I was horrified to learn of a crash involving Amanda and Kyle Franklin, a husband-wife airshow team in which Amanda rides atop the wings of a bi-plane. Thankfully, both survived, though Amanda is not in great shape (critical but stable in a burn unit) from what I hear, though recovery seems optimistic.
I've been fans for a while and have communicated with Amanda in the past. Watching this video of the crash was pretty sickening...
"Good morning all. Let me first express on behalf of Amanda, Kyle, Myself and both of our families so many thanks for all of your prayers and well wishes. We are all so fortunate to have such a wonderful support network in all of you.
We are still waiting for updates and it could be many hours, days, or weeks before we know exactly how the recovery process will play out between Amanda and Kyle. I can however report that Kyle was not injured and or burned as badly as reported earlier by the media and is expected to make a full and rapid recovery. I can also say that the updates we are receiving on Amanda are increasingly optimistic and though she has a long road of recovery ahead of her, the doctors are giving us the impression that things are not as bad as first reported and her chances for a full recovery are getting better not worse. The first 24 hours will set the tone for the story ahead.
I also have to extend a very sincere thanks to my brother-in-law Kyle who I strongly credit for the fact that my little sister is still with us. Having witnessed the accident and being on of the first on the scene, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that he made no less than five quick decisions in the air and on the ground that gave her a second chance at life!!
When the engine quit, Amanda was on the top wing in the rack. Kyle continued to fly the airplane in a straight and level fashion as long as he could to give Amanda every opportunity to unstrap and get into the front cockpit where she would have the best chance in the event of a hard landing. He also resisted the tendency to turn for the pavement which typically induces a fatal stall/spin situation. He avoided a landing in the pyro field which could have proven to be fatal, and faced with the only other option of land in mesquite woods, Kyle landed into the wind drastically reducing the forward speed at impact. Upon reaching the scene, I noticed that he set the airplane down in the only Waco sized piece of ground in that dense woods that didn't have tall trees in it. Kyle sustained the majority of his burns trying to pull his wife from the wreckage and when his efforts produced no results, he stayed in the cockpit and transmitted a repeating distress call about the post impact fire that had started. I honestly believe this motivated the rapid responders to press through the brush and douse the airplane at a more rapid rate which meant the split second difference that saved Amanda, who was still in the plane.
The first responders on the scene did an excellent job of responding to the situation in a rapid manner. Having a professional air boss teamed up with professional CFR personnel made a world of difference that could be the single most important factor that both Amanda and Kyle are still with us.
Please continue to send your thoughts and prayers this direction because we sincerely believe they are helping. I will pass updates along as I receive them."
Kyle and Amanda Franklin are both very good friends of mine and it breaks my heart to hear what they're going through. Kyle released information about Amanda's injuries and it just hurts hearing what she went through and is going through. I've known them through their fathers (Kyle's father, Jimmy, flew the jet-powered Waco and Amanda's father, Bobby Younkin, flew a whole host of airplanes - Samson, the Beech 18, the Learjet, to name a few) and they are among the nicest people you could ever meet. Their fathers were also great to hang out with and I was truly saddened when they lost their lives six years ago.
NBC and the Today Show did a segment on Kyle & Amanda and they did a good job with it. Kyle and/or Matt Younkin (Amanda's older brother and Kyle's brother-in-law) will post updates on the Franklin's Flying Circus FB Page and there is also a CaringBridge Page for them. They also ask that you don't ask for updates if there aren't any - they state that no news is definitely good news.
I am sad to announce that Kyle had no choice but to remove Amanda from life support, and she passed away late last night.
Days before the crash, someone asked her about the danger in what they do. “We both have such a passion for flying,” she said. “It’s in our blood. There is risk in what we do. We acknowledge that. We take every precaution that we can to eliminate the risk to make it safe. But if you live your life in fear that something could go wrong, you’re not living your life.”
My biggest upset come from the pain of Kyle losing his soulmate. I can't name one couple that I have ever seen that was so in love and so perfect for one another. They never seemed to have a moment where they weren't showing immense love for one another. Seeing this makes me hold my lady so much tighter...so scared that our time may be cut short on this planet.
In his announcement to everyone about his decision to place her into comfort care to live out her days, he said "Amanda my love, I love you with all my heart, soul and everything I am. Our life together here was supposed to be seventy years not seven, but I look forward to seeing you in my dreams every night my love."
I learned Friday morning when I woke up that Kyle had taken her off of life support. I then went down to Millville for the practice show and we were all in a pretty somber mood because of the news. You could tell in the way we all spoke to each other. I woke up Saturday morning, checked Facebook for an update, and saw Kyle's post. To say that my heart sunk is an understatement. Phil, you summed it up best, and I'm not going to try to add anything more to that. Kyle, Amanda, and Matt are very good friends of mine and I don't think I can fully understand what is going through their minds right now, considering all that both the Franklin and Younkin families have gone through the last six years.
Like I said, Millville's airshow was also the same weekend as Jones Beach. I had said hi to many of the performers who were there and believe me when I say this - we were all heartbroken. This also poured over to us fans and photographers who have known the Franklins and Younkins, whether it be communicating through Facebook, seeing them perform at airshows over the years, or hanging out with them and sharing the buzz about the industry or just talking airplanes. I had learned through Jason Flood that in the pilot briefing that morning, Matt Chapman, Tim Weber, Billy Werth, and Dan McClung had briefed to fly a missing man formation in Amanda's honor. They flew a fantastic missing man formation following Werth & McClung's Red Eagle full show performance and with Larry Rutt narrating, Larry told the story about Amanda and even gave a history about the formation being flown in her memory. Larry got choked up in his narration and when they did the pass, I swear to you, it sure felt like EVERYBODY AT THE SHOW respectfully was silent and even they were a bit choked up after hearing the story.
In addition, the Viper West Demo Team, who concluded the show each day because of the Blues' cancellation, also included Amanda in their list of people for the dedication pass. If you are unaware, all of the Air Combat Command single ship demo teams dedicate their dedication pass to all current and retired members of the Armed Forces and those who made the ultimate sacrifice and those who were wounded in action. To have MSGT Carl "OPI" Falcione also include the pass being dedicated to Amanda was a real class act. The dedication pass that Captain Garret "Mace" Dover flew on Saturday was absolutely ear-piercingly LOUD and in my mind, was also a great dedication for Amanda.
Below I've included the tribute to Amanda, as found on the Franklin's Flying Circus homepage, along with the missing man formation and the F-16 demonstration from Saturday. Skip to 11:30 in the F-16 video for the dedication pass.
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