Godspeed Kyle And Amanda Franklin
Sunday, March 13, 2011 at 07:24PM 
Kyle and Amanda Franklin at Oshkosh 2010
You may already know that Kyle and Amanda Franklin sustained substantial injuries yesterday (Saturday March 12, 2011) in a forced landing due to engine failure during their season opening airshow in Brownsville, Texas. I hope you'll join me in praying for a healthy recovery as they face many challenges in the coming weeks and months.
For an update on the their condition and what happened, please check out this Facebook update from Amanda's brother Matt Younkin from earlier today (full text also in this post after the jump).
I've had the opportunity to spend some time with Kyle and Amanda and I can easily say they're two of the nicest people you'll ever meet. The airshow community is very fortunate to have them as part of the family.
Here are some links to posts I've put up in the last year that will help show some of the amazing airshow work that Kyle and Amanda have brought to the world of aviation.
AirPigz Podcast #8 - Matt Younkin & Kyle Franklin: Sons Of Legends
The Franklin's Waco 'Mystery Ship': Tear Down And In The Trailer! (50 Pix)
2010 Indy Air Show Pic Stream #4 - Super Sunday Airshow!
Godspeed Kyle and Amanda Franklin.
All, Please forward this letter on to who ever you see fit...
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.
Sincerely
Matt
Reader Comments (6)
Well said. I've never met Kyle and Amanda, but my son and I have enjoyed their show, and we're better for the experience. All our wishes for a speedy and full recovery.
I have had the extreme pleasure of meeting them both, and they are the nicest people you will find. I almost couldn't believe what I was reading when I first read about the accident. They are in my thoughts and prayers, and I pray they both have a full recovery.
Larry
Godspeed in their recovery,
I did yearly maintenance on both Bobby and Jimmy's aircraft for over 10 years and I got to know these kids very well. You will not find a more organized and ambitious kids such as Kyle, Matt and Amanda. They were raised by their parents very well and they come from good blood. I truley wish them well and hope they will have a speedy recovery. I retired in 2006, but I still stay in touch with them all as they are wonderful people to be associated with as well as exceptional pilot and performers------they gained their knowledge from the best.
From what I know Kyle took a bad situation and made all the correct choices.
Kenny Blalock
Special Products Aviation
My wife and I have watched from many an airshow line both Kyle and Amanda and their fathers. We are big air show fans! We are both upset that this happened. We think the world of them and hope for a speedy recovery. This last year at OSH 2010 we both spent time with Kyle and his dog in the antique parking next to our 46 J3 Cub..
Kyle and Amanda : Stay strong,
My daughter and I were in awe of the PIrate in the Sky show that Kyle performed in 2008 and we were delighted to get pictures taken with Kyle and Amanda last year at Oshkosh. They are a great addition to Oshkosh - God speed on their recovery. Our prayers are with them! If there's a way to send a card, my daughter would love to know where to send it. Thank you for posting this update on their condition.
Special K- My best suggestion for now is to follow the Caring Bridge link near the top right of this page and sign up there to get updates on Kyle and Amanda's condition as they recover... and at the Caring Brudge site you can also sign the 'guestbook'. This is the best way for now to let Kyle, Amanda, and the family know that you thinking of and praying for them. Thank you.