14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, March 15, 2013 in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Probable Cause Approval Date: 11/05/2014
Aircraft: PIPER PA-31T, registration: N63CA
Injuries: 3 Fatal.
NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The multiengine airplane had not been flown for about 4 months and was being prepared for export. The pilot was attempting a local test flight after avionics upgrades had been performed. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot transmitted that he was experiencing an "emergency"; however, he did not state the nature of the emergency. The airplane was observed experiencing difficulty climbing and entered a right turn back toward the airport. It subsequently stalled, rolled right about 90 degrees, and descended. The airplane impacted several parked vehicles and came to rest inverted. A postcrash fire destroyed the airframe. Both engines were destroyed by fire and impact damage. The left propeller assembly was fire damaged, and the right propeller assembly remained attached to the gearbox, which separated from the engine. Examination of wreckage did not reveal any preimpact malfunctions. It was noted that the left engine displayed more pronounced rotational signatures than the right engine, but this difference could be attributed to the impact sequence. The left propeller assembly displayed evidence of twisting and rotational damage, and the right propeller assembly did not display any significant evidence of twisting or rotational damage indicative of operation with a difference in power. The lack of flight recorders and the condition of the wreckage precluded the gathering of additional relevant information.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control following an emergency, the nature of which could not be determined because of crash and fire damage, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On March 15, 2013, about 1621 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-31T (Cheyenne), N63CA, owned by M.A.S. Inc., was destroyed after it impacted the ground shortly after takeoff from the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE), Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The airline transport pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the local maintenance test flight that was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
According to information obtained from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and personnel interviews, the airplane was purchased by its current owner during November 2012, for a third party in Columbia, and was being prepared for export. The pilot planned to conduct a local test flight after avionics upgrades had been performed. The passengers were a father and son, who both worked at the company that performed the avionics upgrades.
Another pilot reported that he was asked by one of the passengers to conduct a test flight in the airplane 2 days before the accident. The pilot stated that he did not have time to conduct a test flight; however, he sat in the cockpit during a ground check of the right engine to troubleshoot a faulty oil temperature gauge. The engine performed normally, with the exception of the oil temperature gauge reading below zero. In addition, a functional check of the avionics was performed with no discrepancies noted.
The owner reported that the airplane had undergone engine ground checks during the 4 days prior to the accident. He was not aware of any maintenance issues with the airframe or engines, which underwent detailed inspections at the time of the purchase.
The airplane departed from runway 8, a 6,002-foot-long, asphalt runway, and was expected to turn to the left for a northwest departure. Shortly after takeoff, witnesses observed the airplane make a steep right turn back toward the airport. The pilot transmitted that he was experiencing an "emergency;" however, he did not state the nature of the emergency prior to the accident. One witness, who was a pilot in an airplane that was parked in the mid-field run-up area at FXE, stated that the accident airplane had difficulty climbing and barely cleared the obstacles located off the departure end of the runway. The airplane turned to the right, and "began to shake as if it was near stall speed." The airplane then appeared to stall, roll to the right about 90 degrees, and descend straight down toward the ground. Nearby surveillance video depicted the airplane entering a right roll that was at or about 90 degrees before it descended out of camera view.
Radar data obtained from the FAA depicted a target consistent with the airplane at an altitude about 100 feet mean sea level (msl), about 3,600 feet from the beginning of runway 8, about 200 feet off the right side of the runway. The radar target continued to drift to the right, and reached a maximum ground speed about 110 knots, and a maximum altitude about 300 feet. The target then entered a progressively steepening right bank, and slowed to a ground speed about 90 knots before radar contact was lost about 800 feet east-northeast of the accident site.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
The pilot, age 65, held an airline transport pilot certificate, with ratings for airplane single-engine land, airplane multiengine land, and instrument airplane. He also held a flight instructor certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, airplane multiengine land and instrument airplane. The pilot also held type ratings for HS-125, CE-500, CE-650, CL-600, DA-200, G-1159 and Lear Jet series airplanes.
His most recent FAA first-class medical certificate was issued on May 7, 2012. At that time, he reported a total flight experience of "10,000+" hours, which included 95 hours during the previous 6 months.
