Stunts

A pilot performing stunts at an air show in Upland died Saturday when his plane spun out of control and crashed on the grounds of a concrete plant, police reported. No one else was injured. Lt. Ed Gray said Mark Steven Madden, 40, of La Mesa, was killed about 10:30 a.m. while doing a maneuver for the Pomona Valley Air Fair at Cable Airport. Madden's plane spiraled down and burst into flames after it crashed.

In the tight-knit community of drivers who compete at Ventura Raceway, Robert Overacker was considered somewhat of a loner, a man who raced aggressively, yet fairly. Few people, even those who worked on their cars virtually side by side with him, knew of his flair for the dramatic, a trait that ultimately led to his death. Overacker, 39, drowned Sunday after riding a Jet Ski over Niagara Falls.

Federal aviation officials said Monday that they plan to suspend for 180 days the license of a top test pilot accused last month of performing stunts in a World War II fighter plane that posed a "collision hazard" to a commuter airliner. The Federal Aviation Administration identified the accused flier as Skip J. Holm, a decorated Vietnam combat pilot who flew stunts for the movie, "The Right Stuff," and works in Lockheed Corp.'s classified projects section. Piloting a P-51C Mustang on Jan.

A veteran Vietnam War combat pilot was accused by Los Angeles City Atty. James Hahn on Wednesday of careless and reckless flying for allegedly performing stunts too close to a commuter airliner in a World War II fighter plane over Woodland Hills. Lockheed Corp. test pilot Skip James Holm, 43, is accused of a misdemeanor criminal violation in connection with the Jan.

A Spanish-language reality series on Los Angeles station KRCA-TV, Channel 62, is kicking up harsh criticism from legal advocates and at least three members of Congress, who say it exploits and possibly endangers immigrants. But station managers vowed Thursday that the show will go on.

Stunt motorcyclist Robbie Knievel, son of Evel Knievel, suffered minor injuries Saturday when he crashed in an attempt to hurdle 25 pickup trucks during a stunt at a Cerritos car dealership. Knievel, 29, underwent surgery at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center for cuts on his buttocks, said family friend and neurosurgeon Dr. Lonnie Hammargren, who coordinated medical planning for the stunt. Knievel was released in the evening.

The stage manager for a San Fernando Valley company that arranged the fatal bungee jumping exhibition for last Sunday's Super Bowl denied Wednesday that his firm was responsible for the selection of undertrained workers who may have assisted in the jumps.

Turner Broadcasting Systems and an advertising agency agreed to pay $2 million in compensation for planting blinking electronic devices around the Boston area in a publicity stunt that set off a terrorism scare. The agreement between Turner, Interference Inc., and several state and local agencies resolves any potential civil or criminal claims against the two companies, Atty. Gen. Martha Coakley said.

The body of a California stunt school graduate who rode a personal watercraft off Niagara Falls in a long-planned daredevil stunt Sunday was pulled from the waters 180 feet below after his parachute failed to open, Canadian officials said. Witnesses saw Robert Overacker, 39, of Camarillo, ride over the brink of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls around 12:35 p.m., Niagara Falls Parks police said.

For 15 years, stuntman Jack Gill has lobbied the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to create an Oscar category to recognize the achievements of Hollywood stunt professionals -- and for 15 years, Gill said, he has been stonewalled in his quest. On Tuesday night, Gill's lobbying comes to a vote as the academy's 42-member board of governors formally considers a request submitted by Hollywood's various stunt organizations to create an Oscar category for "best stunt coordinator."