Sunday, May 26, 2013

Hershorin Paul A LANCAIR 320, N471LA: Aircraft on landing, gear collapsed -- North Palm Beach County General Aviation Airport, West Palm Beach, Florida

http://registry.faa.gov/N471LA
 
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) -- A landing gear collapse caused a small airplane to crash land at a South Florida airport, Sunday.

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue responded to the scene around 3:27 p.m. at North Palm Beach County General Aviation Airport, located at 11300 Aviation Blvd. near Palm Beach Gardens.

Upon arrival, reports say units found a Lancair 320 nose down on the main runway.

According to FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen the plane had departed from Marathon, Fla. The front landing gear collapsed when the pilot tried to land, sending the plane end over end.

Fire rescue officials said they found the two occupants outside the plane. Neither of them was injured.

The aircraft is registered to Paul Hershorin of Lake Worth.

http://www.wsvn.com

Revenge Exhaust:  http://revengeexhaust.com

Cessna 172F Skyhawk, N5505R: Perfect landing at the Central Disposal Facility in Cocoa, Brevard County, Florida

Cessna 172F Skyhawk, N5505R
~

This  Cessna 172F Skyhawk landed safely at a landfill near Cocoa Sunday. The plane was forced to make an emergency landing.


COCOA -- COCOA -- Engine problems forced a pilot to turn a Brevard County landfill into a runway Sunday. A small plane had to make an emergency landing Sunday at a landfill near Cocoa. 

A security guard at the landfill, near State Road 524 and Adamson Road, said the plane landed after noon Sunday.

The Cessna 172 Skyhack pilot and two passengers were not hurt.

“The plane was down at the landfill on the south end, and it was right in the middle of the roadway and he landed it perfectly,” said Jeff Taormina.

The plane was still at the landfill at last check Sunday.

The owner plans to get the plane out with the help of a mechanic.

The Florida Highway Patrol responded to assess the situation.




BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Officials said no one was injured when a small plane made an emergency landing at a landfill in Brevard County Sunday. 

The incident happened just before 1:30 p.m. at the landfill on Adamson Road in Cocoa. 

There were three people on board when the plane landed safely at the landfill. 

Fire rescue crews responded to make sure there were no injuries and no hazards following the landing. 

The Federal Aviation Administration has been contacted about the emergency landing. 

The plane will be removed from the landfill, officials said.

Chernov Che-22: Accident occurred May 26, 2013 in Dinsky district near the village of Belevtsy -- Russia

 
© Photo Krasnodar Region Emergency Situations Ministry

KRASNODAR, May 26 (RIA Novosti) – Three people were killed on Sunday when a small single-engine plane crashed in the Krasnodar region, in south Russia, the Emergency Situations Ministry has said. 

The plane crashed shortly after making several circles over a private airfield in the Dinsky district near the village of Belevtsy. 

The aircraft’s owner, who was the pilot, and two men aged around 30 have died, a spokesperson said. 

The plane’s flight had not been authorized, a local police source said.

Sonex , N634SX: Accident occurred May 26, 2013 in Naples, Florida

National Transportation Safety Board - Aviation Accident Final Report: http://app.ntsb.gov/pdf 

National Transportation Safety Board  - Docket And Docket Items: http://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms

National Transportation Safety Board  -  Aviation Accident Data Summary:   http://app.ntsb.gov/pdf

NTSB Identification: ERA13LA254
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, May 26, 2013 in Naples, FL
Probable Cause Approval Date: 04/23/2014
Aircraft: FLEMING ELDRIDGE E SONEX, registration:
Injuries: 1 Serious.

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

About 5 minutes after takeoff and at a cruise altitude of 2,000 feet above ground level, the engine lost oil pressure and partial power. The pilot was unable to maintain the airplane’s altitude and flew toward a golf course to conduct a forced landing. During short final approach, he turned the airplane left to better align it with a fairway, but the airplane stalled and impacted a canal. The airplane was equipped with a noncertificated, modified automobile engine. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any cracks in the engine case, oil residue in the engine compartment, or any abnormalities that would have accounted for the sudden loss of oil pressure and partial engine power.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed during a forced landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was a partial loss of the noncertificated engine’s power for reasons that could not be determined because examination of the engine did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

On May 26, 2013, about 1130 eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Sonex, N634SX, operated by a private individual, sustained substantial damage when it impacted a canal, following a partial loss of engine power during cruise flight near Naples, Florida. The private pilot was seriously injured. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that departed Naples Municipal Airport (APF), Naples, Florida, about 1125. No flight plan was filed for the planned flight to Immokalee Regional Airport (IMM), Immokalee, Florida.

The pilot reported that the airplane was built in 2004 and he purchased it on March 3, 2011. Prior to the accident flight, the airplane had not flown for approximately 2 years while he refurbished it. It received an annual condition inspection on April 20, 2013. The pilot then operated the airplane for about 3 hours on the ground, conducting taxi tests and making minor adjustments to the airframe and engine. During the accident flight, he departed runway 5 at APF and flew east toward IMM. About 5 minutes after takeoff, at 2,000 feet mean sea level, then engine lost oil pressure, partial power, and began to vibrate. The pilot initially flew toward Marco Island Airport (MKY), Marco Island, Florida; however, the airplane was losing altitude and he did not think the airplane would make it to that airport. He then flew toward a golf course. During short final approach, he turned left to better align the airplane with a fairway, but the airplane stalled and impacted a canal prior to the golf course. The pilot added that the propeller continued to rotate until impact.

