-Cessna 172, N953SP: Accident occurred May 26, 2012 in St. George, Utah

NTSB Identification: WPR12FA230 
 14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, May 26, 2012 in St. George, UT
Aircraft: CESSNA 172S, registration: N953SP
Injuries: 4 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 May 26, 2012, about 0120 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172S, N953SP, collided with terrain shortly after departing from St. George Municipal Airport, St. George, Utah. Diamond Flying LLC was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The commercial pilot and three passenger sustained fatal injuries; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The local personal flight was departing from St. George with a planned destination of Mesquite, Nevada. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.

A review of the recorded security camera footage at the airport revealed that the airplane could be seen in the nighttime conditions by the blinking left-wing strobe light and the navigation light mounted on the tail. The airplane appeared to depart from runway 19 and maneuver at a low altitude for the length of the runway while increasing its airspeed. Near the end of the runway, the airplane began a rapid ascent and continued out of the view of the camera. After about 7 seconds, the airplane reappears further down the frame in a rapid descent.

The accident site was located in the hard dirt area (the southerly primary surface) adjacent to the departure end of runway 19. Situated on the level terrain, the airplane came to rest in an inverted attitude and was oriented on a 315-degree magnetic bearing. The main wreckage, which consisted of a majority of the airframe and engine, was located about 525 feet from the edge of the runway's center point.

The first identified point of impact was a ground scar impression about 40 feet from the main wreckage that dimensionally and geometrically resembled the wings with a crater-like impression in between. The span of the ground disturbance was about 36.5 feet, with red lens fragments located near the east side and green fragments on the westerly side; the airplane's wingspan was 36.1 feet. Imbedded in the center crater was a portion of a propeller blade and the nose wheel. In the debris field from the ground scar to the main wreckage was the oil sump, the propeller, and engine accessories.

A routine aviation weather report (METAR) generated by an Automated Surface Observation System (ASOS) at the airport, indicated that about 5 minutes prior to the accident the conditions were as follows: wind was from 260 degrees at 9 knots; temperature 66 degrees Fahrenheit; dew point 28 degrees Fahrenheit; and altimeter 29.60 inHg.

ST. GEORGE – The Federal Aviation Administration investigation into the recent plane crash of May 26, 2012, at St. George Municipal Airport seeks public input.

FAA Inspector Lewis Olsen, out of Salt Lake City, is the investigator in charge of the FAA investigation. He said that he has confirmed that Tanner Holt flew the plane that was involved in the crash of May 26 to Phoenix, Ariz., and back to St. George the week before the crash, returning on May 20. He has not been able to identify the airport in Phoenix that Holt flew into and out of.

“I need to calculate the weight and balance,” said Olsen. In order to do so, he said he needs to determine “how much fuel could he possibly have on board.”

Olsen asked that anyone who knows the passengers that accompanied Holt to Phoenix, and those passengers themselves, contact him directly. He said the questions he will ask are: ”Who went to Phoenix? Where did you park? Did you see him get fuel? And, if so, how much?”

Olsen said that the bodies of the victims of the crash have been transported to the coroner in Salt Lake City.

“Amongst the four there is the smell of alcohol,” Olsen said. “We are doing toxicology.”

He said toxicology is being run on more than just one of them.

Anyone with any information to assist Olsen in his investigation is asked to contact him as follows:

Email: Lewis.C.Olson@FAA.gov

Telephone: 801-257-5053

The FAA Investigation is a separate investigation from that being performed by the National Transportation Safety Board.

http://www.stgeorgeutah.com

http://flightaware.com/photo

 

Jud Burkett | The Spectrum 

Zoë Keliher, an air safety investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, explains the process behind her investigation into the crash of the single engine plane in which four people were killed early Saturday as she combs through the wreckage inside a hangar at the St. George Airport Monday, May 28, 2012.

 Authorities on Monday allowed the news media to photograph the wreckage of the single-engine plane that crashed near the St. George Municipal Airport Saturday, killing four Washington County men.

The photographs show the wreckage after it was relocated to the interior of a hangar at the airport.

The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the cause of the crash.

Photo Gallery:   http://www.sltrib.com

Control Tower Tapes As Pilot Crashes Into San Diego Bay: Pilots Back In The Air 2 Days After Crash

SAN DIEGO -- Two days after crashing a plane into San Diego Bay, the two pilots who survived the ordeal were flying again.

New video obtained by 10News shows the moment a single-engine plane splashed into the water due to mechanical problems. The plane made the emergency landing at about 4:30 p.m. Saturday in the bay in front of the Hilton Bayfront Hotel, near the San Diego Convention Center, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue

"It went right into the water," one witness told 10News. "It hit. It impacted, kind of rolled a little bit and then we saw a head bobbing out of it. We knew someone had made it out of there."10News has learned of at least three other plane crashes for Aerial Advertising, the company that owns the Cessna that crashed.

In 2006, a female pilot lost her life in a crash at Gillespie Field. Also that year, a pilot survived a crash landing on state Route 125 near El Cajon after having engine trouble. In 2010, a pilot had to make an emergency landing at an El Cajon intersection before the aircraft burst into flames. The pilot in that crash survived."It's probably not indicative of any kinds of shortcomings on the part of this particular operator," said local aviation expert Fred George.George told 10News banner towing is inherently dangerous because the planes used for it are not designed for that purpose.

"It requires skill on the part of the pilot to not only pick up the banner and get it airborne," said George.On Monday, the two men who survived Saturday's crash were out flying again. They flew from Gillespie Field to San Diego Bay, towing a banner for the USS Midway Museum that read, "Honor those that keep us safe."George said crop dusters are better suited for banner towing but are rarely used because they are more expensive.

Previous Stories:

• May 27, 2012: Pilot Who Made Emergency Landing In Bay Talks To 10News
• May 27, 2012: Plane Makes Emergency Landing In SD Bay, 2 Survive

http://www.10news.com

Groupon Good for Flight School, Bad for Neighbors? Neighbors say online coupons for discounted flight lessons out of Santa Monica Airport put their safety at risk

 

 A screen grab of a Groupon for Justice Aviation based at Santa Monica Airport. Credit Jenna Chandler

In the past two months, a Santa Monica Airport flight school has sold more than 480 coupons for discounted pilot lessons. The success, however, has raised questions at City Hall about whether such promotions come at the detriment of airport neighbors.

In its first Groupon ad, Justice Aviation enticed novice pilots with this language: "man the controls and try steep turns while flying over the Santa Monica Pier, Malibu Hills, and scenic landmarks."

