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: ERA14FA182
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, April 06, 2014 in Summerfield, FL
Probable Cause Approval Date: 04/14/2016
Aircraft: MONROE DENNIS RV-7, registration: N57DC
Injuries: 2 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 private pilot, who was also the owner/builder of the experimental amateur-built airplane, was assisting with the production of a film throughout the afternoon, and the purpose of the accident flight was to record video footage from the air. After departing from the grass runway, the airplane entered a circular left orbit around a tightly clustered group of actors on the ground at an altitude just above the tops of nearby trees. The airplane had completed three circuits, and during the fourth, it appeared to witnesses to be flying slower than it had during the previous circuits. Analysis of video from onboard the airplane, video taken of the airplane from the ground, and witness statements showed that the airplane banked steeply left and began descending toward the ground at a relatively steep angle, consistent with inadvertent entry into an aerodynamic stall. As the airplane descended, the engine power rapidly increased, and the airplane began banking back toward a wings level attitude as its pitch attitude increased; these actions are consistent with the pilot recognizing and attempting to recover from the stall. The airplane subsequently impacted the ground in a nearly level and slightly nose-down pitch attitude. Signatures observed on the wreckage were indicative of high engine power at impact, and no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures were observed on the airframe and engine. Examination of damage to the airplane’s horizontal stabilizer revealed that it failed from overstress due to ground impact. The majority of the spar cracks and fracture surfaces exhibited features consistent with overstress failure. The other damage features present on the spar section were consistent with ground impact. Although some fatigue cracks were present in the spar sections, the fatigue crack sizes were small, and crack orientations were inconsistent with the stress direction of the overstress portions of the fracture. These cracks were unlikely to have resulted in an in-flight failure of the horizontal stabilizer. Even if the spar had fractured before impact, the remainder of the part was still riveted to adjacent structural components within the stabilizer.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control while maneuvering at a low airspeed, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall, and his decision to maneuver at an altitude that did not allow an adequate margin to recover from a stall.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On April 6, 2014, at 1936 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built RV-7, N57DC, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain while maneuvering near Monroe Airpark (2FA2), Summerfield, Florida. The private pilot and the passenger were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Witnesses reported that the pilot had been assisting with the production of a film throughout the afternoon, and that the purpose of the accident flight was to take video footage from the air. After departing from the grass runway, the airplane entered a circular orbit to the left. The airplane had completed three circuits, when during the fourth, it entered a rapid descent and impacted the ground.
One of the witnesses described the airplane's final orbit in detail, stating that it seemed to be flying at a slower speed than it had been during the previous pass. He further described that at the beginning of the pass, the airplane was at an altitude just above the tops of the trees surrounding the area, and it gradually descended to about treetop height as the orbit progressed. He diverted his gaze away from the airplane to the actors on the ground and heard the airplane's engine briefly become "quiet" before it suddenly powered back up. He could not recall any of the events that transpired after that point.
Another witness described a similar sequence of events concerning the airplane's final orbit. He recalled that the airplane orbited at a speed relatively slower than the previous passes and that the airplane was at an altitude near the tops of the adjacent trees. He estimated that the airplane was in a shallow left bank as it descended below the height of the trees. The engine sound then rapidly changed before it continued in the left turn, descended, and impacted the ground.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single engine land. On his most recent application for a Federal Aviation Administration-issued third-class medical certificate, dated August 21, 2013, the pilot reported 4,189 total hours of flight experience. No flight logs for the pilot were recovered.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
The pilot owned and was the builder of the accident airplane. The airplane's airworthiness certificate was issued in August 2005. The pilot completed the most recent condition inspection on January 5, 2014, and on that date the airframe had accumulated 322 total hours of operation. Between the condition inspection and the accident, the airframe accumulated 4 additional flight hours. On February 10, 2014, the pilot made an airframe logbook entry noting compliance with two service bulletins (14-01-31 and 14-02-05) issued by the airframe kit manufacturer, and requiring inspections of structure within the horizontal stabilizer and elevator. According to the entry, "Inspected the areas described in the service bulletins. No cracks found."
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
The 1955 weather conditions reported at The Villages (VVG), Florida, located about 9 nautical miles east of the accident site included calm winds, 10 statute miles visibility, a temperature of 26 degrees C, a dew point of 16 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 29.95 inches of mercury. Sunset occurred at 1950, and the end of civil twilight was 2014.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
The airplane came to rest upright about 10 ft beyond the initial impact point, and both main landing gear had collapsed. The fuselage displayed significant aft crush damage in the area of the firewall, instrument panel, and cockpit. Control continuity was traced from each flight control surface to the cockpit area. The trailing edge of the electrically-actuated elevator trim tab was deflected 1/2-inch downward from the trailing edge of the elevator and the electrically-driven flap actuator was extended 3 inches, which correlated to a flap extension of 16 degrees. Both fuel tanks were ruptured at the wing root and were found absent of fuel.
Continuity of the engine's power- and valvetrain were confirmed through rotation of the propeller, and thumb compression was confirmed on all cylinders. Borescope examination of each cylinder showed no evidence of any abnormal wear or combustion deposits. Each spark plug electrode appeared gray in color and displayed normal wear. Rotation of each magneto's input shaft produced spark at all terminal leads. All four fuel injector nozzles were absent of any obstructions. Disassembly of the fuel system components revealed the presence of fluid consistent in color and odor with 100LL aviation fuel in the fuel lines between the firewall, engine driven fuel pump, and fuel servo, as well as in the fuel distributor valve. Trace carbon deposits were found in the oil suction screen; however, both the suction screen and oil filter were absent of any metallic debris. Both propeller blades displayed s-bending, chord-wise scratching, and burnishing of the blade surface.
