Updated: Sunday, 18 Nov 2012, 10:50 PM EST
Published : Sunday, 18 Nov 2012, 10:50 PM EST
Lauren Compton
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) - Some passengers on a flight had a bit of a scare during their landing into Newport News-Williamsburg International Airport Saturday night.
Passengers on U.S. Airways Flight 3668 said the plane was coming in around 11:30 p.m. when the pilot had to abort the landing. The pilot then circled the runway for about 30 minutes because the runway lights were not on.
People on board the plane told WAVY.com the ordeal was nerve-wracking.
"I thought we were in trouble," said Marianne Harris, a passenger on Flight 3668. "My heart was racing, and I really didn't know what was going on. And all the passengers were really concerned about it, too."
10 On Your Side spoke to airport spokesperson Jessica Wharton. She said all the runway lights were checked and working fine on Saturday. Wharton said at night the runway lights turn off after 15 minutes, and pilots can turn them back on by radio. The U. S. Airways pilot was given a memo about the runway light activation system and should have known to activate the runway lights, she said.
"Its seems to have been a pilot error, and he did not turn the runway lights on," Wharton said. "We have radio operated radio LED lights, so the pilots after 11 p. m. actually operate the lights themselves. This is standard runway procedure that happens all over the country," .
The airport installed the radio activated LED runway lights six months ago, and Wharton said they have never had any problems like this before. Wharton said the pilot contacted an airport police officer who turned on the runway lights on by a remote. Airport officials said passengers were never in any harm.
A spokesperson with U. S Airways said when the pilot tried to land, only some of the runway lights came on, and the pilot was uncomfortable landing. Wharton said airport administrators plans to follow up with U. S. Airways to learn more about what happened.
Source: http://www.wavy.com
November 18, 2012
Jabiru USA Sport Aircraft LLC J250-SP, N635J: Accident occurred November 18, 2012 in Jacksonville, Texas
NTSB Identification: CEN13LA062
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, November 18, 2012 in Jacksonville, TX
Aircraft: Jabiru USA Sport Aircraft, LLC J250-SP, registration: N635J
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On November 18, 2012, about 1635 central standard time, a Jabiru USA Sport Aircraft, LLC model J250-SP light sport airplane, N635J, was substantially damaged when it collided with an airport hangar during an aborted landing at Cherokee County Airport (KJSO), Jacksonville, Texas. The student pilot, who was the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local solo-instructional flight that departed about 1625.
The student pilot’s husband, a commercial pilot, reported that he and his wife had flown together immediately before the accident flight and that there were no anomalies experienced during that flight. He stated that his wife, who had soloed for the first time earlier in the month, wanted to practice solo landings in the traffic pattern. He reported that after exiting the airplane he witnessed the accident flight, which consisted of two landings on runway 14 (5,006 feet by 75 feet, asphalt). He stated that the first landing appeared to be fairly flat, consistent with an inadequate landing flare. The airplane was then observed to taxi to the approach end of runway 14 before the next takeoff. On the second landing, the airplane again appeared to have a flat attitude upon touchdown. The airplane was observed to bounce upon touchdown, which was followed by an audible increase in engine power. The airplane was then observed to enter a nose-high attitude as it began a slow climb. The student pilot’s husband stated that after the airplane had climbed about 100 feet above the runway he heard another increase in engine power and saw the airplane enter a descending left turn. The airplane continued in the descending left turn, while remaining in a nose-high attitude, until he lost visual contact as it descended toward hangar structures located on the northeast side of the airport. Several additional witnesses provided similar statements about the airplane’s pitch-attitude, engine operation, and flight path following the bounced landing.
A postaccident examination of the airplane was completed by representatives with the Federal Aviation Administration. The postaccident examination was unable to establish flight control continuity due to airframe damage; however, all observed flight control system separations were consistent with overload failure. Ample fuel was found in both wing fuel tanks. Cylinder compression and suction was noted on all cylinders as the engine was rotated by hand. No anomalies were identified during the on-scene investigation that could be associated with preimpact malfunction of the airplane.
According to the student pilot’s flight logbook, since beginning flight training in May 2012 she had accumulated 33.2 hours of flight experience and had completed two solo flights, totaling 0.7 hours. Her first solo flight, 0.5 hours in duration, was completed on November 7, 2012, and consisted of three landings. The second solo flight, 0.2 hours in duration, was completed on November 15, 2012, and consisted of two landings.
At 1635, the airport’s automated surface observing system reported the following weather conditions: wind 100 degrees magnetic at 3 knots, visibility 10 miles, sky clear, temperature 18 degrees Celsius, dew point 01 degrees Celsius, altimeter setting 30.25 inches of mercury.
Debra Birch first solo flight on November 7, 2012: https://www.facebook.com/CherokeeCountyPilotsAssociation
Location: http://www.airnav.com/airport/KJSO
Aircraft info: http://registry.faa.gov/N635J
Aircraft photo taken 10/01/2012: http://www.airport-data.com
KLTV 7 Article (With Photos): http://www.kltv.com
Fox 51 News Article (With Photo): http://www.fox51.com
KETK-NBC Article (With Photo): http://www.ketknbc.com
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N635J
JACKSONVILLE — A 60-year-old Jacksonville woman recently honored by the Cherokee County Pilots Association for her first solo flight was killed Sunday afternoon when the single-engine airplane she was piloting crashed at the local airport, authorities said.
The Federal Aviation Administration has begun a preliminary investigation into the death of Debra Sue Birch, confirmed Trooper Jean Dark, public information officer with the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Authorities say Birch was flying a fixed wing Jabiru light aircraft when the incident took place shortly after 4 p.m.
Dark said Sunday she was not at liberty to release further details about the crash or speculate as to its cause.
"That's all the information I can release right now," she said Sunday night.
Birch had just been congratulated by the Cherokee County Pilots Association on their Facebook page for her inaugural, Nov. 7, flight. She was shown on that page standing by a single-engine plane.
http://jacksonvilleprogress.com
CHEROKEE COUNTY, TX (KLTV) - A Jacksonville woman died Sunday evening after being involved in a plane crash Sunday afternoon.
Officials say 60-year-old Debra Birch was flying a fixed wing, single engine Jabiru aircraft when it crashed into a hangar bay at the Cherokee County Airport around 4:35 Sunday evening.
According to Lynn Lunsford with the FAA, the plane was trying to land while "touch and go landing", which Lunsford says is a practice in which the pilot lands the plane and takes off numerous times.
The tail number on the plane is N635J and the model of the plane is J250-SP. DPS and the FAA are continuing to investigate the crash.
DPS officials tell KETK 60-year old Debra Birch, the pilot of the plane, is in critical condition. They say this was her second time flying solo. Birch was reportedly flying low, when the plane hit the top of a hangar and crashed into a building. Federal Aviation Administration officials are investigating the scene.
CHEROKEE COUNTY, TX (KLTV) - A Jacksonville woman is in the hospital after being involved in a plane crash Sunday afternoon.
Officials say 60-year-old Debra Birch was flying a fixed wing, single engine Jabiru aircraft when it crashed into a hanger bay at the Cherokee County Airport around 4:35 Sunday evening.
According to Lynn Lunsford with the FAA, the plane was trying to land while "touch and go landing", which Lunsford says is a practice in which the pilot lands the plane and takes off numerous times.
At last check, she was in critical condition at ETMC in Jacksonville.
The tail number on the plane is N635J and the model of the plane is J250-SP. DPS and the FAA are continuing to investigate the crash.
ORIGINAL- A single-engine plane crashed late Sunday afternoon in Cherokee County.
Cherokee county officials tell KETK the crash happened just before 4:30 at the Cherokee County Airport.
One person has been taken to the hospital at this time, but their condition is still unknown.
The cause of the plane crash is still being investigated at this time.
We will bring you more information as soon as it become available.
A single-engine plane crashed late Sunday afternoon in Cherokee County.
Cherokee county officials tell us that the crash happened just before 4:30 at the Cherokee County Airport.
One person has been taken to a local hospital at this time, but their condition is still unknown.
The cause of the plane crash is still being investigated at this time.
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, November 18, 2012 in Jacksonville, TX
Aircraft: Jabiru USA Sport Aircraft, LLC J250-SP, registration: N635J
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On November 18, 2012, about 1635 central standard time, a Jabiru USA Sport Aircraft, LLC model J250-SP light sport airplane, N635J, was substantially damaged when it collided with an airport hangar during an aborted landing at Cherokee County Airport (KJSO), Jacksonville, Texas. The student pilot, who was the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local solo-instructional flight that departed about 1625.
The student pilot’s husband, a commercial pilot, reported that he and his wife had flown together immediately before the accident flight and that there were no anomalies experienced during that flight. He stated that his wife, who had soloed for the first time earlier in the month, wanted to practice solo landings in the traffic pattern. He reported that after exiting the airplane he witnessed the accident flight, which consisted of two landings on runway 14 (5,006 feet by 75 feet, asphalt). He stated that the first landing appeared to be fairly flat, consistent with an inadequate landing flare. The airplane was then observed to taxi to the approach end of runway 14 before the next takeoff. On the second landing, the airplane again appeared to have a flat attitude upon touchdown. The airplane was observed to bounce upon touchdown, which was followed by an audible increase in engine power. The airplane was then observed to enter a nose-high attitude as it began a slow climb. The student pilot’s husband stated that after the airplane had climbed about 100 feet above the runway he heard another increase in engine power and saw the airplane enter a descending left turn. The airplane continued in the descending left turn, while remaining in a nose-high attitude, until he lost visual contact as it descended toward hangar structures located on the northeast side of the airport. Several additional witnesses provided similar statements about the airplane’s pitch-attitude, engine operation, and flight path following the bounced landing.
A postaccident examination of the airplane was completed by representatives with the Federal Aviation Administration. The postaccident examination was unable to establish flight control continuity due to airframe damage; however, all observed flight control system separations were consistent with overload failure. Ample fuel was found in both wing fuel tanks. Cylinder compression and suction was noted on all cylinders as the engine was rotated by hand. No anomalies were identified during the on-scene investigation that could be associated with preimpact malfunction of the airplane.
According to the student pilot’s flight logbook, since beginning flight training in May 2012 she had accumulated 33.2 hours of flight experience and had completed two solo flights, totaling 0.7 hours. Her first solo flight, 0.5 hours in duration, was completed on November 7, 2012, and consisted of three landings. The second solo flight, 0.2 hours in duration, was completed on November 15, 2012, and consisted of two landings.
At 1635, the airport’s automated surface observing system reported the following weather conditions: wind 100 degrees magnetic at 3 knots, visibility 10 miles, sky clear, temperature 18 degrees Celsius, dew point 01 degrees Celsius, altimeter setting 30.25 inches of mercury.
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 635J Make/Model: LSA Description: JABIRU J250-SP
Date: 11/18/2012 Time: 2253
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Fatal Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Substantial
LOCATION
City: JACKSONVILLE State: TX Country: US
DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT CRASHED INTO A HANGAR, THE 1 PERSON ON BOARD WAS FATALLY INJURED,
JACKSONVILLE, TX
INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 1
# Crew: 1 Fat: 1 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
OTHER DATA
Activity: Pleasure Phase: Unknown Operation: OTHER
FAA FSDO: DALLAS, TX (SW05) Entry date: 11/19/2012
Debra Birch first solo flight on November 7, 2012: https://www.facebook.com/CherokeeCountyPilotsAssociation
Location: http://www.airnav.com/airport/KJSO
Aircraft info: http://registry.faa.gov/N635J
Aircraft photo taken 10/01/2012: http://www.airport-data.com
KLTV 7 Article (With Photos): http://www.kltv.com
Fox 51 News Article (With Photo): http://www.fox51.com
KETK-NBC Article (With Photo): http://www.ketknbc.com
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N635J
Photo Source: Tara Nicole (Facebook)
JACKSONVILLE — A 60-year-old Jacksonville woman recently honored by the Cherokee County Pilots Association for her first solo flight was killed Sunday afternoon when the single-engine airplane she was piloting crashed at the local airport, authorities said.