The attempt to grow the business nettled some residents who said Justice Aviation was putting their safety in the hands of adventure-seeking amateurs.

So the second ad in May was phrased more delicately. The ability to take steep turns would be "far away from civilization and guided by the instructor" and after the passenger had his thrill, the aircraft would "gently float back to Santa Monica Airport."

It was a deliberate "effort on our part to try to make our neighbors believe reality: that dangerous maneuvers are not being done over their homes," said owner Joe Justice.

At a future meeting, the Santa Monica Airport Commission will discuss whether such ads violate city policy or lease agreements. It will be the first in a series of discussions the commission, which serves as an advisory body to the Santa Monica City Council, intends to hold to examine actions of flight schools that may "increase noise, emissions, and crash risks for surrounding communities."

"To me it looks like a ride in an airplane, does he have the right to do that?" one commissioner questioned in March after Justice Aviation released its first Groupon.

"I do think it's fair to use this an example of activities of a flight school that may or may not be consistient with its [Commercial Operations Permit] and may or may not be consistent with city policy," said late commission chairman Richard Brown.

At the commission's March meeting, Deputy City Attorney Ivan Campbell said his hunch was that advertising for flight training services would fall within the perimeters of a COP.

"It’s far fetched for me to believe that people would think I would go into business to not be in business," Justice said. He he won't attend the hearing on his Groupon ad, likely to be held in June, because he believes the commission looks unfavorably at flight schools.

RELATED: PANEL DISPUTES CITY CHARGE OF ANTI-AIRPORT BIAS

"Until such time the Airport Commission returns to what it once was, a forum represented by both sides... I don’t really desire to partake in any of the meetings," Justice said.

But that's what Brown said he wanted to do. The late chairman said he hoped a hearing would give the flight school the opportunity "to come in and explain [its] action, which might put it an entirely different light than people think it is."

Original article, photo and comments:   http://venice.patch.com

Ultra-light plane crashes near Cecilton, Maryland; both occupants uninjured

Two men are safe after their ultra-light plane crashed south of Cecilton Monday night. 

 The crash occurred at around 7:01 p.m. at a private airstrip at the corner of Holly Drive and Knights Island Road, across from the entrance to Indian Acres.

According to authorities at the scene, the pilot was attempting to take off when a southerly wind pushed the plane into a row of trees at the end of the airstrip.

The pilot was able to climb down, but his passenger remained stuck in a tree before being rescued by emergency crews a short time later.

Both men declined medical treatment. Their names and ages have not yet been released.

Authorities say the plane, which resembles a go-cart with a parachute attached, came to rest in a tree approximately 15 feet off the ground.

Maryland State Police are on the scene investigating the crash.

Source:  http://www.cecildaily.com

Angel Flight volunteer flies patients to medical care

Every few months, Jason Tuggle takes a special trip in his blue and white Piper Cherokee Six.

The Leander businessman drives to the Georgetown Municipal Airport, loads a few people into his six-seater plane and flies them across the state for medical care. Sometimes they go to Houston, sometimes Brady or Lubbock. And he does it all for free.

"I get to fly have fun and give back to people who are in need of help," he said. "It's a perfect fit."

Tuggle, 32, is one of 1,100 pilots who volunteer with Angel Flight South Central, a nonprofit that provides free long-distance transportation to people who need medical care in other cities. In 2011, the nonprofit — founded in 1991 by a group of North Texas pilots — arranged more than 4,500 missions in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana, said Tim Dammon, the group's president.

The pilots donate their plane, gas and time and ask for nothing in return, Dammon said. The nonprofit, which is a 501(c)(3), has five employees and an annual budget of $390,000 that comes from donations.

"This is totally at their own expense," he said. "No pilot with Angel Flight South Central is reimbursed a single penny for their flight expenses. This is truly grassroots philanthropy."

Tuggle, who runs his own printing company, had always wanted to learn how to fly. Five years ago, he started taking lessons. He was immediately hooked, often embarking on weekend trips with his wife, Morgan, and their dog, Runway.

But he also wanted to do some charity work, he said. Angel Flight mixed his hobby with helping others, and he has been volunteering for four years.

Tuggle's first mission was to take a man with prostate cancer and his wife to Houston for medical treatment. It was a quiet flight, Tuggle said. But the family was grateful for the help.

Now Tuggle goes on about six Angel Flight trips a year. He has heard stories since he first started volunteering and learns something from all of his passengers.

"It puts life in perspective," he said. "When you think you're having a bad day and you hear their stories, you know you're not having a bad day at all."

For more information on Angel Flight South Central, go to angelflightsc.org.

http://www.statesman.com

Pilatus PC-12: Wild Horses and Strange Primary Flight Display

 May 24, 2012 by buckmetta 

"How many horses you really use in your airplane? I like to use all horses (1.900) in take-off - about 1.000 at cruise - 250 in approach etc etc" 

 

May 22, 2012 by buckmetta 

 "Try to find sth very strange at PFD during final approach...I was there, well... see it for yourself."

Body Recovered: PHI Helicopter down near Grand Isle

New information on a PHI helicopter, that crashed late Sunday afternoon in the Gulf of Mexico. Crews say the chopper with one person on board, went down about 35 miles Southwest of Grand Isle. There is no word yet on where the flight originated, but we do know that a good Samaritan dive team from the vessel Ocean Inspector located the pilot inside the aircraft's cockpit which was fully submerged. The pilot's identity has not yet been released and the cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Ontario, Canada: Sarnia Chris Hadfield Airport future on shaky ground

Commercial airline service at Sarnia Chris Hadfield Airport could be gone by 2017 unless more passengers start using it, warns airport manager Clare Webb.

“I’m not optimistic we’ll have airline service five years from now,” he told city council Monday.

Webb said the future of commercial service is “touchy.”

“We are extremely lucky to have scheduled flights from a carrier of the calibre of Air Canada,” he said. “But there will come a day when it’s not worthwhile unless there’s a turnaround in passenger (volume).”

In 1997, when the city assumed ownership from the federal government, the local airport provided nine daily flights and catered to 50,000 passengers annually.

Over the past 15 years, flights have been reduced to three or four a day and only 20,000 to 25,000 passengers arrive or depart every year.

Sarnia’s airport is still widely used by corporate jets and small, private aircraft, says a report prepared for council by Peter Hungerford, the city’s director of economic development and corporate planning.

Since 1997, management of Chris Hadfield Airport was contracted to a private company named Scottsdale and it has not cost Sarnia taxpayers a penny, the report says.

However, about 85% of airport revenue comes directly from Air Canada, which is the only commercial airline using it.