A damaged section of the airplane's horizontal stabilizer spar was submitted to the NTSB Materials laboratory for further examination. The horizontal stabilizer front spar had fractured on the left side, perpendicular to the orientation of the part. The fracture was located along four rivet holes in the spar, all of which exhibited elongation in the part direction. There was also an "L-shaped" crack on the right side of the assembly, approximately 0.25 inches-long, which had terminated at a rivet hole.
There was out-of-plane buckling on the spar outboard of the fracture and a crack on the spar section. This buckling was located at two tears on the lower portion of the right side of spar. This was consistent with damage incurred to the part at ground impact. No indications of wear or corrosion were observed on the spar section. Small portions of the fracture and crack exhibited features consistent with progressive cracking. These thumbnail-shaped areas were generally flat perpendicular to the part direction, and they exhibited crack arrest and ratchet marks. The progressive portion of the right side crack was approximately 0.15 inch-long, and the progressive portion of the left side fracture was approximately 0.25 inch-long.
The remaining portions of the fracture and crack exhibited a rougher texture and a general 45-degree slant. These features were consistent with overstress failure. The fractures were examined using a scanning electron microscope. The remainder of the fracture surface exhibited dimple rupture, consistent with failure from overstress. The thumbnail portion of the opened crack also exhibited fatigue striations.
The chemical compositions of the part sections were inspected using energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and x-ray fluorescence. The chemical compositions were consistent with AA 2024 aluminum alloy.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
An autopsy was performed on the pilot by the District 5 Medical Examiner's Office, Leesburg, Florida. The medical examiner determined that the cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries.
Toxicology testing performed by the FAA's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute found no trace of carbon monoxide or ethanol present in the samples submitted for the pilot. Salicylate (the metabolite of asprin) was detected in samples of urine submitted in a concentration of 105.9 ug/ml.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Onboard and Ground Video Recordings
A digital video camera and its associated memory cards recovered from the wreckage, along with video and image files recovered from a video camera operated by a ground observer, were forwarded to the NTSB Vehicles Recorder Division for detailed examination. Video and image files were recovered from the onboard camera using normal and forensic methods. The timestamps associated with the creation of the files from both the onboard and ground-based cameras were correlated to local time.
An onboard recording began at 1933:09, and showed that the camera operator was seated in the right seat of the airplane, with the camera pointed outside of the airplane through the left rear of its transparent canopy. During the recording, the airplane began its takeoff roll as engine power was increased to a high setting. As airplane rolled down the turf runway, a ground-based recording began and briefly showed the airplane as it became airborne. As the onboard recording continued, the airplane entered a gradual left turn, with the camera positioned to capture events on the ground. At 1933:53, the airplane's wings leveled briefly, and the engine reduced to a lower power setting.
About 1934, the airplane re-entered the left banked turn and a group of actors on the ground came into view. About that time, another ground-based recording began showing the airplane in its gradual left bank turn, circling the group of actors. The ground and onboard recordings continued through several starts and stops and throughout showed the airplane in a left bank, slightly nose high pitch attitude. Between 1935:56 and 1936:07, neither the ground nor the onboard camera was recording.
At 1936:07, the forensically-recovered onboard video recording began, and initially showed the airplane in a left bank, that returned to a wings level attitude, before returning to the left bank as the camera became trained on a tightly-clustered group of actors on the ground. At 1936:18, the camera's motion became erratic, exhibiting an up and down shaking motion, and about that time, several muffled thumping sounds were present in the background. At 1936:19, the engine sound began changing, slightly decreasing before rapidly advancing toward a maximum over the course of about 2 seconds. Throughout this portion of the recording, the motion of the camera was suggestive that the airplane's flight attitude had become unstable.
Through the end of the onboard recording at 1936:22, the camera's motion was erratic, as ground features in the camera's field of view moved upward toward the top of the frame. During this time, the camera never panned forward and did not capture any portion of the cockpit. The movement of the ground features relative to the camera's largely unchanged field of view out of the left rear of the airplane was suggestive that the airplane had rapidly rolled into a steep left bank. Immediately prior to the end of the video a voice exclaimed an expletive phrase.
Between 1936:22 and 1936:25, no video was captured. A ground recording began at 1936:25 and captured the final 2 seconds of the flight, and depicted the airplane as it descended toward ground impact. The engine sound from the beginning of the recording through impact was smooth and continuous. Seven frames of this video were extracted and analyzed to determine the airplane's approximate bank and pitch angles for those final moments of the flight. The airplane initially appeared to be in a near 20-degree nose down pitch attitude, with a near 90-degree left wing down bank attitude. The flight path of the airplane steepened until the angle of bank began to decrease, for the first three frames examined. During the final 4 frames, the airplane's flight path angle decreased as the angle of attack increased from an initially calculated value of 5 degrees. The airplane's calculated angle of attack at the time of ground impact had increased 13 degrees, with a nearly wings-level bank attitude.
