14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, August 11, 2012 in Taylorville, IL
Aircraft: Hawker Beechcraft Corporation G18S, registration: N697Q
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.
On August 11, 2012, about 1224 central daylight time, a Hawker Beechcraft Corporation G18S airplane, N697Q, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain in a residential neighborhood in Taylorville, Illinois. The commercial pilot sustained fatal injuries. The twelve parachutists were not injured and no persons on the ground were injured. The airplane was registered to Barron Aviation, LLC; Perry, Missouri, and operated by Barron Aviation Private Flight Services, LLC; Perry, Missouri, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, as a sport parachuting flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The local flight originated from Taylorville Municipal Airport (TAZ), Taylorville, Illinois, about 1200.
The airplane had climbed to an altitude of about 11,000 feet mean sea level (msl) and the 12 parachutists were seated inside the airplane on two rear facing “straddle benches.” As the airplane arrived at the planned drop location, the parachutists stood up, opened the door, and began to prepare for their jump. Five of the parachutists were positioned hanging on to the outside of the airplane with several others standing in the door and the remainder were standing in the cabin forward of the door. Several parachutists reported that they were almost ready to jump when they heard the sounds of the airplane’s stall warning system. The airplane then suddenly rolled and at least one of the parachutists yelled a “go, go, go” command. All 12 parachutists successfully exited the airplane and several of the last to exit reported that the airplane was at least partially inverted as they went out the door. The pilot did not exit the airplane. Several witnesses reported seeing the airplane descending in an inverted attitude when the airplane appeared to briefly recover, but then entered a nearly vertical dive.
The airplane impacted a tree and terrain in the fenced back yard of an occupied residence. Emergency personnel who first responded to the accident scene reported a strong smell of gasoline and ordered the evacuation of several nearby homes. There was no postimpact fire.
Several of the parachutists on-board the flight had been equipped with helmet mounted video cameras and they have provided to the NTSB their video recordings which may have captured the accident event. The original recording media for those videos have been sent to the NTSB vehicle recorders laboratory and will be reviewed.
He was born May 17, 1982, in Macomb to Terry and Rhonda Norris Sparrow. He married Angela Ellefritz on Oct. 22, 2009, in Negril, Jamaica. She survives.
Brandon was a 2000 graduate of Macomb High and attended Western Illinois University and Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, majoring in aviation flight. He was employed as a driver and planner for Burlington Trailways in Burlington, Iowa, and was an aircraft mechanic apprentice studying for his Airframe and Powerplant tests. He was building and approaching the covering phase of his Pitts S1-SS, which he hoped to complete and fly next year.
Brandon's love for flying began with his first air show at the age of 6. At a young age he was a member of the Bushnell "Flying Fools" radio controlled airplane club. He was a flight student of Roger Smith of Macomb, earning his private pilot's license at the age of 16. He was an avid skydiver and a member of the Mid-America Sport Parachute Club of Taylorville. He enjoyed golf and photography, and volunteered for HUGS of Hancock County, a cancer support group. He attended Augusta Christian Church.
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SERVICES: Cremation rites have been accorded. Memorial services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in the Augusta Christian Church, Augusta, with the Rev. Ryan Derr conducting.
VISITATION: 4 to 7 p.m. Friday and because of Brandon's love for flying it will be held at Smith Airport, located on the east side of Macomb on U.S. 67, just south of Ill. 136.
MEMORIALS: In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations are made to the Brandon Sparrow Memorial Fund, at Bank of Advance, Bowen Banking Center, in care of Bev Leasman, 415 W. Fifth St., Bowen, IL 62316.
ARRANGEMENTS: Hamilton Funeral Home in Augusta.
Condolences may be expressed online at www.whig.com.
Autopsy Results for Fallen Pilot Brandon Sparrow:
Autopsy results for 30 year old Brandon Sparrow of Augusta, IL the lone casualty and pilot from the recent plane crash in Taylorville were announced. According to Christian County Coroner Amy Calvert Winans
Preliminary autopsy shows that Mr. Sparrow died from multiple injuries of the entire body due to an airplane crash, reportedly sustained as the pilot and sole occupant of the plane that crashed into the ground at a very high rate of speed.
The accident occurred on Rich Street in Taylorville at 11:25 on Saturday morning.