“I worry about losing that service, even for a short time, because getting it back would be very difficult,” Webb said.

In large part, Scottsdale depends on revenue generated from a $20 per person passenger facility fee.

Several councillors asked if there was more to be done to market the airport and attract more commercial users.

Too many people fly in and out of London Airport, noted Coun. Dave Boushy.

“Every time London improves their airport, that takes a huge chunk out of our market,” agreed Coun. Mike Kelch. “I know for Imperial Oil folks on their way to Calgary, chances are they take a drive to London and hop onto a flight.”

That’s because getting a flight from London can be cheaper, Webb said. And flying south from Detroit or Flint, Michigan is less expensive than flying out of Sarnia, he said.

“But I also want to make the point that if you’re travelling from Sarnia to Toronto to catch a connector flight, it’s not necessarily more expensive.”

Webb said he believes the 18-seater commercial flights out of Chris Hadfield Airport have fewer passenger because improved technology has made travelling to Toronto easier.

Kelch said he’s nervous about the airport’s future but doesn’t believe there’s a lot the city can do about it.

“I think it will always have a place for specialty flights, for helicopters and corporate jets ... that might be where its future lies,” Kelch said.

The impending loss of Canadian Coast Guard jobs in Sarnia also has Webb concerned.

“The Coast Guard is one of our better customers. We’ll feel that as well,” he said.

City council has requested another report from Hungerford by fall to compare operations at Sarnia Chris Hadfield Airport with other Ontario airports.

Source:  http://www.theobserver.ca

New Jersey: Banner plane business takes off

It's a noise we are all familiar with, the clacking engine of the small planes that have been flying the coast of the jersey shore since the 1940's.

As millions of people flock to the shore every summer, business for aerial advertising takes off.

"Along the Jersey Shore on a weekend you can have up to a million people, when you cover Jersey to New York on a weekend, you can hit 3 million people," Dave Dempsey of High Exposure Aerial Advertising said.

Many wonder, how do you these banners get in the air? Does the plane drag them down the runway? Well we went and found out.

These little one seater planes nose dive down with a cable and hook, almost like a fishing line hanging from the back, and scoop the banners right off the ground and then stay in the air as long as seven hours.

"A pilot may take a banner from here at Woodbine, New Jersey, all the way up to New York, and down to Ocean City Maryland," Dempsey explained.

High Exposure Aerial Advertising has quite a few older planes, and today one of its 1956 one-seaters is headed up to Belmar, New Jersey, and then back to Cape May. On its journey it will see about a million and half eyeballs, costing the company about 1400 dollars.

"An average flight from Cape May to Atlantic City is gonna take about an hour and forty-five to 2 hours and probably going to cost you about 700 dollars," Dempsey said.

That's quite a bargain if you think about how many people will see it and how nobody can turn the channel or flip the page.

Each of the letters is about five feet for an average banner, but special banners may be as big as 50 X 80 ft.

"A lot of eyeballs will see that flight and they can't help looking up in the sky to see your banner flying by," Dempsey said.

The view from 1000 ft up is much different than from the beach, not a bad office window for the pilots, but one thing is for sure, all of them wear life vests.

Source:   http://www.nbc40.net

James Duncan, Paul Gardella ID'd as victims of Fauquier plane crash: Beechcraft V35B Bonanza, N6658R and Piper PA28, N23SC: Aircraft collided with another aircraft in flight - Warrenton, Virginia

Investigator Brad Vardy inspects the Piper PA-28 that collided with another plane Monday near Sumerduck.

 Credit TSB-Canada 

The Piper owned by Broad Run resident Thomas R. Proven, who survived Monday's midair plane collision near Sumerduck. 

Credit TSB-Canada

Authorities have identified the two men who were killed in a mid-air plane crash in Fauquier County over the Memorial Day weekend. 

 The victims are identified as Paul Gardella, Jr., 57, of Burke, Va. and James M. Duncan, 60, of Bethesda.

Duncan was the pilot of the plane. He works for National Transportation Safety Board.

The mid-air collision involved a Piper PA-28 and a Beech Bonanza near Warrenton-Fauquier Airport in Virginia.

The pilot of the PA-28, 70-year-old Thomas R. Proven, of Broad Run, was transported to Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg, where he was still being treated on Tuesday afternoon.

Proven is an inspector with the FAA.

Canadian officials are taking over the investigation into a deadly Memorial Day mid-air collision because the planes involved were owned by federal aviation and transportation employees, the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday.

 

Paul Gardella was killed in the plane crash.

 (Photo courtesy www.aviationadventures.com)

BEALETON, Va. -  Canadian officials are taking over the investigation into a deadly Memorial Day mid-air collision because the planes involved were owned by federal aviation and transportation officials.

The National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday that one of its employees owned the six-seat Beechcraft BE-25 in which two people were killed in the collision in Fauquier County. The medical examiner's office has yet to identify the two victims.

The pilot of the other plane -- a Piper PA-28 -- is an employee of the Federal Aviation Administration. Seventy-year-old Thomas Proven was listed in good condition at a local hospital Tuesday. He declined interview requests.

NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman and FAA Acting Administrator Michael Huerta requested that the Transportation Safety Board of Canada conduct this investigation.

Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller says one of the planes caught fire after Monday's collision. The planes went down about a mile apart, and debris was scattered between the two crash sites.

Authorities say they recovered two bodies from a six-seat aircraft. The pilot of the second plane, 70-year-old Thomas R. Proven, of Broad Run, was transported to Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg.

Mary Washington Healthcare spokeswoman Debbie McInnis said Proven was listed in good condition on Tuesday afternoon, but could not elaborate on the extent of his injuries. She said Proven has declined interview requests.

Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown says a Piper PA-28 operated by the injured pilot appeared to be headed to the Warrenton-Fauquier airport. State police said the plane departed from Culpeper Regional Airport.

Investigators from the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.

Fauquier resident Debbie Underwood told The Free Lance-Star that she and her daughter were enjoying Memorial Day with family when she saw the planes crash into each other.

"They looked like they were going to do an aerial," said Underwood, who frequently sees small planes from the nearby Flying Circus doing stunts.

Bill Iames was in his garage when he heard a bang and "looked out the window and saw smoke coming up" from a wooded area across the road. He and others ran to the crash scene but the plane was a crumpled mass of burning debris.

"You couldn't even tell it was a plane," Iames said.

One of the planes involved in a mid-air collision Monday afternoon in southern Fauquier County is owned by the Provens from Broad Run.

 
http://registry.faa.gov/N6658R

http://registry.faa.gov/N23SC

Survivor of midair plane crash identified

The Virginia State Police identified the survivor of Monday’s midair plane crash as 70-year-old Thomas R. Proven of Broad Run.