The Federal Aviation Administration has begun a preliminary investigation into the death of Debra Sue Birch, confirmed Trooper Jean Dark, public information officer with the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Authorities say Birch was flying a fixed wing Jabiru light aircraft when the incident took place shortly after 4 p.m.
Dark said Sunday she was not at liberty to release further details about the crash or speculate as to its cause.
"That's all the information I can release right now," she said Sunday night.
Birch had just been congratulated by the Cherokee County Pilots Association on their Facebook page for her inaugural, Nov. 7, flight. She was shown on that page standing by a single-engine plane.
http://jacksonvilleprogress.com
CHEROKEE COUNTY, TX (KLTV) - A Jacksonville woman died Sunday evening after being involved in a plane crash Sunday afternoon.
Officials say 60-year-old Debra Birch was flying a fixed wing, single engine Jabiru aircraft when it crashed into a hangar bay at the Cherokee County Airport around 4:35 Sunday evening.
According to Lynn Lunsford with the FAA, the plane was trying to land while "touch and go landing", which Lunsford says is a practice in which the pilot lands the plane and takes off numerous times.
The tail number on the plane is N635J and the model of the plane is J250-SP. DPS and the FAA are continuing to investigate the crash.
DPS officials tell KETK 60-year old Debra Birch, the pilot of the plane, is in critical condition. They say this was her second time flying solo. Birch was reportedly flying low, when the plane hit the top of a hangar and crashed into a building. Federal Aviation Administration officials are investigating the scene.
CHEROKEE COUNTY, TX (KLTV) - A Jacksonville woman is in the hospital after being involved in a plane crash Sunday afternoon.
Officials say 60-year-old Debra Birch was flying a fixed wing, single engine Jabiru aircraft when it crashed into a hanger bay at the Cherokee County Airport around 4:35 Sunday evening.
According to Lynn Lunsford with the FAA, the plane was trying to land while "touch and go landing", which Lunsford says is a practice in which the pilot lands the plane and takes off numerous times.
At last check, she was in critical condition at ETMC in Jacksonville.
The tail number on the plane is N635J and the model of the plane is J250-SP. DPS and the FAA are continuing to investigate the crash.
ORIGINAL- A single-engine plane crashed late Sunday afternoon in Cherokee County.
Cherokee county officials tell KETK the crash happened just before 4:30 at the Cherokee County Airport.
One person has been taken to the hospital at this time, but their condition is still unknown.
The cause of the plane crash is still being investigated at this time.
We will bring you more information as soon as it become available.
A single-engine plane crashed late Sunday afternoon in Cherokee County.
Cherokee county officials tell us that the crash happened just before 4:30 at the Cherokee County Airport.
One person has been taken to a local hospital at this time, but their condition is still unknown.
The cause of the plane crash is still being investigated at this time.
Military gives private vintage air firm more than $600,000 in free services
The Canadian military has given a private organization in Gatineau more than $600,000 in free services as well as explosives as part of a deal the air force says helps promote its image.
But the arrangement with Vintage Wings, which involves the 1950s-era Hawk One jet, has raised concerns in some quarters of the military, according to documents obtained by the Citizen under Access to Information.
The Royal Canadian Air Force documents also warned that providing Vintage Wings with explosive cartridges for an aircraft ejection seat could leave the military in a lurch and lead to the grounding of one of its own planes.
Others question why defence dollars are being spent on a project that doesn’t contribute directly to combat capabilities.
The deal with Vintage Wings, a not-for-profit aviation foundation conceived by Ottawa high-tech businessman Michael Potter, was originally supposed to last for one year to celebrate the Centennial of Flight in 2009. The Hawk One was painted in the colours of the Golden Hawks military aerobatic team.
The Defence Department provided Vintage Wings with services totalling $460,000, but did not charge anything, according to the documents.
However, officers have now extended the arrangement to 2014. Hawk One is owned by Vintage Wings and is flown by a civilian. The military provides technical support, U.S.-supplied explosive components for the jet’s ejection seat, fuel at DND contract rates as well as access to military airfields and hangar space, according to the documents. Hawk One’s ejection seat is also provided by the military.
Vintage Wings president Robert Fleck stated “there is no transfer of DND funds to Vintage Wings or Hawk One. The entire Hawk One program is funded through corporate sponsorship, private donations and appearance fees at the various locations we visit each summer.”
But that’s not what the 2011 RCAF documents indicate. They state the cost to taxpayers for the continued support to April 2014 is more than $157,000.
The full costs of the deal and whether the arrangement will go beyond 2014 is not known, however. The RCAF did not respond to the Citizen’s request for comment.
But the deal extension raised concerns inside defence headquarters, where there were questions about whether the military had U.S. government approval to transfer the explosives to a private organization.
Transferring the ejection seat explosive cartridges could also leave a Canadian Forces aircraft without needed components, the documents warned. “The provision of these components to VWC (Vintage Wings Canada) could, therefore, cause one additional Tutor aircraft to be grounded,” it added.
The military’s Snowbirds aerobatic team uses Tutor aircraft.
Some military staff, however, argued the likelihood of that occurring was remote. Still, one officer recommended against loaning the explosives.
Fleck, however, stated Vintage Wings is in full compliance with the U.S. regulations and has received a certificate to indicate that. The certificate was issued by Public Works in August 2011 after military officers raised their concerns.
Vintage Wings has a close relationship with military leaders.
In 2009, the air force sent a C-17 transport plane to New Zealand to pick up a Vintage Wing plane and fly it back to Canada. The air force claimed the flight didn’t cost taxpayers anything extra since the massive transport aircraft was returning from Afghanistan. But they never did explain why a C-17 returning to Canada would have to travel through New Zealand.
That same year, air force commander Lt.-Gen. Angus Watt approved extending the agreement to lend military material to Vintage Wings for Hawk One. At the time, air force officers wrote in an internal document that the loan would get the organization to 2010, after which they would not need government support.
But in 2011, air force officers pointed out that Vintage Wings still needed assistance. In June of that year, senior officers, including the now current chief of the defence staff Gen. Tom Lawson, made a pitch to then RCAF commander Lt.-Gen. Andre Dechamps to continue providing Vintage Wings with services at no charge.
Dave Peart, an air force special adviser, argued that Hawk One helps air force public relations efforts at air shows. Fleck makes a similar argument.
“Why did DND and the RCAF continue their relationship with Hawk One, even after the initiative had shifted from being a military program to a civilian one?” he asked. “I can’t speak for them but I can tell you that our corporate partners such as Discovery Air, Magellan Aerospace, Nav Canada, WestJet and many others have been delighted with the positive exposure Hawk One has provided them.”
More than two million people in the U.S. and Canada have seen the Hawk One at air shows or on display, according to Fleck.
The Canadian Forces and the DND have been under the gun to save money. Civilian employees have been laid off and equipment mothballed. Training of units in developing nations has also been scaled back, a move designed to save a little more than $400,000.
Story: http://www.ottawacitizen.com
But the arrangement with Vintage Wings, which involves the 1950s-era Hawk One jet, has raised concerns in some quarters of the military, according to documents obtained by the Citizen under Access to Information.
The Royal Canadian Air Force documents also warned that providing Vintage Wings with explosive cartridges for an aircraft ejection seat could leave the military in a lurch and lead to the grounding of one of its own planes.
Others question why defence dollars are being spent on a project that doesn’t contribute directly to combat capabilities.
The deal with Vintage Wings, a not-for-profit aviation foundation conceived by Ottawa high-tech businessman Michael Potter, was originally supposed to last for one year to celebrate the Centennial of Flight in 2009. The Hawk One was painted in the colours of the Golden Hawks military aerobatic team.
The Defence Department provided Vintage Wings with services totalling $460,000, but did not charge anything, according to the documents.
However, officers have now extended the arrangement to 2014. Hawk One is owned by Vintage Wings and is flown by a civilian. The military provides technical support, U.S.-supplied explosive components for the jet’s ejection seat, fuel at DND contract rates as well as access to military airfields and hangar space, according to the documents. Hawk One’s ejection seat is also provided by the military.
Vintage Wings president Robert Fleck stated “there is no transfer of DND funds to Vintage Wings or Hawk One. The entire Hawk One program is funded through corporate sponsorship, private donations and appearance fees at the various locations we visit each summer.”
But that’s not what the 2011 RCAF documents indicate. They state the cost to taxpayers for the continued support to April 2014 is more than $157,000.
The full costs of the deal and whether the arrangement will go beyond 2014 is not known, however. The RCAF did not respond to the Citizen’s request for comment.
But the deal extension raised concerns inside defence headquarters, where there were questions about whether the military had U.S. government approval to transfer the explosives to a private organization.
Transferring the ejection seat explosive cartridges could also leave a Canadian Forces aircraft without needed components, the documents warned. “The provision of these components to VWC (Vintage Wings Canada) could, therefore, cause one additional Tutor aircraft to be grounded,” it added.
The military’s Snowbirds aerobatic team uses Tutor aircraft.
Some military staff, however, argued the likelihood of that occurring was remote. Still, one officer recommended against loaning the explosives.
Fleck, however, stated Vintage Wings is in full compliance with the U.S. regulations and has received a certificate to indicate that. The certificate was issued by Public Works in August 2011 after military officers raised their concerns.
Vintage Wings has a close relationship with military leaders.
In 2009, the air force sent a C-17 transport plane to New Zealand to pick up a Vintage Wing plane and fly it back to Canada. The air force claimed the flight didn’t cost taxpayers anything extra since the massive transport aircraft was returning from Afghanistan. But they never did explain why a C-17 returning to Canada would have to travel through New Zealand.
That same year, air force commander Lt.-Gen. Angus Watt approved extending the agreement to lend military material to Vintage Wings for Hawk One. At the time, air force officers wrote in an internal document that the loan would get the organization to 2010, after which they would not need government support.
But in 2011, air force officers pointed out that Vintage Wings still needed assistance. In June of that year, senior officers, including the now current chief of the defence staff Gen. Tom Lawson, made a pitch to then RCAF commander Lt.-Gen. Andre Dechamps to continue providing Vintage Wings with services at no charge.
Dave Peart, an air force special adviser, argued that Hawk One helps air force public relations efforts at air shows. Fleck makes a similar argument.
“Why did DND and the RCAF continue their relationship with Hawk One, even after the initiative had shifted from being a military program to a civilian one?” he asked. “I can’t speak for them but I can tell you that our corporate partners such as Discovery Air, Magellan Aerospace, Nav Canada, WestJet and many others have been delighted with the positive exposure Hawk One has provided them.”
More than two million people in the U.S. and Canada have seen the Hawk One at air shows or on display, according to Fleck.
The Canadian Forces and the DND have been under the gun to save money. Civilian employees have been laid off and equipment mothballed. Training of units in developing nations has also been scaled back, a move designed to save a little more than $400,000.
Story: http://www.ottawacitizen.com
Piper PA-32-300 Cherokee Six, N4267R: Accident occurred November 19, 2012 in Obyan, GU
NTSB Identification: WPR13LA045
Nonscheduled 14 CFR Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
Accident occurred Monday, November 19, 2012 in Obyan, GU
Aircraft: PIPER PA-32, registration: N4267R
Injuries: 1 Fatal,5 Serious,1 Minor.
