Saturday, September 22, 2012

Piper PA-28R-180 Cherokee Arrow, N4567J: Fatal accident occurred September 22, 2012 in Roanoke, Texas

The National Transportation Safety Board traveled to the scene of this accident. 

Aviation Accident Final Report  -  National Transportation Safety Board: http://app.ntsb.gov/pdf

Docket And Docket Items  -  National Transportation Safety Board:   http://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms

Aviation Accident Data Summary -  National Transportation Safety Board:    http://app.ntsb.gov/pdf

NTSB Identification: CEN12FA654
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, September 22, 2012 in Roanoke, TX
Probable Cause Approval Date: 12/11/2014
Aircraft: PIPER PA-28R-180, registration: N4567J
Injuries: 2 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, who had purchased the airplane about 2 months earlier, and the flight instructor departed on an instructional flight. Two witnesses reported that the airplane's engine did not sound right during the takeoff and the ground roll was longer than normal. Just beyond the runway, the airplane turned slightly left and then impacted the top of several trees. Both wings separated and remained lodged in the treetops; first responders noted fuel running from the wings. The emergency locater transmitter (ELT) was in found in the off position. Examination of the engine revealed water and contaminants in the fuel system, especially in the injection servo and fuel pump, which would have resulted in the rough-running engine and loss of engine power. 

A review of the airplane's maintenance records did not reveal any entries since the pilot had purchased the airplane. The airplane's last maintenance entry was at the annual inspection, which was about the time the airplane was purchased. The entry stated "found water in tanks - sumped tanks, cleaned flow divider, fuel screens and lines." The log also had the entry that stated "c/w FAR 91.207 ELT insp by installing new batteries, due March 2017." The airport manager had witnessed the same pilot depart in the accident airplane about a month earlier; however, the airplane's engine did not sound right, and the pilot returned to the airport. A review of the pilot's logbook revealed an entry "aborted X-country, lost engine power, so landed" on that date. About 2 weeks later, an e-mail from the pilot to family members stated that a clogged fuel injection system was found after the aborted flight. Two days after that, the pilot's logbook reflected 1.1 flight hours with a note that stated "test flight, perfect." On that same date, the pilot wrote a check to a maintenance company at the airport on which the airplane's registration number and "Maint" were written in the memo field. It is likely that either at the annual inspection and/or 2 weeks before the accident, maintenance personnel did not appropriately address the fuel contamination issues that persisted at the time of the accident.

The airplane was not equipped with shoulder belts. During the impact sequence, the pilot likely rotated about his lap belt, braced himself with his arms and fractured his shoulders, but his head struck the instrument panel, resulting in his fatal skull injury. The flight instructor similarly rotated forward about his lap belt; his chest and abdomen struck the instrument panel resulting in his fatal injuries. Had the airplane been equipped with single or double shoulder restraints, the pilots' injuries likely would have been less severe and they might have survived.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The loss of engine power during takeoff due to fuel contamination. Contributing to the accident was maintenance personnel's failure to adequately correct the water contamination effects. Contributing to the severity of the occupants' injuries was the lack of shoulder restraints.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On September 22, 2012, about 1330 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28R-180 airplane, N4567J, impacted trees and terrain approximately 800 feet south of the Northwest Regional Airport (F52), Roanoke, Texas. The commercial rated pilot and certificated flight instructor (CFI) were fatally injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.

Witnesses reported that the airplane departed runway 17; however, the takeoff roll was noticeably longer than airplanes typically perform, with an unusual engine sound. The airplane was observed to start a slight left turn, before it descended towards a stand of trees and disappeared out of sight.

The airplane impacted the top of several trees before coming to rest in a grove of trees just beyond the end of the runway.

The airport manager reported that about 2-3 weeks prior to the accident flight, he saw accident the airplane depart the airport. He thought the engine was running rough, the airplane's nose was high, and thought the pilot was going to stall the airplane at a low altitude. He added that the airplane circled around and lined up for a landing, but before reaching the runway the engine revved up and the pilot conducted a go-around; however, again the engine started to sound rough and the pilot made a left turn. The manager added that the airplane circled back to the runway at low attitude and he wasn't sure the airplane would make it back to the runway. The airplane barely made the runway and bounced on landing. The manager told the pilot that he wanted the airplane looked at, and that the pilot to receive some additional instruction before any further flights from the airport.