The airplane was equipped with an Aerovee 2180, 80-horsepower, fuel-injected engine, which was a modified Volkswagen engine. At the time of its most recent annual condition inspection, the airplane and engine had accumulated about 34 total hours of operation. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector reported that the accident site was about 1.25 miles from MKY. The wreckage was recovered from the canal about 3 days after the accident. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any cracks in the engine case or oil residue in the engine compartment. With the exception of a disconnected oil breather tube, the FAA inspector did not observe any preimpact anomalies. The pilot added that the oil breather tube was "flimsy" and most likely separated during impact. He further stated that there was no evidence of an oil leak in the air or on the ground. He was also near the canal for 45 minutes after the accident and did not observe any fuel or oil sheen on the water. The pilot did not know why the engine lost oil pressure and power.


http://www.sonexaircraft.com/news/image

 http://builder.sonexaircraft.com

http://registry.faa.gov/N634SX

NTSB Identification: ERA13LA254 
 14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, May 26, 2013 in Marco Island, FL
Aircraft: FLEMING ELDRIDGE E SONEX, registration: N634SX
Injuries: 1 Serious.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

On May 26, 2013, about 1135 eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Sonex, N634SX, operated by a private individual, sustained substantial damage when it impacted a canal, following a partial loss of engine power during cruise flight near Marco Island, Florida. The private pilot was seriously injured. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that departed Marco Island Airport (MKY), Marco Island, Florida, about 1130. A visual flight rules flight plan was filed for the planned flight to Immokalee Regional Airport (IMM), Immokalee, Florida.

The pilot reported that the airplane was built in 2004 and he purchased it on March 3, 2013. It was equipped with an Aerovee 2180, 80-horsepower, fuel-injected engine, which was a modified Volkswagen engine. A condition inspection was completed on the airplane on April 15, 2013. At that time, the airplane had accumulated about 34 total hours of operation and had flown about 3 hours since that inspection.

During the accident flight, the airplane departed on runway 35 at MKY and climbed to a cruising altitude of 2,000 feet. About 5 minutes after departure, the engine began to lose oil pressure and subsequently lost partial power. The pilot attempted to land on a golf course; however, when turning to align with a fairway, the airplane stalled and impacted a canal adjacent to the course.

A Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported that the accident site was about 1 1/4 mile from the departure end of runway 35. Further examination of the engine was planned following the airplane's recovery from the canal.

































David Rynders - SONEX (N634SX)


  


COLLIER COUNTY - The plane that fell from the sky and into a Collier County creek was raised from the water Wednesday. The 68-year-old pilot managed to survive the crash and swim to safety.

Now, federal investigators are hoping to get a better idea what caused the crash.  

Divers located the plane about 15-feet underwater in Fiddler's Creek.

Battling Wednesday's rain, the divers used floats to lift the 650-pound home-built plane to the surface.

It crashed into the creek Sunday. That's when David Rynders says he was taking a two-seater plane he had just finished rebuilding for a test flight.

The plane began losing oil pressure five minutes after taking off from the Naples Airport.
Rynders says the plane stalled and took a nose dive into Fiddler's Creek.

He was able to swim to shore and remains in the hospital with fractured bones in his lower back.

Once on the surface, the crash recovery team floated it down the creek to an area where they  lifted it out.  

They will then disassemble it and take to Broward County where the FAA and NTSB investigators will examine it.

==========

COLLIER COUNTY - For the first time, we heard from the pilot who crashed into a Collier County creek during a test flight.

David Rynders is still in the hospital recovering from injuries he suffered when his plane lost oil pressure. He crashed into Fiddler's Creek over the weekend.

A two-seater Sonex airplane was Rynders' hobby for the last nine months. The 68-year-old spent nearly every day rebuilding the homemade craft before flying it Sunday morning.

"This was its first flight test and I think we would all agree it was a failure," he said Tuesday.

From his hospital bed, Rynders said he had just taken off from the Naples Airport.

"I noticed I was losing oil pressure and quickly began losing cylinders," he remembered.

He says his plane began to lose power less than five minutes in.

"What went through my mind when I lost power was to try to keep control of the aircraft and try to land it in a place where it didn't do damage to anyone else," Rynders said.

He says he tried to make it to the airport on Marco Island, but came up a mile short.

Losing power fast, he set his sights on Fiddler's Creek Golf Course.

Only 75 feet in the air, Rynders says his plane stalled - going nose down in this narrow section of Fiddler's Creek.

"I remember looking straight at that wall of water in front of me and if that had been rock there's no way I would have survived any of it," he described.

Rynders freed himself from the plane - swimming to the surface and then shore.

In the hospital with fractured bones in his lower back, Rynders' sense of humor is still in tact.

"I think The Lord is suggesting I get out of the airplane building business," he said.

And as for whether he'll fly again, he said, "I need to do some reflection on that subject."

Rynders is expected to remain in the hospital for about another week.

Representatives with the FAA and NTSB say it's up to h

Story, Video, Photo:  http://www.nbc-2.com

NAPLES, Fla - A Naples man talks to WINK News about the explosive impact when his plane plunged into a Collier County lake.

Sunday, 68-year-old David Rynders took his small experimental plane for a test flight when everything went wrong.

Rynders is still recovering at NCH downtown. He tells WINK News he has three internal fractures in his back and while he's in a lot of pain, he's thankful the outcome wasn't worse.

Rynders has had his pilot's license since 1968 flying mostly single engine planes, but he spent the last nine months working on an experimental plane.

"I was on the very first flight and it failed," says Rynders, talking to WINK News from his hospital bed. Rynders was 2,000 feet in the air when he noticed he didn't have oil pressure. "You know you're going down, you just have to pick the place."

Unable to communicate with the tower, he tried to land at the Marco Island Airport but came up a mile and a half short.

"I went nose, straight down vertically into Fiddler's Creek," says Rynders. "I hit he water and the canopy splitting open made for an explosive impact."