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 may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On November 19, 2012, about 0618 local time (2018 UTC), a Piper PA-32-300, N4267R, was substantially damaged when it impacted airport terrain immediately after takeoff from Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport (PGSN), Obyan, Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, a United States territory. One passenger sustained fatal injuries, the pilot and four passengers sustained serious injuries, and one passenger sustained minor injuries. The on-demand charter flight was operated by Star Marianas Air, Inc., under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135. Dawn visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) flight plan was filed for the flight.
According to a representative of the operator, they typically carried tourists between Saipan and Tinian, an island about 10 minutes flying time south of Saipan. The passengers on the accident flight included five Chinese nationals and one Philippine national, and the flight was destined for Tinian. According to information obtained from personnel in the PGSN air traffic control tower (ATCT), about 0609 the airplane departed from runway 7, and the pilot then asked to return for landing for an unspecified problem. The airplane landed uneventfully back on runway 7 about 0615. An ATCT controller queried the pilot as to his intentions, and the pilot responded that he wanted to conduct an engine runup. The airplane exited the runway at taxiway Bravo and stopped, and according to several witnesses, the pilot conducted a brief engine runup. The pilot was then cleared for an intersection Bravo departure from runway 7. Witnesses observed the airplane become airborne, drift left, and impact the grass adjoining the north side of the runway. The airplane slid into trees north of the runway, and a fire ensued.
Information obtained by on-scene examination by an FAA inspector revealed that the airplane came to rest about 3,000 feet from the departure end of runway 7, and that the left wing had separated during the ground impact sequence. Initial examination of the airplane established flight control continuity, exclusive of impact-related damage, for the pitch and roll control systems. Initial examination of the engine did not reveal any pre-impact conditions which would have precluded normal operation. The wreckage was transported to a secure location for future detailed examination.
FAA and operator information indicated that the pilot held a commercial pilot certificate, with an instrument airplane rating. The pilot had a total flight experience of about 1,238 hours, including about 674 hours in the accident airplane make and model. His most recent FAA first-class medical certificate was issued in August 2012, and his most recent flight review was completed in January 2012. The airplane was manufactured in 1969, and was equipped with a Lycoming TIO-540 series engine. The airplane had accumulated about 6,805 total hours in service.
The PGSN 0554 automated weather observation included winds from 060 degrees at 10 knots; visibility 10 miles; scattered clouds at 2,000 feet, broken cloud layer at 5,000 feet, overcast cloud layer at 11,000 feet; temperature 27 degrees C; dew point 23 degrees C; altimeter setting of 29.91 inches of mercury.
http://registry.faa.gov/N4267R
THE Commonwealth Health Center says one of the seven people on the Star Marianas Air Cherokee that crashed early Monday morning is dead, five are in critical condition and one sustained minor injuries.
CHC incident commander John Tagabuel told reporters in a press briefing at 11 a.m. that the fatality, a female, died on the site. Her body was brought to the hospital’s morgue at 9:20 a.m.
In a separate interview, Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Chief James V. Diaz said the crash "happened at 6:20 a.m.”
Tagabuel said CHC activated the command center at 7:15 a.m. and asked the U.S. Coast Guard for assistance at 8:14 a.m.
The other victims, including the pilot and the crew who were in critical condition, arrived at the hospital’s emergency room at 7:04. a.m.
Variety learned that the lone fatality was a Chinese female passenger seated next to the pilot, Capt. Jae Choi, who suffered a fractured skull and massive head trauma and remains in critical condition.
Tagabuel said they are still notifying the passengers' next of kin and cannot disclose their names yet.“We are also in constant communication with [the Coast Guard] and they are standing by should we need to medevac the patients,” he added.
The passenger who sustained minor wounds to his nose and left arm, Juanito Sibitara, told Variety that he could not remember what exactly went wrong but said they were already at the Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport when the plane crashed.
Variety found out from sources that before losing consciousness, the pilot was mumbling something about a fire in the fuel line. The female passenger seated next to Choi suffered burns.
Other sources said no one can say if the crash was due to a pilot error until the investigation is over. “He is one of the best pilots,” another source said.
More details to follow.
Guam - A Star Marianas Air plane crashed on Saipan this morning shortly after taking off for Tinian.
A person at the CNMI Emergency Operations Center [EMO] told PNC News that the plane "crashed in the boonies off runway 6" on Saipan. The person declined to identify himself. However he said that there were 6 Chinese nationals, 1 Filipino citizen and 1 United States citizen. The EMO employee could not say which person died.
According to their website, Star Marianas Air provides air service between Saipan and Tinian 24 hours each day using Piper aircraft. Each aircraft has 6 passenger seats and the company can provide up to 4 aircraft at any one given time.
SEE the Star Marianas website HERE
Star Marianas Air is a new airline in the CNMI that only received its certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to conduct air carrier operations this past April 1, according to the Saipan Tribune.
READ the Saipan Tribune article on Star Marianas Air HERE
Guam - A Star Marianas small commuter plane crashed on take off this morning at the Saipan Airport. KSPN 2 News in Saipan reports that there were six tourists and a pilot on board who were headed to Tinian. The crash occurred just minutes after the aircraft took off leaving the Saipan Airport just after six o'clock this morning crashing into the runway.
KSPN 2 News has received information that the pilot is believed to be the lone fatality from the crash but those reports are unofficial at this time. The survivors of the crash were taken to the hospital where they are undergoing treatment.
KUAM News Article and Reaction/Comments: http://www.kuam.com
Guampdn Article (With Photo): http://www.guampdn.com
Marianas Variety Article: http://www.mvariety.com
Pacific New Center Article: http://www.pacificnewscenter.com
A seven-seat Star Marianas Air aircraft crashed while trying to depart from the Saipan International Airport for Tinian this morning, leaving a passenger dead and six injured, including the pilot, officials confirmed.
The Commonwealth Health Center, Saipan's hospital, confirmed the fatality and that six were injured.
Star Marianas Air Executive Vice President Shaun Christian confirmed the aircraft, a Piper Cherokee Six, had an accident between 6:15 and 6:20 a.m. today while leaving the Saipan International Airport for Tinian. Tinian is a few minutes away from Saipan by flight.
It was unclear if the accident occurred after the aircraft had taken off or whether it was still on the runway.
Ambulances were dispatched and no details are available as to what caused the accident.
Star Marianas Air began service in the Northern Marianas in 2009, and one of its business services involves shuttling passengers to the Tinian Dynasty Hotel and Casino.
Star Marianas couldn’t say if the aircraft involved in the accident was transporting passengers to the casino.
Star Marianas has seven Piper Cherokee Six aircraft, including one that was involved in the accident, Christian said.
The aircraft is on the premises at the Saipan International Airport.
Federal Aviation Administration and NTSB officials are expected to arrive in Saipan tomorrow to conduct the investigation, Christian confirmed.
Nonscheduled 14 CFR Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
Accident occurred Monday, November 19, 2012 in Obyan, GU
Aircraft: PIPER PA-32, registration: N4267R
Injuries: 1 Fatal,5 Serious,1 Minor.
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 may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On November 19, 2012, about 0618 local time (2018 UTC), a Piper PA-32-300, N4267R, was substantially damaged when it impacted airport terrain immediately after takeoff from Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport (PGSN), Obyan, Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, a United States territory. One passenger sustained fatal injuries, the pilot and four passengers sustained serious injuries, and one passenger sustained minor injuries. The on-demand charter flight was operated by Star Marianas Air, Inc., under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135. Dawn visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) flight plan was filed for the flight.
According to a representative of the operator, they typically carried tourists between Saipan and Tinian, an island about 10 minutes flying time south of Saipan. The passengers on the accident flight included five Chinese nationals and one Philippine national, and the flight was destined for Tinian. According to information obtained from personnel in the PGSN air traffic control tower (ATCT), about 0609 the airplane departed from runway 7, and the pilot then asked to return for landing for an unspecified problem. The airplane landed uneventfully back on runway 7 about 0615. An ATCT controller queried the pilot as to his intentions, and the pilot responded that he wanted to conduct an engine runup. The airplane exited the runway at taxiway Bravo and stopped, and according to several witnesses, the pilot conducted a brief engine runup. The pilot was then cleared for an intersection Bravo departure from runway 7. Witnesses observed the airplane become airborne, drift left, and impact the grass adjoining the north side of the runway. The airplane slid into trees north of the runway, and a fire ensued.
Information obtained by on-scene examination by an FAA inspector revealed that the airplane came to rest about 3,000 feet from the departure end of runway 7, and that the left wing had separated during the ground impact sequence. Initial examination of the airplane established flight control continuity, exclusive of impact-related damage, for the pitch and roll control systems. Initial examination of the engine did not reveal any pre-impact conditions which would have precluded normal operation. The wreckage was transported to a secure location for future detailed examination.
FAA and operator information indicated that the pilot held a commercial pilot certificate, with an instrument airplane rating. The pilot had a total flight experience of about 1,238 hours, including about 674 hours in the accident airplane make and model. His most recent FAA first-class medical certificate was issued in August 2012, and his most recent flight review was completed in January 2012. The airplane was manufactured in 1969, and was equipped with a Lycoming TIO-540 series engine. The airplane had accumulated about 6,805 total hours in service.
The PGSN 0554 automated weather observation included winds from 060 degrees at 10 knots; visibility 10 miles; scattered clouds at 2,000 feet, broken cloud layer at 5,000 feet, overcast cloud layer at 11,000 feet; temperature 27 degrees C; dew point 23 degrees C; altimeter setting of 29.91 inches of mercury.
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 4267R Make/Model: PA32 Description: PA-32 Cherokee Six, Six, Saratoga, Turbo
Date: 11/18/2012 Time: 2018
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Fatal Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Unknown
LOCATION
DESCRIPTION
N4267R STAR MARIANAS FLIGHT PIPER PA 32-300 AIRCRAFT CRASHED ON TAKEOFF,
THERE WERE 7 PERSONS ON BOARD, 1 WAS FATALLY INJURED AND 6 SUSTAINED
SERIOUS UNJURIES, SAIPAN AIRPORT, OBYAN, NORTHERN MARIANA ISLAND
INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 1
# Crew: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 1 Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass: 6 Fat: 1 Ser: 5 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
OTHER DATA
Activity: Business Phase: Take-off Operation: Air Carrier
FAA FSDO: HONOLULU, HI (WP13) Entry date: 11/19/2012
http://registry.faa.gov/N4267R
THE Commonwealth Health Center says one of the seven people on the Star Marianas Air Cherokee that crashed early Monday morning is dead, five are in critical condition and one sustained minor injuries.
CHC incident commander John Tagabuel told reporters in a press briefing at 11 a.m. that the fatality, a female, died on the site. Her body was brought to the hospital’s morgue at 9:20 a.m.
In a separate interview, Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Chief James V. Diaz said the crash "happened at 6:20 a.m.”
Tagabuel said CHC activated the command center at 7:15 a.m. and asked the U.S. Coast Guard for assistance at 8:14 a.m.
The other victims, including the pilot and the crew who were in critical condition, arrived at the hospital’s emergency room at 7:04. a.m.
Variety learned that the lone fatality was a Chinese female passenger seated next to the pilot, Capt. Jae Choi, who suffered a fractured skull and massive head trauma and remains in critical condition.
Tagabuel said they are still notifying the passengers' next of kin and cannot disclose their names yet.“We are also in constant communication with [the Coast Guard] and they are standing by should we need to medevac the patients,” he added.
The passenger who sustained minor wounds to his nose and left arm, Juanito Sibitara, told Variety that he could not remember what exactly went wrong but said they were already at the Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport when the plane crashed.
Variety found out from sources that before losing consciousness, the pilot was mumbling something about a fire in the fuel line. The female passenger seated next to Choi suffered burns.
Other sources said no one can say if the crash was due to a pilot error until the investigation is over. “He is one of the best pilots,” another source said.
