Maule M-7-235C Orion (float plane), Mitchell W. Mack, N199BF: Accident occurred August 21, 2011 in Brookings, Oregon

NTSB Identification: WPR11FA395
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, August 21, 2011 in Brookings, OR
Probable Cause Approval Date: 08/13/2014
Aircraft: MAULE M-7-235C, registration: N199BF
Injuries: 1 Fatal.

NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

The pilot was flying the newly purchased airplane on a cross-country flight under visual flight rules (VFR); the pilot had not filed a VFR flight plan. As he neared his intermediate destination airport, the pilot obtained an in-flight weather briefing, which indicated that airmen’s meteorological information (AIRMET) Sierra for instrument meteorological conditions was active and included the arrival airport and surrounding area. The AIRMET reported ceilings below 1,000 feet and visibility below 3 statute miles in broken conditions. The destination airport, located about 1 mile south of the accident site, reported visibility less than 1/4 statute mile, fog, and ceiling overcast at 200 feet. The pilot had not filed an instrument flight rules flight plan. It is likely that the pilot’s visibility was obscured by clouds and that he did not realize how low he was flying while on approach to the airport.

One witness reported seeing and hearing the airplane circling overhead while it was on approach to the airport and then hearing impact sounds. One witness reported seeing the airplane descend out of the cloud base, which he estimated was about 170 feet above the surface. He observed the airplane bank right, strike a tree, cartwheel, strike another tree, and then hit the ground. Another witness stated that she saw the airplane strike a tree and that, at the time, there was “a little fog.” A postaccident examination of the airplane and engine revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot’s improper decision to continue flight under visual flight rules into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in a collision with trees while on approach for landing. 

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On August 21, 2011, at 1212 Pacific daylight time, a Maule M-7-235C, N199BF, descended into terrain while maneuvering about 1 mile south of the Brookings Airport (BOK), Brookings, Oregon. The pilot/owner operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. The pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane was substantially damaged. Instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed for the flight, and no flight plan had been filed. 

According to the family and previous owner of the airplane, the accident pilot had purchased the airplane in Portland, Oregon, and was flying the airplane back home to Louisiana.

It was not clear where the pilot departed from that morning, but at 1200 he contacted Seattle flight watch while in flight for weather conditions along his route of flight, which included his destination of Monterey Regional Airport (MRY), Monterey, California.

Witnesses reported that they observed an airplane circling in the fog before they heard trees breaking. One of the witnesses located at a church parking lot, about 2 miles south of the airport, reported that he heard the airplane approaching from the south. He heard the engine sound decrease as if the power had been reduced, then saw a float-equipped airplane descend out of the base of the clouds, which he estimated to be about 170 feet above the surface. Immediately thereafter, the engine sound increased as if power had been increased, and the airplane's nose began to rise. The airplane banked to the right, and struck a tree about 100 yards to the northwest of the witness's position. The airplane cartwheeled and crashed to the ground after hitting another tree. Another witness walking his dog on a utility road reported seeing the airplane flying overhead and hearing the engine. He stated that the engine was "constant and loud" and not sputtering. He said that as the airplane passed over him, he saw it make a left descending turn. He lost sight of the airplane, but heard a loud thud, followed by another thud.

Shortly thereafter, the airplane was found nose down in heavily wooded steep terrain about 1 mile south of BOK near a residence. 

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot, age 63, held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine and multiengine land, airplane single-engine sea, rotorcraft-helicopter, and instrument airplane. The pilot held a second-class airman medical certificate issued September 17, 2009, with the limitation that he must have available glasses for near vision. On the pilot's most recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) medical application he reported 3,000 total flight hours with 150 in the past 6 months. 

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The four-seat, high-wing, fixed-gear airplane, N199BF, serial number 25032C, was manufactured in 1999. It was powered by a Lycoming IO-540-W1A5 235-hp engine, serial number L-26363-48A. A review of the airplane's logbooks showed an annual inspection had been completed January 04, 2011, at a recorded tachometer reading and airframe total time of 803.1 hours. The last maintenance performed was dated August 5, 2011, at a tachometer time of 850.6 hours.

METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS

At 1132, weather was reported at BOK as wind at 230 degrees at 3 knots; 1/4 mile visibility; fog; overcast clouds at 200 feet; and a temperature of 13 degrees Celsius.

At 1156, weather reported at BOK was wind from 200 degrees at 04 knots, visibility less than 1/4 mile, fog, an overcast ceiling of 200 feet, temperature 13 degrees Celsius, missing dew point temperature, and an altimeter of 29.99 inches of mercury.