Rynders stayed conscious the entire time. As the plane quickly filled with water, he knew he had to get out. "I've been a scuba diver since the 1960's so being underwater is not an uncomfortable, unfamiliar experience for me. I got the seatbelt loose and pulled the shoulder straps off and pulled myself out of the plane which by that time was going inverted, upside down," says Rynders.

The Naples pilot will be in the hospital for at least another week. "My backbone and my rear end feel like I've been paddled for a week by every fraternity brother in the state," says Rynders.

As for flying again, he says it's a decision he hasn't made just yet. "I might just decide the Lord is giving me a message here."

Rynders is working with the insurance company to get the plane removed from the water. 


Watch Video:   http://www.winknews.com

COLLIER COUNTY -   Eyewitnesses looked on in horror as a small plane fell from the sky near a Collier County golf community Sunday morning.

It landed in a creek where the plane remained one day later.

The pilot swam to safety.

David Rynders, 68, was the only person on board.

He was still at a local hospital with serious injuries Monday afternoon.

But he is expected to survive, which amazes witnesses who saw the plane go down.

Joe Schmitt was just wrapping up a round of golf at Fiddler's Creek on Sunday morning.

He spotted something unusual from the eighteenth hole.

"As the plane was flying it just banked and turned and then just went straight down. Never heard a crash, never heard a sputter," he said.

Not realizing someone was on board, Schmitt watched as the plane took a nose dive and went out of sight.

"I actually climbed the bank to look and didn't see anything, so I didn't think anything more of it. I thought it was a model airplane," he said.

It was actually an experimental, home made aircraft.

The plane landed in a narrow section of Fiddler's Creek near homes at the back of the golf course driving range.

Now submerged, the wreckage can't be seen from the shore.

"There was no power. It didn't even sound like the engine was running," Schmitt said.

Investigators said Rynders was five minutes into a flight from Naples to Immokalee when his plane lost oil pressure.

He tried to make an emergency landing at Marco Island airport before he crashed into the creek a mile away.

"Not something you expect to see on a golf course, maybe a few birdies, but not an airplane going down," said Fiddler's Creek Manager Ron Albeit.

Witnesses said Rynder managed to escape and swam to shore until help arrived.

The plane sank, and remained under fifteen feet of water.

"Yesterday after the FAA was here and inspected things, there wasn't any leakage of fluids and there wasn't environmental concerns," said albeit.

Meanwhile Schmitt says it's fortunate Rynders crashed into the water instead of the nearby golf course.

"I'm amazed he survived. I'm amazed he got out," he said.

Fiddler's Creek is now waiting for the pilot's insurance company to remove the plane from the water.


Story and Video:   http://www.abc-7.com

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. - A pilot is in the hospital after crashing his small plane into a canal near the Naples Golf Course. Wink News spoke with the first responders who say they were amazed the pilot escaped the crash alive.

The Collier County Sheriff's Office says 68-year-old David Rynders took off from the Naples Airport on his way to Immokalee, but quickly noticed something wasn't right.

Rynders took off from the Naples Municipal Airport just after 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Shortly after take-off the plane lost oil pressure, which caused the engine to fail..

"Our crew did a great job of picking up that this was a potential serious problem. They responded quickly and were able to locate the aircraft and the victim in a very short period of time," said Walter Kopka with Collier County EMS.

According to CCSO, the pilot attempted to land his single-engine Sonex plane at the Marco Island Airport but realised he would not make the landing.

He then tried to set his plane down on the golf course near Fiddler's Creek, but ended up in the water.

"Someone heard a splash in the water, I immediately notified the pilot and we self-dispatched and then went out to the general area," said Collier County EMS Battalion Chief, Bruce Gastineau.

Collier County EMS responded with their helicopter, starting their search near the Marco Island Airport and then flying search patterns towards the Northwest.

"As we were flying around, we were looking in canals. I noticed from a dark murky canal a different color and I said, 'Hey I found the plane!'" said Gastineau.

"We didn't see the pilot when we circled, so I assumed the worst since it is very hard to get out of an aircraft under water," said Chief Pilot, Walter Wieser.

Support crews from several area agencies responded to the crash site and spotted the pilot swimming toward the shore.

"It's incredible. He made it out of the aircraft, stayed afloat and seemed in fairly stable condition," said Wieser.

Emergency responders transported the pilot to a nearby hospital with non-life threatening injuries.


Watch Video:  http://www.winknews.com

A Collier County man was seriously injured Sunday when his plane crashed in the Fiddler’s Creek community.

Officials said David Rynders, 68, flew out of the Naples Municipal Airport, heading to the Immokalee Regional Airport, when his Sonex plane began to lose oil pressure.

Because of the loss of oil pressure, the engine could not sustain power, and Rynders attempted to make an emergency landing at the Marco Island Executive Airport, said Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Kristi Lester. When he realized that was not feasible, he attempted an emergency landing at the Fiddler’s Creek golf course around 11:30 a.m.

The plane then crashed into a canal near the golf course and became fully submerged, Lester said. Rynders was able to get out of the plane, and he was flown to NCH Downtown Naples Hospital to be treated for serious but not life-threatening injuries.

The Sonex aircraft was not physically damaged and will be removed from the water by Rynders’ insurance company within the next few days, Lester said.


http://www.naplesnews.com

Airport officials to rethink legal course after appeal loss: Lenawee County (KADG), Adrian, Michigan

By Dennis Pelham,  Daily Telegram
Posted May. 26, 2013 @ 1:00 pm


ADRIAN  —  County, state and federal officials are to rethink their approach to a legal battle over the Lenawee County Airport’s impact on several homes at Lake Madison.