PILOT INFORMATION

The airplane owner and pilot in the left seat held a commercial pilot certificate for airplane, single-engine land; airplane–instrument. A second-class Federal Aviation Administration, (FAA) medical certificate was issued on March 12, 2010, with the restriction, "must wear corrective lenses". On the pilot's last medical certificate application he reported 450 total flight hours with 10 hours in the last six months. A review of the pilot's flight log revealed that he had a total of 476.6 flight hours. The entry on August 4, 2012 was annotated as, "new airplane checkout satisfactory". An entry on August 17, 2012, for 0.3 hours, was annotated as, "aborted X-country, lost engine power, so landed". The entry on August 30, 2012, was for 1.1 hours and was annotated as, "Test flight. Perfect".

The flight instructor in the right seat, held airline transport pilot certificates for airplane, single and multi-engine land; airplane-instrument. He also held flight instructor ratings for airplane single engine and instrument airplane. A second-class Federal Aviation Administration medical certificate was issued on March 26, 2012. The instructor's logbook was not provided; however, the instructor reported on his last medical certificate he had accumulated 9,000 total flight hours with 190 hours in the last six months.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The accident airplane was a Piper PA-28R-180, which is an all-metal, four-seat, low-wing airplane with retractable landing gear and controllable pitch propeller which was manufactured in 1968. The airplane was powered by a 180 horsepower Lycoming IO-360-B1E engine, driving a constant speed, two-bladed metal, controllable pitch propeller. According to FAA records the pilot purchased the airplane in July, 2012.

The airplane's front occupant's seats were equipped with lap belts, but not shoulder harnesses.

According to maintenance records, the airplane's most recent annual inspection was completed July 10, 2012, with an airframe total time of 7,048.11 hours and tachometer time of 5,124.11 hours, with 100.11 hours since major overhaul on the engine. The review of the engine maintenance records revealed an entry annotated during the last annual inspection which read; "replaced fuel line between engine driven pump and servo, found water in fuel, flushed flow divider, screens and lines". The entry annotated in the airframe log read; "found water in tanks – sumped tanks, cleaned flow divider, fuel screens and lines". The log also had the entry; "c/w FAR 91.207 ELT insp by installing new batteries, due March 2017" 

The July 10, 2012 annual was the last entry in the maintenance records; there were no entries past the July 10th, date.

The family of the pilot provided email excerpts and a fuel log for the airplane. The excerpt dated August 28, is quoted as; "was clogged fuel injection system. One fuel line was almost completely plugged. Will test fly tomorrow." The family also provided a bank cancel check, made out to Richmond [Aviation] for $200 on August 30, 2012, which had the annotation, " N4567J Maint", in the check's memo section. 

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION 

At 1353, the automated weather observation facility located at Fort Worth Alliance Airport (KAFW), located about 7 miles southwest of the accident location, recorded wind calm, visibility 10 miles, clear of clouds, temperature 92 degrees Fahrenheit (F), dew point 46 F, and a barometric pressure of 30.06 inches of mercury.

AIRPORT INFORMATION

Northwest Regional Airport (52F) is a privately owned airport open to the public and located about 3 miles northwest of Roanoke, Texas. The airport is non-towered and pilots are to use the Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF). The airport features an asphalt runway, 17-35 which is 3,500-foot long and 40-foot wide. 

COMMUNICATIONS

The pilot was not in contact with air traffic control and there were no reported distress calls from the pilot. 

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) responded to the accident site. The airplane impacted several trees off the south end of runway 17. Both the left and right wings separated near the wing roots and remained suspended in the trees. The fuselage was located about 60 feet beyond the wings, nestled amongst the base of several trees. The first responders reported that when they arrived at the accident site, fuel was running out of the wings. Both wing's fuel tank receptacles had rust along the filler ports.