At 1229, the reported weather at BOK was, wind from 240 degrees at 4 knots1/2 mile visibility, fog, ceiling overcast at 200 feet above ground level (agl), temperature 13 degrees Celsius, a missing dew point temperature, and an altimeter setting of 29.99 inches of mercury.

A pilot, about 66 miles to the south of the accident location, flying at an altitude of 900 feet, reported overcast skies over Arcata Airport, Arcata, California.

There were no SIGMET's (Significant Meteorological Information) active for the accident region at the time of the accident.

There were several AIRMET's (Airmen's Meteorological Information) active for the west coast of the United States, below 18,000 feet, at the accident time. AIRMET Sierra for instrument flight rule (IFR) conditions was the only one active for the accident location. It covered the Washington, Oregon, California, and coastal water areas, and identified ceilings below 1,000 feet and visibilities below 3 statute miles in broken conditions.

The terminal aerodrome forecasts (TAF) issued for Jack McNamara Field Airport (CEC), Crescent City, California, located approximately 19 miles south-southeast of the accident site, forecasted at the time of the accident, variable wind conditions at 3 knots, visibilities greater than 6 miles, with an overcast ceiling at 5,000 feet agl.

The area forecast (AF) for the coastal stations of Oregon and northern California, issued at 0345 PDT, forecasted for the time of the accident scattered clouds at 2,000 feet mean sea level (msl) in Oregon, and a broken to overcast ceiling at 1,000 feet msl with cloud tops to 2,000 feet msl, and visibility between 3 to 5 miles with mist in northern California. A detailed report is attached to the public docket for this accident.

According to the Brookings Police Department, the accident area was covered by a heavy fog when they arrived at the accident site; it was estimated that the fog base was about 300-500 feet.

COMMUNICATIONS

At 1200, the accident pilot radioed the Seattle Flight Watch position at the Prescott Fort Worth Contracted Flight Service Station (PRC FCFSS) to request weather conditions from the vicinity of Gold Beach, Oregon, to Monterey, California. The pilot identified himself as a Visual Flight Rules (VFR) flight with the last departure point of 4S1. His route of flight was DCT (direct) to MRY, with an estimated time en route of 2 hours. During the in-flight briefing, the briefer stated that the satellite picture looked like there was a fog or marine layer along the California coast. It looked like Monterey was still beneath a broken ceiling with visibility 10 miles and ceiling 1,300 broken. Prior to ending the briefing to the accident pilot, the briefer indicated that the sky was clear along the entire route over the coastal range, and there were a couple of AIRMETS out for mountain obscuration and Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) along the coast.

AIRPORT INFORMATION

According to the FAA's airport/facility directory for Brookings Airport, the single asphalt runway was oriented along a northwest/southeast heading (runways 30 and 12), and was 2,900 feet in length by 60 feet wide. The pattern altitude was identified as 1,459 feet mean sea level (msl), and there was no control tower.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The accident site was located in the backyard of a residence in heavily forested terrain. The airplane had come to rest in a ravine. The right pontoon remained in tall fir trees, near the main wreckage, and the left pontoon remained with the main wreckage. The airplane came to rest in a nose down attitude with the empennage elevated. The airplane remained mostly intact; both wings remained attached to the fuselage, and the horizontal stabilizers remained attached to the tail section. The engine remained attached to the fuselage, and the propeller assembly remained attached to the engine. Inside the cockpit, the throttle control and the propeller control exhibited some extension and the mixture control was full forward. 

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

The pilot was critically injured in the accident. He was subsequently transported to a local area hospital where he died from his injuries several days later. Neither an autopsy nor toxicology were performed.

TEST AND RESEARCH

The airframe and engine were examined with no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. A detailed report is attached to the docket for this accident.

The airframe examination established flight control continuity from the cockpit/cabin area to each of the flight control surfaces. The associated hardware for the flight controls remained connected and in place. The rudder cable ends in the cockpit area exhibited splayed separation points and the aileron and flap cables had been cut by recovery personnel to facilitate recovery of the airplane. 

The visual examination of the engine revealed no obvious holes in the crankcase. There was no evidence of a mechanical malfunction. Mechanical continuity was established throughout the engine. Crankshaft rotation produced thumb compression in each cylinder, with accessory gear and valve train continuity established. 

Two GARMIN Global Positioning System (GPS) units (GPSMAP 696 and GPSMAP 396) and an Apple iPad2 were shipped to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) vehicle recorder laboratory in Washington, D.C. A detailed report is attached to the docket for this accident.

The GARMIN GPSMAP 696 was a battery-powered portable multi-function display and GPS receiver. The unit had a built-in Jeppesen database, and was capable of receiving XM satellite radio including NEXTRAD radar, lightning, METARs, TAFs, and TFRs. The unit was able to store date, route-of flight, and flight time information for up to 50 flights. The track log records latitude, longitude, date, time, and groundspeed information for an unspecified number of points. Depending on how the unit is configured, once the track log memory becomes full, new information either overwrites old information or the recordings stop until the memory is downloaded. 