 A May 21 ruling by the Michigan Court of Appeals upheld a circuit court jury verdict that the airport must buy a house at Lake Madison. The ruling, however, did reverse the trial judge’s decision to add 25 percent to the $470,000 value the jury gave the home of David and Barbara Wagley.

“Obviously there is some disappointment,” county administrator Martin Marshall said in reaction to the ruling. “We’re going to have to take a long look at it.”

The county’s federal and state partners in the airport will probably get together soon to review options, Marshall said.

“Furthering the appeal, of course, is always an option,” he said.

Cases involving three other houses in addition to the Wagley home are still in court.

The owners of a fifth home, Richard and Mary Baron, settled with the county in December for $259,360.

An appeal is still pending of a verdict in a second jury trial last year in which the county was ordered to pay $737,500 for a house owned by Robert and Michelle Gardner. Trials in Lenawee County Circuit Court are yet to be scheduled for two other houses impacted by easements to airspace above them for an expanded runway protection zone. One house is owned by Mary Halstead and one by Robert Sellers.

Easements for airspace above the five houses were acquired in an eminent domain action filed by the county in 2005. The easements were needed when the airport runway was lengthened. Federal Aviation Administration rules required a larger object-free safety zone at the end of the longer runway.

Owners of the five houses claimed the enlarged runway put their property at risk and destroyed the value of the houses. They demanded the county buy the entire property rather than an easement to airspace over their roofs.

The county’s appeal of the verdict in the Wagley case centered on claims of errors by visiting judge William Collette of Ingham County. A primary complaint was that the county was unable to show the jury that the FAA had approved plans to leave the houses in the new runway protection zone.

A three-judge Appeals Court panel ruled Collette did not prejudice the jury against the airport’s case.

“That the FAA had approved the easement was squarely before the jury from the outset,” the opinion stated.

It also rejected an appeal claim that an expert for the Wagleys should not have been allowed to testify the easement permitted pilots to fly three feet above the Wagleys’ roof.

Experts for the airport testified such an unsafe practice would spark FAA action against a pilot. The easement allows the airport to keep the space clear of trees and other objects, they said, not to permit aircraft to fly in it.

“Disagreements pertaining to an expert witness’s interpretation of the facts are relevant to the weight of that testimony and not its admissibility,” the court panel ruled.

The panel unanimously agreed to reverse Collette’s decision to add 25 percent to the property value found by the jury. A state law requiring governments to pay an additional 25 percent for residential property taken by eminent domain was enacted a year after the county filed claims in the airport case, the judges ruled.

The judges split 2-1 on whether Collette was correct in ordering the county to pay interest to the Wagley’s on the judgment amount from the date the easement was ordered in court on Nov. 21, 2007.

The county opposed interest because the Wagleys remained in possession of the house.

Collette ruled there was no evidence on record the Wagley’s were still living in the house after Nov. 21, 2007, saying, “...of course you can’t live there because you can’t have people congregate there. Who knows.”

Judges Elizabeth L. Gleicher and Stephen L. Borrello upheld the ruling, reasoning interest was owed to the Wagley’s “as of their loss of use and right to possess the air space above the property.”

Judge Kristen Frank Kelly disagreed. In a separate opinion she said the law is clear in saying “an owner remaining in possession after the date that the complaint is filed waives the interest for the period of possession.”

Title to the easement passed in 2007, she wrote, but not possession of the house. 


Source:  http://www.lenconnect.com

Man, 62, injured after jump at Skydive DeLand, Florida: Another skydiver, 98, successfully jumps

DELAND, Fla. —A DeLand skydiver suffered serious injuries Saturday afternoon when his parachute may have opened incorrectly, authorities said.

DeLand police said 62-year-old Michael Trusser was airlifted to Halifax Medical Center, where his condition was not immediately available.

DeLand police spokesman Sgt. Chris Estes told WESH 2 News that Trusser's parachute had a "hard opening,” which caused rapid deceleration.  The jolt may have injured him, and may have caused him to land outside of the designated landing area.

Police said Trusser landed inside a nearby school bus yard instead of landing at the skydive’s landing site at the DeLand Airport, hitting a vehicle as he landed.

Estes said the Federal Aviation Administration has been notified and the investigation continues.

Meanwhile, a 98-year-old man was among the hundreds of jumps at Skydive DeLand Saturday.

Don Sugg has done a few skydives since his first one at the age of 80. His special event was a fundraiser for The Neighborhood Center of West Volusia to help build emergency housing.

Sugg said the family shelter, scheduled to open later in the year, is more than halfway to its $200,000 goal to be built.

After his jump, Sugg told WESH 2 News that skydiving is safer than riding in a vehicle, and described his experience of seeing all the way to the coast during the drop and of going through clouds during his descent.

Source:  http://www.wesh.com

LAKE ELSINORE: Skydiver who fell to death identified

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE
  Ken Oka, 62, of Mira Loma was killed Saturday, May 25, 2013 in a skydiving accident in Lake Elsinore.


CONTRIBUTED IMAGE
 Ken Oka, center, 62, of Mira Loma was killed Saturday, May 25, 2013 in a skydiving accident in Lake Elsinore.


The skydiver who plunged into a Lake Elsinore neighborhood Saturday, May 25, died at a hospital, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said. 

 He was identified as Kenneth Oka, 62, of the Mira Loma area of Jurupa Valley.

A group of skydivers was attempting a maneuver together when Oka became entangled in a parachute, the Sheriff’s Department said. Oka tried to free himself but was unable to. He fell into the backyard of a house in the 19000 block of Sweetwood Lane. That street is a few blocks from Skydive Elsinore, though it was not stated where the flight originated.

The Sheriff’s Department and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating.