The fuselage was upright, but tilted to the right and wedged between several trees, with the front of the engine resting at the base of a tree. The fuselage back to the empennage had heavy bending and buckling. The engine and instrument panel were pushed back slightly into the cockpit area.

The engine's crankshaft broke just behind the crankshaft flange, but remained in place. The propeller remained bolted to the engine crankshaft flange; only two of the three blades were visible; with one blade bent under the airplane. One blade was absent any leading edge gouges or polishing and appeared unmarked. The remaining blades also appeared unmarked except the outer 4-5 inches near the tip; which appeared twisted. The engine starter, located behind the propeller and crankshaft ring gear, had an only a minor scoring.

The empennage exhibited substantial damage to the both sides of the horizontal stabilator; nearly severing the stabilator from the fuselage, the vertical stabilizer and rudder remained attached to the aft section of the fuselage with only minor damage. The stabilator trim tab remained attached via the respective hinge.

The airplane's emergency locator transmitter (ELT) was located in empennage section; the unit's activation switch was found in the "off" position. There were no indications that the unit was accessed by first responders.


MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's District, Tarrant County, Fort Worth, Texas, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, conducted autopsies on the flight instructor and pilot. The cause of death for the flight instructor is listed as: blunt trauma of chest and abdomen; the cause of death for the pilot is listed as: basilar skull fracture.

The FAA Toxicology Accident Research Library, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, conducted toxicological testing on both occupants. For the pilot the results were negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, ethanol, and tested drugs. For the flight instructor the results were negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, and ethanol. The test was positive for etomidate and ondansetron in blood and urine and for naproxen and salicylate in urine. 

TEST AND RESEARCH

A refueling history for the airplane was provided; the fuel log's first entry was July 28th, in Jacksonville, Florida, with the comments, "test flight after purchase". August 4th and 11th , entries were in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with the comments: " for ferry of plane" and "topped off plane at NW Regional". The final entry was on September 18th, at 52F, with the comments, "topped off but did not fly".

During an interview with the airport manager at 52F, he stated that he thought the accident airplane received gas, about 3-4 days prior to the accident flight; he also added that a number of airplanes received gas between the time the airplane was fueled and the accident flight. He also added that after the accident a sample of fuel was taken; a visual inspection of the sample revealed that it appeared consistent with 100LL aviation fuel and absent water or debris.

An examination of the airplane engine was conducted by the NTSB investigator IIC. Continuity was established from the front of the crankshaft to the rear gear drive section of the engine, and through the valve train. The top set of sparkplugs were removed and produced spark when the engine was rotated by hand. Each cylinder produced suction and compression during a thumb test. Both magnetos were removed from the engine and bench tested; each one rotated freely and produced a spark at each terminal. The oil filter was removed and cut open; the filter was free of metal particulates and debris.


The engine's fuel flow divider was removed and opened; the divider was dry but contained a small quantity of particles. The engine driven fuel pump valves and pump housing had areas of rust or corrosion throughout the internal sections; residual liquid consistent with fuel and water was found inside the pump. The fuel servo's fuel screen was absent of any contaminates; the fuel servo was then removed from the engine and disassembled. Fluid consistent with water and fuel were found inside the fuel servo. A white particle and other particulates were also found inside the servo; additionally, several components inside the servo also contained white particulates.


http://registry.faa.gov/N4567J

NTSB Identification: CEN12FA654 
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, September 22, 2012 in Roanoke, TX
Aircraft: PIPER PA-28R-180, registration: N4567J
Injuries: 2 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 September 22, 2012, about 1330 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28R-180 airplane, N4567J, impacted terrain and trees approximately one-quarter mile south of the Northwest Regional Airport (F52), Roanoke, Texas. The commercial rated pilot and certificated flight instructor (CFI) were fatally injured and the airplane sustained substantial damaged. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

Initial reports from witnesses indicate that the airplane departed the south runway; however, the takeoff roll was noticeable longer than airplanes typically perform, with an unusual engine sound. The airplane was observed to start a left turn, before it descended towards a grove of trees and disappeared out of sight.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board responded to the accident site. The airplane impacted several trees off the south end of runway 17. Both the left and right wings separated near their roots and remained suspended in the trees. The fuselage was located about 60 feet beyond the wings, nestled amongst the base of several trees.