The GARMIN GPSMAP 396 was a battery powered portable GPS receiver, which included mostly the same recording capabilities as the GARMIN GPSMAP 696.

Both GPS units were visually inspected with the specialist noting that the units had not sustained substantial damage. Data from both units was downloaded normally. No track log data was downloaded from the GPSMAP 696; upon further inspection, the specialist reported that the record mode setting was selected to the OFF position. The GPSMAP 396 identified 71 track logs, five user defined waypoints, and one user defined route dated from December 13, 2009, to the date of the accident, August 21, 2011. One full track log was recorded on the date of the accident. The downloaded track log data included the following parameters for each recorded data point: GPS date, GPS time, latitude, longitude, GPS altitude, average groundspeed, and average track during the interval. 

The GPS track was from Gold Beach, Oregon, to the accident site. The flight was down the coast line, until it turned inland for the accident airport. The track showed the airplane in a left descending turn near the departure end of the runway; however, once it came out of the turn, it flew a forward track toward the accident site. 

The specialist noted that one aviation related app had been installed on the device – ForeFlight, there were no retained flight plans that pertained to the accident flight.

NTSB Identification: WPR11FA395 
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, August 21, 2011 in Brookings, OR
Aircraft: MAULE M-7-235C, registration: N199BF
Injuries: 1 Fatal.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

On August 21, 2011, about 1212 Pacific daylight time, a Maule M-7-235D, N199BF, descended into terrain while maneuvering about 1 mile south of the Brookings Airport (BOK), Brookings, Oregon. The pilot/owner operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. The pilot was fatally injured and the airplane was substantially damaged. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, and no flight plan had been filed.

Witnesses reported that they observed an airplane circling in the fog before they heard trees breaking. Shortly thereafter, the airplane was found nose down in heavily wooded steep terrain about 1 mile south of BOK.

At 1132, weather was reported at BOK as wind at 230 degrees at 3 knots; 1/4 statue mile visibility; fog; overcast clouds at 200 feet; and a temperature of 13 degrees Celsius.

Louis St. Martin's 1999 Maule lays tangled in the brush after a Sunday-afternoon crash.

The Curry Coastal Pilot of Brookings, Ore./Jef Hatch

A Houma attorney died today after crashing his single-engine aircraft into a group of trees Sunday afternoon on a flight home from Oregon, authorities said.

Louis St. Martin, 63, a well-known maritime and personal-injury attorney, was flying a single-engine, four-seat Maule aircraft alone shortly after noon over Brookings, Ore., when he crashed into a set of trees behind a home. The plane then fell into a ravine, authorities said.

St. Martin was unconscious when rescuers got to him, authorities said, and he was taken to Sutter Coast Hospital in Crescent City, Calif., with spinal and other injuries. He was later transported to Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, where he died at 4:06 this morning, his brother, Michael St. Martin said.

The plane was destroyed in the crash, according to a report from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Tealeye Cornejo, air-safety investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board, said the circumstances surrounding the crash are unknown and the crash is still under investigation.

Michael St. Martin, a prominent Houma trial lawyer, said weather apparently played a part in the crash; there was a lot of fog in the area.

It will take up to a year to complete the investigation into the crash and release the report, Cornejo said.

St. Martin had gone to Oregon to pick up his recently purchased plane and fly it back to Houma, said Michael St. Martin. His brother has flown for many years and is experienced in the air with both planes and helicopters.

“It's common for Louis. He's done this so many times before, I'm sure he felt capable of doing it this time,” Michael St. Martin said.

The plane was purchased Thursday from Mack Mitchell of Portland, Ore., and Louis St. Martin was flying back to Houma when he crashed. Brookings, a city of about 5,500 residents on the Pacific coast, is near the California border about 250 miles south of Portland.

He had practiced law for nearly 40 years. He was also known for his philanthropic work, donating money to Nicholls State University in Thibodaux and starting an animal-rescue shelter at his Raceland horse barn to house pets separated from their owners during Hurricane Katrina.

Louis St. Martin also founded the Louis Infants' Crisis Center in Bayou Black, a place that offers housing and aid to abused and neglected children.

“He had some inheritance money when he was in law school and used some of that to get the center started,” Mike St. Martin said.

Original article and photo:  http://www.houmatoday.com

Official search for Cordova pilot ends; some keep looking.

While the official search has ended for a man who disappeared after his Super Cub crashed earlier this month east of Cordova, troopers say pilots in the area are flying out of their way to watch for signs of missing pilot Richard Stoltzfus.