More details to follow.
Star Mariana Air's fleet of Piper PA-32-300 Cherokee Six aircraft are shown in a photo on the company's website.
Guam - A Star Marianas Air plane crashed on Saipan this morning shortly after taking off for Tinian.
A person at the CNMI Emergency Operations Center [EMO] told PNC News that the plane "crashed in the boonies off runway 6" on Saipan. The person declined to identify himself. However he said that there were 6 Chinese nationals, 1 Filipino citizen and 1 United States citizen. The EMO employee could not say which person died.
According to their website, Star Marianas Air provides air service between Saipan and Tinian 24 hours each day using Piper aircraft. Each aircraft has 6 passenger seats and the company can provide up to 4 aircraft at any one given time.
SEE the Star Marianas website HERE
Star Marianas Air is a new airline in the CNMI that only received its certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to conduct air carrier operations this past April 1, according to the Saipan Tribune.
READ the Saipan Tribune article on Star Marianas Air HERE
Guam - A Star Marianas small commuter plane crashed on take off this morning at the Saipan Airport. KSPN 2 News in Saipan reports that there were six tourists and a pilot on board who were headed to Tinian. The crash occurred just minutes after the aircraft took off leaving the Saipan Airport just after six o'clock this morning crashing into the runway.
KSPN 2 News has received information that the pilot is believed to be the lone fatality from the crash but those reports are unofficial at this time. The survivors of the crash were taken to the hospital where they are undergoing treatment.
KUAM News Article and Reaction/Comments: http://www.kuam.com
Guampdn Article (With Photo): http://www.guampdn.com
Marianas Variety Article: http://www.mvariety.com
Pacific New Center Article: http://www.pacificnewscenter.com
A seven-seat Star Marianas Air aircraft crashed while trying to depart from the Saipan International Airport for Tinian this morning, leaving a passenger dead and six injured, including the pilot, officials confirmed.
The Commonwealth Health Center, Saipan's hospital, confirmed the fatality and that six were injured.
Star Marianas Air Executive Vice President Shaun Christian confirmed the aircraft, a Piper Cherokee Six, had an accident between 6:15 and 6:20 a.m. today while leaving the Saipan International Airport for Tinian. Tinian is a few minutes away from Saipan by flight.
It was unclear if the accident occurred after the aircraft had taken off or whether it was still on the runway.
Ambulances were dispatched and no details are available as to what caused the accident.
Star Marianas Air began service in the Northern Marianas in 2009, and one of its business services involves shuttling passengers to the Tinian Dynasty Hotel and Casino.
Star Marianas couldn’t say if the aircraft involved in the accident was transporting passengers to the casino.
Star Marianas has seven Piper Cherokee Six aircraft, including one that was involved in the accident, Christian said.
The aircraft is on the premises at the Saipan International Airport.
Federal Aviation Administration and NTSB officials are expected to arrive in Saipan tomorrow to conduct the investigation, Christian confirmed.
For Nunavut judges, going to court 'truly an adventure': Justice Robert Kilpatrick speaks about Nunavut’s justice system
Nunavut Court Justice Earl Johnson, left, and legal counsel and court staff push a plane in Sanikiluaq, Nunavut, in this undated handout photo.
Photo: THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - Gerald St-Amour
Somewhere between tales of judges bunking with strangers and pushing airplanes out of the mud it becomes clear Nunavut's court system works a little differently.
In the provinces, new courthouses are under construction and justice officials have embarked on electronic filing projects.
In Nunavut, the community centres that serve as temporary courthouses don't always have toilets and Internet service is often non-existent.
Based in the capital, Iqaluit, the court system serves 24 communities across the vast 1.9-million square kilometre territory. So convening sessions of court requires packing up a twin-engine plane with a judge, a court clerk, an interpreter, their equipment and everything from first aid kits to extension cords.
When the court party arrives in town the weather might be cold, but the sleeping conditions can get quite cozy. There's often only one small hotel in each community and reservations guarantee a bed, not necessarily a room.
"The hotels often will put other people in the other bed, so our judges have to ensure they take pajamas because there's no guarantee it will in fact be someone of the same sex," said Nunavut Court Senior Justice Robert Kilpatrick.
"I've slept with all sorts of people in my room."
The six judges of the Nunavut Court of Justice take turns travelling on the circuits, hearing everything from small claims cases right up to murder trials. They're the only judges in Canada to hear all three levels of court.
The flights often pose problems for the court system. To get to some regions court officials must fly from Iqaluit to either Quebec or Yellowknife. Some of the trips can take two days one way.
"Going to court in the North is truly an adventure and you never know what to expect," Kilpatrick said in an interview.
Born in Montreal and raised in Vancouver, Kilpatrick first felt the lure of the North in the 1980s. After graduating from law school he headed up with some friends and a three-piece suit in a backpack.
He fell in love with Whitehorse and practiced there for several years, before becoming the northernmost Crown prosecutor in Canada as he spent six years in the 1990s in Inuvik, N.W.T.
Kilpatrick was appointed a judge in Nunavut when the territory was created on April 1, 1999, and he's seen a lot in his time there.
"There's many a tale to be told," he said.
One such tale includes the time in Sanikiluaq, when Justice Earl Johnson's plane got too close to the edge of the runway and got stuck in the mud. He got out and helped push - not part of the job description for judges in most other jurisdictions.
The issues don't end when the court parties make it to their destination.
The lack of hotel space means juries can't be sequestered in Nunavut. So judges must get juries to begin their deliberations early in the day. If they're asked to deliberate past 10 p.m. the conviction can be overturned on appeal, Kilpatrick said. Big trials in which multi-day deliberations are anticipated must be moved to larger communities.
Court is held in schools, community halls or whatever building is available. Sometimes there are no working toilets. Sometimes there's no heat so everyone wears parkas and it's too cold for court reporting equipment or even pens to work properly.
The buildings are almost always dirty, Kilpatrick said, but the sealskin coats that replace the judges' black robes hide the dirt.
Jury trials aren't usually scheduled during the brief summer months, because in many communities a lot of people go out on the land then, Kilpatrick said.
But the challenges, he said, have actually forced the Nunavut court to become more efficient.
Lawyers try to arrive a day or two ahead of the judge, accused people enter their pleas on the first appearance and the preliminary hearing or even the trial often takes place in the next court session.
Problems go much deeper than lack of hotel space
But most of the issues the justice system in Nunavut is grappling with go much deeper than scant hotel rooms and scheduling snafus. The territory, with a mostly Inuit population of about 33,000, experiences more violent crime per capita than anywhere else in Canada. Suicide rates, particularly for teenagers, are far higher than in southern parts of the country.
The rate of sexual assault is 10 times the national average. The rate of homicides is 11 times the national average. The rate of spousal violence is 12 times the national average.
"It's a reflection of a society essentially in transition," Kilpatrick said. "It's a society struggling to forge a new identity...Traditional social values are also being challenged and social dysfunction and crime is essentially a byproduct of profound change."
The traditional role of the male as a hunter and provider is fading away and some young men feel they've lost their place in society, he said. More Inuk females are becoming primary breadwinners, which is leaving some males resentful, Kilpatrick suggested.
"The Inuit have come a long way," he said. "It's been a remarkable journey for them. It's not over."
Story and reaction/comments: http://www.cbc.ca
Two injured when plane crashes at Niagara-on-the-Lake airport, Ontario, Canada
Credits: Julie Jocsak/ St. Catharines Standard/QMI Agency
~
**Updating, Please email me with information!
Sun News Article (With Photo) http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca
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Niagara Falls Review Article (With Photo): http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca
ST. CATHARINES, ON. -- A week after firefighters underwent emergency training in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., for plane crashes, they had to deal with the real thing Sunday.
Two people were rushed to hospital with minor injuries after their small two-seater plane crash-landed just after 2 p.m. in a field at the Niagara District Airport.
"We were hoping we'd never have to do it in real life and here we are, seven days later," Chief Joe Zambito of the Niagara-on-the-Lake fire department said.
Zambito said it's believed the single-engine plane took off from the airport, lost power and tried to turn around. It crashed in the field, a short distance away from the airport building.
Firefighters assisted in extricating the pilot, who Zambito said suffered back injures.
The pilot and a female, whose ages were unknown late Sunday, were conscious and rushed to St. Catharines General Hospital.
Shawn-Ness Wonson, a pilot with National Helicopters Inc., saw the pair a short time earlier while he was in the air.
"On takeoff I saw them go past me. They gave me a wave," he said.
A little while later, he heard over the radio there had been a "hard landing."
Airport manager Len O'Connor said he was called to the airport at 2:15 p.m. for a crash.
He said the plane was an Emeraude CP32 with the two passengers aboard and came in with a low approach.
The airport closed two runways immediately.
He said the Transportation Safety Board of Canada was called in to investigate.
Niagara-on-the-Lake firefighters were joined by Emergency Medical Services and Niagara Regional Police Sunday.
Zambito said firefighters were at the airport last Saturday for a training exercise which included a small single plane.
"It was good timing, depending on how you look at it," he said.
Zambito said fortunately there was no threat of a fuel leak.
Niagara Regional Police Const. Derek Watson said Sunday afternoon the injuries of the two plane occupants were minor.
NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE Two people have been taken to hospital with minor injuries after a small plane landed short of the runway at a Niagara-on-the-Lake airport.
Airport manager Len O’Conner says the plane had an unknown problem and came down on the grass leading up to one of the airport’s three runways around 2 p.m. Sunday.
He says the two people on the plane were conscious when emergency crews arrived and took them to a St.Catharines hospital with minor injuries.
O’Conner says the Transportation Safety Board has been called, and two of the runways have been closed.
He says the airport conducted a full-scale emergency exercise just last week and was prepared for the crash.
The Canadian Press
Grumman American Avn. Corp. AA-1B, N6273L: Accident occurred November 18, 2012 in Burlington, Wisconsin
NTSB Identification: CEN13FA060
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, November 18, 2012 in Burlington, IL
Aircraft: GRUMMAN AMERICAN AVN. CORP. AA-1B, registration: N6273L
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 November 8, 2012, about 1320 central standard time, N6273L, a Grumman AA-1B airplane, impacted terrain near Burlington, Wisconsin. The private pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. 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. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated without a flight plan. The local flight originated from the Burlington Municipal Airport (KBUU), Burlington, Wisconsin, at an undetermined time.
An eyewitness to the accident saw the accident airplane flying towards the airport from the southwest. The airplane appeared to be in a steep descent with a slight left turn. A few moments later, the witness saw the airplane in a tight, right turn that developed into a spin. The airplane rapidly descended towards the terrain.
At 1315, an automated weather reporting facility located at KBUU, reported wind from 170 degrees at 8 knots, variable winds from 150 to 210 degrees, visibility 10 miles, a clear sky, temperature 54 degrees Fahrenheit (F), dew point 34 F, and a barometric pressure of 30.35 inches of mercury.
An Antioch man and his 14-year-old daughter were killed when their plane crashed as it approached a small airport just north of the Wisconsin-Illinois border, according to police and relatives.
Todd Parfitt, 50, and Nicole Parfitt, 14, died after the single-engine Grumman plane crashed into a cornfield about 1:25 p.m. Sunday as it approached the airport in Burlington, Wis., about 20 miles north of the state line, officials said. Both victims were thrown from the plane, they said.
“The preliminary information is that it crashed while attempting to land,” said Lynn Lunsford, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.
Lunsford said the Burlington airport has no control tower, and the pilot was not in contact with air traffic controllers when the plane went down in a cornfield.
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board were at the airport today, according to Burlington Municipal Airport officials. The plane wreckage will be taken into a hanger so investigators can inspect it, an official said.
