Cessna 150G, N3257J: Arkansas judge dismisses lawsuit over plane crash

 

Spencer Tirey 

Aaron Cooper, left, watches as Garrett Bradley empties a gasoline tank Feb. 15, 2011, on a single-engine 1966 Cessna 150G that crashed on the lawn of the Jones Center. Cooper and Bradley of Dawson Aircraft in Clinton were hired to take the plane to their facility.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) - A Washington County judge has dismissed a lawsuit over an airplane crash in Springdale on procedural grounds. 

The Northwest Arkansas Times (http://bit.ly/P1S09S) reports Circuit Court Judge Joanna Taylor threw out the case on Thursday, saying plaintiff Barry Gilbow's attorneys didn't present evidence of what caused the crash during the trial.

Gilbow was seeking $250,000 in damage from Jimmy Crawford. At issue was whether Gilbow or Crawford was responsible for the accident.

A National Transportation Safety Board investigation determined the plane ran out of fuel Feb. 12, 2011, but neither side put the agency's report into evidence.

Gilbow's attorney, Mark Ford, asked Taylor to allow him to reopen his case and present more evidence, but she said there was no basis in state law that would allow her to do that.
 
Information from: Northwest Arkansas Times, http://www.nwaonline.com 

NTSB Identification: CEN11LA188
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, February 12, 2011 in Springdale, AR
Probable Cause Approval Date: 06/13/2011
Aircraft: CESSNA 150G, registration: N3257J
Injuries: 2 Minor.

While on final approach to the destination airport, the airplane experienced a loss of engine power. The airplane impacted terrain in a nose low attitude and came to rest adjacent to a fence, several hundred yards short of the runway, resulting in substantial damage. During the recovery of the airplane a total of 1.75 gallons of fuel was recovered from both wing fuel tanks. The fuel tanks had not been compromised and had an unusable fuel total of 3 gallons. The commercial pilot reported to law enforcement personnel that they had not refueled prior to the return flight.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot’s improper fuel management, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

 Full narrative available

Beechcraft F33A Bonanza, ZS-TVR: Plane crash victims identified - Cato Ridge, in KwaZulu-Natal - South Africa

Durban - The three people killed in a light aircraft crash near Nagle Dam in KwaZulu-Natal were identified by Agri SA on Friday. 

 President of Agri SA Johannes Möller identified the victims as Jannie Boshoff, Jannie Kemp and Theuns van Rensburg who were all members of the KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union (Kwanalu) - an affiliate of Agri SA.

“They had attended the congress of Kwanalu. I spoke to them during the congress and their death is not only a loss for Kwanalu but also for Agri SA,” said Möller.

They were killed on Thursday after their plane crashed in bushes and caught fire.

ER24 said the incident happened at around 5.30pm.

After arriving on the scene, three paramedics and a firefighter set out on foot to locate the aircraft, said ER24 spokeswoman Vanessa Jackson.

“After about an hour of walking up the mountain through dense bush, they arrived at the crash site, where they found the wreckage of a light fixed wing aircraft, extensively damaged...”

It was still unclear what caused the crash. - Sapa

Three Newcastle farmers died yesterday afternoon when their light aircraft crashed outside Cato Ridge.
Statements issued by ER24 spokeswoman, Vanessa Jackson, said that the crash occured on September 13 at around 5.30pm.

"Paramedics from Durban and Pietermaritzburg immediately set off to find the scene, which was explained as being in the Valley of a Thousand Hills," she said.

It took paramedics close to an hour to reach the crash site, she added, as they had to walk up the mountain through dense bush. The bodies of the victims were burnt beyond recognition, continued Ms Jackson.

National media coverage explained that witnesses had reported seeing black smoke coming from the plane shortly before it crashed in dense bush and mountainous terrain in the vicinity of Nagle Dam.

The plane, which was believed to have been a Beechcraft F33 Bonanza, was apparently on its way to Newcastle after taking off from the Pietermaritzburg airport.

However, it has been confirmed that the three victims were from Newcastle, and were well known farmers in the community.

Updates to follow.

