Daredevil loses grip and falls 200ft to his death while trying to climb from plane on to helicopter at air show

- Veteran stunt wing walker loses grip whilst balancing on plane wing

- Witnesses thought it may have been joke or dummy falling from aircraft
- Stuntman for 25 years and son of aerial stuntman Eddie 'The Grip' Green
- Family say he was doing what he loved and 'following in father's footsteps'

A wing walker plunged 200ft feet to his death when his air show stunt went disastrously wrong - but tragically many in the crowd thought his fall was part of the act. As these terrifying pictures show, Todd Green had been attempting to grab on to a helicopter hovering above a bi-plane as part of a death-defying stunt. But as he reached for the metal landing skid on the helicopter he slipped and fell to his death.

Many in the 75,000 crowd at the air show in Selfridge, near Detroit, Michigan, thought the fall was part of the show and that a dummy had been thrown to the ground. It was only when emergency crews rushed out to the stricken wing walker that they realised it was an accident.

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Officials said Green, a father of two, had tried to grab hold of the helicopter from a Stearman aircraft at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, in Harrison Township, on two occasions, and slipped as he made a third attempt.

Mr Green reaches out towards the helicopter during his performance at the air show, but is unable to hold on

Todd Green falls 200ft to his death after losing his grip while performing a stunt

An ambulance took him to Mount Clemens Regional Medical Center, but he died from his injuries. 'I thought it was part of the stunt,' said spectator Jeremy Mitchell. 'Even when the announcer said it wasn't a part of the show, it still felt surreal. It wasn't until the ambulance came that it set in. 'Photographer Ed Goodfellow was at the event and said Mr Green looked like a mannequin as he fell.

He told the Windsor Star: 'Sometimes a dummy can be thrown from an aeroplane during air shows to create the impression that something has gone wrong as a joke.' And witness Arnold Sese told ABC News: 'It looked like a dummy falling to the ground. But when the emergency crews started rushing to the runway everyone knew it wasn't part of the stunt.' Jennifer Bradley, of Linden, was at the show with her sons, aged seven and 11, and said: 'There were lots of tears. We sat and prayed together.'

Mr Green was the son of legendary American aerial stuntman Eddie 'The Grip' Green, and had performed the helicopter transfer stunt several times. a fellow stuntman said: 'Todd was extremely good at what he did and logged many hours doing stunts. 'He was one of the best in the business. He was very proud of his legacy and his family's legacy.' The Silver Wings Wingwalking Team website states: 'During his 45-year career as a stuntman, Eddie performed with pilots Harold Krier, Bill Barber, Bob Barden and Jimmy Franklin.’ It added that Todd Green 'continues the tradition his father founded'.

Mr Green is survived by his wife Dawn, son Tyler and stepson Derrick. Mr Green's cousin Becky Eversole Soubeyrand told ABC News: 'He was doing something he loved. I am sure he would rather die no other way. 'He was following in his father's footsteps. He had been doing this kind of thing for over 25 years.'