MONROE DENNIS, RV-7: http://registry.faa.gov/N57DC
NTSB Identification: ERA14FA182
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, April 06, 2014 in Summerfield, FL
Aircraft: MONROE DENNIS RV-7, registration: N57DC
Injuries: 2 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On April 6, 2014, about 1937 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built RV-7, N57DC, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain while maneuvering near Monroe Airpark (2FA2), Summerfield, Florida. The commercial pilot and the passenger were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Witnesses reported that the pilot had been assisting with the production of a film throughout the afternoon, and that the purpose of the accident flight was to take video footage from the air. After departing from the grass runway, the airplane entered a circular orbit to the left. The airplane had completed three circuits, when during the fourth, it entered a rapid descent as engine power increased. During the descent, the wings rolled nearly level before the airplane impacted the ground in a nose low, slight left bank attitude.
The final two seconds of the flight were captured on video from the ground. Review of the video footage showed a final descent and impact that coincided with the descriptions provided by witnesses. The engine sound from the beginning of the video through impact was smooth and continuous.
A video camera recovered from onboard the airplane was retained for further examination.
The airplane came to rest upright about 10 feet beyond the initial impact point, and both main landing gear had collapsed. The fuselage displayed significant aft crush damage in the area of the firewall, instrument panel, and cockpit. Control continuity was traced from each flight control surface to the cockpit area. The trailing edge of the electrically-actuated elevator trim tab was deflected 1/2-inch downward from the trailing edge of the elevator and the electrically-driven flap actuator was extended 3 inches. Both fuel tanks were ruptured at the wing root and were found absent of fuel.
Continuity of the engine's power- and valvetrain were confirmed through rotation of the propeller, and thumb compression was confirmed on all cylinders. Borescope examination of each cylinder showed no evidence of any abnormal wear or combustion deposits. Each spark plug electrode appeared gray in color and displayed normal wear. Rotation of each magnetos' input shaft produced spark at all terminal leads. All four fuel injector nozzles were absent of any obstructions. Disassembly of the fuel system components revealed the presence of fluid consistent in color and odor with 100LL aviation fuel in the fuel lines between the firewall, engine driven fuel pump, and fuel servo, as well as in the fuel distributor valve. Trace carbon deposits were found in the oil suction screen; however, both the suction screen and oil filter were absent of any metallic debris.
Zombie movie will be dedicated to 2 men killed in plane crash
The producer of the zombie movie that was marred by the death of two men connected to the production — in a plane crash on April 6 in Summerfield — has announced that the movie will be completed and dedicated to Dennis Monroe and Joseph Sardinas.
“For me, personally, it was a decision I could not make without the blessing of the family,” said Bronson Mosley, who wrote and was directing the film, “What Tomorrow Brings.”
He said that he spoke with several family members of Sardinas, who was the head cinematographer, a few days after the accident.
“We all agreed that we had to finish this or it would be a waste of his work not to complete it,” Mosley said. “He was our rock.”
Sardinas, 70, and Monroe, 65, died instantly after the plane apparently lost power while flying low. It landed hard near where the scene was being filmed.
Monroe was piloting the RV-7 two-seater, single-engine airplane that he had built from a kit. He lived on the property where the crash occurred, at 1770 SE 140th St., which included its own runway.
Monroe was the city of Belleview's longtime director of public works.
Sardinas was filming about 30 extras who were on the ground and dressed in zombie makeup. The movie was nearing completion, and the aerial shoot was the last big sequence of the production.
“We had a day or two of shooting left. We had everything pretty much done. That day was the last big one we were going to shoot,” Mosley said.
The aerial footage shot immediately before the accident is being reviewed by investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board.
On the “What Tomorrow Brings” Facebook page, it is described as “a film about a world gone zombie. In a two-day time span, the city of Ocala falls to an undead epidemic along with the rest of the globe.”
It was originally set for a May premiere, but Mosley now is hoping for a June opening, at the historic Marion Theatre in downtown Ocala.
“We want to do it in a classy way, with a red carpet and an awards ceremony. Bring Hollywood to Ocala for a night,” he said.
Sardinas, who lived in The Villages, was a retired university professor and taught information systems technology. He had a lifelong passion for photography.
The new movie is a follow-up to “Only Another Day,” a zombie film by Mosley that premiered last year. Sardinas was the head cinematography for that film as well.
Mosley said they had plans for another movie, not zombie related, and other projects that Sardinas' was excited about. Those projects will also move forward, he said, but did not elaborate as to what they will involve.
Source: http://www.ocala.com
Cinematographer
Joseph Sardinas, left, with director Bronson Mosley shoot a scene
during the filming for Mosley's zombie movie “What Tomorrow Brings” at
the Israel Brown House in downtown Ocala on Nov. 3, 2013.
Alan Youngblood/Star-Banner
Dennis Monroe
This photo of Dennis Monroe is from the city of Belleview website.
This photo of Joseph Sardinas is a profile photo from his Facebook page. Sardinas died in a plane crash in Summerfield on Sunday, April 6, 2014.
OCALA — A preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board indicates an experimental plane that crashed two weeks ago in Summerfield that claimed the lives of two men did not have any major problems.
The report noted parts of the experimental amateur-built RV-7, with tail number N57DC, such as the cylinders, spark plug electrode and fuel injector nozzles, did not show any signs of damage or significant wear and tear. When the fuel system was disassembled, officials said its components revealed the fluid inside was "consistent in color and odor with 100LL aviation fuel lines between the firewall, engine-driven fuel pump, and fuel servo, as well as in the fuel distributor valve," according to the report.
The sound of the engine from the beginning of the video through impact was smooth and continuous, officials said.