Cape Town - Emergency personnel on Thursday made a grisly discovery when they responded to reports of a plane crash in the vicinity of Cato Ridge, in KwaZulu-Natal.

After reports came in around 17:30 that an aircraft crashed in the Valley of a Thousand Hills, paramedics from Durban and Pietermaritzburg rushed to the scene, ER24 spokesperson Vanessa Jackson said.

The scene was inaccessible by vehicle, and the paramedics and a fire official had to hike for half an hour up the mountain where they found the wreckage of a light aircraft, extensively damaged and ablaze, Jackson said.

"All that they could make out was the charred remains of three people, and due to their extensive burns, it was not possible for them to be made out as adults or children, men or women," she said.

"It is not clear as to what caused the aircraft to crash, but locals who were the first to find the wreckage said that it appeared that black smoke was coming from the plane before it crashed."

She said thorough investigations will need to be conducted into the cause of the crash.

This is the second light aircraft crash in the KZN area this week, after a plane crashed near Pietermaritzburg on Wednesday.

American Airlines posts new 'Behind the Scenes' video on delivery of plane

 

September 12, 2012 by American Airlines

Behind the Scenes @AmericanAir video series: Our employees answer customer questions in this in-depth and genuine view of our airline.

Aviation dean discusses future of industry

ENTERPRISE, Ala. --

Aviation is a strong and steadily growing industry in the area, but may manifest itself a little bit differently in the next few years, an expert said Wednesday.

Speaking to the Enterprise Lions Club, Tucson Roberts, dean of Aviation and Workforce at the Alabama Aviation Center, said aviation has been a longtime staple in southern Alabama’s economy with Fort Rucker’s presence. With impending defense spending cuts and the announcement of Airbus’ new plant in Mobile, the aviation industry may move more to the private sector.

“With impending cuts -- and there will be cuts -- (aviation) defense will remain stable at best,” he said. “What’s happened in aviation is the civil/commercial side slowed during the recession. As we come out of the recession, I think there will be more opportunities (there).”

In July, Airbus announced plans to build a Mobile plant that will be used to build jets, a move that is expected to generate 3,000 jobs, according to a Mobile Press-Register report.

Read more: http://www2.eprisenow.com

New Vancouver Seaplane Terminal Means More Cost to Island Travelers

 

 NANAIMO - The price for convenient travel off Vancouver Island just got a bit more expensive. Earlier this week, Harbour Air and the Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre finally reached an agreement that will move Harbour Air to the newly constructed floatplane terminal attached to the Vancouver Convention Centre.

Canada's largest seaplane company had disputed making the move to the new terminal, citing increased rental fees and safety concerns. But with an expiring lease on its existing facility, the company finally agreed to move its ticketing and administrative operations to the new terminal.

In order to help subsidize the cost, the airline will be forced to increase the price of all tickets in-and-out of Vancouver's Downtown Harbour by $9.50.

The fee increase will take place as early as next Monday, September 17th with Harbour Air hoping to move into the new terminal by the end of the year.

Orlando, Florida: Temporary flight restrictions during high profile political visits have one small business taking a financial hit every time

ORLANDO –  It’s common knowledge that Central Florida is crucial to winning the presidential election.

The area has been playing host to visits from the president, Mitt Romney and many others.

But one small business is taking a financial hit from all of the high profile visits.

It’s called a TFR, or temporary flight restriction, and it works like a roadblock for the skies.

“We get the same type of thing in flying in that they are going to close down airspace that’s over the area where the president is, whether it is flying into and landing or as we saw this past weekend where they are traveling along the ground as well,” said Jeff Alungseth, with Flight Instruction Air Orlando.

It goes into effect whenever someone important enough, like the president, visits Central Florida.

And lately that has been happening a lot, and when it does, it means one thing for Air Orland at the executive airport.

“We close the doors, send everybody home. Pack it up and that was it,” said Air Orlando CEO Mike Terfur.

The school trains pilots and offers charter flights, but lately political and VIP visits have triggered many airspace shutdowns, inevitable stalling the business bottom line.

“A lost day is $10,000 revenue, so,” said Terfur.