Oka, in a 2004 Los Angeles Times story previewing the National Skydiving Championships in Perris, talked about a maneuver in which skydivers intentionally ensnare themselves in another’s parachute line.

“You literally wrap your foot in your teammate's parachute line and you try to fly this (formation) very uniformly together,” Oka said. The article described Oka as a member of the Lodi Crew who worked as a manufacturing engineer at the time.

“The thought of danger, I guess, plays in there someplace, but that is nowhere near the top,” Oka said in the article. “It's just fun with your friends up there, aligning the parachutes and being able to do this skill.”

Oka talked about a close call nine years previous in which he and a jumper had to ride down using only Oka's chute. “We didn't walk away, but we survived,” he told The Times.

Anyone with information on Saturday’s incident is asked to call the Sheriff's Department at 951-245-3300, or after hours at 951-776-1099.




LAKE ELSINORE (CBSLA.com) — Authorities Sunday said a 62-year-old man was fatally injured during a skydiving accident in Lake Elsinore.

The victim, identified by the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner’s office as Ken Oka of Mira Loma, was killed in the crash about 3:05 p.m. Saturday.

Lake Elsinore police Sgt. David Cardoza reported in a department statement that officers were dispatched to the 19000 block of Sweetwood Lane following a report of a “downed skydiver.”

Upon arriving on scene, the parachutist was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that a group of skydivers were attempting a multiple person maneuver when one of the skydivers became entangled in a parachute,” Cardoza said. “The parachutist attempted to free himself, but was unable to.”

A FAA representative is expected to conduct a separate investigation, the statement said.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department at (951) 245-3300 or (951) 776-1099 just after hours.


Source:  http://losangeles.cbslocal.com

Aviation company expanding at St Louis Regional Airport (KALN), Alton/St Louis, Illinois

Posted: Sunday, May 26, 2013 10:00 am

By SANFORD J. SCHMIDT
The Telegraph

 
EAST ALTON - A fixed-base operator at St. Louis Regional Airport is planning an expansion to its facility, where the firm will add a wood shop and accessory repair shop, bringing 34 new jobs.

The expansion with bring West Star Aviation's operation from 250,000 square feet up to 317,300 square feet. Employment will grow from 266 to 300.

West Star supplies maintenance, painting, remodeling, fuel and other supplies to corporate and private aircraft from across the country. The company refurbishes interiors and repairs aircraft, including radios and avionics.

The expansion will include a wood shop, a spokeswoman said. The existing shop, which builds cabinets and other interior niceties, is near capacity, she said.

The accessory repair shop will address everything from wheels to starters.

The company will break ground for the expansion to its existing building in the third quarter of this year. The company still is in the process of choosing a contractor.

Airport Manager Dave Miller said the St. Louis Regional Airport Authority has been in negotiations with West Star over land leases and purchases.

The company said it has experienced solid growth, which has led to the expansion plans.

"While the industry as a whole continues to rebound from the largest aviation downturn since the Great Depression, West Star is outperforming the industry," Chief Executive Officer Robert Rasberry said.

He said the firm is spending a total of $15 million on its facilities here and in Grand Junction, Colo., and Columbia, S.C. The company declined to give the amount to be spent in each location.

"At West Star Aviation, we believe in doing the right thing, whatever the cost," Rasberry said. "We're essentially investing in our customers, growing strategically in those areas that allow us to do more for them in an extremely efficient manner."

West Star's location in Chesterfield, Mo., will continue to provide avionics and line service, such as fuel and supplies, but other services will move to St. Louis Regional.

The authorized service center designation for King Air, Premier and Hawker will transfer to St. Louis Regional.

"All Beechcraft aircraft operators will now have complete one-stop convenience," Rasberry said.

The company plans to open a new paint facility in the summer of 2014 in Grand Junction.

"This further enhances West Star Grand Junction's stature as one of the nation's premier paint facilities," Rasberry said.

Also at Grand Junction, a maintenance facility and shop will be added this year. Another 10,000 square feet will be added to the Columbia operation.


Source:   http://www.thetelegraph.com

Real Yukon gold in Kluane: Soaring over Kluane a precious glimpse of Canada's true north

 
Pilot Marie Young gives the thumbs up before taking off on a flightseeing tour of the Kluane icefields in the Yukon. 
Photo Credit:  GARY CRALLE 


 
A flightseeing tour is a safe way to see the Kluane icefields. 
Photo Credit:  GARY CRALLE



JOSEPHINE MATYAS,  QMI Agency - Toronto Sun

First posted: Sunday, May 26, 2013 06:00 AM EDT 

Our Cessna 205 bumps along the runway before wheels leave the asphalt, banking gently to follow the grey ribbon of pavement below that is the Alaska Highway. Pilot Marie Young turns us away from the signs of civilization and gently nudges the small six-seater to 2,100 metres above the Jarvis River Valley.

Touring by air is one of the most popular -- and safe -- ways to explore the glaciers and ice-shrouded wilderness of Kluane National Park in the Yukon.

Backpedal a century and consider the alternative.

For the prospectors scrambling north during the great Klondike Gold Rush of 1896, the forbidding landscape was a major obstacle to be overcome en route to the gold fields they believed held their fortunes. Many perished or turned back.

Kluane's mountain landscape is one of the youngest and most geologically active on the continent (experts the peaks are still rising). At these elevations, the snow and ice in every direction is the largest non-polar glaciated area in the world.

This is a landscape you don't mess with. Everything you do at the icefields of Kluane, you do by plane.

"What I like about this tour is that it's a big loop, so we don't pass the same scenery twice," Young says, chatting into her microphone so we are all able to follow in our own headsets.