The pilot's current logbook was not located. According to an FAA inspector, the accident pilot regularly flew several types of airplanes, including the Piper PA-31 series airplanes. Logbook excerpts current as of June 13, 2012, revealed about 70 hours logged since January 1, 2012, which included 12 hours in PA-31 series airplanes.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
The twin-engine, retractable-gear, low wing, all metal turbine powered airplane, serial number 31T-7820033, was manufactured in 1978. It was powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-28, 680-horsepower engines, equipped with three-bladed Hartzell constant-speed propeller assemblies.
The airplane was equipped with a Stability Augmentation System (SAS) designed to automatically improve the static longitudinal stability of the airplane by providing variable elevator force. This was accomplished through tension changes in an elevator down spring. An angle of attack sensing vane located on the right side of the fuselage nose section signals the SAS computer, which powers the elevator down spring servo. Other functions of the SAS computer are activation of the stall warning horn and providing the signal for the visual stall margin indicator on the upper left side of the instrument panel. The stall margin indicator receives its signal from the angle-of-attach vane through the conditioning computer and presents a visual indication of the ratio of present speed to the stall speed in the same configuration.
According to the airplane Pilot Operating Handbook, the listed Air Minimum Control Speed (Vmca), which was the lowest airspeed at which the airplane is controllable with one engine operating and no flaps was an indicated airspeed of 91 knots. The single engine best rate of climb speed was 113 knots.
The airplane was equipped with four interconnected fuel tanks in each wing, in addition to a respective wingtip fuel tank. The right and left wing fuel systems were independent of each other and fuel was supplied to the engines by its respective inboard fuel cell. The total fuel system capacity was 374 gallons. According to fueling records, the airplane was refueled 51 gallons of Jet-A fuel prior to the accident flight. A line serviceman reported that approximately 25 gallons of fuel was added to the left and right wingtip fuel tanks. The total amount of fuel onboard the airplane at the time of the accident could not be determined.
At the time of the accident, the airplane had been operated for about 5,030 total hours, which included about 25 hours since its most recent documented phase inspections, which were performed on January 31, 2012. The airplane was operated for about 12 total hours during 2011.
In addition, at the time of the accident, the right and left engines had been operated for about 1,430 hours since they were overhauled during November 2000. The right propeller had been operated for about 3 hours since it was installed after overhaul during November 2012, and the left propeller had been operated for about 135 hours since it was installed after overhaul during November 2008.
The registered owner reported that the airplane had flown about 3 additional hours in November, after the airplane was delivered from Sarasota, Florida, to FXE.
Review of maintenance records did not reveal a current annual inspection for the airplane.
An airframe and powerplant mechanic reported that he was hired by one of the passengers to conduct a 100 hour inspection of the airplane, which he worked on during the month prior to the accident, but was not completed due to the avionics work that was being performed at the time. He further stated that the airplane still required a landing gear swing, weight and balance check, and a flight control system check before the inspection could be completed and logged. The mechanic was not provided any "squawks" and was not aware of an issue with the right engine oil temperature gauge.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
The reported weather at FXE, elevation 13 feet, at 1639, was: wind 060 degrees at 7 knots, visibility 10 statute miles; scattered clouds at 4,000 feet; temperature 21 degrees Celsius (C); dew point 8 degrees C; altimeter 30.16 inches of mercury.
FLIGHT RECORDERS
The airplane was not equipped, nor was it required to be equipped with a cockpit voice recorder or flight data recorder.
WRECKAGE INFORMATION
The airplane impacted the ground and several parked vehicles, and came to rest inverted on a heading of about 275 degrees, about .6 miles southeast of the departure end of the runway. A postcrash fire consumed the airframe, with the exception of the right wingtip fuel tank, which was located about 20 feet south of the main wreckage, was not fire damaged, and contained about 3 quarts of fuel consistent with Jet-A. Both wings, the vertical stabilizer, rudder, horizontal stabilizer, elevators and trim tabs were destroyed. Due to the fragmented and fire damaged postaccident condition of the wreckage, flight control continuity could not be confirmed from the cockpit to the respective flight control surfaces. The right landing gear was found retracted in its respective gear well, while the structure around the nose and left main landing gears was compromised. The left and right flap actuator jackscrews indicated the flaps were in the retracted position. Recovered components from the stability augmentation system were impact and fire damaged; however, the control arm was observed in the up (airplane stalled) position.