Nicole was a freshman at Antioch High School and was a popular member of the dance team, which huddled with counselors at school Monday.
Todd Parfitt, who had just turned 50, was a flight dispatcher for United Airlines, said a friend, Brent Bluthardt of Antioch.
“It’s bad enough to lose a good friend, but with a child involved, it’s worse,” said Bluthardt, whose daughter also is on the dance team. “I know that Nicole loved going flying with her dad.
I am sure it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, and they were probably hoping for a last flight before the plane goes away for the winter.”
The principal of Antioch High School said many students were wearing purple today, the color of the freshman class and Nicole’s favorite color. The dance team, about 30 to 40 kids, and their two coaches were meeting with counselors.
“Evidently, it’s a pretty emotional meeting,” said Principal John Whitehurst, adding that the hallways were “eerily silent.”
http://www.chicagotribune.com
Aircraft Info: http://registry.faa.gov/N6273L
Location: http://www.airnav.com/airport/KBUU
Daily Herald Article: http://www.dailyherald.com
Chicago Tribune Article (With Photo): http://www.chicagotribune.com
Journal Times Article: http://www.journaltimes.com
Members of the Burlington Police Department guard the scene of a plane crash in Burlington Wisconsin
TOWN OF BURLINGTON — Two people are dead after a plane crashed Sunday while attempting to land near the Burlington Municipal Airport.
Local law enforcement has told the FAA that there were only two people aboard the single-engine plane when it crashed shortly before 1:30 p.m., according to a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Lynn Lunsford.
Wales resident Don Kujawski, 45, was one of the first few people to arrive at the scene of the crash and described it as “surreal.”
Kujawski decided earlier in the day to surpise his wife, Robyn Wright, 45, with the couple’s first small-plane ride because it was “such a beautiful day for flying.”
But after a 45-minute sight-seeing flight, their plane turned to make a landing at the Burlington airport and from the sky they noticed a bright, reflective object in the southwest corner of the airfield.
We didn’t know it was wreckage from the sky,” Kujawski said, but before their plane landed, police were already driving towards the crash site and others at the airport were running through the field toward the plane.
When asked what he remembered about the scene, Kujawski described a collective quietness among those gathered near the wreckage broken up by “a few whispers,” of those trying to figure out if they knew the victims.
The plane was a Grumman AA-1 with tail number N6273L, according to Lundsford and FAA electronic records show that the plane is registered to a man from Antioch, Ill., a town on the Wisconsin and Illinois border.
Kujawski said that the very first witnesses who arrived on the scene reported seeing one male and one female towards the rear of the plane.
The identities of the victims have not been released.
I expected a long sprawling crash, like you see in the movies, plane crash,” Kujawski said. “The plane was sitting there, the tail is still standing up. It nosedived to the ground.”
Because the crash was fatal, the investigation is being headed by the National Transportation Safety Board, Lunsford said.
According to police on the scene, the investigation will reconvene in the morning.
http://www.journaltimes.com
A small plane registered to an Antioch man crashed near Burlington, Wis., Sunday afternoon, killing the two people aboard, authorities said.
The single-engine Grumman AA1 crashed into a cornfield near the Burlington Municipal Airport just before 1:30 p.m. Sunday, said Lynn Lunsford, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.
“The preliminary information is that it crashed while attempting to land,” Lunsford said. The FAA didn’t yet know where the plane had taken off from.
Both people on board were killed, according to the Walworth County coroner’s office, which responded to the crash. The names of the victims have not yet been released as family members are still being notified, according to the coroner’s office.
FAA investigators were en route to the crash as of Sunday evening, Lunsford said, but because it involved fatalities the National Transportation Safety Board will be leading the investigation.
The Burlington Municipal Airport is on the border between Racine County and Walworth County, about 20 miles north of the Illinois-Wisconsin state line. The airport has two runways and, according to the city of Burlington website, is unmanned.
The Walworth County Sheriff also responded to the crash, but has not yet released any information.
Local officials report that two people have died in the crash of a small plane near the Burlington, Wis., airport, an FAA spokesman said.
The crash of the single-engine Grumman AA1 happened about 1:26 p.m. near the airport as the airplane tried to land, said Lynn Lunsford, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.
There were two people on board, and local officials were reporting to the FAA that they both died, but FAA officials have not independently verified that, he said.
The airplane is registered to a man in Antioch, on the Illinois-Wisconsin border, according to FAA records.
Burlington officials referred questions to the Walworth County Sheriff’s Department, which was not immediately releasing information.
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, November 18, 2012 in Burlington, IL
Aircraft: GRUMMAN AMERICAN AVN. CORP. AA-1B, registration: N6273L
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 November 8, 2012, about 1320 central standard time, N6273L, a Grumman AA-1B airplane, impacted terrain near Burlington, Wisconsin. The private pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. 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. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated without a flight plan. The local flight originated from the Burlington Municipal Airport (KBUU), Burlington, Wisconsin, at an undetermined time.
An eyewitness to the accident saw the accident airplane flying towards the airport from the southwest. The airplane appeared to be in a steep descent with a slight left turn. A few moments later, the witness saw the airplane in a tight, right turn that developed into a spin. The airplane rapidly descended towards the terrain.
At 1315, an automated weather reporting facility located at KBUU, reported wind from 170 degrees at 8 knots, variable winds from 150 to 210 degrees, visibility 10 miles, a clear sky, temperature 54 degrees Fahrenheit (F), dew point 34 F, and a barometric pressure of 30.35 inches of mercury.
An Antioch man and his 14-year-old daughter were killed when their plane crashed as it approached a small airport just north of the Wisconsin-Illinois border, according to police and relatives.
Todd Parfitt, 50, and Nicole Parfitt, 14, died after the single-engine Grumman plane crashed into a cornfield about 1:25 p.m. Sunday as it approached the airport in Burlington, Wis., about 20 miles north of the state line, officials said. Both victims were thrown from the plane, they said.
“The preliminary information is that it crashed while attempting to land,” said Lynn Lunsford, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.
Lunsford said the Burlington airport has no control tower, and the pilot was not in contact with air traffic controllers when the plane went down in a cornfield.
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board were at the airport today, according to Burlington Municipal Airport officials. The plane wreckage will be taken into a hanger so investigators can inspect it, an official said.
Nicole was a freshman at Antioch High School and was a popular member of the dance team, which huddled with counselors at school Monday.
Todd Parfitt, who had just turned 50, was a flight dispatcher for United Airlines, said a friend, Brent Bluthardt of Antioch.
“It’s bad enough to lose a good friend, but with a child involved, it’s worse,” said Bluthardt, whose daughter also is on the dance team. “I know that Nicole loved going flying with her dad.
I am sure it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, and they were probably hoping for a last flight before the plane goes away for the winter.”
The principal of Antioch High School said many students were wearing purple today, the color of the freshman class and Nicole’s favorite color. The dance team, about 30 to 40 kids, and their two coaches were meeting with counselors.
“Evidently, it’s a pretty emotional meeting,” said Principal John Whitehurst, adding that the hallways were “eerily silent.”
A Facebook page was created Sunday in honor of Nicole.
"They may have not made it to the runway that they intended, but they did land safely in heaven," one message reads.
Bailey Walker, who called herself a best friend of Nicole, said in a post: "Nicole, I love you so much. I will never forget all of our inside jokes and all of the times you made me laugh. How much I loved hanging out with you and just talking to you when I was upset made me feel so much better. You just knew how to cheer people up and you were always such an amazing person."
"They may have not made it to the runway that they intended, but they did land safely in heaven," one message reads.
Bailey Walker, who called herself a best friend of Nicole, said in a post: "Nicole, I love you so much. I will never forget all of our inside jokes and all of the times you made me laugh. How much I loved hanging out with you and just talking to you when I was upset made me feel so much better. You just knew how to cheer people up and you were always such an amazing person."
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 6273L Make/Model: AA1 Description: AA-1 Trainer, Tr2, T-Cat, Lynx
Date: 11/18/2012 Time: 1920
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Fatal Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Substantial
LOCATION
City: BURLINGTON State: WI Country: US
DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT ON LANDING, CRASHED, THE 2 PERSONS ON BOARD WERE FATALLY INJURED,
BURLINGTON, WI
INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 2
# Crew: 2 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: Pleasure Phase: Landing Operation: OTHER
FAA FSDO: MILWAUKEE, WI (GL13) Entry date: 11/19/2012
Aircraft Info: http://registry.faa.gov/N6273L
Location: http://www.airnav.com/airport/KBUU
Daily Herald Article: http://www.dailyherald.com
Chicago Tribune Article (With Photo): http://www.chicagotribune.com
Journal Times Article: http://www.journaltimes.com
Members of the Burlington Police Department guard the scene of a plane crash in Burlington Wisconsin
(Armando L. Sanchez, Chicago Tribune / November 18, 2012)
TOWN OF BURLINGTON — Two people are dead after a plane crashed Sunday while attempting to land near the Burlington Municipal Airport.
Local law enforcement has told the FAA that there were only two people aboard the single-engine plane when it crashed shortly before 1:30 p.m., according to a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Lynn Lunsford.
Wales resident Don Kujawski, 45, was one of the first few people to arrive at the scene of the crash and described it as “surreal.”
Kujawski decided earlier in the day to surpise his wife, Robyn Wright, 45, with the couple’s first small-plane ride because it was “such a beautiful day for flying.”
But after a 45-minute sight-seeing flight, their plane turned to make a landing at the Burlington airport and from the sky they noticed a bright, reflective object in the southwest corner of the airfield.
We didn’t know it was wreckage from the sky,” Kujawski said, but before their plane landed, police were already driving towards the crash site and others at the airport were running through the field toward the plane.
When asked what he remembered about the scene, Kujawski described a collective quietness among those gathered near the wreckage broken up by “a few whispers,” of those trying to figure out if they knew the victims.
The plane was a Grumman AA-1 with tail number N6273L, according to Lundsford and FAA electronic records show that the plane is registered to a man from Antioch, Ill., a town on the Wisconsin and Illinois border.
Kujawski said that the very first witnesses who arrived on the scene reported seeing one male and one female towards the rear of the plane.
The identities of the victims have not been released.
I expected a long sprawling crash, like you see in the movies, plane crash,” Kujawski said. “The plane was sitting there, the tail is still standing up. It nosedived to the ground.”
Because the crash was fatal, the investigation is being headed by the National Transportation Safety Board, Lunsford said.
According to police on the scene, the investigation will reconvene in the morning.
http://www.journaltimes.com
A small plane registered to an Antioch man crashed near Burlington, Wis., Sunday afternoon, killing the two people aboard, authorities said.
The single-engine Grumman AA1 crashed into a cornfield near the Burlington Municipal Airport just before 1:30 p.m. Sunday, said Lynn Lunsford, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.
“The preliminary information is that it crashed while attempting to land,” Lunsford said. The FAA didn’t yet know where the plane had taken off from.
Both people on board were killed, according to the Walworth County coroner’s office, which responded to the crash. The names of the victims have not yet been released as family members are still being notified, according to the coroner’s office.
FAA investigators were en route to the crash as of Sunday evening, Lunsford said, but because it involved fatalities the National Transportation Safety Board will be leading the investigation.
The Burlington Municipal Airport is on the border between Racine County and Walworth County, about 20 miles north of the Illinois-Wisconsin state line. The airport has two runways and, according to the city of Burlington website, is unmanned.
The Walworth County Sheriff also responded to the crash, but has not yet released any information.
Local officials report that two people have died in the crash of a small plane near the Burlington, Wis., airport, an FAA spokesman said.
The crash of the single-engine Grumman AA1 happened about 1:26 p.m. near the airport as the airplane tried to land, said Lynn Lunsford, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.