Joseph Sardinas, 70, and Dennis W. Monroe, 65, died when the plane they were in crashed while filming a scene for a zombie movie on April 6. The crash was one of three aircraft mishaps during that weekend.
On Friday, Helen Helpling had just taken off from the Ocala International Airport when she crashed. She suffered burns to her hands and feet. The next day, Theodore T. "Teddy" Weiss flew out of the Dunnellon Airport in his plane and hasn't been seen or heard from since.
Monroe was piloting the two-seat, single-engine airplane he had built, while Sardinas was filming several actors dressed in zombie makeup on the ground. Witnesses told authorities that the plane's engine stalled and the aircraft fell to the ground near a private runway on Monroe's property at 1770 SE 140th St.
Sardinas was a retired university professor and an avid shutterbug. A producer of zombie films, Sardinas' first zombie production and release was in 2013.
An experienced pilot, Monroe loved flying and, at the time of his death, was the city of Belleview public works director. He worked for the city for 26 years, rose through the ranks and was experienced, knowledgeable and the person many people, including city officials, would go to for advice and consultation.
Until someone is named to the post, Belleview officials have appointed veteran city employee and longtime City Clerk/Administrator Sandi McKamey as acting public works director.
The NTSB report states that the purpose of the flight was to take video footage from the air. The plane completed three circles and during the four trip, "it entered a rapid descent as engine power increased," according to the report. The aircraft then struck the ground.
Authorities said the final two seconds of the flight were captured on video from the ground. The video matched what witnesses told them, the NTSB said. A video camera recovered from the plane was taken and it would be reviewed by NTSB officials.
A final report on the crash will take months before its conclusion, the NTSB said.
Obituary for Dennis Monroe
Dennis William Monroe, 65
Dennis William Monroe (65) of Summerfield passed into God’s hands Sunday, April 6, 2014. Dennis was an avid hunter and loved flying his plane. He worked for the City of Belleview as Public Works Director for the past 26 years. Dennis was a life-long resident of Marion County. He was born in Ocala February 24, 1949 to Leonard and Nina Monroe who preceded him in death.
Dennis is survived by his son, Chance Morgan Monroe, one granddaughter, Aubrey Madison Monroe, one stepson, Ryan Neil Smith (wife Susan) and one grandson, Logan; one sister, Mary Delores (Bunny) (Husband Jackie); one brother, Kenneth Monroe (wife Joyce); three nieces, one nephew and five cousins. Viewing will be held Friday, April 11, 2014 from 6 – 8 PM at Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services, Belleview. Funeral services will be held Saturday, April 12, 2014 at 11:00 AM at First Baptist Church of Summerfield. Interment will be at Belleview Cemetery.
http://www.hiers-baxley.com
Lady Lake – Joseph Louis Sardinas, Jr., 70, passed away suddenly as the result of an accident, Sunday, April 6, 2014. Dr. Sardinas was a Professor Emeritus at The University of Massachusetts where he taught Computer Based Information Systems for 30 years. He retired to The Villages in 2007.
He is survived by his loving wife of 26 years, Paula Pendleton Sardinas; son, Michael Sardinas (Jessica), Putney, Vermont; daughter, Amy Navisky (Michael), Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts; granddaughters, Hannah, Lilia and Aliyah; brother, Anthony Sardinas (Denise), Richmond Hill, Georgia; mother-in-law, Pauline Pendleton; nephews, Anthony Sardinas, Jr. (Jamie), Nicholas Sacco; niece, Lindsey Sacco; sister-in-law, Marcia Sacco (Vincent).
The family request memorial donations be made to New Covenant United Methodist Church, Middlefield Federated Church, Main St., Middlefield, Connecticut or The Leesburg Humane Society.
A Celebration of Joseph’s Life will be held at New Covenant United Methodist Church, The Villages at 2:30 PM Thursday, April 10, 2014 with Pastor Marilyn Annel officiating. The family will receive friends following the service in the church. Interment will take place at a later date in Connecticut. Arrangements by Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services, 1511 Buenos Aires Blvd., The Villages, Florida. hiers-baxley.com
http://www.hiers-baxley.com
There were tears and laughter Tuesday night during a candlelight vigil at Ocala's Citizen's Circle as more than 50 people gathered to remember the lives of the two men who died Sunday evening in a plane crash in Summerfield.
Joseph Sardinas, 70, and Dennis W. Monroe, 65, died when the plane they were in crashed while filming a scene for a zombie movie.
“I know this is really hard for a lot of you,” said Bronson Mosley, who wrote and was directing the zombie movie.
“Joe Sardinas, he touched a lot of people's lives. Dennis Monroe was an amazing man with amazing reach in the community ... It's bad. It's horrible. It's a terrible thing. I feel it very deep and dark. Joe was like a father to me,” Mosley said.
Many in the crowd -- several of them involved in the movie's production -- cried and hugged one another as they huddled against the chilly wind that whipped around the picnic tables at Citizen's Circle in front of Ocala's city hall. Earlier, a security guard had the crowd move off the stage area because they did not have a permit.
Marilyn Monroe is Dennis Monroe's cousin.
“He loved flying. He went to college for engineering and when he got out, that was the first thing he did was buy an airplane,” Marilyn Monroe said.
Dennis Monroe was 22 years old at the time, Marilyn recalled. He spent the next four decades honing his flying skills, while putting the same energy into his career with the city of Belleview, where he spent 26 years and rose to be director of public works.