Source: http://www.taylorvilledailynews.com
Brandon Sparrow, shown here before a flight July 20, was killed when the plane he was flying crashed into a Taylorville backyard.
(Photo courtesy of State Journal-Register/Brian Blythe)
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 697Q Make/Model: BE18 Description: 18 (C-45, RC-45, TC-45, UC-45, AT-7, AT-
Date: 08/11/2012 Time: 1710
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Fatal Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Destroyed
LOCATION
City: TAYLORVILLE State: IL Country: US
DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THE 1 PERSON ON BOARD WAS
FATALLY INJURED, 5 MILES FROM TAYLORVILLE, IL
INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 1
# Crew: 1 Fat: 1 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
OTHER DATA
Activity: Other Phase: Unknown Operation: OTHER
FAA FSDO: SPRINGFIELD, IL (GL19) Entry date: 08/13/2012
http://registry.faa.gov/N697Q
http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/598354.html
Brandon Sparrow, pilot
Roger Smith was not surprised when he learned Brandon Sparrow sacrificed his life by staying with the crashing airplane he was piloting to ensure it didn’t hit any houses.
For the 15 years he knew Sparrow, Smith, who manages a small, rural airport in Macomb, where Sparrow served as an apprentice, said the 30-year-old pilot had always put others first.
There’s also no doubt in Smith’s mind that the reason the plane went down in the backyard of a home at 801 W. Rich St. in Taylorville Saturday was out of Sparrow’s control.
He described Sparrow, who was from Augusta, a small town southwest of Macomb, as a talented pilot with hundreds of flights under his belt, including dozens of flights taking skydivers up for a jump.
The twin-engine Beechcraft 18 Sparrow was piloting Saturday morning was carrying 12 skydivers, who all jumped and landed safely before the plane crashed.
Sparrow was the lone fatality.
Ultimate sacrifice
Smith said the No. 1 responsibility of any pilot is to ensure the passengers make it to the ground safely, which is what Sparrow did.
But even more impressive about Sparrow’s action, and the reason why many people in Taylorville are calling him a hero, is that he decided not to use his parachute, which he would have been required to have, Smith said.
Instead, Sparrow stayed with the plane and steered it into the backyard of a home in a residential neighborhood in west Taylorville, narrowly missing any houses.
Witnesses said the backyard was not even 75 feet wide, leaving little room for error.
For Smith, 65, it was another example of what type of person Sparrow was.
“He would have given you the shirt off his back if you asked,” Smith said. “I’ve never known anyone who met Brandon that didn’t like him.”
Avid pilot
According to his resume posted online at Linkedin.com, Sparrow also worked as a driver and planner for Burlington Trailways in Iowa.
Sparrow described himself as “an active pilot and aircraft mechanic apprentice, studying for my (Airframe and Powerplant) tests while pursuing career employment in the west-central Illinois region.
“I am currently building, and approaching the covering phase, of my Pitts S1-SS, which with any luck, will be test flown next year.”
Smith said Sparrow had been flying since he got his initial pilot license at age 16 or 17.
For the last five years, he said Sparrow served as an apprentice for him at Smith Aviation in Macomb, but had helped out longer.
“It was easy to teach him because things came natural to him,” Smith said.
Like an adopted son
Although what exactly happened in the sky shortly before 11:30 a.m. Saturday is still unknown, some of the people closest to Smith used Sunday to reflect on the life of young man’s life cut short.
A group of friends and family gathered in Macomb to prepare for visitation and funeral services. Dates and times have not been made public. A family member did not have any comment.
Judy Smith, the wife of Roger, said Sparrow was like an adopted son to the couple.
When her husband’s father died in October 2009, she said Sparrow was at the airport nearly every day helping Roger out.
She said her last memory of Sparrow was Tuesday, when he visited her for her 66th birthday.
She said she was lying on the couch battling an illness when Roger told her to look outside. Sitting in her classic Ford Thunderbird was Sparrow.
He had hooked up a wireless speaker to an iPod and was playing “Fun, Fun, Fun" by the Beach Boys.
“You don’t find many young guys like that anymore,” she said. “You couldn’t ask for a better kid.”
Source: http://www.sj-r.com
TAYLORVILLE — Authorities say the 30-year-old pilot of a small aircraft ferrying skydivers that crashed in a Taylorville neighborhood Saturday morning saved the lives of residents by steering the plane to avoid hitting any houses.