There were two people on board, and local officials were reporting to the FAA that they both died, but FAA officials have not independently verified that, he said.
The airplane is registered to a man in Antioch, on the Illinois-Wisconsin border, according to FAA records.
Burlington officials referred questions to the Walworth County Sheriff’s Department, which was not immediately releasing information.
Kayaker saves pilot brother after helicopter crashes in lake
A man from
Laval, Que., walked away relatively unscathed after his helicopter
crash-landed into a lake about 80 km northeast of Ottawa and he was
rescued by his brother.
Bruno Piche, 48, flew to to the fishing camp of his brother Richard, who watched from shore as the helicopter arrived, hoping to take photographs of the landing.
The helicopter then crashed into the frigid water.
Richard immediately climbed aboard a kayak to rescue his brother, who struggled to free himself from the downed aircraft.
"He had gone to the bottom of the water and was able to climb," Richard said, adding he was able to reach his brother about a mile from shore.
"I told him, remain calm and hold on," he said.
The two men finally reached shore and the pilot, who suffered minor injuries, was transported to hospital.
Firefighters and officers from the Sûreté du Québec were called to the scene of the accident.
"The sun blinded him," Richard said his brother told him.
http://cnews.canoe.ca
A 48-year-old man from Laval walked away relatively unscathed after his helicopter crash-landed into a lake about about 80 km northeast of Ottawa.
Surete de Quebec police say the man was forced to land his helicopter in the lake after he lost altitude but was able to make a soft landing in the waters of Lac Britannique.
It's a rural area of Quebec with very few nearby communities.
He managed to get out of the helicopter and swim to shore while witnesses along the the edge of the water called emergency crews.
He was treated for minor injuries by paramedics but he didn't need a trip to the hospital.
Quebec transportation authorities are investigating the crash while police talk to nearby witnesses
Ottawa Sun News Article: http://www.ottawasun.com
CBC News Article: http://www.cbc.ca
CTV News Article: http://ottawa.ctvnews.ca
A 48-year-old man from Laval, Que., walked away from a helicopter crash northeast of Ottawa with only minor injuries on Sunday afternoon.
It happened just before 1 p.m., according to Quebec provincial police.
The helicopter the man was piloting crashed into Lac Britannique for unknown reasons. He was the only occupant.
Lac Britannique is about 70 kilometres northeast of downtown Ottawa, near the small town of Saint-Sixte, Que.
The man managed to get out of the helicopter and swim to shore after the crash, police said.
Police and officials from the Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
A helicopter pilot is in hospital after crashing into a lake northeast of Ottawa Sunday afternoon.
Quebec police said the crash into Lac Britannique happened just before 1 p.m. Sunday.
They said the pilot, who was alone in the helicopter, got out by himself and was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
Lac Britannique is about a 90-minute drive northeast of downtown Ottawa.
Bruno Piche, 48, flew to to the fishing camp of his brother Richard, who watched from shore as the helicopter arrived, hoping to take photographs of the landing.
The helicopter then crashed into the frigid water.
Richard immediately climbed aboard a kayak to rescue his brother, who struggled to free himself from the downed aircraft.
"He had gone to the bottom of the water and was able to climb," Richard said, adding he was able to reach his brother about a mile from shore.
"I told him, remain calm and hold on," he said.
 |
The two men finally reached shore and the pilot, who suffered minor injuries, was transported to hospital.
Firefighters and officers from the Sûreté du Québec were called to the scene of the accident.
"The sun blinded him," Richard said his brother told him.
http://cnews.canoe.ca
A 48-year-old man from Laval walked away relatively unscathed after his helicopter crash-landed into a lake about about 80 km northeast of Ottawa.
Surete de Quebec police say the man was forced to land his helicopter in the lake after he lost altitude but was able to make a soft landing in the waters of Lac Britannique.
It's a rural area of Quebec with very few nearby communities.
He managed to get out of the helicopter and swim to shore while witnesses along the the edge of the water called emergency crews.
He was treated for minor injuries by paramedics but he didn't need a trip to the hospital.
Quebec transportation authorities are investigating the crash while police talk to nearby witnesses
Ottawa Sun News Article: http://www.ottawasun.com
CBC News Article: http://www.cbc.ca
CTV News Article: http://ottawa.ctvnews.ca
A 48-year-old man from Laval, Que., walked away from a helicopter crash northeast of Ottawa with only minor injuries on Sunday afternoon.
It happened just before 1 p.m., according to Quebec provincial police.
The helicopter the man was piloting crashed into Lac Britannique for unknown reasons. He was the only occupant.
Lac Britannique is about 70 kilometres northeast of downtown Ottawa, near the small town of Saint-Sixte, Que.
The man managed to get out of the helicopter and swim to shore after the crash, police said.
Police and officials from the Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
A helicopter pilot is in hospital after crashing into a lake northeast of Ottawa Sunday afternoon.
Quebec police said the crash into Lac Britannique happened just before 1 p.m. Sunday.
They said the pilot, who was alone in the helicopter, got out by himself and was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
Lac Britannique is about a 90-minute drive northeast of downtown Ottawa.
Valdosta Regional (KVLD), Georgia: New fire station planned for airport
VALDOSTA, Ga. - A new state-of-the-art fire station is being planned for Valdosta Regional Airport in south Georgia.
Airport officials say the $3 million project is needed to keep the airport competitive. It's one of nine commercial service airports in the state, with three flights per day to Atlanta.
Jim Galloway, the airport's executive director, says the fire station will enhance public safety. Officials say most of the funding comes from the Federal Aviation Administration, with additional money from the state and fees paid by the airport's commercial users.
Construction is set to begin in two weeks and be completed in little over a year.
The airport was built before World War II as an auxiliary landing area to Moody Field. After the war, the federal government transferred the airport to the city.
Source: http://www.myfoxatlanta.com
Airport officials say the $3 million project is needed to keep the airport competitive. It's one of nine commercial service airports in the state, with three flights per day to Atlanta.
Jim Galloway, the airport's executive director, says the fire station will enhance public safety. Officials say most of the funding comes from the Federal Aviation Administration, with additional money from the state and fees paid by the airport's commercial users.
Construction is set to begin in two weeks and be completed in little over a year.
The airport was built before World War II as an auxiliary landing area to Moody Field. After the war, the federal government transferred the airport to the city.
Source: http://www.myfoxatlanta.com
Police helicopters called an essential tool
Sunday, November 18, 2012
By Jeremiah McWilliams
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Atlanta Police Department’s small fleet of helicopters is scheduled to return to the air Monday, two weeks after a crash that killed two law enforcement officers.
The incident put a spotlight on the law-enforcement helicopters that crisscross metro Atlanta’s skies, raising questions about how they’re used, what they cost and whether they are worth the risk to officers.
A number of public officials, police officers and law enforcement experts told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that, while helicopters are expensive, they are essential crime-fighting and life-saving tools. They sometimes allow law enforcement agencies to locate, for example, Alzheimer’s patients and missing children faster.
“We’ve found numerous victims like this, and bad guys that we could not have found without the helicopters,” said Lt. Greg Mercier, chief pilot with the Georgia State Patrol. “It’s just a great tool.”
In DeKalb County, the helicopter unit is generally used to respond to priority 1 calls, which include felonies in progress, armed robberies and searches for suspects and missing persons. Gwinnett County and Spalding County have their own helicopters for similar missions.
In Atlanta, the police department’s helicopters fly 500 hours of missions per year — the majority of them short hops of less than an hour — to look for missing people and stolen cars and assist on other calls.
During Atlanta Falcons games, the helicopters occasionally scan downtown neighborhoods and parking lots to deter car break-ins.
Another priority: searching wooded areas for hidden “chop shops,” where stolen cars are sliced up for parts. The APD also plans to work with Atlanta’s Fire Rescue Department to help with rescues from high-rise buildings. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed has called the air unit a key part of the city’s crime-suppression efforts.
Atlanta Police Sgt. David Tolleson said he has notched dozens of “catches” from a helicopter. Once, he was searching for a suspect over a thickly wooded area when the aircraft’s forward-looking infrared camera picked up a heat source coming from what appeared to be a tractor-trailer tire.
Then, the heat source flinched. The suspect was hiding in the tire; officers on the ground were a few feet from him but couldn’t find him without the chopper’s help.
“They’re an invaluable tool,” Deputy Police Chief Renee Propes said of the helicopters.
The city spends between $250,000 and $300,000 a year on maintenance for its helicopters, as well as about $70,000 a year on fuel.
The APD’s standard operating procedures for its use of helicopters give priority to distress calls from officers, then robberies in progress, vehicle pursuits, burglaries in progress, foot pursuits and searches for missing children.
The Atlanta police officers who died in the Nov. 3 crash — pilot Richard J. Halford and tactical flight officer Shawn A. Smiley — were searching for a missing 9-year-old child.
Frank Rotondo, executive director of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, said choppers prove their value when tracking carjacking suspects and high-speed chases, as well as when pilots find missing children and elderly people who have wandered away from nursing homes.
“Every very large city like Atlanta should have them available, or have their own,” Rotondo said. “They’re worthwhile. I just keep thinking, if it was my mother or father out there, or a child, I would want all services brought to bear.”
The Georgia State Patrol has an annual budget of about $3 million for its helicopter unit, which logs between 3,100 and 3,500 flight hours a year. About $1.6 million goes to personnel, with the remainder paying for maintenance, parts and fuel.
The state patrol’s 15 helicopters are used to look for prison escapees and suspects running away from traffic stops, as well as to help with big drug busts and other arrests. The helicopters can be equipped for hoist rescues and firefighting.
Like several Atlanta helicopters, they are outfitted with forward-looking infrared sensors that home in on body heat, including at night or in densely wooded areas. So far this year, the GSP’s helicopters have flown 241 missions totaling 514 hours to search for missing persons, Mercier said.
The Georgia State Patrol plans to buy two helicopters between one and seven years old to replace aircraft that are at least 30 years old. The department recently bought a newer helicopter for about $2.8 million and has a $4 million budget for the two additional ones, said Col. Mark McDonough, commissioner of Georgia’s Department of Public Safety.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Police Department’s three remaining helicopters are 38, 34 and 10 years old. Like the downed Hughes aircraft, all are on 100-hour schedules of routine maintenance and also scheduled to get annual maintenance service.
The last time the APD got a new chopper was June 2002, when the department purchased a brand-new MD500 E model for $1.4 million.
After the crash earlier this month, there was a two-week moratorium on using the department’s helicopters.
On Friday, Propes said the flying moratorium was intended to help the pilots rather than allow for extra inspections of the helicopters.
“We have a very tight [standard operating procedure],” Propes said. “These guys follow all the FAA regulations in terms of checking the helicopter. They don’t take a helicopter up unless they have checked and re-checked. We are confident our helicopters are well-maintained.”
Source: http://www.ajc.com
By Jeremiah McWilliams
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Atlanta Police Department’s small fleet of helicopters is scheduled to return to the air Monday, two weeks after a crash that killed two law enforcement officers.
The incident put a spotlight on the law-enforcement helicopters that crisscross metro Atlanta’s skies, raising questions about how they’re used, what they cost and whether they are worth the risk to officers.
A number of public officials, police officers and law enforcement experts told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that, while helicopters are expensive, they are essential crime-fighting and life-saving tools. They sometimes allow law enforcement agencies to locate, for example, Alzheimer’s patients and missing children faster.
“We’ve found numerous victims like this, and bad guys that we could not have found without the helicopters,” said Lt. Greg Mercier, chief pilot with the Georgia State Patrol. “It’s just a great tool.”
In DeKalb County, the helicopter unit is generally used to respond to priority 1 calls, which include felonies in progress, armed robberies and searches for suspects and missing persons. Gwinnett County and Spalding County have their own helicopters for similar missions.