The way the landscape shape-shifts during the 75-minute Grand Mountain Tour is a seduction of the senses. It begins and ends forest green, but the flight between hops from the dazzling white of 1,000-metre deep glaciers, past the tongues of ancient rivers of ice, over frozen pools tinted electric blue by minerals, skirting rocky cliffs.

"Some of these landmarks have simple names, usually resulting from the experience of early explorers," Young explains. "The valley on the left is called Disappointment Valley. Pioneers went there looking for gold but didn't find anything."

We pass over the steps of the Staircase Glacier and begin to gain elevation, staying well above the craggy peaks of the St. Elias Mountains, Canada's highest mountain range. The sky is a sharp blue, scattered with a few clouds keeping the country's highest peak, Mount Logan, a shrouded mystery.

I'm beginning to feel a light-headed buzz. My nose is pressed against the glass, absorbing a view so vast that it seems like IMAX on steroids.

"Just above 3,000 metres is where we can feel the shortness of oxygen in the air. By law we're only allowed to stay at this altitude for a half-hour," Young warns.

We stretch out every possible minute, luxuriating in the unreal vista spread out below.

The snowy reaches of Kluane may be all but inaccessible to humans -- but that doesn't mean I won't be back someday.

NEED TO KNOW

Kluane National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located near Haines Junction in the southwest corner of the Yukon. For travel information, see travelyukon.com.

FLIGHTSEEING
Sifton Air at Haines Junction offers flightseeing tours. Highlights are the giant Lowell Glacier and Mount Logan, at 5,950 metres it is the highest point in Canada. See yukonairtours.com.

SLEEPOVERS
-- Alcan Motor Inn is at Haines Junction, close to the park entrance. See alcanmotorinn.com.

-- Dalton Trail Lodge (a 45-minute drive from Haines Junction) is renowned for its lake trout, whitefish and grayling fishing on glacial-fed Dezadeash Lake. See daltontrail.com.

Story, Photos, Reaction/Comments:  http://www.torontosun.com

Civil Air Patrol’s photo assessment of every house damaged in Oklahoma tornadoes helps homeowners

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. – “I don’t think we’ve ever had a mission like this one,” said Lt. Col. Dave Roberts of the door-to-door ground team sorties Civil Air Patrol is performing for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The mission, which began on Wednesday, is to photography up to 12,000 home sites damaged by the Oklahoma tornadoes.

“We’ve had boots on the ground and have been right in the middle of it from day one,” said Roberts, CAP’s incident commander on Friday, of the organization’s role in providing photographic assessment of every house damaged by the tornadoes.

Half of the members conducting the ground team mission are CAP cadets 12-20 years old, Roberts noted. To date more than 100 members from the Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and Arkansas wings have contributed to CAP’s air and ground missions following the tornadoes. “We’ve got some really sharp people working and they are doing a great job,” he said.

The system for working the ground team mission is ingenious. CAP’s aerial photo tracks taken for FEMA and the Oklahoma Division of Emergency Management, which documented the depth and width of the damage, were added to Google Earth images from Moore and Oklahoma City to determine where streets had been located and where houses were supposed to be, creating a grid to guide CAP’s pilots. On the ground, GPS trackers are being used to locate housing sites within 30 feet of their location, allowing CAP to photograph each home site.

CAP is taking an average of 500 photos per day, but is planning to triple that number beginning today with the addition of more volunteers and more cameras.

“It really drives home what I’ve seen on the news the last couple of days,” said Capt. Brian Summers of the Oklahoma Wing, a ground team leader for the door-to-door photography. “I feel bad for the people affected by the storms and am amazed at the positive attitude of homeowners. All have said thank you for our support.

“CAP is happy to be able to provide the pictures to allow everybody to see how severe the damage was and to assist FEMA and others in planning for the future and to support the people affected.”

“CAP gets the job done. We don’t have to worry,” said Linda Pryor, emergency management officer with ODEM, which is using the images “to compare which houses were there and which weren’t so FEMA can get recovery money to the homeowners.”

“I am honored to work with such am amazing team,” said Chris Vaughn of FEMA. “Thank you for everything you do. You are really making a difference in the way that we support survivors.”

Civil Air Patrol (CAP), the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization chartered by Congress in 1941 with a 501(c)3 designation and pre-dates the Air Force. CAP consists of 61,000 unpaid professional members nationwide, and operates a fleet of 550 aircraft. CAP, in its Air Force auxiliary role, performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC) and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 80 lives annually. Its unpaid professionals also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to more than 26,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet programs. CAP is a force multiplier to the Air Force CAP received the World Peace Prize in 2011 and has been performing missions for America for 71 years. CAP also participates in Wreaths Across America, an initiative to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of U.S. military veterans.

Source:   http://www.yourhoustonnews.com

Body of missing pilot found near Jordan border: Search for Avner Tzchori, 38, who went missing after taking off on private plane concludes -- Plane parts found in Jordanian territory

Avner Tzchori
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Tzchori's helmet 
(Photo: Southern District Police)


 
Site of crash 
(Photo: Arava Rescue Unit)


 
An Ultralight Drifter aircraft 
(Illustrative photo credit: CC-BY kenhodge13/Flickr)

  

The body of Avner Tzchori, 38, who went missing Sunday after taking off from Ein Vered on an ultra-light plane was found near the Jordanian border by a police officer and two volunteers on Monday.

The plane's remains were located several hours later inside by Jordanian army forces inside Jordanian territory. The body will be turned over to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute.

Tzchori had been missing since Sunday morning after he took off from a landing-field in central Israel on his private ultra-light plane. A suicide note was later found in his home. He had started taking ultralight flying lessons six months ago and had not yet received his pilot license.