Read more: http://www.baynews9.com

UPDATE: Flight Design CTLS, N566FD: "Minor incident ... Major repair" - Incident occurred July 16, 2012 in Marysville, Ohio

 
Formation Flying and maneuvers with a Flight Design CTLS, N566FD 

Video published on September 8, 2012 by Anticept

 

N566FD, named Sunshine, had an accident on the 16th of July, 2012. After a month and a half of repairs, we flew formation with her from Connecticut back to the Ohio State University Airport, where she is based.

Video begins at 0:36

NOTICE:  Maneuvers performed are by professionals, and are very dangerous without training. Please do not attempt without proper instruction!

Accident details:  A tire rim separated, and the aircraft ran off the runway. The damage was relatively minor. However, the recovery company put a hole in the windshield with a forklift... This turned a minor incident into a major repair, and had to be shipped to a specialized facility to repair it.

NTSB Identification: CEN12IA451
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Incident occurred Monday, July 16, 2012 in Marysville, OH
Aircraft: FLIGHT DESIGN GMBH CTLS, registration: N566FD
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.

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 used data provided by various sources and may not have traveled in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft incident report.

On July 16, 2012, about 1855 eastern daylight time, a Flight Design Gmbh model CTLS, N566FD, sustained minor damage during a runway excursion on takeoff at Union County Airport (MRT), Marysville, Ohio. The pilot was not injured. The aircraft was registered to B S Aviation LLC and operated by New Flyers Association under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a solo instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which was operated without a flight plan. The flight originated from Ohio State University Airport (OSU) about 1805.

The pilot reported that after departing OSU, he proceeded to the local practice area and completed several training maneuvers. He then flew to MRT in order to practice takeoffs and landings. After entering the traffic pattern, he landed on runway 27 (4,218 feet by 75 feet, asphalt) without incident and taxied back for departure. During the subsequent takeoff roll, the pilot reported feeling a “jolt” and heard a “thumping” sound from the left main wheel. The airplane immediately veered to the left and departed the runway pavement. The airplane came to rest about 20 yards from the edge of the runway, after striking a Precision Approach Path Indicator light.

A postincident examination revealed that a section of the left main wheel flange had failed, compromising the assembly and allowing the tire to deflate. Airplane damage was limited to the left main landing gear, engine cowling, and propeller assembly. The pilot reported a similar failure of the right main wheel on this airplane. A detailed examination of the left main wheel assembly is pending.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N566FD

http://www.zoneaviation.com/forsale_n566fd.html

http://registry.faa.gov/N566FD

http://www.flickr.com/photos

Cessna T210N Turbo Centurion, registered in Mexico as XB-LLD: Cocaine found in one pilot in crash – Accident occurred November 2011 in Cayman Brac, Cayman Islands

Click here to see full crash report

 http://www.cayman27.com

By Kevin Watler
Thursday, 13 September 2012 1:10 pm  

The UK Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) has issued their findings on the aircraft accident that occurred on Cayman Brac on Sunday 13th November 2011. Two men died in the crash. The report says the aircraft probably suffered an electrical failure.

One of the men killed was Jose Santos Castaneda Castrejon, 35, from Mexico. The other man was Fernando Duran Garcia, 56, from Colombia.

While the report does not provide the identity of the pilots, one can easily figure it out. One of the pilots was issued his Commercial Pilot’s License by the state of Columbia in 1976. Due to the age of the pilots, Fernando Duran Garciais is the only one that could have received his license in 1976.

Post-mortem examinations conducted on behalf of the Cayman Island’s Coroner revealed Castrejon was positive for the presence of cocaine metabolites with associated compounds and chlorphenamine, a substance commonly used in anti-histamines. Garciais’ results were negative.

Castrejon was listed as the pilot in command, according to a flight plan recovered from the aircraft.

The AAIB’s report “There was insufficient evidence to determine the purpose of the flight, but there were indications that it was intended to be clandestine, including the modified fuel system, the intended route and the unidentified flight plan destination.”