The pilot, Brandon Sparrow of Augusta, was the lone fatality.
Sparrow was piloting the plane, which took off from the Taylorville airport and was carrying 12 skydivers, before it crashed in the back yard of a home at 801 W. Rich St. at 11:25 a.m. All of the skydivers jumped out of the plane before it went down, and all landed safely, Taylorville police and fire officials said.
Mayor Greg Brotherton, who went to the crash site, said the back yard the plane landed in was not even 75 feet wide, leaving little room for error.
“It was either an act of God, or the pilot himself put the plane down in the back yard,” Brotherton said. “We should be thankful because that plane could have hit a house and harmed others.”
The Federal Aviation Administration, which described the plane as a twin-engine Beechcraft 18, and other federal agencies were investigating. A cause of the crash won't be known for at least several weeks, authorities said.
Skies were clear at the time, with winds from the northwest at 10 to 15 mph.
Skydiving dangers
Saturday’s crash was believed to be the fourth fatal skydiving-related incident in or near Taylorville since 1997. In the last one, William “Bill” Jensen Jr., 38, of Springfield was killed in October 2004 when his parachute prematurely deployed and got tangled in the plane's tail.
Saturday morning’s jump was part of a special skydiving event hosted by the Mid-America Sport Parachute Club. The event was supposed to carry on today but was canceled, according to the club’s website.
No one from the club could be reached for comment after Saturday’s accident.
The plane tore a 20- to 30-foot-wide hole into the back yard of Jerry Dobyns Sr., who lives at 801 W. Rich St.
Dobyns said he was lying on his bed watching television when he heard the loud boom, which reportedly could be heard all across Taylorville. He said pieces of the plane ended up about 30 feet from his bedroom window.
The force of the crash caused windows to shatter and pictures to be knocked off the wall, he said. The plane also crushed a doghouse in the back yard. The Dobyns' daughter, Rhonda Tester, 48, was standing in the back yard just prior to the crash, but she happened to go inside. Dobyns said he feels fortunate to be alive.
“If it was another 10 feet closer, it could have killed both of us," he said.
Silence, then a boom
With pieces of the plane scattered throughout the neighborhood, authorities ordered the evacuation of several blocks around the crash site. Some residents would likely have to stay out of their homes until today, police said.
The crash brought out many onlookers, with each person telling stories of what they were doing when the plane came down.
One man said it looked as if the plane was doing a nosedive stunt often seen at air shows.
James Welge Jr. said he was outside with his son when he heard the plane glide by. He said he heard the plane’s engine rev up extremely loud before a moment of silence, which was followed by a loud boom after it hit the ground two or three seconds later.
“It’s so sad that there was a tragedy,” Welge said.
http://www.sj-r.com
Taylorville, IL (KSDK) - A 30 year old pilot from Augusta, Illinois, is dead after a skydiving plane crashed early Saturday afternoon in Taylorville, Illinois.
Twelve people plus the pilot were on board the airplane. The 12 passengers were able to jump from the plane before it crashed.
Family members identify the deceased pilot as Brandon Scott Sparrow, an accomplished pilot and aircraft mechanic who was married and went to school at Western Illinois University and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Brandon and Angela Sparrow had no children.
Family members say Sparrow was a longtime aviation enthusiast who was left in a coma six years ago after being struck by a truck while bicycling in Carbondale. Despite lingering injuries from that accident, he was able to climb back into airplane cockpits.
The plane crashed in a residential area of the 800 block of W. Rich Street around 11:30 a.m. Debris from the crash is spread across two or three blocks.
The Federal Aviation Administration is on the scene, and the National Transportation Safety Board is enroute.
Taylorville is located in Christian County, approximately 90 miles northeast of St. Louis.
TAYLORVILLE — A small plane crashed in a backyard in Taylorville late Saturday morning, and neighbors are calling the pilot a hero for sparing their lives and homes at the cost of his own life.
The pilot was identified as 30-year-old Brandon Sparrow of Augusta by a relative, who confirmed his death.
Neighbors were evacuated from nearby homes. Those who were standing in groups watching emergency personnel said planes regularly fly skydivers out of the Taylorville airport on weekends. Some witnesses who were acquainted with the pilot understood that the plane had been carrying skydivers, but authorities did not release any information regarding possible passengers on the plane.