Both engines were destroyed by impact and fire damage. They were located amongst the main wreckage, attached to their mounts and partially attached to their respective firewalls. Examination of both engines did not reveal evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The left engine displayed compressive deformation to the exhaust duct, combustion chamber liner, power turbine shaft housing, and the gas generator case. The propeller shaft and the compressor rear hub coupling displayed torsional overload and bending fractures. The right engine displayed compressive deformation to the exhaust duct, combustion chamber liner, power turbine shaft housing, and the gas generator case. The front reduction gearbox flange was partially fractured and the gearbox had separated from the engine. The left and right engine's compressor turbine and power turbine displayed rotational signatures indicative of rotation at impact. The damage was consistent with rotation somewhere between the low to mid-range power setting. It was noted that the left engine displayed more pronounced rotational signatures than the right engine. According to the engine manufacturer, the difference in rotational signatures between the left and right engine could be attributed to compression differences in the external cases and the internal components adjacent to the rotating components that occurred during the impact sequence.
The left propeller assembly sustained severe thermal damage and separated at the engine shaft. One blade was fractured off the hub. Two blades remained attached and displayed rotational scoring and twisting damage. The right propeller remained attached to the gear box, which separated from the engine. One propeller blade was fractured off the hub. The two remaining blades exhibited mild bending with no twisting damage. Examination of both propeller assemblies did not reveal evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. According to representative of the propeller manufacturer, damage to the right propeller was consistent with "low to no power," while damage to the left propeller was consistent with "power on."
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
Autopsies were performed on the pilot and passengers by the Broward County Medical Examiner, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The autopsy reports indicated the cause of death as "multiple blunt force injuries."
Toxicological testing was performed on the pilot by the FAA Bioaeronautical Science Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with no anomalies noted.
TESTS AND RESEARCH
Sound Spectrum Study
Three audio transmissions were received from the accident airplane during the flight. The audio transmissions were provided to the NTSB Vehicle Recorder Division's Laboratory for sound spectrum evaluation pertinent to engine operation. The first two transmissions were made while the airplane was operating on the ground prior to takeoff. The last transmission was made after the airplane became airborne, when the pilot reported that he was experiencing an emergency. Based on the evaluation of the transmissions, and information provided by the engine manufacturer, lines of energy observed in the first two transmissions were consistent with at least one engine operating at or near rotation rates consistent with a ground power idle setting. Lines of energy observed during the third transmission were consistent with at least one engine operating at or near rotation rates consistent with a takeoff power setting [Additional information can be found in the Sound Spectrum Study located in the public docket].
http://registry.faa.gov/N63CA
NTSB Identification: ERA13FA168
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, March 15, 2013 in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Aircraft: PIPER PA-31T, registration: N63CA
Injuries: 3 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 March 15, 2013, about 1620 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-31T (Cheyenne), N63CA, owned by M.A.S. Inc., was destroyed after it impacted the ground shortly after takeoff from the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE), Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The airline transport pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the local maintenance test flight that was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
According to initial information obtained from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the airplane was purchased by its current owner during November 2012, and was being prepared for export to a customer in Columbia. The pilot planned to conduct a local test flight after avionics upgrades had been performed.
The owner stated that the airplane had undergone engine ground checks during the 4 days prior to the accident. He was not aware of any maintenance issues with the airframe or engines, which underwent detailed inspections at the time of the purchase.
The airplane departed from runway 8, a 6,002-foot-long, asphalt runway, and was expected to turn to the left for a northwest departure. Shortly after takeoff, witnesses observed the airplane make a steep right turn back toward the airport. The pilot transmitted that he was experiencing an "emergency;" however, he did not state the nature of the emergency prior to the accident. One witness, who was a pilot on an airplane that was parked in the mid-field run-up area at FXE, stated that the accident airplane had difficulty climbing and barely cleared the obstacles located off the departure end of the runway. The airplane turned to the right, and "began to shake as if it was near stall speed". The airplane then appeared to stall, roll to the right about 90 degrees, and descend straight down toward the ground.