Proven was flying a 1965 Piper and crash-landed in a field near the spot where the other plane crashed in a ball of fire, killing both on board. Their bodies were taken to the medical examiner in Manassas. Their identities have not yet been confirmed, according to Corrine Geller with the state police. Proven was taken to Mary Washington Hospital.

The state police and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash, which happened just after 4 p.m. on a clear day in southern Fauquier.

Fauquier resident Debbie Underwood and her daughter Tina Cleveland were enjoying Memorial Day with family when they saw the planes crash into each other.

“They looked like they were going to do an aerial,” said Underwood, who added that they frequently see small planes from the nearby Flying Circus doing stunts.

She and others watched as the planes collided and one went down in a ball of fire near Underwood’s home on Union Church Road. They heard two explosions after the midair crash.

A neighbor, Bill Iames, was in his garage when the crash happened. “I heard a bang, looked out the window and saw smoke coming up” from a wooded area across the road. He and others ran to the crash scene but the plane was a crumpled mass of burning debris. “You couldn’t even tell it was a plane.”

Police say the plane that crashed was destroyed by fire.

The crash happened at about 4 p.m. Monday in the area of Silver Hill Union Church roads. Police said the crash scene is secluded and difficult to access.

Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown told the Associated Press that both planes were small, private aircraft. She told the AP that the plane operated by the pilot who was injured appeared to be inbound for the Warrenton-Fauquier airport.

http://blogs.fredericksburg.com/newsdesk/2012/05/28/midair-crash-kills-pilot/

FAA IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 6658R        Make/Model: BE35      Description: 35 Bonanza
  Date: 05/28/2012     Time: 1600

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Destroyed

LOCATION
  City: WARRENTON   State: VA   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH ANOTHER AIRCRAFT IN FLIGHT. WARRENTON, VA

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   2
                 # Crew:   0     Fat:   2     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: Unknown      Phase: Unknown      Operation: OTHER


  FAA FSDO: WASHINGTON IAD, DC  (EA27)            Entry date: 05/29/2012 

FAA IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 23SC        Make/Model: PA28      Description: PA-28 CHEROKEE, ARROW, WARRIOR, ACHER, D
  Date: 05/28/2012     Time: 1600

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Minor     Mid Air: Y    Missing: N
  Damage: Substantial

LOCATION
  City: WARRENTON   State: VA   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH ANOTHER AIRCRAFT WHILE IN FLIGHT. WARRENTON, VA

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   0
                 # Crew:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   1     Unk:    
                 # Pass:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:    
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:    


OTHER DATA
  Activity: Pleasure      Phase: Approach      Operation: OTHER


  FAA FSDO: WASHINGTON IAD, DC  (EA27)            Entry date: 05/29/2012 

Cessna 172S, N953SP: Accident occurred May 26, 2012 in St. George, Utah

NTSB Identification: WPR12FA230 
 14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, May 26, 2012 in St. George, UT
Aircraft: CESSNA 172S, registration: N953SP
Injuries: 4 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 May 26, 2012, about 0120 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172S, N953SP, collided with terrain shortly after departing from St. George Municipal Airport, St. George, Utah. Diamond Flying LLC was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The commercial pilot and three passenger sustained fatal injuries; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The local personal flight was departing from St. George with a planned destination of Mesquite, Nevada. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.

A review of the recorded security camera footage at the airport revealed that the airplane could be seen in the nighttime conditions by the blinking left-wing strobe light and the navigation light mounted on the tail. The airplane appeared to depart from runway 19 and maneuver at a low altitude for the length of the runway while increasing its airspeed. Near the end of the runway, the airplane began a rapid ascent and continued out of the view of the camera. After about 7 seconds, the airplane reappears further down the frame in a rapid descent.

The accident site was located in the hard dirt area (the southerly primary surface) adjacent to the departure end of runway 19. Situated on the level terrain, the airplane came to rest in an inverted attitude and was oriented on a 315-degree magnetic bearing. The main wreckage, which consisted of a majority of the airframe and engine, was located about 525 feet from the edge of the runway's center point.

The first identified point of impact was a ground scar impression about 40 feet from the main wreckage that dimensionally and geometrically resembled the wings with a crater-like impression in between. The span of the ground disturbance was about 36.5 feet, with red lens fragments located near the east side and green fragments on the westerly side; the airplane's wingspan was 36.1 feet. Imbedded in the center crater was a portion of a propeller blade and the nose wheel. In the debris field from the ground scar to the main wreckage was the oil sump, the propeller, and engine accessories.

A routine aviation weather report (METAR) generated by an Automated Surface Observation System (ASOS) at the airport, indicated that about 5 minutes prior to the accident the conditions were as follows: wind was from 260 degrees at 9 knots; temperature 66 degrees Fahrenheit; dew point 28 degrees Fahrenheit; and altimeter 29.60 inHg.

ST. GEORGE – The Federal Aviation Administration investigation into the recent plane crash of May 26, 2012, at St. George Municipal Airport seeks public input.

FAA Inspector Lewis Olsen, out of Salt Lake City, is the investigator in charge of the FAA investigation. He said that he has confirmed that Tanner Holt flew the plane that was involved in the crash of May 26 to Phoenix, Ariz., and back to St. George the week before the crash, returning on May 20. He has not been able to identify the airport in Phoenix that Holt flew into and out of.

“I need to calculate the weight and balance,” said Olsen. In order to do so, he said he needs to determine “how much fuel could he possibly have on board.”

Olsen asked that anyone who knows the passengers that accompanied Holt to Phoenix, and those passengers themselves, contact him directly. He said the questions he will ask are: ”Who went to Phoenix? Where did you park? Did you see him get fuel? And, if so, how much?”

Olsen said that the bodies of the victims of the crash have been transported to the coroner in Salt Lake City.

“Amongst the four there is the smell of alcohol,” Olsen said. “We are doing toxicology.”

He said toxicology is being run on more than just one of them.

Anyone with any information to assist Olsen in his investigation is asked to contact him as follows:

Email: Lewis.C.Olson@FAA.gov

Telephone: 801-257-5053

The FAA Investigation is a separate investigation from that being performed by the National Transportation Safety Board.

http://www.stgeorgeutah.com

http://flightaware.com/photo

Written by Joyce Kuzmanic on May 28, 2012:

ST. GEORGE – When Justin Ross telephoned his friends, Tanner Holt, Jordan Chapman, Alex Metzger and Colby Hafen, at 1:10 a.m. on May 26 to tell them he had decided not to join up with them to go to Mesquite, he had no idea it would be the last time he ever spoke with them – or that his decision to not go may have saved his own life. “I was the last one to talk to them,” Ross said.