“He was very experienced. He wasn't a Sunday flyer. He was a very, very conscientious and safe pilot,” Marilyn said.
Both Monroe and Sardinas were practicing their passion when they died.
Sardinas, a retired university professor, was an avid shutterbug for most of his life.
“My father taught him how to develop film in the darkroom,” said Tony Sardinas, Joseph's younger brother.
Tony Sardinas said his brother suffered from medical conditions that plagued him later in life. But when he began filming the zombie productions -- the first zombie movie was produced and released in 2013 -- he became a different person.
“All he ever wanted to talk about was the things he was doing with all of you,” Tony Sardinas told those in attendance at the vigil.
On Sunday, Monroe was piloting a two-seat, single-engine airplane he had built, while Sardinas was filming several actors dressed in zombie makeup on the ground. Witnesses told authorities that the plane's engine stalled and the aircraft fell to the ground near a private runway on Monroe's property at 1770 SE 140th St.
Tuesday's vigil included music played by some in the crowd and a lot of reflection.
“If we are ever going to get over this horrible thing, we have to realize that there is some beauty in it. There's some beauty in the memories we have of them,” Mosley said.
Source: http://www.ocala.com
The U.S. flag flies at half-staff at Belleview City Hall on Monday, April 7, 2014, in memory of the city's public works director, Dennis Monroe, who was killed in a single-engine plane crash on April 6.
PHOTO: Marion County Sheriff's Office
It was almost a wrap. The sweeping aerial shot of dozens of scary-looking zombies from a single-engine plane was to be the final scene from a low-budget movie being filmed in Marion County.
"It was an airplane-into-the-sunset type scene," Bronson Mosley, the 31-year-old driving force behind an zombie-apocalypse movie called "What Tomorrow Brings," said Monday. "And it ended very badly."
With the zombie characters looking on in horror, the small plane's engine stalled above Summerfield and nose dived to the ground just after 7 p.m. Sunday. The crash killed pilot Dennis W. Monroe, 65, of Summerfield, and his passenger, Joseph Lewis Sardinas, 70, of The Villages, who was filming the scene.
Sardinas' wife, Paula Pendleton-Sardinas, was filming the plane from the ground as part of the husband-and-wife camera crew. She said she doesn't think she recorded the crash at Monroe Air Park, owned by Monroe and located between The Villages retirement community and Ocala.
"I'm not well," she said. "I'm still in shock."
Mosley, of Ocala, said it appeared the plane was making loops over the area that were "too tight" before it fell from the sky. The crash is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Actors rushed toward the wreckage to see if they could help, said Craig Vessichio, 41, of Ocala, who said he had just been "killed" as part of the plot involving a getaway by one of the main characters in the airplane.
"As soon as it got out of my sight, I heard it stall and crash," Vessichio said. "I got up and sprinted as fast as I could get over there."
He said he smelled fuel and urged people to stay back, worried about a fire starting. Seeing actors with zombie makeup startled some first responders, he said.
"When medical personnel pulled up it was a little shocker to them," Vessichio said. "They didn't know what was going on."
What was to be a joyous occasion in completing the film instead left everyone connected to the movie numb about how the last scene had turned tragic. Mosley said filming started nearly a year ago and has cost about $10,000. Most of the actors are volunteers, as was Sardinas.
"For a lot of people it was just an awesome, fun thing," he said of the project.
The movie was a follow up to last year's "Only Another Day" by Mosley, who serves as producer, director and writer. The earlier movie — which "brings the zombie apocalypse to Ocala," according to a Facebook posting — was also shot by Sardinas and marketed locally.
A website for the new movie calls it "a cinematic journey to uncover the origins of the zombie virus and the heroes that fought in its undead wake!"
Anthony Sardinas, 66, of Richmond Hill, Ga., said his brother was a camera and cinematography buff who got a kick out of small-time moviemaking.
"He's been working with these 30-year-olds and just really enjoying it," he said of his brother, who moved to the giant retirement community seven years ago. Sardinas taught information systems and computer security at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he was a professor emeritus. "He enjoyed people loved people and they loved him back."
Monroe, the pilot, had been public works director for the city of Belleview for 26 years, City Commissioner Gary Ernst said. Ernst said he few with Monroe a couple of times — though not in the plane that crashed, which he said Monroe built — to get a different perspective on the city of about 4,500. He said he found Monroe to be an able pilot who emphasized safety.
"It's a sad day here," Ernst said. "He was my ace in the hole if I needed something."
As for "What Tomorrow Brings," Mosley said he intends to complete the editing and dedicate the film to Sardinas and Monroe.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com
SUMMERFIELD, Fla. (WOGX FOX 51) - The National Transportation Safety Board is now investigating a deadly plane crash in Summerfield. It happened just before 8 p.m. Sunday in a field off of SE 140th Street.
"We saw the plane flying low. All of a sudden the last pass around the sound stopped and it just dropped like a rock," said neighbor Janet Crandall.
Crandall watched the single engine experimental amateur aircraft crash into the field near her home. Investigators say Dennis Monroe, 65, and Josepha Sardinas, 70, died on impact. Monroe was flying the plane while Sardinas was shooting aerials of the field below for a low budget zombie movie.
"We were wrapping up. It was the final scene," said Jackie Azis, who was working as an extra for the film. She says she and several actors and the crew were waiting on the plane to land. "I was watching it. I've never seen anything like it."
Marion County sheriff's deputies interviewed dozens of people who watched the plane go down.