The airplane impacted into about seven parked vehicles, and came to rest inverted about .6 miles from the departure end of the runway. A postcrash fire consumed the airframe, with the exception of the right wingtip fuel tank, which was located about 20 feet south of the main wreckage. The right landing gear was found retracted in its respective gear well, while the structure around the nose and left main landing gears was compromised. The left and right flap actuator jackscrews indicated the flaps were in the retracted position. The airplane's stability augmentation system control arm was observed in the up (airplane stalled) position. It was noted that internal damage to both engines was consistent with rotation somewhere between the low to mid-range power setting, with more pronounced damage observed to the left engine. The three-bladed right propeller assembly did not display any significant evidence of twisting or rotational damage, while the left propeller assembly displayed evidence of twisting and rotational damage.
Initial review of the airplane's maintenance logbooks revealed that it had been operated for about 135 hours during the previous 5 years, and 20 hours since its most recent documented phase inspections, which were performed on January 31, 2012.
Wallace Watson - Guest Book: http://www.legacy.com/guestbook- wallace watson
Kevin Watson - Guest Book: http://www.legacy.com/guestbook - Kevin Watson
FORT LAUDERDALE— The ill-fated plane was supposed to be in the air for a 15-minute avionics check.
Instead, it lost power shortly after liftoff and crashed east of Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport on Friday. Federal officials say a mechanical malfunction was likely to blame.
The crash took the lives of all three men onboard: Kevin Watson, 30, of Pompano Beach; his father Wally Watson, 66, of Boca Raton; and their friend, pilot Steven Waller, 65, of Deerfield Beach.
It also left the surrounding neighborhoods in fear.
"Imagine if it fell on top of Northeast High School?" former Oakland Park commissioner Suzanne Boisvenue said. "More needs to be done, but I don't think they're going to do anything until something huge and more catastrophic, like landing on top of a school and killing a bunch of kids, happens."
Witnesses said they saw the 1978 Piper Cheyenne turboprop make a steep right turn in an apparent attempt to return to the airport before plunging into an impound lot and bursting into flames, setting ablaze a boat and numerous repossessed cars.
On Saturday, federal air safety investigators said they would examine every aspect of the flight — from the plane's maintenance history to the pilot's emergency call to the control tower just before the 4:15 p.m. crash.
"We're in fact-gathering mode," said Luke Schiada, senior accident investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board. "We're not going to draw any conclusions or speculate."
Kimberly Waller says she knows one thing: Her husband of 16 years, pilot Steven Waller, wasn't the reason the plane went down.
"The plane fell from the friggin' sky," she said. "The plane was a piece of crap. Why that friggin' plane had a mechanical failure, I don't know."
Wally Watson had asked her husband, a charter pilot, to take the plane up for a 15-minute test flight, she said.
"Steve is an excellent pilot," she said. "He never took any chances."
According to Federal Aviation Administration records, Waller had earned an airline transport pilot rating and was qualified to fly several types of corporate jets.
The Watsons own the Avionics Engineering firm at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. The firm specializes in aircraft repairs and retrofit installations, according to the company website.
Prior to the accident, the Piper Cheyenne had been taken to Avionics Engineering to have radio work performed, airport sources say. The aircraft is registered to Miami Aviation Specialist Inc. of Fort Lauderdale, an airplane parts firm. No one at either company could be reached for comment.
Mary Lou Gallagher, president of a corporate flight attendant training company based at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, saw the plane flying low on Friday.
"All of a sudden, he crashed," she said. She and a friend tried to get near the plane to save the pilots ''but there was no way to get close. It was a wall of fire.''
On Saturday, investigators sifted through the mangled wreckage. The plane's fuselage was completely destroyed and parts, including the propellers, were strewn around the parking lot. A yellow loader was brought in to lift burned cars away from the impact area.
The wreckage is expected to be trucked to a nearby hangar for further inspection.
The NTSB plans to release a preliminary accident report in about a week, a more detailed report in six to eight months and a final "probable cause" ruling in about 18 months.
Family and friends of the three men shared their grief through postings on Facebook.
"This is a picture of the last time I was with my 2nd dad and little bother just yesterday 3-14-13 ... life will never be the same," Steven Zide wrote.
"No words can explain such a tragedy," Karen Longo Mauro wrote. "May God give them a better life in heaven."
Kevin Watson was president of Avionics Engineering and his father, Wally, was the firm's engineer and design consultant.