Ross had spent most of the evening on May 25, with Holt, Chapman, Metzger and Hafen.

“We were at a house just having some fun,” Ross said. “You know, everyone was just kind of hanging out, then one of my buddy’s was having a party at his house and we were on our way over there –and we ended up getting pulled over.”

A Washington City police officer had ran Chapman’s plates and pulled us over for lack of insurance. Ross said they were pulled over at the Hart’s gas station in Washington in the area of Albertson’s and Home Depot. Ross said that Chapman apologized to the officer for not having insurance, that he had just bought his car on Monday.

“And in the meantime, while the cop was running his license and everything, we came up with the idea, ‘guys, let’s just go to Mesquite and just skip out on going to that party,’ and so all of just agreed to go to Mesquite.”

While they were waiting for the officer to finish what he was doing, Ross decided not to go with the guys to Mesquite.

A friend of his, Allie Davis, who he had planned to get together with, happened to be on her way to Wal-mart at the time. So she came and picked up Ross, and the other four guys headed to Mesquite.

“So me and Allie were driving around,” Ross said, and “Tanner called and said ‘dude, don’t you want to go to Mesquite with us? You should come.’

“So I asked Allie – she agreed.

“So I was like, let me call you back I’ll let you know.

 “We were turning off bluff street onto the freeway,” Ross said. “Something ran through me that said ‘Justin, don’t go,’ and those guys were on the freeway, so I ended up calling those guys back and telling them we’re not going to go – and I think that’s why they ended up taking that plane, because there were just four of them – if I would’ve ended up going with them they probably would’ve ended up just driving there.”

 Ross said with certainty that he called the guys at 1:10 a.m. he repeated that it was 1:10 a.m. when he called them to tell them he was not going with them to Mesquite.


He said that was the last time he talked to them.

Ross has been a good friend with all four guys killed in the plane crash from one to two years each.

“We were really good volleyball friends, we’d go to the lake, lay out by the pool, we were just always doing something fun.”

He said they have partied together, but he does not remember any time that they were not responsible doing so.

Before the guys left the first party, which had 17-20 people including Ross and the four, Ross said that they were “pre-gaming” for the other party. “I know Tanner had a couple shots of alcohol. Jordan was the only one who was not drinking, because I actually offered him a thing of alcohol and he said ‘no, I’m driving, I’m designated driver (moving his hands in sign language to show the “driving” gesture Jordan had given him).” He said he knows Holt had two shots of something like Southern Comfort because they had them together, but could not say if Holt had any more than those. He said Metzger and Hafen were drinking also. He said there was no alcohol in the car with them when they left the party.

Ross said he has seen speculation that the four headed to a game in San Diego.
“I know they were not going to San Diego because we were all going to San Diego in the morning and we had rented a van. Alex had rented a van to go to San Diego on Saturday – we was going to leave right after my buddy Kazj Briggs got off work at 3 p.m. Kazj is one of our friends, we was actually at his house, that’s where we were at when we was drinking.”

Ross said he thinks that maybe they decided to fly to Mesquite because they had just been pulled over for no insurance, and they were partying and having a good time and decided, ‘let’s just fly there.’ He said that Tanner did fly that same plane out to Phoenix with a couple friends to visit him last weekend.

Ross said that he doesn’t know one person that doesn’t like these kids:
“They were all friends and they always put a smile on people’s faces, they always brightened up a room when they walk through the door. I am extremely sad for the loss of these four, and my prayers are going out to the families of each of them.

“These were the happiest kids alive, they were social, they knew everybody, they were just the happiest people alive.”

Read more and comments:  http://www.stgeorgeutah.com

Related stories:
Investigation into May 26 plane crash, public input requested
Names of plane crash victims released
Fatal plane crash discovered by airport security at dawn

FAA IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 953SP        Make/Model: C172      Description: Skyhawk
  Date: 05/26/2012     Time: 0800

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Substantial

LOCATION
  City: SAINT GEORGE   State: UT   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT CRASHED ON TAKEOFF UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES. ST. GEORGE, UT

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   4
                 # Crew:   0     Fat:   1     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:    
                 # Pass:   0     Fat:   3     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:    
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:    


OTHER DATA
  Activity: Unknown      Phase: Take-off      Operation: OTHER


  FAA FSDO: SALT LAKE CITY, UT  (NM07)            Entry date: 05/29/2012 

Nieces' Search for Their Uncle's WWII Wreckage Takes Them Around the World

View more videos at: http://nbclosangeles.com.

 Marcy Hannigan traveled to the jungles of Rabaul in New Guinea to find out what truly happened to her uncle, Lt. Mike Zanger. A pilot during WWII, he collided with another plane in mid-air and became a prisoner of war, dying at the hands of the Japanese military. The mystery of his fate brought together historian Henry Sakada and Zanger's family. Ana Garcia reports for the NCB4 News at 5 p.m. on May 25, 2012. 

 Marcy Hanigan delights in sharing pictures of her mother and uncle.

One rare and cherished photo appears to be from the late 1920s. It is a black and white image of a pretty, tall, leggy girl and a younger boy in high-waisted shorts and striped knee socks. Hanigan’s mother, Grace, drapes a protective arm over her younger brother Mike.

Hanigan said her mother rarely spoke about her little brother.

“Uncle Mike’s death really knocked the life out of her. She never got over it,” Hanigan said.
Lt. Mike Zanger was a Marine, a pilot in World War II who died as a prisoner of war under the Japanese.

Hanigan said his death left a hole in her mother’s heart, and in many ways a hole in her life.

“I wanted to know my uncle. I didn’t realize there was such a void,” she said.

It was a loss and a yearning she shared with her sisters, Andrea and Susan. Ultimately their aching curiosity led them to Henry Sakaida.

Sakaida, a forensic historian, had been studying Zanger since 1981.

For nearly thirty years he had undergone the patient task of requesting documents from the government and the military. He had poured over files and papers and interviewed Japanese pilots who had seen Zanger in captivity.

Sakaida knew details of Zanger final months: Zanger had crashed in Dec. 1944.

He had been a Corsair pilot, one the Japanese feared, Sakaida said.

“It was a heavy fighter plane. It was very powerful and heavily armed. It was just a formidable opponent,” Sakaida said.