In Atlanta, the police department’s helicopters fly 500 hours of missions per year — the majority of them short hops of less than an hour — to look for missing people and stolen cars and assist on other calls.
During Atlanta Falcons games, the helicopters occasionally scan downtown neighborhoods and parking lots to deter car break-ins.
Another priority: searching wooded areas for hidden “chop shops,” where stolen cars are sliced up for parts. The APD also plans to work with Atlanta’s Fire Rescue Department to help with rescues from high-rise buildings. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed has called the air unit a key part of the city’s crime-suppression efforts.
Atlanta Police Sgt. David Tolleson said he has notched dozens of “catches” from a helicopter. Once, he was searching for a suspect over a thickly wooded area when the aircraft’s forward-looking infrared camera picked up a heat source coming from what appeared to be a tractor-trailer tire.
Then, the heat source flinched. The suspect was hiding in the tire; officers on the ground were a few feet from him but couldn’t find him without the chopper’s help.
“They’re an invaluable tool,” Deputy Police Chief Renee Propes said of the helicopters.
The city spends between $250,000 and $300,000 a year on maintenance for its helicopters, as well as about $70,000 a year on fuel.
The APD’s standard operating procedures for its use of helicopters give priority to distress calls from officers, then robberies in progress, vehicle pursuits, burglaries in progress, foot pursuits and searches for missing children.
The Atlanta police officers who died in the Nov. 3 crash — pilot Richard J. Halford and tactical flight officer Shawn A. Smiley — were searching for a missing 9-year-old child.
Frank Rotondo, executive director of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, said choppers prove their value when tracking carjacking suspects and high-speed chases, as well as when pilots find missing children and elderly people who have wandered away from nursing homes.
“Every very large city like Atlanta should have them available, or have their own,” Rotondo said. “They’re worthwhile. I just keep thinking, if it was my mother or father out there, or a child, I would want all services brought to bear.”
The Georgia State Patrol has an annual budget of about $3 million for its helicopter unit, which logs between 3,100 and 3,500 flight hours a year. About $1.6 million goes to personnel, with the remainder paying for maintenance, parts and fuel.
The state patrol’s 15 helicopters are used to look for prison escapees and suspects running away from traffic stops, as well as to help with big drug busts and other arrests. The helicopters can be equipped for hoist rescues and firefighting.
Like several Atlanta helicopters, they are outfitted with forward-looking infrared sensors that home in on body heat, including at night or in densely wooded areas. So far this year, the GSP’s helicopters have flown 241 missions totaling 514 hours to search for missing persons, Mercier said.
The Georgia State Patrol plans to buy two helicopters between one and seven years old to replace aircraft that are at least 30 years old. The department recently bought a newer helicopter for about $2.8 million and has a $4 million budget for the two additional ones, said Col. Mark McDonough, commissioner of Georgia’s Department of Public Safety.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Police Department’s three remaining helicopters are 38, 34 and 10 years old. Like the downed Hughes aircraft, all are on 100-hour schedules of routine maintenance and also scheduled to get annual maintenance service.
The last time the APD got a new chopper was June 2002, when the department purchased a brand-new MD500 E model for $1.4 million.
After the crash earlier this month, there was a two-week moratorium on using the department’s helicopters.
On Friday, Propes said the flying moratorium was intended to help the pilots rather than allow for extra inspections of the helicopters.
“We have a very tight [standard operating procedure],” Propes said. “These guys follow all the FAA regulations in terms of checking the helicopter. They don’t take a helicopter up unless they have checked and re-checked. We are confident our helicopters are well-maintained.”
Source: http://www.ajc.com
Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, Canadian Registration C-GAGP
NTSB Identification: ANC13WA010
14 CFR Unknown
Accident occurred Sunday, November 18, 2012 in Snow Lake, Canada
Aircraft: CESSNA 208, registration: C-GAGP
Injuries: 1 Fatal,7 Serious.
The foreign authority was the source of this information.
On November 18, 2012, about 1000 central standard time, a Cessna 208B airplane, (Canadian Registration C-GAGP) was on a VFR flight plan from Snow Lake (CJE4) to Winnipeg (CYWG), Manitoba, Canada. The airplane crashed in a wooded area near the Snow Lake Airport. The pilot sustained fatal injuries, and the seven passengers were taken to area hospitals with serious injuries.
The accident investigation is under the jurisdiction and control of the Canadian government. This report is for information purposes only and contains only information released by or obtained from the Canadian government. Further information pertaining to this accident may be obtained from:
Transportation Safety Board of Canada
200 Promenade du Portage
Place du Centre, 4th Floor
Hull, Quebec K1A 1K8
Canada
Tel.: (1) 819-994-4252
(1) 819-997-7887 (24 hour)
E-mail: airops@tsb.gc.ca
Fax: (1) 819-953-9586
Website: http://www.tsb.gc.ca
Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
Gogal Air Service
C-GAGP
A pilot was killed and seven passengers were injured in a plane crash on Sunday just outside Snow Lake, the community dubbed Manitoba's next northern boom town.
A 911 call was received shortly after 10 a.m. from a passenger aboard the plane saying it had crashed near Snow Lake. The plane was operated by Gogal Air Services of Snow Lake.
The pilot's name was not released by the RCMP; however, people in town said Mark Gogal, 40, son of company owner Larry Gogal, died in the crash.
"Everyone's in shock here," said a man named David, who didn't want his last name used. "It's something we've never dealt with here before. Everyone's very upset."
The plane, a single-engine turboprop Cessna 208 Caravan, which can carry up to 14 people, was departing Snow Lake on its way to Winnipeg. The plane came down in the bush, about two kilometres east of Snow Lake Airport.
The passengers are contractors from Dumas Mine Contracting, who had finished their shift and were looking forward to 10 days off. Dumas is digging a shaft for the new Lalor Mine just outside Snow Lake, 685 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.
RCMP, along with several paramedics and volunteer fire officials, were dispatched to the scene.
A northern contractor, Gerald Strilkiwski, used machinery to clear a path through the bush so emergency vehicles could get to the site.
"They had to cut their way in," said RCMP Staff Sgt. Line Karpish. "The rescue efforts have been very difficult. This is in the middle of nowhere, for all intents and purposes."
The town, with a population of about 800, had just run an emergency-response exercise a few weeks earlier. Deputy mayor Rupert Klyne said dozens of residents raced to the scene on snowmobiles and ATVs.
"With a tragedy like this in Snow Lake, you could count on machines coming from all directions," he said.
Rescuers reached the plane before noon and found one person dead and the seven passengers with serious injuries.
Karpish said a wide range of rescue services were involved, including the Snow Lake fire department, provincial Conservation and Water Stewardship, and RCMP. A Canadian Forces Hercules tried to get to the crash site but could not help. "The weather is very bad. We have a Herc circling around -- he can't land and (search and rescue technicians) can't jump."
Medevac planes were also unable to get in because of overcast skies. Survivors were initially treated at the Snow Lake hospital. Victims were transported by ground ambulance to hospitals at Thompson, Flin Flon and The Pas later in the day.
Snow Lake is two to 21/2 hours from those destinations by road.
The Snow Lake hospital is well-equipped and staffed by Dr. Neil Macleod and several nurses, who were able to stabilize the crash victims but have no operating room. "(Sunday's emergency) would put it close to the top of what (the hospital) could handle," said Mayor Clarence Fisher.
Karpish said Snow Lake has a very small RCMP detachment, so The Pas and Flin Flon Mounties also arrived to help. Snow Lake Airport is about 15 kilometres from town.
Transportation Safety Board of Canada investigator Ross Peden flew to Snow Lake on Sunday afternoon and hoped to be at the scene by evening. "We don't know very much at this time," Peden said.
Fisher said Snow Lake has no regular passenger service to Winnipeg, but Gogal Air Services flies back and forth regularly. "You'll have a fair number of contractors, mining companies, executives coming in," he said.
Gogal also owns Burntwood fly-in fishing and hunting lodge. Larry Gogal runs the business and sons Brad and Mark were its pilots.
The community is in mourning for the Gogal family. "People are obviously pretty sombre," said Fisher.
The Lalor Mine, a zinc, copper and gold project, has begun limited production and is expected to be up to full production by 2015. It will eventually employ 350 people. HudBay Minerals Inc., after one of the biggest ore finds in decades, is spending $700 million to build a new mine and concentrator.
There was no immediate word on where the mining contractors live.
Mining contractors can often be from anywhere in the country. Dumas is an international mine contractor headquartered in Toronto.
Last Wednesday, Free Press business writer Martin Cash and photographer Wayne Glowacki were on the same plane, also piloted by Mark Gogal, on a day trip from Winnipeg to Snow Lake.
The two were guests of Maryann Mihychuk, the former provincial cabinet minister who is now doing economic development work for the Town of Snow Lake, as well as working for Bactech Environmental Corp., a company that is about to embark on a novel process of extracting gold from a decades-old pile of concentrate from past mining activity in Snow Lake.
Mihychuk and Ross Orr, the president and CEO of Bactech, were among those on the flight Wednesday.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/plane-crashes-in-north-179909721.html
http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab20/bizjets101/CanC-GAGP3.jpg
http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab20/bizjets101/CanC-GAGP2.jpg
http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab20/bizjets101/C-GAGPC208B1.jpg
Gogal Air Services Ltd. are associated with www.burntwood.com both located on Snow Lake Manitoba.
Operate a fleet of;
http://www.airport-data.com/images/aircraft/large/117/117839.jpg Photo Cessna Caravan serial 208B1213 as N208EE
SNOW LAKE, Man. - One person is dead and eight others are injured, some seriously, after a small plane crashed in Snow Lake, Man., about 700 kilometres north of Winnipeg. Authorities say the Cessna 208 Global Air went down just after 10 a.m. in a remote area about 10 kilometres east of the Snow Lake airport.
Rescue crews are using snowmobiles to reach the scene.
Officials say poor weather conditions in the area are preventing air support from taking part in the rescue mission.
A Canadian Forces Search and Rescue aircraft has been dispatched but can only provide limited assistance because of the weather.
The Canadian Press Article: http://www.montrealgazette.com
CTV News Article: http://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca
Winnipeg Sun Article: http://www.winnipegsun.com
Winnipeg Free Press Article: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com
Reaction/Comments: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/Comments
RCMP say one person is dead and eight people are injured, according to early reports from the scene of a plane crash in northern Manitoba. RCMP said shortly after 10 a.m., a 911 call was received from a passenger on board an aircraft advising of a plane crash near Snow Lake.
The plane reportedly had several passengers on board and several people were seriously injured.
RCMP, along with several paramedics and volunteer fire officials were dispatched to the scene, which is in the bush about 10 kilometres east of the Snow Lake Airport.
Rescuers reached the plane before noon and found some of the victims had serious injuries.
RCMP Staff Sgt. Line Karpish would not identify the victim until the situation is clearer and next of kin have been notified.
"One fatality has been reported. Our reports are eight people hurt, and one deceased," Karpish said.
"They’re still doing triage out there (and) radio communications are horrible," Karpish said.
"The rescue efforts have been very difficult. This is in the middle of nowhere, for all intents and purposes.
"They had to cut their way in," said Karpish.
She said a wide range of rescue services are involved, including the Snow Lake fire department, provincial conservation and water stewardship, and RCMP.
A Canadian Forces Hercules is above the crash site, waiting for a break in the weather, Karpish said.
"The weather is very bad. We have a Herc circling around — he can’t land and they can’t jump."
Karpish said Snow Lake has a very small RCMP detachment, and that The Pas and Flin Flon Mounties are coming to help.
Emergency crews are working to save the lives of several people after a plane crash near Snow Lake.