A plane owned by Stoltzfus, 68, was found on Aug. 16 smashed near the mouth of the Seal River, troopers said. Only one other person, John S. Dick, was on board. Days later, on Sunday, a passing plane spotted Dick's body near the shore, according to troopers.

Trooper spokeswoman Beth Ipsen said the search for Stoltzfus's body ended "days ago" but that those flying in the area to nearby lodges or on fishing trips are sometimes taking detours or flying low to the ground in search of the Cordova pilot.

"They are kind of keeping an eye out in the area," Ipsen said.

The plane is believed to have crashed shortly after takeoff, troopers say. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Source:  http://www.thenewstribune.com

'I'm happy -- lucky -- alive,' instructor says after crash. Beechcraft Musketeer makes emergency landing in baylands west of Palo Alto Airport, California.

A small airplane made an emergency crash landing in the Ravenswood Open Space Preserve near East Palo Alto Tuesday morning (Aug. 23, 2011).
Photo by Sue Dremann/Palo Alto Online.

A small airplane made an emergency crash landing in the Ravenswood Open Space Preserve near East Palo Alto this morning.

The 30-year-old student pilot of a single-engine Beechcraft 2324 Musketeer was practicing takeoff and landing maneuvers in a plane he bought just last week when the engine stalled, said Menlo Park Fire Protection District Division Chief Frank Fraone.

The Redwood City man was practicing with an instructor when the incident occurred and he immediately looked to avoid the high-voltage power lines and East Palo Alto neighborhood that were struck by another small aircraft in February 2010, Fraone said. Three people were killed in that crash and several homes and vehicles were damaged or destroyed.

Tuesday's accident occurred about 2 miles northwest of Palo Alto Airport at 9:47 a.m. and the plane was at an elevation of about 300 feet -- too low to turn back, Fraone said.

Flying is a new hobby for the pilot, his instructor, Jassen Todorov, said.

The pilot aimed the aircraft for a gravel trail after the engine would not restart but the aircraft's left wing struck a small tree on the edge of the trail and was partially sheared off, according to Fraone. The plane then spun into the drained marshland and rested beside and nearly perpendicular to the trail.

If it hadn't been for the tree, they would have made the landing, Fraone said. "They couldn't have selected a better location. They did an outstanding job."

The pilot, who declined to give his name, and the instructor, Todorov, 36, from San Francisco, were not injured.

"I'm happy -- lucky -- alive," Todorov said.

The FAA is investigating the incident.

Original Article and Photos: http://www.paloaltoonline.com

Student pilot's newly purchased Beechcraft Musketeer: Emergency landing. Palo Alto Airport, California.

This is where the plane stopped.

A small plane crash-landed in a marsh in East Palo Alto today after a student pilot lost altitude during a touch-and-go maneuver, a common landing and takeoff practice while learning to fly a fixed wing aircraft. Fortunately, no one was injured and the student pilot's newly purchased plane only suffered minor damage.

KGO's Rob Artigo has more from the peninsula: http://www.kgoam810.com

EAST PALO ALTO, Calif. -- A flight student and instructor were conducting landing and takeoff exercises in a small plane just before they were forced to make an emergency landing on a dirt road near East Palo Alto this morning, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said.

A preliminary investigation into the emergency revealed that the Beechcraft Musketeer's engine started running roughly during flight exercises at Palo Alto Airport, prompting the forced landing about two miles west of the airport at 9:47 a.m., FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said.

Neither the instructor nor the student was injured, Gregor said.

The plane's left wing struck a tree after the landing, causing substantial damage.

The incident remains under investigation by the FAA. 

Watch Raw Video:  http://abclocal.go.com

Boeing 737-700: Flight targeted by laser light. Mount Annan, New South Wales, Australia.

Police are appealing for public help after a passenger plane was targeted by a laser light last night in Mt Annan.

About 7.30pm (Tuesday 23 August), the Boeing 737-700 was on approach to Sydney Airport when a green laser was pointed at the aircraft.

The cabin crew were not affected and the plane landed without further incident.

They reported the beam emanated from around the intersection of Burnett Avenue and Rose Drive at Mt Annan.

Camden police were notified and patrolled the area but could find no trace of those involved.

Anyone who saw any suspicious behavior in the area concerned should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Source:   http://macarthur-chronicle-wollondilly.whereilive.com.au

Cessna 210: Woman dies of horrific injuries after walking into airplane propeller. Humboldt airport. Saskatoon, Canada.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk
A woman was killed when she walked in to the propeller of a plane she had just got out of.

The 40-year-old victim died of her injuries on the airstrip in Humboldt, near Saskatoon, Canada, after walking into the blades while trying to take a photograph.