Zanger was flying a mission over New Guinea when he collided with his wingman and sustained major damage to his plane. Zanger’s plane started to spin; he bailed out, parachuting into the jungles of Rabaul.

Sakaida said Zanger had a survival pack that included a one-man rubber dinghy. Sakaida believes he boarded the raft and set off in the bay to escape.

“He had had gone quite a distance but the little rubber dinghy is painted yellow – so it could be seen from the shore. It was easy to see him in the bay like that,” Sakaida said.

Zanger was captured by a Japanese navy patrol boat and “languished in captivity for six months,” Sakaida said.

Military reports noted that Zanger was shot trying to escape captivity. But Sakaida contends that could not be true because the Japanese were cruel to their prisoners, and Zanger would not have been physically capable to escape the guards and make a run for it.

Upon reading the Zanger’s autopsy report, Sakaida discovered that Zanger “had lots of fractures and broken bones but no gunshot wounds and that led me to believe that he was beaten to death and not shot.”

Twice, Sakaid, determined to share the truth with Zanger’s family, left notes where the pilot was buried.

Years later, Hanigan and her sisters found Sakaida. The persistent historian who had been so diligent said he was “flabbergasted.”

Sakaida suggested the group take a trip to the other side of the world. He suggested they travel to Rabaul, New Guinea, to search for the plane.

He laughs when he recalls the reaction of others:

“My friends would say, ‘What? You are taking three old ladies to Rabaul? To the jungles?’ I said, ‘Sure, why not?’”

Both Sakaida and Hanigan say the trip would have been impossible without the expertise of Justin Taylan. founder of Pacific Wrecks, a non-profit dedicated to finding and preserving fighter planes from World War II.

Hanigan said these two men gave her the “gift of a lifetime.”

Taylan had coordinates for where the plane went down, and where the wreckage should be, but when they got to the exact location, the plane was buried in years of mud, muck and mosquitos.

Taylan spoke the local dialect and shared Zanger’s and his nieces’ story with the villagers, who cleared the brush from the area, and bailed out the water so that what remained of the plane could be retrieved.

Hanigan described them as some of the kindest and most humane people she has ever met.

Now pieces of the wreckage were laid out before them. But was this Zanger’s plane?

In order to confirm, the group scoured each piece of the wreck in search of an identifying mark.

Most corsairs were built by Vought, but Lt. Mike Zanger flew a plane built by Goodyear.

They needed to find the Goodyear stamp. Hanigan said it was grueling and precise work.

“We were looking for a very small stamp that was smaller than a dime,” she said.

One of the local women came over and asked Hanigan’s sister to draw the logo – it was a capital “G” with a smaller capital “A” inside of it.

Hanigan said what happened next is a moment she will never forget: “The documents said our uncle’s plane had crashed at 2:30 in the afternoon and at 2:30 in the afternoon on the dot we found the identifying mark. It was really magical.”

Hanigan and her sisters wept at the sight of the logo. They were in the presence of their uncle’s plane; they were touching the pieces he touched.

“I don’t think I am the same person,” Hanigan said.

Despite having never met her Uncle Mike, she now feels a real connection with him, and standing there with her sisters over the wreckage was a way to honor him.

Hanigan said, in many ways, the journey was for their mother.

“I think she would have been moved to tears over this,” Hanigan said. “It would have meant so much to her. She would have been real proud of us. I know that. “

Source:   http://www.nbclosangeles.com

From Iniakuk Lake to Afghanistan

Rex Gray with his son Ben. They had just finished Ben's first solo flight in the little green airplane they call "The Champ." 

Photo courtesy of Rex Gray. 

 Alaska Air National Guard troops are getting ready to deploy to Afghanistan. Rex Gray is a parent of one of those citizen soldiers. His son Ben is heading off on his first deployment. In this commentary, Rex reflects on what the experience means to him.

He’s leaving for Afghanistan- heading to a Forward Operating Base. To fly a Pavehawk – A Blackhawk helicopter modified to rescue downed Airmen, Marines in tight spots, and who knows what else. He loves to fly.

His first airplane ride was in a Grumman Widgeon to Iniakuk Lake, in the Brooks Range. He was six months old. Sitting on his mother’s lap, he tried to wrap his little fingers around the control yoke. After landing he burped up his milk – but was still all smiles. That was 28 years ago.

He spent a lot his growing up time in little airplanes sitting beside me – old enough to hold the control wheel he would keep the wings level, or sometimes just look out the window. It was no surprise when he turned 15 he wanted to learn to fly.

Flying in Alaska is wonderful but risky. Some of my pilot friends have died here. If he was going to be a pilot I wanted to make sure he could recognize and deal with the risk. He is my son. I would be his flight instructor. I wanted make sure he knew everything he needed to know to give the him the best odds of surviving. We did spins, practiced landings in big crosswinds, flew in bad weather – intentionally. Sure we had the traditional father – teenage son conflicts but he learned, and before I knew it he was 17 and a private pilot.

“It’ll be fine,” he said. “I checked the weather.”

I watched him fly up the Mantanuska River Valley in that little green airplane we had spent so many hours in together. A towering thunderstorm over Sutton was trying to block the valley and his route.

“No worries, he’s been well trained,” I told myself.

Seems just like yesterday – a teenage pilot off to see another teenager living in the Wrangells. She is now his wife, and is also saying goodbye.

Almost 200 men and women are deploying. Most are citizen soldiers – or weekend warriors. They are helicopter pilots, C-130 pilots, PJs or para rescue-men, mechanics, crew chiefs, gunners, and support personnel. Their business is saving people. Last year 104 to be exact.

They’re our neighbors, co-workers, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, sons, and daughters – willing to do their duty half way around the world, in a hostile environment. They will be gone 120 days.

I taught him everything I knew about flying and risk management in that little green airplane, the Champ. I didn’t teach him how to avoid enemy fire in a low flying helicopter. He assured me the Air Force has.

In 120 days my son and all the others will return home safely. I’m looking forward to that day when we can go fly the little green airplane together again. I’m sure he’ll have lot to teach me.

Source:   http://www.alaskapublic.org

Royal Canadian Mounted Police say bullet hit Yellowknife float plane in mid-air: Plane was flying over Latham Island when pilot heard impact

A float plane sits at the Air Tindi base on Latham Island in Yellowknife. An aircraft was flying over the island Sunday when police say it was hit with a bullet. A float plane sits at the Air Tindi base on Latham Island in Yellowknife. An aircraft was flying over the island Sunday when police say it was hit with a bullet. 

   

Police are investigating after they say a float plane in Yellowknife was hit with a bullet in mid-air on Sunday afternoon.