After documentation of the crash site, the airplane was retrieved for further examination.


 
  A Piper Cherokee PA-28 R180 crashed Saturday during takeoff


Christopher Pratt 

 Christopher Pratt, 41, of Argyle, Texas, passed away on September 22, 2012. He was born on July 14, 1971 in Farmington, Maine to Marshall Pratt and Ita O’Hanlon Pratt. He married Sarah Smitherman in Lake Tahoe, California in 2006.He was a Nuclear Engineer at Enercon Services.

He graduated from St. Charles Catholic High School in LaPlace, Louisiana, and studied his undergraduate and masters work at LSU. He loved to play soccer and was a long time member of the Baton Rouge Soccer Association.

He lived with his family in the Denton, Texas area and was attending Argyle United Methodist Church. He played soccer through Stampede Sports in Southlake and was a member of AOPA Pilots Association.

Visitation will be on Tuesday, September 25, 2012 from 6-8 pm at DeBerry Funeral Directors. The funeral service will be on Wednesday, September 26, 2012 at 3:30 at Argyle United Methodist Church with Rev. Kory Knott officiating.

Christopher was a loving husband and father and is survived by his wife, Sarah; daughters, Taylor (5) and Victoria Pratt (2); sisters, Marsha Pratt, Carolyn Holton, and Sharon Pratt; and brother, Jason Pratt. 


 http://www.legacy.com/guestbook




The family of a flight instructor who was one of two men killed in a plane crash near Roanoke is speaking out abut Saturday's tragedy. 

 Charlie Yates and Chris Pratt were killed when their plane went down shortly after taking off from Northwest Regional Airport.

Yates, 63, was a decorated and experienced pilot who had a 20-year career in the U.S. Air Force — including duty in the Vietnam conflict — and a second career as a Delta Air Lines captain.

More recently, he served as a flight instructor, and that's what he was doing on Saturday in Pratt's Piper Arrow single-engine aircraft.

At the family's Grapevine home, Diane Yates said her husband had been working with Pratt for the past week or so. Yates told her that Pratt had the fundamentals down and knew what he was doing.

Smedley Yates remembers his dad always flying. "He was a hero — not only in the Vietnam War, where he flew OV-10s — but in the cold war, where he flew F-15 Eagles," he said.

It was in the genes.

Charlie Yates flew, as did his father and son. It was a family passion.

"We used to own a plane when we lived in Alaska, and we used to land on the beaches and go fishing," Diane Yates recalled. They were married for 42 years.

It was a lifetime spent in the sky. Yates' 20 years of flight in the Air Force is chronicled in a book he wrote.

Yates also loved teaching others how to soar on their own. "He would let me pretty much do what I wanted with the plane," Mrs. Yates said.

But on Saturday afternoon, Diane Yates got the call every pilot's wife prays to never receive. When information was hard to come by, she suspected he had died.

Charlie Yates was taking off in Christopher Pratt's Piper Arrow single-engine aircraft. They lost altitude at takeoff and crashed a half-mile from the south end of the runway at Northwest Regional Airport in Denton County.

Pratt, a nuclear engineer and father of two little girls, was working toward becoming a flight instructor like Charlie.

Pratt's family said Yates was helping him "brush up." Pratt leaves a wife and two young daughters.

"Whether he was at the controls, whether someone else was at he controls... God is in control," Smedley Yates said, underscoring the importance of faith in the Yates household.

"He was my best friend. I knew he needed me, and I needed him," Diane Yates said.

Charlie Yates was said to have had three passions in life: His family; flying; and studying Scripture.

He had been scheduled to teach at an assisted living facility on Sunday. His topic: "Heaven."

In addition to his wife, Yates leaves an adult son, a daughter, and seven grandchildren.



