the Electronic Eagles could not be, reached.
Model plane enthusiasts could recall no similar accident. The flight shows at Shea Stadium had been looked on as way of promoting the sport as safe. The two‐foot plane, made mostly of metal, was called the “Flying Lawnmower.”
No Federal regulations cover modelplane flying, although the Federal Aviation Administration has issued an “advisory circular” recommending procedures if such planes are flown close to an airport. A regional official of the agency said he foresaw no restrictions because of the “extreme” difficulty in enforcing. such rules.
“I don’t think the F.A.A. on a broad program could control it,” said the agency official at Kennedy Airport. “Model planes are flown all over the country; who knows how many are doing it? Model airplane flying could be done by a youngster of any age or an oldster of any age.
“Regulations would be extremely difficult to control or enforce.”
Jets Offer Sympathy
A spokesman for the Jets organization, which has presented model air shows at halftime during games for three years, declined to talk about the shows or the safety of the planes.
“The only statement we have at this time is that we are deeply saddened by the death of John Bowen,” said Ed Wisneski, assistant director of public relations for the Jets, “and have expressed our sympathy and grief to his family.”
A spokesman for the hospital said the Medical Examiner’s office would determine the cause of Mr. Bowen’s death.
Mr. Bowen had gone to the game with his 19‐year‐old brother, Timothy, and was on his first trip to New York. A friend of Mr. Bowen’s family, reached at his home in Nashua, said he was unsure whether the victim’s parents, James and Constance Bowen, would take any legal action.
Mr. Bowen’s funeral will be Monday in Nashua.
Jets Sued on Death As Result of Show
Nov. 18, 1981, Section B, Page 3
A $10 million damage suit was filed in Federal District Court in Brooklyn yesterday in the death of a man who was struck by a radiocontrolled model airplane that was being flown as part of a halftime show at a New York Jets football game on Dec. 9, 1979.
The victim, John Bowen, 20, of Nashua, N.H., had been attending a game at Shea Stadium between the Jets and the New England Patriots when the plane went out of control and struck him in the head.
He died six days later of a brain injury.
Named as defendants in the negligence suit, which was filed by the man’s father, James, were the New York Jets Football Club, the Radio Control Association of Greater New York and Philip Cushman. Mr. Cushman was identified in court papers as having designed, built and furnished the model airplane. (AP)