"Witness statements indicate that the plane took off. It took a banking turn came over the barn and pretty much the engine just stalled out and the airplane took kind of a nose dive came down hard on its front end," Captain James Pogue.
The NTSB will be looking at those statements and following up. NTSB investigators spent the afternoon looking at the crash scene…they're hoping footage being shot in the cockpit will provide some answers.
"Any video that may be on board we will treat like black box cock pit recorder," said Dennis Diaz.
Neighbors tell us the pilot has been flying for years and that he built the aircraft himself. Investigators say Monroe crashed on his own property, near the area that he built as a runway. He worked as a city official in Belleview.
Sardinas was a retired professor from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He consulted in information technologies and specialized in electronic data processing and security. His brother tells us Sardinas was having the time of his life getting into his longtime passion, cinematography.
"He was having a ball," said Anthony Sardinas.
Sardinas' wife was on the set of the movie Sunday night. Anthony says she watched the plane go down, then rushed out to the field to give her husband CPR, but he was too far gone. Their entire family is still in shock and deeply saddened by the loss.
"He was a good friend, he was a wonderful brother, great father great grandfather. You would've liked him. He was a very good guy," said Anthony Sardinas as tears started pouring out of his eyes. "If you have to go, going doing something you love, maybe it's not that bad," he said, trying to come to grips with is grief.
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Two Central Florida men were killed Sunday after their single-engine plane crashed as they were filming a low-budget zombie movie in Marion County.
The plane went down around 8 p.m. Sunday in the area of Monroe Airpark in Summerfield, south of Ocala. Witnesses told deputies that after turning back to fly over the filming, the engine stalled, and the plane went down nose-first.
The pilot, 65-year-old Dennis Monroe, was the director of public works for the city of Belleview for the last 26 years. A U.S. flag at Belleview City Hall was lowered to half-staff Monday.
“Anything to do with city government, if you wanted to go up in the air and see something Dennis would take you up," said Belleview Commissioner Gary Ernst. "We’d fly different routes and look at different things. He was an avid pilot.”
Passenger Joseph Sardinas, 70, was from The Villages.
The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a 3:30 p.m. press conference.
Marion County deputies said Monroe and Sardinas were with a group filming a scene involving the plane. A member of the film's cast said they were making a zombie movie called "What Tomorrow Brings."
Investigators said they believe Sardinas was filming Monroe during the flight.
Sardinas is listed as the film's cinematographer on IMDb. The movie's synpopsis on Facebook reads:
The Facebook page also shows an event dated Sunday inviting fans to watch the filming of the movie's finale sequence.
A member of the National Transportation Safety Board was set to examine the wreckage Monday and possibly determine the cause of the incident.
The case has been turned over to the Federal Aviation Administration, deputies said.
Source: http://www.baynews9.com
The crash Sunday evening of a small plane in Summerfield during the filming of a low-budget zombie movie took the lives of a an accomplished photographer and a city of Belleview official.
Joseph Lewis Sardinas, 70, was involved in photography for 50 years and was filming the movie “What Tomorrow Brings,” a locally produced zombie film.
Dennis W. Monroe, 65, was the pilot of the plane and the city of Belleview director of public works.
Monroe lived on the property where the crash occurred, at 1770 SE 140th Street. The plane was reportedly built by Monroe, who was an accomplished pilot. The property included its own runway.
Janet Crandall, whose home overlooks the Monroe property, said she was sitting on her back porch with her husband, Warner, when she saw the plane flying low and in circles.
“We didn't know they were filming. There were like 20 cars out there, but we thought they were having a party,” Janet Crandall said. “The last time it came around, the motor quit and it just dropped.”
Crandall didn't know what to think at first.
“I was stunned. It took a moment to realize what had just happened,” she said.
The Crandall's have lived at their home seasonally for more than 20 years.
“He was a great guy,” Warner Crandall said of Monroe.
“He loved to fly. He took my grandson up when he was 4-years-old, back in 1992,” he said.
Monroe's family members did not want to talk to the media. Several television news trucks swarmed the area on Monday morning.
The movie was written by, and was being directed by, Bronson Mosely. It was a follow up to “Only Another Day,” a zombie film by Mosely that premiered last year. Sardinas also was involved in the cinematography for that film.
Updated: The Marion County Sheriff's Office has released the identities of the two people killed in a plane crash in Summerfield Sunday.
SUMMERFIELD, Fla. —Two people aboard a small plane were killed when the amateur-built aircraft crashed Sunday night in Summerfield.
Investigators said the plane, a Vans RV-7, went down at Monroe Airpark around 7:15 p.m.
Marion County fire officials said a low-budget zombie movie was being filmed at the scene and that "lots of extras" were nearby at the time of the crash.
According to officials, the passenger was filming the pilot during the flight.
Witnesses said as the plane banked over the movie shooting site the engine stalled and the plane crashed nose first.
The names of the victims have not been released.
The crash is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Watch video: http://www.wesh.com
It was almost a wrap. The sweeping aerial shot of dozens of scary-looking zombies from a single-engine plane was to be the final scene from a low-budget movie being filmed in Marion County.
"It was an airplane-into-the-sunset type scene," Bronson Mosley, the 31-year-old driving force behind an zombie-apocalypse movie called "What Tomorrow Brings," said Monday. "And it ended very badly."
With the zombie characters looking on in horror, the small plane's engine stalled above Summerfield and nose dived to the ground just after 7 p.m. Sunday. The crash killed pilot Dennis W. Monroe, 65, of Summerfield, and his passenger, Joseph Lewis Sardinas, 70, of The Villages, who was filming the scene.