The woman, who is from the Annaheim area, had just emerged from the passenger side of the single-engined Cessna 210 and was walking towards the front of the plane.

The light aircraft was had just landed and was stationary, but the propeller was still spinning when she walked into it, police said.

They believe she had been trying to take a photograph before the blades struck her.

Transport Canada is investigating the tragic incident. Police have withheld the victim's name at the request of her family.

Moscow: Plane Crashes Double in 2011

MOSCOW — The number of plane accidents has doubled compared with last year, and the number of deaths has quadrupled, Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said Tuesday in a report criticizing small airlines.

Thirteen crashes killing 81 people took place from January to mid-August, Ivanov told a government transportation commission in Moscow.

Another 26 accidents without deaths occurred over the same period, he said.

The statistics did not include the Monday crash-landing of an An-2 biplane that killed one in the Tuva republic and the Saturday crash of a Yak-18T plane near St. Petersburg that left four people dead.

Ivanov did not provide precise comparative figures.

The majority of this year’s crashes with fatalities involved obsolete planes, Ivanov said, adding that most of them were owned by small airlines that operate “five or six airplanes, if not fewer,” Interfax reported.

Ivanov reiterated his earlier criticism of the small carriers, saying they were unable to maintain and update their fleets.

Earlier this month, the Transportation Ministry banned long-haul airlines with less than 10 similar aircraft from operation starting January, with the bar to be raised to 20 planes from 2013.

The number of certified airlines has been halved over the past year, Interfax said. The 15 biggest airlines — each with fleets of more than 20 planes — handle 90 percent of all air traffic in the country, it said. But small airlines serve many remote localities.

Source:  http://www.times.spb.ru

Cessna 152: Pilot Injured In Plane Crash Near Priest Lake. Cavanaugh Bay Airport (66S), Coolin, Idaho.

www.khq.com 
Picture Of The Wreckage and a Picture Of Dr. Hershey From Feb. 6 2011

A small plane crashed at an airstrip near the southern end of Priest Lake Tuesday morning. Alan Liske, the manager of the Cavanaugh Bay Airstrip, told Dave Cotton on KHQ.com's Noon live NewsBreak that witnesses say the plane dipped shortly before landing, the pilot added power, banked, and crashed into some trees near a pond to the east side of the airstrip.

Liske said the pilot, Dr. John Hershey of Chattaroy, Washington, suffered significant head injuries and was taken to an area hospital via Medstar. There were no other people in the plane and no one on the ground was injured.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE:

At approximately 11:00 a.m. today, Bonner County Sheriff's deputies responded to a reported plane crash at the Cavanagh Bay Airstrip located at the south end in the Priest Lake area in Coolin, Idaho.

Dr. John Hershey, of Chattaroy, Washington, was flying his Cessna 152. While attempting a landing at Cavanagh Bay airstrip, witnessed indicated that it appeared that the plane was experiencing trouble during its final approach and the plane veered off the runway where witnesses heard the plane crash.

Emergency personnel located the wreckage, where they discovered Dr. Hershey, who was conscious. He was removed from the wreckage and transported via MedStar helicopter to Kootenai Medical Center. His current condition is unknown.

The FAA is responding to investigate the cause of the crash and Bonner County deputies are standing by to assist the FAA with their investigation.

Nebraska: Pilot Unharmed After Plane goes Down in Alda.

The top of a yellow crop-dusting plane peeks out from the top of tall corn where it stopped after an emergency landing in a cornfield southeast of the corner of Stolley Park and Monitor roads west of Grand Island on Tuesday afternoon. The plane suffered little damage and the pilot walked out of the cornfield after the landing. (Independent/Barrett Stinson)

A California man landed a spray plane safely in cornfield this afternoon after the engine failed.

Donald Rose, 40, of Imperial, Calif., was uninjured after the landing. The plane is owned by Wilber Ellis Air out of Prosser, according to a press release from the Hall County Sheriff’s Department.

Employees in the tower of the Central Nebraska Regional Airport lost contact with the pilot around 1:09 p.m.. They contacted the Hall County Sheriff’s Department to help find the plane.

In the meantime, the pilot contacted his employer and reported he was OK. He was down somewhere between Alda and Grand Island in a cornfield, possibly a mile to a mile and a half north of a feedlot, according to the scanner.

According to the scanner traffic, the pilot was located around 1:38 p.m. near Stolley Park Road and Monitor Road.

According to the Sheriff’s Department’s press release, the plane landed safely in a cornfield on the southeast corner of that intersection.

The airport manager was going to call the Federal Aviation Administration, and sheriff’s deputies were securing the scene. The downed plane was in a cornfield approximately 100 yards from the road, according to scanner traffic.