Just after 10 a.m. Sunday, 911 dispatchers got a call from a person who was on board the plane when it crashed.
Emergency services were dispatched to a wooded area about 10 kilometres east of the Snow Lake Airport.
RCMP said it took hours to find the plane and rescuers only reached it around 11:45 a.m.
There, crews found eight people had been injured in the crash and one person was dead. Some passengers were seriously injured, according to RCMP.
Emergency crews are still on the ground in the area, trying to get the injured passengers to safety but are facing issues with the weather and the remoteness of the area.
Airplanes can’t land on Snow Lake due to low cloud ceilings over the area, and numerous ambulances have been dispatched.
Emergency services are having difficulty getting to the injured and moving them to hospitals.
A Canadian Forces search and rescue plane has been dispatched, but weather is preventing it from being of much help, RCMP said. Currently the aircraft is circling the area, trying to find a safe place to land, according to RCMP.
Meanwhile, search and rescue crews continue to work in the area.
Snow Lake is about 700 km northwest of Winnipeg.
A small aircraft from Snow Lake has reportedly crashed into the bush near the Snow Lake airport.
The operator of a Snow Lake service station said the volunteer fire department has headed for the scene, followed by a Department of Natural Resources truck carrying two snow machines.
The plane was reportedly a local air service taking contractors back to Winnipeg. Half a dozen people were on the plane at the time and several have suffered injuries.
Snow Lake is 700 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.
First posted: Sunday, November 18, 2012 12:12 PM CST
A plane has crashed in Snow Lake.
The community of 800 people is located about 700 km northwest of Winnipeg.
Details of the crash are unknown. Just before noon emergency crews were called to the town's airport.
Challenging road conditions mean they've only just set up an staging area off Highway 392, about 1.7 km from the airport.
The Winnipeg Sun will update this story as soon as more details are available.
14 CFR Unknown
Accident occurred Sunday, November 18, 2012 in Snow Lake, Canada
Aircraft: CESSNA 208, registration: C-GAGP
Injuries: 1 Fatal,7 Serious.
The foreign authority was the source of this information.
On November 18, 2012, about 1000 central standard time, a Cessna 208B airplane, (Canadian Registration C-GAGP) was on a VFR flight plan from Snow Lake (CJE4) to Winnipeg (CYWG), Manitoba, Canada. The airplane crashed in a wooded area near the Snow Lake Airport. The pilot sustained fatal injuries, and the seven passengers were taken to area hospitals with serious injuries.
The accident investigation is under the jurisdiction and control of the Canadian government. This report is for information purposes only and contains only information released by or obtained from the Canadian government. Further information pertaining to this accident may be obtained from:
Transportation Safety Board of Canada
200 Promenade du Portage
Place du Centre, 4th Floor
Hull, Quebec K1A 1K8
Canada
Tel.: (1) 819-994-4252
(1) 819-997-7887 (24 hour)
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Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
Gogal Air Service
C-GAGP
A pilot was killed and seven passengers were injured in a plane crash on Sunday just outside Snow Lake, the community dubbed Manitoba's next northern boom town.
A 911 call was received shortly after 10 a.m. from a passenger aboard the plane saying it had crashed near Snow Lake. The plane was operated by Gogal Air Services of Snow Lake.
The pilot's name was not released by the RCMP; however, people in town said Mark Gogal, 40, son of company owner Larry Gogal, died in the crash.
"Everyone's in shock here," said a man named David, who didn't want his last name used. "It's something we've never dealt with here before. Everyone's very upset."
The plane, a single-engine turboprop Cessna 208 Caravan, which can carry up to 14 people, was departing Snow Lake on its way to Winnipeg. The plane came down in the bush, about two kilometres east of Snow Lake Airport.
The passengers are contractors from Dumas Mine Contracting, who had finished their shift and were looking forward to 10 days off. Dumas is digging a shaft for the new Lalor Mine just outside Snow Lake, 685 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.
RCMP, along with several paramedics and volunteer fire officials, were dispatched to the scene.
A northern contractor, Gerald Strilkiwski, used machinery to clear a path through the bush so emergency vehicles could get to the site.
"They had to cut their way in," said RCMP Staff Sgt. Line Karpish. "The rescue efforts have been very difficult. This is in the middle of nowhere, for all intents and purposes."
The town, with a population of about 800, had just run an emergency-response exercise a few weeks earlier. Deputy mayor Rupert Klyne said dozens of residents raced to the scene on snowmobiles and ATVs.
"With a tragedy like this in Snow Lake, you could count on machines coming from all directions," he said.
Rescuers reached the plane before noon and found one person dead and the seven passengers with serious injuries.
Karpish said a wide range of rescue services were involved, including the Snow Lake fire department, provincial Conservation and Water Stewardship, and RCMP. A Canadian Forces Hercules tried to get to the crash site but could not help. "The weather is very bad. We have a Herc circling around -- he can't land and (search and rescue technicians) can't jump."
Medevac planes were also unable to get in because of overcast skies. Survivors were initially treated at the Snow Lake hospital. Victims were transported by ground ambulance to hospitals at Thompson, Flin Flon and The Pas later in the day.
Snow Lake is two to 21/2 hours from those destinations by road.
The Snow Lake hospital is well-equipped and staffed by Dr. Neil Macleod and several nurses, who were able to stabilize the crash victims but have no operating room. "(Sunday's emergency) would put it close to the top of what (the hospital) could handle," said Mayor Clarence Fisher.
Karpish said Snow Lake has a very small RCMP detachment, so The Pas and Flin Flon Mounties also arrived to help. Snow Lake Airport is about 15 kilometres from town.
Transportation Safety Board of Canada investigator Ross Peden flew to Snow Lake on Sunday afternoon and hoped to be at the scene by evening. "We don't know very much at this time," Peden said.
Fisher said Snow Lake has no regular passenger service to Winnipeg, but Gogal Air Services flies back and forth regularly. "You'll have a fair number of contractors, mining companies, executives coming in," he said.
Gogal also owns Burntwood fly-in fishing and hunting lodge. Larry Gogal runs the business and sons Brad and Mark were its pilots.
The community is in mourning for the Gogal family. "People are obviously pretty sombre," said Fisher.
The Lalor Mine, a zinc, copper and gold project, has begun limited production and is expected to be up to full production by 2015. It will eventually employ 350 people. HudBay Minerals Inc., after one of the biggest ore finds in decades, is spending $700 million to build a new mine and concentrator.
There was no immediate word on where the mining contractors live.
Mining contractors can often be from anywhere in the country. Dumas is an international mine contractor headquartered in Toronto.
Last Wednesday, Free Press business writer Martin Cash and photographer Wayne Glowacki were on the same plane, also piloted by Mark Gogal, on a day trip from Winnipeg to Snow Lake.
The two were guests of Maryann Mihychuk, the former provincial cabinet minister who is now doing economic development work for the Town of Snow Lake, as well as working for Bactech Environmental Corp., a company that is about to embark on a novel process of extracting gold from a decades-old pile of concentrate from past mining activity in Snow Lake.
Mihychuk and Ross Orr, the president and CEO of Bactech, were among those on the flight Wednesday.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/plane-crashes-in-north-179909721.html
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Operate a fleet of;
| 1 | Noorduyn | NORSEMAN MK. V | N29-43 | 1995-05-30 | |
| 2 | Noorduyn | NORSEMAN MK. VI | 365 | 1994-06-21 | |
| 3 | Robinson | R44 | 1580 | 2007-03-07 | |
| 4 | Dehavilland | DHC-2 MK. I | 1581 | 2012-05-22 | |
| 5 | Cessna | 208B | 208B1213 | 2011-02-25 | |
| 6 | Piper | PA-31-350 | 31-7405234 | 2003-06-24 | |
| 7 | Cessna | A185F | 18503207 | 2000-07-20 | |
| 8 | Robinson | R44 | 1025 | 2011-01-25 | |
| 9 | Robinson | R44 II | 10707 |
http://www.airport-data.com/images/aircraft/large/117/117839.jpg Photo Cessna Caravan serial 208B1213 as N208EE
SNOW LAKE, Man. - One person is dead and eight others are injured, some seriously, after a small plane crashed in Snow Lake, Man., about 700 kilometres north of Winnipeg. Authorities say the Cessna 208 Global Air went down just after 10 a.m. in a remote area about 10 kilometres east of the Snow Lake airport.
Rescue crews are using snowmobiles to reach the scene.
Officials say poor weather conditions in the area are preventing air support from taking part in the rescue mission.
A Canadian Forces Search and Rescue aircraft has been dispatched but can only provide limited assistance because of the weather.
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RCMP say one person is dead and eight people are injured, according to early reports from the scene of a plane crash in northern Manitoba. RCMP said shortly after 10 a.m., a 911 call was received from a passenger on board an aircraft advising of a plane crash near Snow Lake.
The plane reportedly had several passengers on board and several people were seriously injured.
RCMP, along with several paramedics and volunteer fire officials were dispatched to the scene, which is in the bush about 10 kilometres east of the Snow Lake Airport.
Rescuers reached the plane before noon and found some of the victims had serious injuries.
RCMP Staff Sgt. Line Karpish would not identify the victim until the situation is clearer and next of kin have been notified.
"One fatality has been reported. Our reports are eight people hurt, and one deceased," Karpish said.
"They’re still doing triage out there (and) radio communications are horrible," Karpish said.
"The rescue efforts have been very difficult. This is in the middle of nowhere, for all intents and purposes.
"They had to cut their way in," said Karpish.
She said a wide range of rescue services are involved, including the Snow Lake fire department, provincial conservation and water stewardship, and RCMP.
A Canadian Forces Hercules is above the crash site, waiting for a break in the weather, Karpish said.
"The weather is very bad. We have a Herc circling around — he can’t land and they can’t jump."
Karpish said Snow Lake has a very small RCMP detachment, and that The Pas and Flin Flon Mounties are coming to help.
Emergency crews are working to save the lives of several people after a plane crash near Snow Lake.
Just after 10 a.m. Sunday, 911 dispatchers got a call from a person who was on board the plane when it crashed.
Emergency services were dispatched to a wooded area about 10 kilometres east of the Snow Lake Airport.
RCMP said it took hours to find the plane and rescuers only reached it around 11:45 a.m.
There, crews found eight people had been injured in the crash and one person was dead. Some passengers were seriously injured, according to RCMP.
Emergency crews are still on the ground in the area, trying to get the injured passengers to safety but are facing issues with the weather and the remoteness of the area.
Airplanes can’t land on Snow Lake due to low cloud ceilings over the area, and numerous ambulances have been dispatched.
Emergency services are having difficulty getting to the injured and moving them to hospitals.
A Canadian Forces search and rescue plane has been dispatched, but weather is preventing it from being of much help, RCMP said. Currently the aircraft is circling the area, trying to find a safe place to land, according to RCMP.
Meanwhile, search and rescue crews continue to work in the area.
Snow Lake is about 700 km northwest of Winnipeg.
A small aircraft from Snow Lake has reportedly crashed into the bush near the Snow Lake airport.
The operator of a Snow Lake service station said the volunteer fire department has headed for the scene, followed by a Department of Natural Resources truck carrying two snow machines.
The plane was reportedly a local air service taking contractors back to Winnipeg. Half a dozen people were on the plane at the time and several have suffered injuries.
Snow Lake is 700 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.
First posted: Sunday, November 18, 2012 12:12 PM CST
A plane has crashed in Snow Lake.
The community of 800 people is located about 700 km northwest of Winnipeg.
Details of the crash are unknown. Just before noon emergency crews were called to the town's airport.
Challenging road conditions mean they've only just set up an staging area off Highway 392, about 1.7 km from the airport.
The Winnipeg Sun will update this story as soon as more details are available.
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