14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, November 18, 2012 in Savannah, GA
Aircraft: CESSNA 172K, registration: N78304
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 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 18, 2012, about 1855 eastern standard time, a Cessna 172K, N78304, was substantially damaged following a collision with terrain during approach to Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV), Savannah, Georgia. The certificated private pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to a private individual and was operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. Night, instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The local flight originated at Causey Airport (2A5), Liberty, North Carolina, about 1645.
The pilot checked in with Savannah approach control at 4,000 feet and was issued vectors for the instrument landing system (ILS) approach to runway 01. As the pilot was attempting to intercept the localizer, radar and radio contact were lost.
The wreckage was found in a salt marsh, about 12 miles south of SAV. The airframe was fragmented, and several sections were submerged in mud and salt water. The wreckage was recovered on November 19 and 20, and was transported to a storage facility for subsequent examination by the investigation team.
The 1853 surface weather observation for SAV included scattered clouds at 600 feet, broken clouds at 1,300 feet, an overcast layer at 2,000 feet, wind from 350 degrees at 11 knots, and 3 miles visibility with light rain and mist.
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Published in Concord & Kannapolis Independent Tribune from November 22 to November 24, 2012
http://www.legacy.com/obituary
CHATHAM CO., GA (WTOC) - The body of a pilot from a plane that crashed into a marsh Sunday night in southwest Chatham County was located Monday afternoon.
The single-engine, 1968 Cessna 172 aircraft had been flying to Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport from North Carolina on Sunday when it went missing. Officials say the last contact with the plane was at 6:55 p.m. Sunday when it was cleared for landing. After that, the plane did not land and was never heard from again.
The wreckage was located just after midnight by the U.S. Coast Guard in a marsh near the Grove River.
Search and rescue efforts by divers with the SCMPD aviation unit and marine patrol, DNR and the U.S. Coast Guard were conducted past 2:30 a.m. Monday and resumed at 8 a.m.
The FAA and NTSB confirmed that one person was on board the aircraft. The company said that Wentz began a job at Gulfstream on October 29.
David Wentz is from Advance, N.C. He took a job about two weeks ago as IT Business Strategy Senior Manager for Gulfstream Aerospace. He had been staying in a temporary home while he and his wife closed on their house. They closed November 3.
He is survived by his wife and two children, a 24-year-old son who is a sheriff's deputy and in the Navy reserves and a 22 year old daughter. He was a Mason and a Shriner. He loved woodworking and flying. He'd been flying between one and two years. It was something he'd wanted to do since high school.
Gulfstream issued a statement: "We are saddened by the loss of our Gulfstream colleague, David Wentz.
Story, photos and videos: http://www.wtoc.com
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 78304 Make/Model: C172 Description: 172K Skyhawk
Date: 11/18/2012 Time: 2355
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: None Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Destroyed
LOCATION
City: SAVANNAH State: GA Country: US
DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THE 1 PERSON ON BOARD UNKNOWN
INJURIES, SUBJECT OF AN ALERT NOTICE, WREAKAGE LOCATED IN A MARSH AREA NEAR
SAVANNAH, GA
INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
# Crew: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk: 1
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
OTHER DATA
Activity: Unknown Phase: Unknown Operation: OTHER
FAA FSDO: COLLEGE PARK, GA (SO11) Entry date: 11/19/2012
Aircraft photos: http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/N78304
Aircraft info: http://registry.faa.gov/N78304
Flight Tracking: http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N78304
WTOC 11 Article (With Video and Photos: http://www.wtoc.com
SavannaNow Article (With Photo) http://savannahnow.com
WSAV Article: http://www2.wsav.com
WJCL/WTGS Article: http://www.thecoastalsource.com
Destination Airport: http://www.airnav.com/airport/KSAV
WSAV Article: http://www2.wsav.com
WJCL/WTGS Article: http://www.thecoastalsource.com
Destination Airport: http://www.airnav.com/airport/KSAV
Search area late Sunday.
The plane had been flying to Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport from North Carolina on Sunday when it went missing. Officials say the last contact with the plane was at 6:55 p.m. Sunday when it was cleared for landing. After that, the plane did not land and was never heard from again.
That is when a massive search began. Savannah Chatham Metro Police used their Eagle One helicopter to look for the plane over Middle Marsh Island which sits between Georgetown and the Coffee Bluff area, while Coast Guard crews from Hunter Army Air Field, Tybee Island and Charleston were all searching the waters for the plane.
An officer told WTOC someone near the Coffee Bluff Marina reported seeing a plane "dramatically losing altitude" about the same time it disappeared from radar.
The wreckage was located in the marsh area near Jones River around 1 a.m. Monday by the Coast Guard. One person was believed to be aboard the plane. Investigators will be back out Monday at sunrise to continue their search and rescue efforts.
Officials now know who the plane is registered to, but out of respect for the family, we are waiting for the Federal Aviation Administration to confirm the information.
WTOC will continue to follow this developing story. Check back for the latest updates.
The Coast Guard located a missing plane in a marsh near Jones River early Monday morning, said Savannah-Chatham police spokeswoman Gena Bilbo.
Search and rescue efforts by
the Savannah-Chatham aviation and marine patrols, the Coast Guard and
the Department of Natural Resources to locate the aircraft continued
well past 2:30 a.m. and will resume at first light, Bilbo said.
Bilbo
said the small, private four-person plane flying from North Carolina
was cleared to land at the airport, but it never did.The last
transmission from the plane came about 6:55 p.m., after it had been
cleared for landing, she said.
It was not clear how many passengers were on board, she said late Sunday night.
(SAVANNAH, Ga.)- Personnel with the U.S. Coast Guard, Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department, and the Department of Natural Resources spent more than a couple hours early Monday morning looking over an airplane crash site in a marsh near Jones River, according to SCMPD Ofc. Gena Bilbo.
The wreckage of a small airplane was found just after midnight, according to Bilbo.
While authorities will not yet comment on the health of the pilot and will not yet say if there were passengers also on board, we have learned that the crash site was vacated a little after 2:30 a.m. and searchers will resume work on the wreckage at sunrise.
Air traffic controllers at the Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport cleared the plane for landing Sunday evening. However, that was the last communication air traffic controllers had with the pilot.
Following standard procedure, Ofc. Bilbo said SCMPD and the other agencies started their search for the airplane.
The small plane was coming to Savannah on Sunday from North Carolina.