CBSDFW.COM - Diane Yates got the call no pilot’s wife ever wants to get.

 Her husband, Charlie Yates, 63, was the passenger in a plane crash that took place Saturday just after take off near Northwest Regional Airport.

“That’s something I’ve thought of before since I’ve been married to a pilot for 42 years,” Diane Yates said.

Seconds after the crash four of Charlie Yates’ good friends arrived to help.

Two of his co-workers had heard a plane take off with a strange noise coming from the engine so they went outside to see what was happening.

What they saw was a single engine plane take off and clear the runaway, then clip the tops of the trees just south of the airport, and crash.

They didn’t know their friend and fellow flight instructor, Charlie Yates was in that plane until they got to the wreckage and heard him moaning.

“I’m glad it was us that showed up first to be there with Charlie,” said Glenn Harrington, Director of Operations for MarcAir Aviation, where Charlie Yates worked as the chief flight instructor.

Yates was conscious when they arrived. He was a man of God. To keep him awake, his friends asked him to recite his favorite scripture.

Knowing he was surrounded by close friends gave Diane Yates some solace.

“Such a relief because I know his boss and the pilots that are his instructors, right away, they were praying for him. They were saying scripture verses and Charlie was saying scripture to them,” Diane Yates said.

Friends and family members say God was his first passion, his family and helping others were a close second.

Friends say Yates was on the plane to help the pilot, Chris Pratt, who was working toward becoming a certified flight instructor.

Pratt died at the scene.

Family members say even as Yates was fighting for his life, he was thinking of others.

“They tell us at the hospital, he was comforting those who were working on him, the trauma team and the chaplain, who was a brand new chaplain,” said Diane Yates.

“He was always putting others first, their interests first. He was very selfless,” said his daughter, Angela Guthrie, who is also married to a pilot.

Charlie Yates was a decorated Air Force pilot who spent 15 years flying commercial planes for Delta Airlines and after retiring became a flight instructor.

Along with a passion for photography and flying, Yates loved to waterski. He would often hit the water at sunrise before he went flying.

Charlie Yates was a prominent member of Countryside Bible Church.

Family member say he spent every minute be-friending others and teaching them about God.

Even the neighborhood kids wanted to hang out with Charlie, Diane Yates said.

“They would come to the door and say, ‘Can Charlie come out to play?’ and he’d go out and throw the football with them,” Diane Yates said.

Days before the fatal crash, Yates was preparing to teach a lesson about heaven, something his family now says was a calling from God.

“He was doing what he loved,” said Diane Yates. “He could have done other things but he loved flying and he loved people.”

The family expects hundreds to attend his funeral. Arrangements are pending.

The FAA and NTSB are investigating the cause of the crash. 


http://dfw.cbslocal.com


Flight instructor Charlie Yates, 63, was on board a plane that crashed near Northwest Regional Airport in Roanoke on Saturday, September 22, 2012.


On a perfect Sunday morning to fly... people took off from and touched down at Northwest Regional Airport... some while grieving. Del Hester flew with Charlie Yates just a few weeks ago.

"I didn't know whether to even come fly today and then I got to thinking he'd be the first one to tell you to get out here and go do it," Hester said.

On Saturday, Yates, 63, and pilot Christopher Pratt, 41, had just taken off in a plane when it crashed in the woods south of the Roanoke airport. Pratt died at the scene. Yates died at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth.

Yates was a fixture at the small airport for the past decade.

"Everybody turned to Charlie," said Hester. "He was the lead flight instructor and just everybody did turn to him.  That was Charlie."

Fellow flight instructor Brooks Higginbotham was here Saturday and said the single engine Piper Arrow Yates was in sounded strange on it's take off run.

"The acceleration was slow and when it got to a point on the runway where an airplane of that type typically takes off," said Higginbotham. "They were still firmly on the ground and they got well down the runway before they finally lifted off."

Investigators do not yet know what if anything that had to do with the plane immediately losing altitude and crashing in the woods.  Pilots around here just know they've lost a friend in Charlie Yates.