“Both pilots were commercial pilots from their respective countries of Mexico and Columbia,” said RCIPS Air Operations Commander Steve Fitzgerald.” Therefore, they would have been fully aware of the International requirements of flight planning and the risks associated with unauthorised fuel modifications, together with flying a single engine aircraft over a 1,000 miles over sea and at night. The addition into the cabin of plastic open fuel containers is an incredible risk that both pilots must have been aware of.”

The AAIB’s report concluded, “The aircraft probably suffered an electrical failure which prevented use of the modified fuel system intended to provide additional range. The aircraft then deviated from its original flight path, possibly because the crew intended to divert to Cuba, and its track passed over Cayman Brac. Evidence indicates that the pilot attempted to land on a road. The aircraft was destroyed when it encountered obstacles, including poles, beside the road.”

It also states, “The manner of operation of this aircraft, including extended flights over water and the modified fuel system, introduced risks to the flight of which the crew must have been aware.”

There was evidence pilots using these GPS Units in the weeks prior had made long distance flights from Central America into Venezuela, returning into unrecognized landing sites in Guatemala, Belize and Mexico. At no time was there any evidence that previous or intended routes included the Cayman Islands, or passing close to the Islands.

“Following liaison with all the RCIPS partner agencies in the region including those in the United States, the RCIPS investigators conclusion is that the aircraft’s intended destination was not Cayman Brac but, as indicated in the AAIB report, was as a result of technical problems and the need to reach land. As both pilots died instantly, it will always be a matter of conjecture the reason for the deviation, and indeed the purpose of the flight,” a police spokesperson said.
A full search of the scene and the aircraft at the time confirmed that no cargo, other than the fuel containers, was found at the scene.

We’ll have more on this story in our 6 p.m. newscast.

Click here to see full crash report

NTSB Identification: ERA12WA072
14 CFR Non-U.S., Non-Commercial
Accident occurred Monday, November 14, 2011 in Cayman Brac, Cayman Islands
Aircraft: CESSNA 210, registration: XB-LLD
Injuries: 2 Fatal.
 
On November 14, 2011, at 0525 universal coordinated time, a Cessna 210, registered in Mexico as XB-LLD, was substantially damaged when it struck wires and trees under unknown circumstances at Cayman Brac, Cayman Islands. The pilot and his passenger were fatally injured.

This investigation is under the jurisdiction of the Government of the United Kingdom. Further information may be obtained from:

Air Accidents Investigation Branch
Berkshire Copse Road
Aldershot, Hampshire
GU11 2HH, United Kingdom

This report is for informational purposes only and contains information released by or obtained from the Government of the United Kingdom.

Cirrus SR22 GTS X G3, N221DV: Accident occurred September 01, 2012 in Falmouth, Massachusetts

NTSB Identification: ERA12FA540 
 14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, September 01, 2012 in Falmouth, MA
Aircraft: CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22, registration: N221DV
Injuries: 1 Fatal,2 Serious.

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 1, 2012, about 1100 eastern daylight time, a Cirrus SR22, N221DV, was substantially damaged when it impacted trees during a landing attempt at Falmouth Airpark (5B6), Falmouth, Massachusetts. The flight instructor was fatally injured, and the student pilot and passenger were seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the flight from Tweed-New Haven Airport (NVN), New Haven, Connecticut. The instructional flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

While the student pilot and a passenger survived the accident, due to the extent of their injuries, they could not be interviewed. According to several witnesses, the airplane completed a right downwind for runway 7. The final approach over trees was described as "unstable, with rocking wings," and one witness asked another if he thought the airplane was going to go around.

Exact recollections differed, but in general, witnesses recalled that as the airplane neared the runway, there were some additions and reductions in power. The airplane started veering to the left, there was an addition of power, and the left wing almost hit the ground. The airplane then touched down in the grass to the left of the runway, went through the last section of a wooden fence, entered some woods and burst into flames.

An examination of the accident site revealed skid marks in the grass to the left of the runway, with the mark attributed to the position of the left main landing gear appearing first. The marks commenced about 80 feet left of the runway, 300 feet from the approach end, and headed about 030 degrees magnetic, toward the woods. The airplane's left wing was found separated from the rest of the airplane at the first large tree in the woods, and the airplane came to rest about 80 feet beyond that tree, upside down.