The plane was damaged during a flight over the southeast side of Latham Island in the Old Town area sometime between 1:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. MT.

The RCMP said the pilot heard the impact during the flight, and inspected the plane after landing.

There was damage to one of the propellers and the engine bonnet. Police say the damage was minor, but could have been life-threatening.

The RCMP are investigating, and are asking anyone with information to contact them.

Source:  http://www.cbc.ca/news

Parachute flyers

McPherson, Kan. —   The colors in the sky were a bit more vibrant as the sun set in McPherson Thursday evening.

Peppered in the air were a handful of powered parachutes, utilizing the calm evening to float above McPherson Airport in every color of the rainbow. It was the start of a weekend fly-in for local pilots, scheduled to run through May 28.

This is the first year for McPherson to host the unofficial event, which previously took place in Herington.

About two-dozen pilots from central Kansas and surrounding states were expected to park their mobile homes at the airport and fly throughout the weekend, but strong winds chased many away, with gusts climbing to 27 miles per hour on Wednesday. Thursday evening's gusts, however, were just under the 10-mile per hour safety limit, allowing the local few to join the birds in flight.

Eye for the sky

Steve Mann of McPherson, a pilot for about seven years, was one who brought his powered parachute. Flying his machine satisfies the thirst for adventure he’s had his entire life.

“I’ve wanted to fly since I was a little kid,” he said.

At first, he thought that investing in radio-controlled airplanes would do the trick, but his feet were still on the ground.

He then put 100,000 miles on two Harley motorcycles. But he soon grew tired of that past time and traded one for a powered parachute.

“I really didn’t want to go some place, that wasn’t my goal,” he said. “I just wanted something so I could go up in the air and have fun.”

Investing in the machine not only gave him the thrill he was looking for, but was a way he could explore the sky independently without having to buy an airplane and store it in a warehouse.

“This was the most economical way to satisfy that urge to fly,” he said.

His love for the hobby has grown ever since.

Flying family

He began attending fly-ins in various parts of the county and building friendships with the other pilots.

“A lot of it’s the camaraderie and the friendship, and flying is a bonus,” he said. “When we come together, the boundaries between business and social status really dissolve. We’re out there and we’re flying and we’re having fun. It’s just people helping out people.”

Machine

Mann began with a smaller powered parachute but has bought, sold and traded until he obtained his fifth machine. It has a 100 horse power engine, which, if bought new, would cost $35,000.

There are two types of powered parachutes, a special light sport aircraft and an experimental light sport aircraft. They typically fly at around 35 miles per hour, but Mann has gotten his up to 62 miles per hour with the wind.

“It’s a great way to fly,” he said.

His altitude is often between 500 and 1,000 feet, but they can legally fly up to 10,000 feet, Mann said.

One of his favorite ways to fly is low to the ground so he can see the wildlife on the prairie and farmers in their fields. Individuals will often stop on the road to watch him hover in a five- to 10-mile radius.

“They’re a great magnet for people,” he said.

Safety

But although they like to observe, many are hesitant to be pilots.

“I have people tell me I’m crazy,” he said, adding many of them are motorcycle riders. “It’s a lot safer than being up there than driving a motorcycle down the highway.”

The machine has a parachute to land in case the engine should malfunction, and pilots and passengers are strapped in with a four-point harness.

“Statistically they say its one of the safest ways to fly,” he said. “Safety’s always first and foremost on everybody’s mind.”

Source:   http://www.mcphersonsentinel.com

Left engine could have developed snag during flight

The aviation regulator’s team that inspected a Jet Airways aircraft grounded on Monday after its left engine caught fire, suspects that the engine could have encountered a snag when the plane was airborne.

Airport staff had spotted smoke coming from the plane’s engine soon after it arrived from Riyadh with 158 passengers on board on Monday.

According to sources in the DGCA, about two hours before reaching the city, the cockpit crew had experienced an unusual wobble mid-air when the commander increased the air-craft’s speed.

But as the vibration was short lived, the pilots did not realise that a fault with the engine could have caused it. “Normally, cockpit crew seek permission to land on priority if they encounter a snag mid-air. But in this case the flight landed under normal circumstances,” said a senior DGCA official requesting anonymity.

Following preliminary inspection of the engine, DGCA officials said that it appeared completely damaged. “We will probe the history of the aircraft used for the flight and whether the airline has done the necessary maintenance checks laid down by the DGCA,” added the official.

DGCA officials added that fuel accumulated in the aircraft’s tailpipe could have caused the smoke. “There were two huge black marks around the plane’s tailpipe ostensibly caused by flames. There is a possibility that fuel or engine oil accumulated in the tailpipe caught fire,” said another DGCA official.

The regulator’s team has also told the airline to download the black box to access the crew’s role during the emergency. “According to the preliminary examination it seems that the flight crew had little role to perform as the smoke was spotted by the airport staff. However, we want to check if they followed the standard operation procedure laid down by the DGCA for such situations,” added the DGCA official.

http://www.hindustantimes.com

Air Canada 777 makes emergency landing in Toronto

 

Plane debris:   A man holds what is believed to be some of the debris which caused damage to vehicles this afternoon after an Air Canada Boeing 777 returned to Pearson following problems after take off. Jonathan Bergen's rear window of his vehicle was hit by falling debris. Bergen's vehicle was at the Petro Canada station at Kennedy Road and Derry Road.

 RICK MADONIK/Torstar News

TORONTO Police believe chunks of metal that fell on cars near Pearson International Airport on Monday afternoon came from an Air Canada jet that was forced to make an emergency landing after losing an engine.

Investigators know of four vehicles that were hit by pieces of metal about the size of a cellphone around 2:30 p.m. ET, said Peel regional police Const. George Tudos.

Witnesses reported seeing a plane with smoke coming from one of its engines shortly before police got calls about the falling debris, Tudos said.

“As it (the plane) was travelling away from Pearson we had other complaints stating that debris, consisting of metal objects, was falling from the sky.”

Tudos said there were no injuries and stressed that police can’t positively say the debris came from the Air Canada plane.

“We believe it is, but it’s not up to us — we’re not the investigating body,” he said.

No one on the ground was injured by the falling metal, Tudos said.

An Air Canada spokesman said a Boeing 777 headed for Japan was forced to return to Pearson shortly after takeoff when one of the two engines failed.

The plane landed normally on one engine, Peter Fitzpatrick said, adding there were no injuries among the 318 passengers and 16 crew.

A businessman who was on board the plane tweeted that passengers were told it was an engine overheating.