Future of Selfridge Air Show Acts Uncertain As Investigation Into Accident Continues

A memorial service has been scheduled for stuntman Todd Green who died Sunday from injuries sustained in a fall at the Selfridge Air Show.

Selfridge Air Show officials said Tuesday they are waiting for the results of a federal investigation into a fatal accident before determining whether any changes will be made to the popular show in Harrison Township, MI.

"We would be waiting for the results of the investigation, as far as seeing if anything would change for act selections." Capt. Penny Carroll, public affairs officer at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, said.

The base is working with the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Traffic Safety Board in regards to the investigation.

Although the investigation into the fatal accident Sunday at the Selfridge Air Show is ongoing, wind was likely not a factor but a bird flying nearby may be under scrutiny.

"There is a video that shows a bird close to the airplane and that was turned over to federal officials," Carroll said.

Whether the bird played any role in the accident or stuntman Todd Green, 48, of Ann Arbor, lost his grip in the dangerous act is not known at this time.

Wind, however, was probably not a factor as Green attempted a plane-to-helicopter transfer during the show on Sunday. Green, who was not wearing a parachute, fell 200 feet at 1:30 p.m. He was pronounced dead at Mount Clemens Regional Medical Center about a half hour later.

He had successfully completed the daring aerial stunt Saturday afternoon before the crowd.

During the first day, the wind was 11 knots and at the time of the accident, it was 12 knots, Carroll said.

"Wind was very similar to what it was the day before."

Selfridge Death is One of Four 2011 Air Show Fatalities

According to the Virginia-based International Council of Air Shows, the fatal accident during the Selfridge Air Show is the fourth air show death in North America this year—including another one that took place on the same weekend in Kansas City, MO.

The council, which cites an average of 325-350 air shows in the United States and Canada each year, said there were no air show fatalities from 2008-10.

"I think that was a statistical anomaly that we had zero for three years running," John Cudahy, council president, said.

The average fatality for air shows in North America has generally been about one per year.

Cudahy also called the high number of air show deaths this year a fluke.

"There’s nothing different about the air shows this year," he said. "I believe it's just a question of bad luck.”

When it comes to safety measures for the various shows, the council gives participating organizers guidelines and tips, including those on emergency response plans.

“It is the principal focus and the next thing is a distant second place," Cudahy said of safety when speaking generally about air shows. "Hundreds and hundreds of manpower hours are focused on improving and maintaining safety.”

Green's death Sunday was not the first fatality during the Selfridge Air Show. In 1994, a plane crash during the show claimed the life of pilot Ray Mabrey. The base opened in 1917 and air races started soon after, bringing in spectators from all over.

Green, the son of legendary stuntman "Eddie The Grip Green," had been performing stunts for more than 25 years. But, he never did that act at the base before this particular air show.

"This is the first time this act has been here," Carroll said.

Air Show Onlookers Witness Fall

The air show accident occurred before a shocked and saddened crowd, many of whom were children. Although official head count of the weekend event was not known Tuesday, the event typically draws about 150,000 attendees. Many more onlookers were on boats on Lake St. Clair or nearby areas on land. Dozens of the witnesses left comments on social media sites and on Patch after the incident.

The Center for Counseling of Chesterfield Township encourages anyone who has seen the accident to speak to someone they know who, who has or has not witnessed the accident, about the trauma experienced from the event.

"The process of talking about a tragedy is cleansing," Sheila Fullmer, clinical manager at the center, said. "Until you are able to talk about it, you will suppress the tragedy and this will eventually cause flashbacks and nightmares."

Clinician Amy DesRocher, who counsels children and teens at the center, said kids may attempt to suppress tragic memories by ignoring the topic or becoming angry, sad or isolated.

"As a parent it is vital to encourage talking with your child who has witnessed such a tragedy," DesRocher said. "Witnessing such an event can lead to children thinking about and/or worrying about death, grief and loss or the fragility of one's life."

They encourage unable to move on from the accident to seek professional help.

Memorial Service Scheduled for Green

A memorial service for Green is scheduled for 1 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 25 at American Legion Post 117, 203 Adrian Street in Manchester, MI. The Green family is expected to establish a memorial fund in his memory later this month, according to the International Council of Air Shows and the American Legion Post. For more information on the memorial service, call 734-428-8500.

Source:  http://shelby-utica.patch.com

ATR 72: Shannon plane 'skidded on nose', out of control for HALF A MILE after wheel collapsed on flight from Manchester.

http://www.aaiu.ie/upload/general/13326-REPORT_2011_014-0.PDF

A passenger plane skidded for more than half a mile along a runway at one of Ireland's busiest airports after landing, it was revealed today.