The airplane was mostly consumed by fire. Evidence of all flight control surfaces was found at the scene, and continuity was confirmed from the cockpit along the lengths of all flight control cables. The flap actuator indicated that the flaps were at 50 percent.

The engine exhibited severe fire damage, and the crankshaft could not be rotated. Two of the three metal propeller blades exhibited torsional bending, and one blade could be rotated in the hub. The third propeller blade was straight, but had cut into the propeller spinner toward the direction of rotation. The spinner also had a large concave indentation in it, similar in shape to a tree trunk.

Data chips were not recovered from the primary flight display and multifunction display, which were charred and jelled together. The tail-mounted remote data module was recovered and forwarded to the NTSB Recorders Laboratory; however, the unit was thermally damaged internally and no data extraction was possible. The unit's memory chip was then extracted and attempts to restore it are ongoing. 

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 221DV        Make/Model: SR22      Description: SR-22
  Date: 09/01/2012     Time: 1502

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

LOCATION
  City: FALMOUTH   State: MA   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THERE WERE 3 PERSONS ON 
  BOARD, 1 WAS FATALLY INJURED, 2 SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES, NEAR FALMOUTH, 
  MA

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   1
                 # Crew:   3     Fat:   1     Ser:   2     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: BOSTON, MA  (EA61)                    Entry date: 09/04/2012

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N221DV

http://registry.faa.gov/N221DV

http://flightaware.com/photo

http://www.flickr.com/photos

http://www.airnav.com/airport/5B6

  

Aaron Mentkowski

Published: Thursday, September 13, 2012, 9:10 AM 

By Bruce Geiselman, Sun News
 
BAY VILLAGE - Aaron Mentkowski, a 2006 Bay High School graduate, died September 1 while doing what he loved — flying.

Aaron’s goal was to become an airline or a corporate jet pilot. In the meantime, the 2010 Bowling Green State University graduate was working as an instructor for an East Haven, Connecticut, flight school.

He had temporarily relocated to Connecticut, his family said.

Aaron, 24, died in a single-engine plane crash at Falmouth Air Park in Falmouth, Massachusetts. The plane had two other people on board, a 55-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman. The two, who are from Guilford, Conn., survived the crash but were taken to Boston-area hospitals with serious injuries, including severe burns, according to Falmouth police.

The aviation company for which Aaron worked stated on its Facebook page that one of the survivors was a flight student.

Read more here:   http://www.cleveland.com

 

Cirrus SR22 GTS X G3, N221DV: Accident occurred September 01, 2012 in Falmouth, Massachusetts

  

F-15: Fantastic video!

2012 Raytheon Award Video  from Jersey on Vimeo.

This video was created to commemorate the 67FS winning the 2011 Raytheon Trophy for outstanding aerial achievement, given to the top air-to-air squadron in the USAF.

The footage was shot over 1 year of flying with a Sony HD Handycam and GOPRO Hero. The footage was shot entirely by pilots, no combat camera personnel were used. The video was edited with Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD over 2 weeks by Jersey. Footage includes flying and aircraft from both the 67FS "Fighting Cocks" and the 44FS "Vampire Bats", entirely on location at Kadena AB, Japan. Most of the over water footage was filmed while we were raging like demons from hell in the skies over the pacific ocean like our brothers did 70 years before us.

Credits.
-All Tower footage filmed by Jersey
-Unrestricted Climb ground view camera: Wreck and Switch
-Backseat Unrestricted climb pilot: Egg
-GO Pro captains: Blue, Hozen,Egg
-Go Pro Majors: Jersey, Lips, Crusher
- 2 ship BFM footage pilots: Jersey, Hozen, Snizzler, Trip, Wreck
- Large Force Engagement Radio Voices: Cock 1: Jersey, Cock 2: Match, Cock 3: Flash, Cock 4: Blaze
- BFM radio voices: Guano and Jersey

All editing by Jersey.

GREAT images and a fantastic video! 
Hat tip to Rob "Biz Jets" for sharing!