Kevin was engaged to Mindy Baer, and the two were heading to the altar in a week, a friend said. On Kevin's Facebook page were several photos of him posing with his 27-year-old fiance, clinking beers at a bar, embracing on a rooftop.
Ricky White says he and his friend Kevin both loved fast cars, bonding quickly over a passion for the Mitsubishi Eclipse turbo.
White said the last time he saw Kevin, they talked about White's fear of flying.
White told his friend he witnessed a small plane crash and burn in 2005, shortly after takeoff from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. It landed in the street and crashed into a tree, White said, but all three onboard survived.
"I told him, 'It's not like a car, where you're going to break down on the road. If there's a problem, you fall out of the sky,'" White recalled.
Kevin reassured him that planes were safe, White said.
"He told me he started working on planes when he was in the Air Force and that he's been doing it for years," White said. "He said a lot of the parts are redundant."
When White first heard about the crash Friday, he called Kevin's cellphone.
"It went straight to voicemail," White said. "So I drove by the hangar. It's crazy. He's just a good-hearted person. He didn't seem to have a care in the world."
Many who live and work near the airport said they tend to get immune to the overhead traffic and spend no time fretting over potential catastrophes.
"You don't think about," said Jay Wilson, a UPS driver who said he makes daily deliveries to the airport. "It happens though. It's unfortunate, but what can you do?"
David Tyndale works at Need A Tire Inc., less than a block from Friday's crash. He said he saw the black smoke and "knew it was something bad."
"I'm sorry about the fatalities, but it's the law of inevitability," Tyndale said. "What is going to happen is going to happen."
But there's a lot at stake, former commissioner Boisvenue said, with neighborhoods, hospitals and half a dozen schools in the area.
An Oakland Park house that suffered a direct hit from an April 2009 plane crash is barely a mile from Friday's crash site. All that remains are a mango tree, a tool shed and a 'No Trespassing' sign.
Sue Soares, who lives around the corner with her husband and 11-year-old daughter, said they remember the horrific crash every time they pass by.
"We felt it could be us," Soares said. "Now there's a second one near here? The frequency is not good. It really scares us."
Story and Video: http://www.sun-sentinel.com
Steven Waller, Wallis "Wally" Watson and Kevin Watson were killed in Friday's crash, Fort Lauderdale Police said.
Police on Saturday preliminarily identified the three victims of Friday’s deadly plane crash in Fort Lauderdale.
Steven Waller, 65, of Deerfield Beach, Wallis “Wally” Watson, 66, of Boca Raton and Kevin Watson, 30, of Pompano Beach were killed when their twin-engine Piper Cheyenne PA-31T crashed in a parking lot Friday afternoon, Fort Lauderdale Police said in a statement.
The turboprop aircraft departed from Runway 08 at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport at about 4:20 p.m. and crashed just moments later into parked vehicles near a warehouse at 964 NE 53rd Court, authorities said Friday.
Witnesses said explosions followed the plane’s impact. Firefighters quickly arrived to douse various vehicles that caught fire in the lot, which police said is used to store repossessed vehicles.
Police said the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office would issue final confirmation of the plane’s occupants once it completes its evaluation.
The National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration and Fort Lauderdale Police are conducting a meticulous investigation, police said.
“Our focus so far today has been documenting the aircraft on scene to the point where we can get it recovered off-site to look at it further,” Luke Schiada, a senior air safety investigator with the NTSB, said at the crash site Saturday. “We will continue to do that the rest of the day. We will also be gathering information on the pilot, his experience, his type of experience, medical certification, things like that.”
The men’s families are making arrangements for their funerals.
A small plane took off Friday afternoon from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, banked hard to the right, then plunged into a nearby parking lot in a fiery explosion, killing three people aboard and setting more than a dozen vehicles ablaze.
“It was like pop, and the plane just went boom, right into the ground,” said Rick Blackburn, a worker from a neighboring body shop.
Black smoke from the crash could be seen for miles. No one on the ground was injured. No buildings were hit. The cars were repossessed vehicles in an impound lot.
A crowd witnessed the explosion, but stood helpless to stop the fire from spreading from car to car. “There was people all over the place,” Blackburn said.
Spectators called to one another to flee. Propane tanks exploded with loud reports amid the hissing flames.