Jerry Dobyns lives in the house where the plane came down. He said he was inside and his daughter was on the back porch when they heard the plane’s engine, and both knew something sounded wrong. The daughter ran indoors, and the crash was so violent it broke all the windows in the house.
“I looked out, and there’s a crater in my backyard,” Dobyns said. “It’s nothing but debris. You can’t even tell it was a plane.”
Neighbor Sandra Fisher heard the engine overhead, and living close to Taylorville’s airport, is used to hearing planes, so she knew something sounded wrong when she heard this one.
“It was too loud,” she said. “I saw it coming down (nose first) and just ran. That was too close.”
No official statement was immediately available as to the possible cause of the crash.
Emergency personnel from the Taylorville police and fire departments, Christian County Sheriff’s Office, and Assumption Police Department were on the scene most of the day. The immediate area was evacuated, and some residents were only allowed to take medication with them due to fears of fire from the crash site. Personnel from the Federal Aviation Administration were summoned to the scene, said Taylorville Fire Chief Jeff Hackney, and were in charge of the scene upon their arrival.
“We were fortunate (the plane) missed the houses and missed the power lines,” he said.
No further information was available Saturday.
TAYLORVILLE -- The pilot of a small aircraft was killed Saturday morning after the plane, which had been carrying 12 skydivers, crashed into a residential neighborhood, narrowly missing at least one home. The name of the pilot was not immediately released. The skydivers jumped out of the plane before it went down and all landed safely, Taylorville police and fire officials said.
The FAA and other federal agencies were investigating Saturday. A cause of the crash wouldn't be known for several weeks.
The plane, which took off from the Taylorville airport and crashed about 11:25 a.m., tore a 20- to 30-foot-wide hole into the back yard of Jerry Dobyns Sr., who lives at 801 W. Rich St.
Dobyns said he was laying on his bed watching television when he heard the loud boom, which was reportedly heard across the entire city. He said the pieces of the plane landed about 30 feet from his bedroom window.
Dobyns' daughter, Rhonda Tester, 48, was standing in the back yard just prior to the crash, but she happened to go inside. Dobyns said he feels fortunate to be alive.
“If it was another 10 feet closer it could have killed both of us," Dobyns told a State Journal-Register reporter.
The force of the crash caused windows to shatter and pictures to be knocked off the wall, he said. The plane also crushed a dog house in the back yard. The dog was inside with Dobyns at the time.
With pieces of the plane scattered throughout the area, authorities ordered the evacuation of several blocks around the crash site. Dobyns, who also was evacuated, said police allowed him to retrieve his medication before he left. Some residents would likely have to stay out of their homes until Sunday, police said.
The plane, which took off from the Taylorville airport and crashed about 11:25 a.m., tore a 20- to 30-foot-wide hole into the back yard of Jerry Dobyns Sr., who lives at 801 W. Rich St.
Dobyns said he was laying on his bed watching television when he heard the loud boom, which was reportedly heard across the entire city. He said the pieces of the plane landed about 30 feet from his bedroom window.
Dobyns' daughter, Rhonda Tester, 48, was standing in the back yard just prior to the crash, but she happened to go inside. Dobyns said he feels fortunate to be alive.
“If it was another 10 feet closer it could have killed both of us," Dobyns told a State Journal-Register reporter.
The force of the crash caused windows to shatter and pictures to be knocked off the wall, he said. The plane also crushed a dog house in the back yard. The dog was inside with Dobyns at the time.
With pieces of the plane scattered throughout the area, authorities ordered the evacuation of several blocks around the crash site. Dobyns, who also was evacuated, said police allowed him to retrieve his medication before he left. Some residents would likely have to stay out of their homes until Sunday, police said.
Sources:
TAYLORVILLE — A Beechcraft 18 airplane crashed into a backyard at 801 W. Rich Street in Taylorville at around 11:25 on Saturday morning, causing one fatality, who authorities have confirmed as the pilot. Authorities also confirmed that 12 jumpers inside the aircraft made it safely to the ground before the plane crashed. The details of the cause of the crash were still under investigation at press time.
Photo by Jacob Griffin/Breeze-Courier
Herald & Review/Lisa Morrison
Officials including Christian County
Coroner Amy Winans stand outside Jerry Dobyns home on Rich St. where a
plane landed in his back yard.
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