"When it came to his flying he was serious but when you were on the ground checking the plane out or something he was always cutting up trying to catch you off guard," said Higginbotham.

 Updated at 10:12 p.m: CBS 11 News has revived the following statement from the wife of Christopher Pratt regarding the death of her husband in today’s crash.

 “It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to a wonderful husband, father and friend. Chris had a passion for life, and loved to fly and spend time with his family. We love him and will miss him every day.”

Updated at 7:53 p.m. CBS 11 News has confirmed the passenger who was transported to the hospital has died. He has been identified as Charles Yates. The pilot identified as 41-year-old Christopher Pratt of Argyle died before paramedics arrived at the scene.

ROANOKE (CBSDFW.COM) - One man is dead another was critically injured in a plane crash just south of the Northwest Regional Airport near Roanoke in Denton County.

The crash happened just after 1 p.m. as a single engine four passenger Piper Cherokee PA-28R-180 was taking off.

Witnesses heard a strange noise from coming the plane as it took off and went outside to see what was going on.

“You could see he wasn’t climbing very well,” said Glenn Harrington, Director of Operations for Marcair Aviation. “It was starting to clear the trees and the end, made a bit of a left turn and pancaked down into the trees.”

The crash site is about a half mile from the end of the runaway.

CBS 11 News’ Doug Dunbar, who is also a pilot, was at the airport shooting another story.

Harrington told Dunbar and two others a plane went down at the end of the runaway and the four jumped into a vehicle and rushed to the scene.

“We saw the airplane. It was in the trees canted to the right side, wings were gone. We couldn’t see wings anywhere,” Dunbar said. “A friend of mine was in that airplane.”

The pilot was unconscious when they arrived on the scene. The passenger, a flight instructor, was conscious and talking.

Paramedics arrived a short time later and a PHI medical helicopter transported the passenger to John Peter Smith Hospital in critical condition.

ROANOKE (CBSDFW.COM) - One man is dead another was critically injured in a plane crash just south of the Northwest Regional Airport near Roanoke in Denton County.

The crash happened just after 1 p.m. as a single engine four passenger Piper Cherokee PA-28R-180 was taking off.

Witnesses heard a strange noise from coming the plane as it took off and went outside to see what was going on.

“You could see he wasn’t climbing very well,” said Glenn Harrington, Director of Operations for Marcair Aviation. “It was starting to clear the trees and the end, made a bit of a left turn and pancaked down into the trees.”

The crash site is about a half mile from the end of the runaway.

CBS 11 News’ Doug Dunbar, who is also a pilot, was at the airport shooting another story.

Harrington told Dunbar and two others a plane went down at the end of the runaway and the four jumped into a vehicle and rushed to the scene.

“We saw the airplane. It was in the trees canted to the right side, wings  were gone. We couldn’t see wings anywhere,” Dunbar said. “A friend of mine was in that airplane.”

The pilot was unconscious when they arrived on the scene. The passenger, a flight instructor, was conscious and talking.

Paramedics arrived a short time later and a PHI medical helicopter transported the passenger to John Peter Smith Hospital in critical condition.

The FAA was on the scene investigating. NTSB is taking over the investigation. 

One person died and another person was injured in a small airplane crash just south of the Northwest Regional Airport in Roanoke on Saturday afternoon.

The FAA said the crash involved a Piper PA 28 aircraft. The wreckage is in the woods south of the airport in Denton County.  It went down shortly after take off around 1:30 p.m.

"The aircraft, when it crashed, the wings tore loose from the fuelsage," said Department of Public Safety spokesman Lonny Haschel. "The fuelsage was what actually went into the ground. There was not fire because the fuel was actually on the wings."

The injured person was taken to the hospital.  The identity of both victims has not been released publicly. 

People at the Northwest Regional Airport said the plane's owner and a flight instructor were aboard when the plane crashed. 

A young flight student knew one of the crash victims. "I saw him about 15-20 minutes before he went up," said Alexander Vanover, flight student. "He said a couple of words and I said goodbye, shook his hand, and was out the door. I'm thinking of him. I remember that plane taking off, went inside to get my sunglasses and when I came out, there were ambulances running down the runway."