Sardinas' wife, Paula Pendleton-Sardinas, was filming the plane from the ground as part of the husband-and-wife camera crew. She said she doesn't think she recorded the crash at Monroe Air Park, owned by Monroe and located between The Villages retirement community and Ocala.
"I'm not well," she said. "I'm still in shock."
Mosley, of Ocala, said it appeared the plane was making loops over the area that were "too tight" before it fell from the sky. The crash is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Actors rushed toward the wreckage to see if they could help, said Craig Vessichio, 41, of Ocala, who said he had just been "killed" as part of the plot involving a getaway by one of the main characters in the airplane.
"As soon as it got out of my sight, I heard it stall and crash," Vessichio said. "I got up and sprinted as fast as I could get over there."
He said he smelled fuel and urged people to stay back, worried about a fire starting. Seeing actors with zombie makeup startled some first responders, he said.
"When medical personnel pulled up it was a little shocker to them," Vessichio said. "They didn't know what was going on."
What was to be a joyous occasion in completing the film instead left everyone connected to the movie numb about how the last scene had turned tragic. Mosley said filming started nearly a year ago and has cost about $10,000. Most of the actors are volunteers, as was Sardinas.
"For a lot of people it was just an awesome, fun thing," he said of the project.
The movie was a follow up to last year's "Only Another Day" by Mosley, who serves as producer, director and writer. The earlier movie — which "brings the zombie apocalypse to Ocala," according to a Facebook posting — was also shot by Sardinas and marketed locally.
A website for the new movie calls it "a cinematic journey to uncover the origins of the zombie virus and the heroes that fought in its undead wake!"
Anthony Sardinas, 66, of Richmond Hill, Ga., said his brother was a camera and cinematography buff who got a kick out of small-time moviemaking.
"He's been working with these 30-year-olds and just really enjoying it," he said of his brother, who moved to the giant retirement community seven years ago. Sardinas taught information systems and computer security at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he was a professor emeritus. "He enjoyed people loved people and they loved him back."
Monroe, the pilot, had been public works director for the city of Belleview for 26 years, City Commissioner Gary Ernst said. Ernst said he few with Monroe a couple of times — though not in the plane that crashed, which he said Monroe built — to get a different perspective on the city of about 4,500. He said he found Monroe to be an able pilot who emphasized safety.
"It's a sad day here," Ernst said. "He was my ace in the hole if I needed something."
As for "What Tomorrow Brings," Mosley said he intends to complete the editing and dedicate the film to Sardinas and Monroe.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com
SUMMERFIELD, Fla. (WOGX FOX 51) - The National Transportation Safety Board is now investigating a deadly plane crash in Summerfield. It happened just before 8 p.m. Sunday in a field off of SE 140th Street.
"We saw the plane flying low. All of a sudden the last pass around the sound stopped and it just dropped like a rock," said neighbor Janet Crandall.
Crandall watched the single engine experimental amateur aircraft crash into the field near her home. Investigators say Dennis Monroe, 65, and Josepha Sardinas, 70, died on impact. Monroe was flying the plane while Sardinas was shooting aerials of the field below for a low budget zombie movie.
"We were wrapping up. It was the final scene," said Jackie Azis, who was working as an extra for the film. She says she and several actors and the crew were waiting on the plane to land. "I was watching it. I've never seen anything like it."
Marion County sheriff's deputies interviewed dozens of people who watched the plane go down.
"Witness statements indicate that the plane took off. It took a banking turn came over the barn and pretty much the engine just stalled out and the airplane took kind of a nose dive came down hard on its front end," Captain James Pogue.
The NTSB will be looking at those statements and following up. NTSB investigators spent the afternoon looking at the crash scene…they're hoping footage being shot in the cockpit will provide some answers.
"Any video that may be on board we will treat like black box cock pit recorder," said Dennis Diaz.
Neighbors tell us the pilot has been flying for years and that he built the aircraft himself. Investigators say Monroe crashed on his own property, near the area that he built as a runway. He worked as a city official in Belleview.
Sardinas was a retired professor from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He consulted in information technologies and specialized in electronic data processing and security. His brother tells us Sardinas was having the time of his life getting into his longtime passion, cinematography.
"He was having a ball," said Anthony Sardinas.
Sardinas' wife was on the set of the movie Sunday night. Anthony says she watched the plane go down, then rushed out to the field to give her husband CPR, but he was too far gone. Their entire family is still in shock and deeply saddened by the loss.
"He was a good friend, he was a wonderful brother, great father great grandfather. You would've liked him. He was a very good guy," said Anthony Sardinas as tears started pouring out of his eyes. "If you have to go, going doing something you love, maybe it's not that bad," he said, trying to come to grips with is grief.
======
Two Central Florida men were killed Sunday after their single-engine plane crashed as they were filming a low-budget zombie movie in Marion County.
The plane went down around 8 p.m. Sunday in the area of Monroe Airpark in Summerfield, south of Ocala. Witnesses told deputies that after turning back to fly over the filming, the engine stalled, and the plane went down nose-first.
The pilot, 65-year-old Dennis Monroe, was the director of public works for the city of Belleview for the last 26 years. A U.S. flag at Belleview City Hall was lowered to half-staff Monday.
“Anything to do with city government, if you wanted to go up in the air and see something Dennis would take you up," said Belleview Commissioner Gary Ernst. "We’d fly different routes and look at different things. He was an avid pilot.”