In 2003, Tzchori suffered a sky diving accident in the United States which left him paralyzed from the waist down and wheelchair-bound. He has since worked as an inspirational speaker and video editor among other things and also worked on developing technical aids for the disabled.

One of Tzchori's friends told Yedioth Ahronoth that the suicide note had come as a complete shock to his friends who described him as an extremely motivated and optimistic person despite his injury.

"He never rested for a moment, despite his injury. Some people only want to be pitied after such an accident but Avner quickly got back on his horse and started giving lectures about his life story," one friend said. 

Another added, "He suffered a critical injury and fought for his life and made his rehabilitation a way of life. Despite being wheelchair-bound he never broke down and went about realizing his dream of flying."

http://www.ynetnews.com


Authorities early Monday morning discovered the body of a pilot in training who had disappeared the day before. Avner Zchori, 38, had left a handwritten suicide note before taking off on Sunday, and then stopped responding to control tower calls during a training flight.

After an intensive search, Zchori’s body was found in the desert near Tzukim, a small community in the Negev near the Jordanian border.


His note was found by his girlfriend, who called the police for help, Ynet reported on Sunday. In it, the pilot reportedly requested that his doctor, who is also an adviser in the field of alternative burial, be contacted if something happened to him.

“He was a good and quiet man,” a colleague of the missing man told Ynet, adding the pilot had once been injured in a parachuting accident and as a result was paralyzed in both legs. “Today he went flying after me, and then I understood he had vanished.”

According to reports in the Hebrew media, the young man took off from the Ein Vered landing strip in the center of Israel around 7:30 a.m. Shortly afterward the control tower lost contact with him and his Drifter Ultralight aircraft, which is capable of flying for four hours without refueling.

Searches began in the Mitzpe Ramon area for remains of the plane. An unnamed officer said that police didn’t know “where he was flying to.”

Aaron Kalman contributed to this report.



Police on Sunday were searching for a pilot in training who left a handwritten suicide note before taking off, and then stopped responding to control tower calls during a training flight.

The note was found by his girlfriend who called the police for help, Ynet news reported. In it, the missing pilot reportedly requested that his doctor, who is also an adviser in the field of alternative burial, be contacted if something happened to him.

“He was a good and quiet man,” a colleague of the missing man told Ynet news, adding the pilot had once been injured in a parachuting accident and as a result was paralyzed in both legs. “Today he went flying after me, and then I understood he had vanished.”

According to reports in the Hebrew media, the young man took off from the Ein Vered landing strip in the center of Israel around 7:30 a.m. Shortly afterwards the control tower lost contact with him and his Drifter Ultralight aircraft, which is capable of flying for four hours without refueling.

Searches were being conducted in the Mitzpe Ramon area for remains of the plane. An unnamed officer told the Hebrew news site police didn’t know “where he was flying to.”


Source:  http://www.timesofisrael.com


By BEN HARTMAN
05/26/2013 16:22


Police are searching in a race against time to find a man from central Israel who left a suicide note at his home and took off in his ultralight, vanishing into thin air.

The man, who began taking lessons on the ultralight about six months ago but still does not have a pilots license, flew out of an airstrip at Ein Vered in the Sharon around 7:30 a.m. Sunday morning. A relative of the man found the note at his house and notified police, who sent a patrol helicopter to the sky to try to locate the man, to no avail.

After the disappearance, the police operational branch notified the army to be on the look-out for a man in an ultralight is flying to parts unknown in Israel's airspace.


Source:  http://www.jpost.com

The Transportation Ministry reported, Sunday, that a Drifter-type ultralight aircraft has been missing since the morning, when it took off in the Sharon region, northeast of Tel Aviv.

The ministry's announcement noted that evidence and testimony received after the takeoff led to a suspicion that the pilot, a partially-disabled student pilot, was trying to commit suicide.


Source:   http://www.israelnationalnews.com

Published:    May 26, 2013   13:16 / Israel News
    

Police are searching for a pilot of a light aircraft who took to the air Sunday morning off an airfield in central Israel, leaving a suicide note which was found when he was already airborne. 

The operational division of the police, aided by a helicopter, launched a search for the pilot. They said he carried an amount of fuel sufficient for one hour of flight.

Raanan Ben-Zur

Lansing seeks grant to restore Ford Hangar: Lansing Municipal Airport (KIGQ), Chicago, Illinois

LANSING | Village officials have applied to a nonprofit organization interested in historic preservation for funding to restore the Ford Hangar at Lansing Municipal Airport.

Village Trustee Mikal Stole said Tuesday the grant to the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois was submitted in hopes of gaining money to maintain the hangar that dates to 1926.

The council has a Preservation Heritage Fund grant program, and the deadline for the upcoming round of grants was May 15. Money is given to governments or nonprofit organizations that have specific projects to work on.

The council’s grants range from $500 to $2,500, and council officials say they require a matching basis for their grants. The match can be either a direct dollar amount, or use of volunteer labor or services to equal the grant’s value, according to the council’s website.

Stole said he did not know much about the specifics of the proposed restoration, but said that money could be used either for repairs to the structure’s roof or its sliding doors. Village President Norm Abbott said officials would like to raise up to $50,000 for these projects.

Village officials hope to learn this summer whether their project qualifies for this round of grants. If it doesn’t, the next application deadline is Aug. 15.

The hangar was built by Ford Motor Co. at a time when the automaker shipped parts between its Chicago, Cleveland and Detroit plants via its own private aircraft. The structure is now a part of the National Register of Historic Places.

The village now owns the airport and is working with the Lansing Historical Society and the Ford Hangar Foundation to raise money for restoration projects.