The FAA told NBC DFW that National Transportation Safety Board has been notified and investigators are headed to the scene.

ROANOKE (CBSDFW.COM)- One man is dead another was critically injured in a plane crash just south of the Northwest Regional Airport near Roanoke in Denton County. 

 The crash happened just after 1 p.m. as a single engine 4 passenger Piper Cherokee PA-28R-180 was taking off.

Witnesses heard a strange noise from coming the plane as it took off and went outside to see what was going on.

“You could see he wasn’t climbing very well,” said Glenn Harrington, Director of Operations for Marcair Aviation. “It was starting to clear the trees and the end, made a bit of a left turn and pancaked down into the trees.”

The crash site is about a half mile from the end of the runway.

CBS 11 News’ Doug Dunbar, who is also a pilot, was at the airport shooting another story.

Harrington told Dunbar and two others a plane went down at the end of the runway and the four jumped into a vehicle and rushed to the scene.

“We saw the airplane. It was in the trees canted to the right side, wings were gone. We couldn’t see wings anywhere,” Dunbar said. “A friend of mine was in that airplane.”

The pilot was unconscious when they arrived on the scene. The passenger, a flight instructor, was conscious and talking.

Paramedics arrived a short time later and a PHI medical helicopter transported the passenger to John Peter Smith Hospital in critical condition.

The FAA was on the scene investigating. NTSB is taking over the investigation.

One person died and another person was injured in a small airplane crash just south of the Northwest Regional Airport in Roanoke on Saturday afternoon.

The FAA said the crash involved a Piper PA 28 aircraft. The wreckage is in the woods south of the airport in Denton County.  It went down shortly after take off around 1:30 p.m.

"The aircraft, when it crashed, the wings tore loose from the fuelsage," said Department of Public Safety spokesman Lonny Haschel. "The fuelsage was what actually went into the ground. There was not fire because the fuel was actually on the wings."

The injured person was taken to the hospital.  The identity of both victims has not been released publicly. 

People at the Northwest Regional Airport said the plane's owner and a flight instructor were aboard when the plane crashed. 

A young flight student knew one of the crash victims. "I saw him about 15-20 minutes before he went up," said Alexander Vanover, flight student. "He said a couple of words and I said goodbye, shook his hand, and was out the door. I'm thinking of him. I remember that plane taking off, went inside to get my sunglasses and when I came out, there were ambulances running down the runway."

The FAA told NBC DFW that National Transportation Safety Board has been notified and investigators are headed to the scene.

Update 3:20 p.m.: The Department of Public Safety is reporting that the pilot of a small airplane that crashed just south of the Northwest Regional Airport in Roanoke on Saturday died on impact.

The crash happened at around 1:22 p.m.

The pilot was flying a Piper Arrow PA-28R, which is a single-engine plane that seats four. Authorities said there was one other person in the plane at the time of the wreck. That passenger was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth with serious injuries.

Authorities were unable to immediately release the identities of the pilot or the passenger.

DPS also was able to release more details about how the crash happened. Trooper Lonny Haschell said the pilot was taking off from the airport’s runway “and, for reasons as yet undetermined, lost altitude and crashed into a wooded area south of the runway.”

DPS troopers are on the scene waiting for Federal Aviation Administration investigators to arrive. The FAA will be responsible for determining the cause of the crash.

Original: At least one person has been hospitalized in a small plane crash just south of Northwest Regional Airport in Roanoke.

Firefighters from Denton and Roanoke are still on the scene trying to process information. Lt. Doug Parks of the Roanoke Fire Department said the plane that crashed was a small, single-engine general aviation plane.

It’s not immediately clear what caused the crash, but the plane seems to have come to the ground near the runway. Parks said the wreckage is in a wooded area about a half a mile from the southern tip of the runway.

The number of people in the plane and the extent of their injuries could not be immediately confirmed. Parks said that one patient has been transported by helicopter to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth.  The Federal Aviation Administration has been called the scene to investigate.

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