“The flame basically started cascading from one car to another,” said witness Stan LaPlanche.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane was a Piper PA31 twin-engine turboprop. City spokesman Matt Little said it was based in Fort Lauderdale and departing for a local flight.
Next in line for takeoff was Trinity Air Ambulance pilot Martin Klucan, who heard the desperate last message of the doomed pilot just before he crashed, who yelled: “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday,” before the radio went silent, according to flight paramedic Kristen Schell.
Authorities had not released the victims' identities Friday night, but Ricky White, a friend of one victim, said officials informed him that two of the dead were Kevin Watson, in his 30s, and his father, Wallace, who owned Avionics Engineering near the airport.
The third victim remained unnamed.
Kevin Watson was soon to be married. “He just seemed like he had no worries,” said White, 29, of Pompano Beach.
It was the fifth high-profile crash in the airport's vicinity over the past decade.
“It's a tragedy again,” said Linda Bird, of the nearby Lake Estates Homeowners Association. “It's a tragedy for the families of those on the plane, but it's also a tragedy for our neighborhoods.”
Bird said the city should assign its own inspectors to check aircraft, along with federal inspectors to help deter future accidents. “We are in proximity of the airport, and these things continue to happen,” she said.
Fire-rescue units were at the scene, in the parking ot at 964 NW 53rd Court, spraying water and foam on the wreckage. Most of the blaze was under control within 30 minutes, officials said. Cars, trucks and SUVs were blackened and charred, their tires consumed by the fire's intensity.
The plane appeared to rest atop the unoccupied vehicles, Blackburn said.
“They were just sitting there for storage,” said Fort Lauderdale police Detective DeAnna Garcia.
Someone drove a damaged SUV out of the yard before the flames reached it, Blackburn said.
Hours after the fire was extinguished, the strong smell of smoke remained. Many workers in the area stayed to watch fire officials clear the scene.
Garido Gonzalez, a manager of another custom shop, said he had just driven away to go home when one of his employees called in a panic.
“He said, ‘A plane just crashed next to us,' and hung up,” Gonzalez said. “I prayed the whole way that nobody was hurt.”
Powerline Road, near the impound lot, was closed to traffic in both directions north of Commercial Boulevard for about 90 minutes. It reopened around 5:40 p.m.
The National Transportation Safety Board is dispatching an accident investigator from New York to conduct the inquiry into what might have caused the plane to crash. He is not expected to be on the scene until Saturday morning. In the meantime, the FAA has an inspector at the crash site.
The safety board will look into numerous factors that might have contributed to the accident, including the plane's maintenance history and the pilot's experience. Although the board is expected to release a preliminary report within the next week, it generally takes more than a year before the safety board determines a “probable cause” for such accidents.
Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport is home to numerous corporate jets, smaller corporate planes and cargo planes. Because it is surrounded by schools, hospitals, business districts and homes, neighbors have repeatedly expressed concern that planes need to be better inspected and maintained.
Four other crashes have occurred near the airport in recent years:
In June 2004, shortly after takeoff, a single-engine Piper Archer crashed into an auto body shop about a half-mile from the runway. Two on board were killed; one survived.
In June 2005, a DC-3 cargo plane lost power shortly after takeoff, flopped down on Northeast 56th Street and burst into flames. Three people on board survived.
In September 2007, a cargo plane lost power after takeoff from Executive, clipped a government building and skidded to rest just off Interstate 95 north of Commercial Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. The pilot was injured and made for an eerie sight as he sat in the shredded cockpit off the highway.
In April 2009, a twin-engine plane took off from Executive and crashed into an home in Oakland Park, killing the elderly pilot.
The business district around the airport includes body shops, machine shops and suppliers.
Tom Berg, 59, with Craig's Carpet Care, was unfazed by the daily parade of planes overheard.
“We see the planes flying over us all the time,” he said. “Do you think of them crashing? No, not really. I worry more about the cars on the street than the planes in the air.”
Story and Video: http://www.sun-sentinel.com
( Matt Little, Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue, courtesy / March 15, 2013 )
Plane exploded on impact destroying vehicles in a parking lot
Plane crashes in Fort Lauderdale
(Wayne K. Roustan, Sun Sentinel / March 15, 2013)
Black smoke was visible from nearby Lockhart.
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