Passenger Joseph Sardinas, 70, was from The Villages.
The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a 3:30 p.m. press conference.
Marion County deputies said Monroe and Sardinas were with a group filming a scene involving the plane. A member of the film's cast said they were making a zombie movie called "What Tomorrow Brings."
Investigators said they believe Sardinas was filming Monroe during the flight.
Sardinas is listed as the film's cinematographer on IMDb. The movie's synpopsis on Facebook reads:
The Facebook page also shows an event dated Sunday inviting fans to watch the filming of the movie's finale sequence.
A member of the National Transportation Safety Board was set to examine the wreckage Monday and possibly determine the cause of the incident.
The case has been turned over to the Federal Aviation Administration, deputies said.
Source: http://www.baynews9.com
The crash Sunday evening of a small plane in Summerfield during the filming of a low-budget zombie movie took the lives of a an accomplished photographer and a city of Belleview official.
Joseph Lewis Sardinas, 70, was involved in photography for 50 years and was filming the movie “What Tomorrow Brings,” a locally produced zombie film.
Dennis W. Monroe, 65, was the pilot of the plane and the city of Belleview director of public works.
Monroe lived on the property where the crash occurred, at 1770 SE 140th Street. The plane was reportedly built by Monroe, who was an accomplished pilot. The property included its own runway.
Janet Crandall, whose home overlooks the Monroe property, said she was sitting on her back porch with her husband, Warner, when she saw the plane flying low and in circles.
“We didn't know they were filming. There were like 20 cars out there, but we thought they were having a party,” Janet Crandall said. “The last time it came around, the motor quit and it just dropped.”
Crandall didn't know what to think at first.
“I was stunned. It took a moment to realize what had just happened,” she said.
The Crandall's have lived at their home seasonally for more than 20 years.
“He was a great guy,” Warner Crandall said of Monroe.
“He loved to fly. He took my grandson up when he was 4-years-old, back in 1992,” he said.
Monroe's family members did not want to talk to the media. Several television news trucks swarmed the area on Monday morning.
The movie was written by, and was being directed by, Bronson Mosely. It was a follow up to “Only Another Day,” a zombie film by Mosely that premiered last year. Sardinas also was involved in the cinematography for that film.
Updated: The Marion County Sheriff's Office has released the identities of the two people killed in a plane crash in Summerfield Sunday.
The
pilot was Dennis W. Monroe, 65, of 1770 SE 140th St., Summerfield,
according to an MCSO news release. The passenger was Joseph Lewis
Sardinas, 70, of 941 Mendoza Blvd., The Villages.
Both died in the crash.
(Original article) Two people were killed Sunday night when a small plane crashed as they were filming a zombie movie over Marion County, authorities said.
The Marion County Sheriff's Office did not release the identities of the pilot and passenger pending notification of family.
At approximately 7:30 p.m., the single-engine plane stalled and crashed in a backyard in the 1700 block of Southeast 140th Street, according to the report.
Several people with the production were on the ground. Inside the plane, a cameraman was filming the pilot. The plane's seats are located one behind the other and the plane had a clear canopy. During a banking manuever, the plane stalled and dropped nose first to the ground. The plane came to rest largely intact and no fire was reported, reports state.
Both people aboard were killed instantly. The medical examiners office was working Sunday night to remove the bodies.
The blue, white and yellow plane will be left at the location where it came to rest until investigators with the Federal Aviation Administration can arrive Monday morning.
This is the second airplane crash in Marion County in less than a week. On Friday, another small canopied plane crashed moments after take off at Ocala International Airport.
The plane caught fire and caused burns to the woman piloting the aircraft. Her injuries were not believed to be life threatening. That crash is under investigation.
Both died in the crash.
(Original article) Two people were killed Sunday night when a small plane crashed as they were filming a zombie movie over Marion County, authorities said.
The Marion County Sheriff's Office did not release the identities of the pilot and passenger pending notification of family.
At approximately 7:30 p.m., the single-engine plane stalled and crashed in a backyard in the 1700 block of Southeast 140th Street, according to the report.
Several people with the production were on the ground. Inside the plane, a cameraman was filming the pilot. The plane's seats are located one behind the other and the plane had a clear canopy. During a banking manuever, the plane stalled and dropped nose first to the ground. The plane came to rest largely intact and no fire was reported, reports state.
Both people aboard were killed instantly. The medical examiners office was working Sunday night to remove the bodies.
The blue, white and yellow plane will be left at the location where it came to rest until investigators with the Federal Aviation Administration can arrive Monday morning.
This is the second airplane crash in Marion County in less than a week. On Friday, another small canopied plane crashed moments after take off at Ocala International Airport.
The plane caught fire and caused burns to the woman piloting the aircraft. Her injuries were not believed to be life threatening. That crash is under investigation.
=======
SUMMERFIELD, Fla. —Two people aboard a small plane were killed when the amateur-built aircraft crashed Sunday night in Summerfield.
Investigators said the plane, a Vans RV-7, went down at Monroe Airpark around 7:15 p.m.
Marion County fire officials said a low-budget zombie movie was being filmed at the scene and that "lots of extras" were nearby at the time of the crash.
According to officials, the passenger was filming the pilot during the flight.
Witnesses said as the plane banked over the movie shooting site the engine stalled and the plane crashed nose first.
The names of the victims have not been released.
The crash is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Watch video: http://www.wesh.com