Aer Arann's Manchester to Shannon service was carrying 21 passengers and four crew when the drama unfolded last month.

The plane's nose collapsed on landing before the aircraft veered out of control, demolished a sign and then careered off the runway. It eventually came to rest on a grass verge.

Terrified onlookers reported seeing smoke or steam billowing from the front of the 17-year-old aircraft as it scraped along the runway on July 17.

Air accident investigators found the plane's nose wheel had collapsed and jammed the controls.

An initial report by the Air Accident Investigation Unit revealed the plane had traveled 1,200m.

It said: 'The flight crew had no directional control of the aircraft from the initial runway impact to the final stopping point, as the nose wheel steering was inoperative due to the collapsed nose wheel and the rudder was jammed in the mid position.'

Flight EI3601's propeller was smashed and a sign on the runway was destroyed as it crashed through.

The investigators discovered the flight crew were unable to shut down the engines during the ordeal by normal use of levers.

Instead, they failed and the crew were forced to pulling emergency fire handles to cut off power.

Initial inquiries found the aircraft's landing wheel had been forced in the wrong direction back into the fuselage on the second attempt at landing, causing significant damage to the underneath of the cockpit.

This in turn caused problems with controls inside the plane. The right nose wheel also came off during the incident.

The investigation found there were turbulent conditions at the time of landing, which are expected to be a significant focus of the continuing inquiries.

Different flight crew, on the same aircraft the previous evening, reported difficult conditions during an approach to the Shannon Airport runway on two separate flights.

In both cases the wind strength, gusts and direction were very similar to those at the time of the accident.

The AAIU said flight crew initially decided not to perform an emergency evacuation as they had not detected any evidence of fire or smoke.

But cabin crew later started an evacuation after detecting a smell of burning.

Both Aer Arann and Shannon Airport issued statements at the time saying no injuries had been reported.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk

Crew unable to shut down engine during Shannon airport landing

An initial report into what caused a flight to get into difficulty while landing at Shannon airport last month has found that the crew were unable to shut down the engines.

The aircraft, operated by Aer Arann, was travelling from Manchester with 21 passengers and four crew when the accident happened on 17 July.

No-one was hurt.

Air crew were forced to pull emergency fire handles to cut off power.

The flight, operated by an ATR 72-212 aircraft, had departed Manchester Airport at 08:50 BST and had been due to arrive in Shannon Airport at 10:15 BST.

As the aircraft landed on its second approach at 10:30 BST, it got into difficulty.

The Irish Air Accident Investigation unit found that after landing, the plane skidded out of control on its nose for more than a kilometre before finally coming to a halt on a grass verge.

"The flight crew had no directional control of the aircraft from the initial runway impact to the final stopping point, as the nose wheel steering was inoperative due to the collapsed nose wheel and the rudder was jammed in the mid position," investigators said.

Smoke or steam was seen billowing from the front of the 17-year-old aircraft, as it skidded over the ground.

Engines failed

The initial report also found that the plane's left propeller crashed through and demolished a sign on the runway, damaging one of the propeller blades, as it careered off the runway.

Investigators discovered that the normal levers that are used by crew to shut down the engines failed to work.

They were forced to pull the emergency fire handles to cut off power instead.

There were turbulent weather conditions at the time of the landing and investigators said this was expected to be a "significant focus" of their continuing inquiries.

Investigators were also told that a different crew on the same aircraft on the previous night had reported "difficult conditions" approaching Shannon Airport on two separate flights.

They found that in both cases, the wind strength, direction, and gusts were similar to those at the time of the accident.

It was also revealed that flight crew had initially decided not to carry out an emergency evacuation but had later decided to after detecting the smell of burning.

Source:  http://www.bbc.co.uk

Was bird a factor in wingwalker’s death at Selfridge Air Show?

Video of Sunday’s incident at the Selfridge Air Show that killed aerial stuntman Todd Green shows a large bird passing just above the biplane’s upper wing as the second-generation wingwalker stood to reach the bottom of the helicopter flying above him.

The video, a copy of which was obtained by The Macomb Daily, does not show conclusively whether the bird struck Green or either aircraft, but could raise questions about whether it caused a split-second distraction.



“I showed it to a couple of people who came to the same conclusion,” said Mount Clemens resident Mike Robinson, who shot the video.



Green, a civilian who has performed as an aerial stuntman for a quarter-century, had made two attempts about 1:30 p.m. Sunday to climb from the plane to the helicopter without a parachute or other safety equipment. Green momentarily gripped the landing “skid” of the helicopter with his right hand, released it and then appeared to lose his balance.

Green fell approximately 200 feet to the ground. Medstar and Selfridge paramedics worked on him for approximately 15 minutes before transporting him to Mount Clemens Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.