Source:  http://www.nwitimes.com

Angel MedFlight Acquires Citation X

Angel MedFlight Worldwide Air Ambulance has added the world's fastest civilian jet to its fleet. This will facilitate travel to many more parts of the globe and help more patients experience our unparalleled care. 

Scottsdale, AZ (PRWEB) May 26, 2013 

Angel MedFlight Worldwide Air Ambulance welcomed yesterday the newest addition to its fleet of state-of-the-art jets -- the Cessna Citation X. The twin-engine aircraft was acquired in Corvallis, Ore., and flew in Thursday morning to Scottsdale Municipal Airport. 

The Citation X is the world's fastest civilian airplane reaching speeds up to Mach 0.935, which is just shy of the sound barrier. "With a range of 3,242 nautical miles and a seating capacity of 9 people, this aircraft is the Rolls-Royce of the fleet, literally," said Angel MedFlight spokesperson Kelly LoCascio. 

The Citation X is powered by two turbo fan Rolls-Royce engines and can climb to 51,000 feet.

With increased range and speed, the Citation X facilitates travel to Hawaii, Asia, Africa and the Middle East, meaning even more patients worldwide will be able to receive Angel MedFlight's unparalleled air ambulance service.

Angel MedFlight estimates having the Citation X ready for patient transport by the end of the summer.

To schedule an interview on this topic, contact Jackie Martinez (480) 634-8017 or jmartinez(at)angelmedflight(dot)com 

About Angel MedFlight Worldwide Air Ambulance

Angel MedFlight coordinates domestic and international air medical transportation services, commercial medical escorts, ground ambulance services and provides discretionary insurance benefit assistance. Angel MedFlight’s One Touch Promise® assures every detail is handled and all resources are committed to guide the process from start to finish with a compassionate team of experts in the fields of medicine, aviation, insurance law and case management. http://www.angelmedflight.com
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Source:  http://www.prweb.com

Westchester County (KHPN), White Plains, New York: Airport restaurant/bar closed for renovations until mid-June

(Photo credit: Theresa Juva-Brown, The Journal News/LoHud.com)
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Travelers looking for a cocktail before their flights at Westchester County Airport are temporarily out of luck as the airport’s restaurant and bar gets a major overhaul. 

Skytop Restaurant has gradually stopped operating since last year, when a new company, American Transit Host, won a 5-year contract to take over the space and began renovations, airport officials said.

The restaurant completely closed this month and is expected to re-open in mid-June, they said.

When it re-opens, the location will feature a sushi bar, Subway, coffee shop and a sit-down restaurant, Assistant Airport Manager Steve Ferguson told The Journal News.

“If you look at other airports of this size, to have a full-service restaurant is a luxury,” he said. “It’s going to be an excellent change, a little more variety and first-class food.”

Thornwood-based American Transit Host could not be reached for comment.

In the meantime, hungry and thirsty travelers still have other options, including Dunkin Donuts on the lower level and a concession area in the departure lounge, officials said.


Source:  http://commuting.lohudblogs.com

New Restaurant Planned for Beverly Municipal Airport (KBVY), Massachusetts

 
The existing restaurant at Beverly Municipal Airport. 
Photo Credit: Robert Gates 


BEVERLY — The city is seeking proposals for a new, two-story building at Beverly Municipal Airport that would include a restaurant, a pilot’s lounge and a small aviation museum.

Officials said the project, which could cost in the $2.5 million range if it comes to fruition, would attract more people to the city-owned airport.

“Every successful airport has a successful restaurant,” Beverly Airport Commission Chairman Paul Vitale said. “It goes hand in hand.”

The winning bidder would demolish a current airport building that houses six businesses, including the Something Different Cafe.

In its place would go a two-story building that would include a restaurant with 50 to 100 seats, a pilot’s lounge with round-the-clock access, a 400-square-foot aviation museum, and a public restroom. The rest of the building would be divided into rental offices.

Vitale said the city issued the request for proposals because the lease for the current building expires in July. The building was built as a barracks for Navy pilots who were training at the airport during World War II and is in poor condition, he said.

“We’re hoping to attract some major players up there to tear down the building and build a new building,” Vitale said.

Vitale said a restaurant will be attractive to executives who fly into Beverly on corporate aircraft as well as recreational pilots who like to fly from airport to airport. It would also draw customers from Beverly and surrounding towns, he said.

The city’s request for proposals requires a new restaurant to be open at least 12 hours per day, six days per week. The Something Different Cafe is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

Something Different owner Linda McCarthy, who has the lease for the current building and has run the cafe for 14 years, said she doubts that a new restaurant would help the airport.

“It would be nice, but it’s not going to make people come here,” she said.

Vitale said the businesses in the current building, including Something Different, can remain as tenants-at-will until the new project begins. The building also houses a pool company, a sign company, and a doctor who conducts medical exams of pilots.

The request for proposals said the city will give a rating of “highly advantageous” to proposals that call for an investment of least $2.5 million.

Mayor Bill Scanlon said the impetus for the new plan came from the Beverly Airport Commission, a group of volunteers who oversee the operation of the airport.

“They’re always trying to make the airport better, and they think this is what good airports need,” Scanlon said. “If we find somebody who’s ready to do this, I think it’ll be very interesting. It’s not clear what we’ll get for a response.”

The developer of the building would lease the land from the city and make payments to the Airport Commission. The airport’s finances are self-sustaining through revenues generated at the airport, which averages 60,000 takeoffs and landings per year.

The airport’s website said a recent survey showed that Beverly Airport generates about $14 million per year in economic activity in the local area.

The Federal Aviation Administration was scheduled to close the control tower at the airport, along with 148 others around the country, in June due to budget cuts. The closure has been delayed until September. Airport officials have said planes can still operate safely without the tower through communication among pilots.

Source:  http://www.salemnews.com