airplane that has been designed for one function to make it do another function, it makes it less safe. >> reporter: eyewitnesses say they saw pieces of the plane's tail fall off as it made its final turn. the photos support that. and there's this picture. taken the instant before the crash. >> there is no pilot's head in that cockpit. it tells me he was likely unconscious, slumped over the controls. >> piecing together exactly what happened is now the task of federal investigators. >> really, our mission is identify what caused it and then make safety recommendations so it never happens again. >> reporter: even some longtime fans of the reno air race now admit in hindsight this was an accident waiting to happen. the national transportation safety board says its most promising clues may come from a forward facing camera mounted on the plane as well as a rudimentary flight data system they've recovered. they've also found memory cards like this, and they say that may give their best answers yet as to those final moments before the crash.