“Seems my plane fell apart! Luckily we managed to land it,” Jason Flick tweeted, adding that the plane spent 20 minutes dropping fuel and landed heavy.

“What sucks is hundreds of people tucked into a small area and no air-conditioning,” Flick said in his final tweet.

The cause of the engine shutdown on flight AC001 to Narita airport in Tokyo wasn’t immediately known, Fitzpatrick said.

The Canadian Press

Another delay

The man accused of stealing a Confederation College plane in 2009 continues to wait to discover his fate. 

 Adam Leon’s laywer, Neil McCartney, filed an argument in writing Monday morning on whether his client can be prosecuted in Canada after having already been convicted and jailed for two years in an American prison for illegally entering the United States and interstate transportation of a stolen aircraft.

Leon, 33, has been charged with theft over $5,000 after taking the aircraft for an unscheduled flight from the Thunder Bay airport.

He was arrested in Missouri, after being pursued by U.S. fighter jets and finally landing on a secondary highway.

Following his release last year, Leon was deported back to Canada, and was charged with theft by Thunder Bay Police.


The Crown asked for time to file its own argument in writing.

Both arguments will be reviewed on June 27; a hearing will be set at that time.

Source:   http://www.tbnewswatch.com

'When I was told to list the three jobs I wanted, I said: "Pilot, pilot or pilot"': Meet the first Latina to fly planes for the US military

 When the recruiting military sergeant asked Olga Custodio to list three jobs she wanted, she responded: 'A pilot, a pilot or a pilot.'

And her determination paid off: more than 30 years ago, she became the first ever Latina to complete U.S. Air Force military pilot training and now encourages others to do the same.

She also became the first female instructor at Laughlin Air Force Base, and later the first female instructor at Randolph Air Force Base, teaching in the two-seater supersonic T-38.

With her father working as a non-commissioned officer and communications specialist in the U.S. Army, she was infected with the travelling bug from an early age - and loved seeing the world from the sky.

'I started kindergarten and 1st grade in Taiwan,' she told Fox News Latino. 'From there we moved to New Jersey, followed by a move to Iran then Paraguay before my father retired. I saw the world before I was 15 years old.' She added: 'I liked the feeling of being in the air.'

Despite early ambitions to become a pilot, she was repeatedly turned away and discovered her father had also been denied the chance to become a commissioned officer.

After graduating from high school aged 16, she went to college in Puerto Rico and tried to participate in the university’s Reserve Officer Training Corps program - but was told women were not allowed.

She added: 'After college, I had different jobs. I always saw men in the leadership roles. I asked myself: "Why aren’t the women leading? I could lead that!"'

Custodio said that while she was outwardly quiet, 'inside, I felt this desire to lead'.

While working in the accounting department of Puerto Rico International Airlines, she met a man named Edwin and they married four months later.

They went on to have a daughter, Marcia, and she began working at the Department of Defense (DoD) in Panama.

'When my daughter was three years old, I had all the DoD regulations available to me,' she told Fox. 'I knew the rules and applied to be an officer for the third time.'

With her husband and Marcia at her side, she marched to the military human resources center and told the sergeant which tests she would need to have and which forms she had to fill out.

'The sergeant asked me to name three career choices,' she said. 'I told him I would be a pilot, a pilot and a pilot.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk

Plane crashes in Shiawassee County, Michigan

SHIAWASSEE COUNTY, MI -- The Shiawassee County Sheriff's Department has confirmed a plane crash.

The plane went down in a rural residential area near Bancroft and Beard roads, south of Bancroft and west of Byron.

Very little information is available right now.

Initial reports indicate that it was a small passenger plane. No information was yet available on the pilot's condition or if there were any passengers.

1 Dead, 1 Injured In Plane Crash Near Fort Morgan Municipal Airport (KFMM), Colorado

FORT MORGAN, Colo. (CBS4/AP) – A home-built airplane carrying two people has crashed near Fort Morgan, killing the pilot and injuring his daughter.

 Morgan County Sheriff Jim Crone says the twin-engine Air-Cam crashed at the Fort Morgan airport at 12:15 p.m. Monday.

Crone says the daughter has been taken to North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley with serious injuries.

No names have been released.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.

Jennifer Rodi with the NTSB said the pilot may have been performing what’s called touch-and-go.

“We have several witnesses who reported to us that the airplane was conducting touch-and-go operations, or landing and then taking off,” Rodi said. “They observed the left wing come up and the airplane was airborne again … and then crashed several hundred yards to the west.”

Rodi said it’s too early in the investigation to rule out any cause.

FORT MORGAN, Colo. – A homemade plane crashed into an open field in Fort Morgan Monday, killing the pilot and seriously injuring his daughter, investigators said.

The crash occurred at about 12:15 p.m. just a short distance from the Fort Morgan Municipal Airport.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the plane was a “Aircam” model. Photos from the crash scene show the aircraft sustained serious damage to its nose.

The victims’ names and ages were not immediately released. The daughter was airlifted to North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Fort Morgan is approximately 80 miles northeast of Denver.

Beechcraft Bonanza: Aerial photos of plane down - Santa Ynez Airport (KIZA), California

By Pilot Bob

"Here are some shots I took of the plane accident in Santa Ynez yesterday.  More detailed account of what happened is;  A Beechcraft Bonanza was traveling at 8,000 ft when its engine quit. Santa Ynez airport was obscured by cloud cover, pilot made circling decent into Santa Ynez Valley with engine and instruments dead.  Any IFR pilot knows this would be a hair raising experience to shoot the clouds with no artificial horizon instrument for reference. Pilot was unable to line up with runway after decent through clouds and landed in field adjacent to the runway. Everyone was ok !"

Article and photos:   http://www.edhat.com/site/tidbit.cfm?nid=89220

2 dead as plane crashes in Germany

BERLIN --  Police say two people were killed when a small plane crashed shortly after takeoff in northeastern Germany.

News agency dapd reported that the twin-engined, Swiss-registered aircraft came down Monday near the town of Parchim.

Police said that a man and a woman were killed. Two other people on board were injured and taken to a hospital by helicopter after being freed from the wreckage by rescue workers.

The plane had just taken off from the Parchim airfield when the crash happened. Police say that, shortly before it came down, the crew reported technical problems in a radio message to the tower.

There was no immediate word on the victims' identities.

Bingo Airways: Preparations for the inaugural flight BUD-ORK

Piper Cub at Stanley Airport - Nova Scotia, Canada

May 21, 2012 

by kramerbazooka 

 "We went to the airport to demolish an old camper trailer and somehow ended up flying...who'd have thought?"