Robinson shot still images from his new camera during the first two passes by Green and the pilot of the 1943 PT 17 Stearman biplane, John Mohr, and the pilot of the Hughes 269C helicopter, Roger Buis.



Before the third try, Robinson switched his camera’s mode.



“I just started doing a video. As I realized that this young man fell, I just set my camera down -- and stood and wondered, like everybody else did,” he said.

Robinson later downloaded the images to his computer to perhaps determine how the accident occurred. Slow-motion revealed the bird.



Robinson took a copy of the segment to a Selfridge official Monday morning.



“He viewed it with me and was astounded at seeing the bird” in the video. “There were other birds on the field, but nothing like that.”



The bird appears to be the size of a hawk. Eight species of hawk are indigenous to the Macomb County area, said Sara Matuszak, a naturalist at the Huron-Clinton Metroparks’ Metro Beach Nature Center in Harrison Township.



Officials have not determined whether wind was a factor in the incident. Winds at Selfridge were out of the west at 15 mph at the time and had been gusting to 20 mph in the afternoon, according to the National Weather Service, which has a monitoring station at Selfridge.



The National Transportation Safety Board may decide later today whether it will conduct a formal investigation into the Selfridge Air Show incident that killed Green.



“At this point, it would have to be determined by our regional office whether it’s something we should look into,” said NTSB public affairs officer Nicholas Worrell in Washington, D.C., adding that officials were awaiting word from an investigator at the agency’s regional office in Chicago.



The agency investigates aircraft incidents when it suspects mechanical issues could be a factor.

Officials of the 127th Wing of the Michigan Air National Guard, the host unit at the Harrison Township base, said today they are working with the Federal Aviation Administration and the NTSB to investigate the accident which killed the second-generation air show stuntman and horrified tens of the thousands of people who witnessed it.



The aerial show resumed approximately 45 minutes after the accident.



The decision to resume flying was made after consultation with the FAA, senior military leaders at the show and several of the air show performers, said Tech Sgt. Dan Heaton, a spokesman for the 127th Wing.



“Given the nature of the incident involving Mr. Green, the decision was made that there was no additional safety risk to the pilots or to those spectators who were visiting the air show,” Heaton said.



Col . Michael Thomas, commander of the 127 Wing, said: “The entire Selfridge family joins together in mourning the death of Mr. Green. Our hearts reach out to those who are impacted by this tragedy, including his family, friends and our many visitors who witnessed this tragic event.

“As airmen, we understand the inherent risks associated with flight, but we aviators are a close-knit family, and when a tragedy like this occurs we all share in the loss.”



Meanwhile, friends and family of Green are coming to terms with his passing.

One colleague, Margaret Stivers of the Silver Wings Wingwalking Team, described Green as a “strong and true friend,” who was considerate, kind and supportive, and had a playful look in his eyes and was quick with a joke.



“The air-show world is small and even closer is the stunt-wingwalker family,” she said in an email. “For me, this is like a hit in the gut.”



Stivers added that since Green’s father – Hall of Famer aerial stuntman Eddie “The Grip” Green -- is a legend in the air show circuit, so too can Todd be considered “air show royalty.”

“Yet, Todd was a humble person. He was a strong and true friend,” she said.

Original Article, Photos and Video: http://www.theoaklandpress.com

Lake Apopka, Florida

A trooper's perfect timing today helped save the life of a pilot who crashed his plane into the murky, gator-infested waters of Lake Apopka.

Sgt. Luis Badia, a pilot for the Florida Highway Patrol, called for help around 10:30 a.m. when he noticed an ultralight submerged in the muck of Lake Apopka this morning.

Several agencies arrived at Lake Apopka and pulled the unidentified pilot from about six feet of muddy water, near Magnolia Park, off South Binion Road.

It appears the man was not injured, but crews took him to a local hospital.

FHP spokeswoman Sgt. Kim Montes said the pilot's plane went down and no one witnessed it.

"The pilot had no way of communicating that his plane had crashed because he didn't have a radio on the craft," Montes said. "It was perfect timing that Badia was in the area to report it."

This is not the first time a pilot has crashed their plane into polluted Lake Apopka.

In 1992, a pilot crashed his vintage military airplane into the murky water. It exploded on impact. That pilot died in the crash.

A twin-engine cargo plane plunged into Lake Apopka in 1989, killing the two men on the aircraft.

ZELLWOOD, Florida  -- A rescue crew pulls someone to safety late Tuesday morning after a plane is seen in Lake Apopka. Sgt. Kim Montes said a Florida Highway Patrol pilot spotted a plane in the water on Tuesday morning. A rescue crew responded to the lake. Chopper 2 captured video of a person swimming in the lake and then being rescued.