Injured pilot returns home: Tumbling Bear recovers

COURIER photo/Gabriel Fenoy

Rob Harrison, the Tumbling Bear, describes his plane crash and the severity of his injuries while having lunch at Cable Airport with his wife and promoter, Susan Newman-Harrison.

Injured pilot returns home: Tumbling Bear recovers

After a 3-week stint in a Modesto hospital, Claremont stunt pilot Rob Harrison is back in town and recovering from his injuries. Last month, Mr. Harrison crashed while performing his 12-minute routine at an air show at the Modesto Airport.

The crash was the first glitch for the veteran pilot, who has more than 300 air shows under his belt. The 66-year-old pilot was performing horizontal rolls about 100 feet above a landing strip when he lost control of the plane. It smashed onto a dry grass field, far away from spectators.

His wife and promoter, Susan Newman-Harrison, was announcing the show when the plane went down.

“I was in shock; I went into instant shock,” she said. “I went into a room and prayed. That’s all I could do was pray. And when they came in and got me and said, ‘Rob wants to see you right now,’ it was like nothing ever happened. I was all okay.”

When rescue workers first came to his aid, Mr. Harrison was conscious and waving his arm to the crowd to signal that he was okay.

His first words to the emergency crew: “I’m okay, get my wife now,” crewmembers told Ms. Newman-Harrison.

Although he never lost consciousness, Mr. Harrison sustained several serious injuries during the crash. The injury list includes a dislocated bone on his left hand, shattered anklebones, broken ribs and a lot of cuts and scratches. He has already gone through 2 major ankle surgeries, has casts on his legs and left hand and can barely talk due to a breathing tube.

But the injuries did not deter his spirits as he ate lunch among friends and family at Cable Airport on Friday afternoon, his first public appearance since the accident. Describing the crash, Mr. Harrison said he may have been distracted by excessive and confusing radio signals.

“When you’re flying in an air show, you’ve got to focus 1000 percent,” Mr. Harrison said. “And if things keep interrupting you in the air and giving you conflicting instructions, you are likely to lose focus.”(story continues below)

COURIER photo/Gabriel Fenoy

Rob Harrison, the Tumbling Bear, stands next to his Zlin 50 LX plane at Cable Airport last year. THe plane was destroyed last month when Mr. Harrison crashed while performing at an air show at the Modesto Airport. Mr. Harrison is currently covering from his injuries and says he looks forward to flying again.

Although Mr. Harrison is recovering from his injuries with physical therapy, his yellow Zlin 50 LX, a single-seat, open-cockpit plane, was completely destroyed in the crash. He said the plane was examined for mechanical failure but nothing was found to be wrong.

Fortunately for Mr. Harrison, he had recently completed work on a new Zlin 50 LX, “which will patiently wait for Rob,” according to his website.

Also known as the ‘Tumbling Bear’ for his acrobatic aerials and years of work for the United States Forest Service, Mr. Harrison said he will be back flying again after about one year. In the meantime, he plans to fly as a passenger with other pilot friends whom he trusts.

“I am lucky to be alive,” he said. “I am lucky that I got to the finest trauma center in northern California. I am lucky that I got the finest orthopedic surgeons; in their fields they are internationally recognized. But I’ll tell you where I am luckiest. I am luckiest that my love for God is stronger than it ever was. And God sent me this angel,” referring to his wife. “Because without her I would have turned my face to the wall and died.”

—Tony Krickl