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: CEN14FA185
14 CFR Part 91: General AviationAccident occurred Saturday, April 05, 2014 in Albany, OH
Probable Cause Approval Date: 10/09/2014
Aircraft: BELLANCA 17-30A, registration: N8259R
Injuries: 1 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 pilot was using flight following services from air traffic control during the return leg of the cross-country flight, and, about 12 miles from the destination, the pilot reported to the approach controller that he had the airport in sight. Two witnesses reported seeing the airplane traveling toward the airport and then “nose dive” to a nearby quarry’s property. One of the witnesses indicated that the back of the airplane hit a tree and that the airplane subsequently impacted the ground. The other witness said that the airplane engine was making a “buzzing” noise after the airplane crashed but that he did not hear anything before the crash. The main airplane wreckage came to rest inverted near a tree line about 2,300 feet northwest of the runway’s displaced threshold. Trees in the tree line exhibited broken and cut branches along about a 300-foot-long path, and the airplane was found fragmented and signs of a ground fire were observed along the path. The crankshaft propeller flange had separated from the crankshaft.
A family member who flew with the pilot during an earlier leg of the cross-country flight reported that the airplane’s engine seemed harder to start than usual and that, during cruise, a distinct engine vibration occurred when the fuel mixture was leaned. However, examinations revealed no preimpact airframe or engine anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Further, during an engine test run conducted after engine items that had sustained impact damage were replaced and a centering pilot shaft and the propeller flange were welded to the engine’s crankshaft separation point, the engine ran normally, and no preimpact engine anomalies were detected. On the basis of the evidence, it is likely that the pilot lost control of the airplane during the approach to landing.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot’s loss of airplane control during the approach to landing.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On April 5, 2014, about 1830 eastern daylight time, a Bellanca 17-30A airplane, N8259R, impacted trees and terrain while on approach to runway 7 at the Ohio University Airport-Snyder Field (UNI), near Albany, Ohio. The airline transport rated pilot was fatally injured. The airplane sustained substantial wing and fuselage damage. The flight was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Day visual flight rules (VFR) conditions prevailed for the flight, which did not operate on a flight plan. The flight originated from the Tri-Cities Regional Airport (TRI), near Blountville, Tennessee about 1715, and was destined for UNI.
The pilot was flying the airplane to its based location following a cross-country flight. Fueling service receipts showed and witnesses at TRI reported that about 1500 the airplane was serviced with 36 gallons of aviation gasoline (avgas), which complied with the pilot's request to "top all tanks." A witness said that the pilot observed the fuel service and rechecked the securing of the airplane's filler neck caps.
Flight service had no record of a pilot representing N8259R requesting a weather briefing or filing a flight plan in reference to the flight. The pilot used VFR flight following services from air traffic control (ATC) during the flight to UNI. According to information from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), about 12 miles from UNI, the pilot reported to the Huntington, West Virginia, ATC approach controller that he had UNI in sight. The ATC controller subsequently terminated flight following services and advised the pilot to switch to the advisory frequency for UNI.
A witness, who lived across and south of US Highway 50 by the Diamond Stone Quarries, heard and saw the airplane fly by at the end of her driveway. She said that the airplane's left wing was low and the right wing was high. She stated that the airplane hit a neighbor's tree at the end of her driveway. The engine was running "normal" and had a constant pitch sound. The airplane was described as flying up and down sideways. She subsequently contacted 9-1-1.
According to witness statements given to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, a group of witness who were in a vehicle traveling on US Highway 50 near the stone quarries reported that the airplane was traveling in the direction towards the airport. The weather was sunny with "some clouds." They saw the airplane "nose dive" onto the quarry property. The airplane's altitude was "low" and the back of the airplane hit a tree. The airplane subsequently impacted the ground. A witness in the vehicle said that the left side of the airplane made contact with the ground and that the airplane was "angled pretty hard" when it impacted the ground. Another witness in the car said that the airplane engine was making a "buzzing" noise after the "crash" and he did not hear anything before it crashed.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
The pilot held a FAA airline transport pilot certificate with an airplane multi engine land rating. He held commercial pilot privileges for single-engine land airplanes. The most recent medical certificate issued to the pilot was a third-class medical certificate issued on October 28, 2013, with limitations for wearing corrective lenses. On the application for this medical certificate, he reported a history of diabetes requiring oral medication and this medical certificate was issued as a time-limited special issuance certificate. The pilot reported that he had accumulated 25,075 hours of total flight time and 20 hours of flight time in the six months prior to the application. A logbook endorsement showed the pilot completed a flight review on June 11, 2013.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
N8259R was a 1972 model Bellanca 17-30A airplane with serial number 30475. The airplane was a single-engine, low wing monoplane with an all-wood wing construction and a fabric covered steel-tube fuselage. The four-seat airplane was equipped with retractable landing gear and a constant speed three-bladed propeller. The FAA issued a Standard Airworthiness Certificate for the airplane on August 25, 1972.
According to a copy of an airplane logbook excerpt, the airplane's last annual inspection was completed on October 1, 2013. An endorsement indicated the airplane's airframe accumulated a total time of 3,867.69 hours on that date.
According to its data plate, the engine was a fuel-injected, six cylinder, Continental IO-520-DCK model marked with serial number 158316-6-D. It was rated at 300-horsepower for takeoff and 285-horsepower for maximum continuous operations. The engine had accumulated 3,746.54 hours of total time and had accumulated 676.18 hours since overhaul.
The engine drove a three-bladed Hartzell HC-C3YF-1RF propeller with serial number EC75. According to a copy of an airplane logbook excerpt, the propeller had accumulated an unknown total time and had accumulated 688.94 hours since its last overhaul.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
At 1835, the recorded weather at UNI was: Wind 340 degrees at 4 knots; visibility 10 statute miles; sky condition scattered clouds at 5,000 feet; temperature 9 degrees C; dew point -3 degrees C; altimeter 30.15 inches of mercury.
AIRPORT INFORMATION
UNI was a public, non-towered airport, which was owned by Ohio University. The airport had a surveyed elevation of 766 feet above mean sea level. The airport's runway 7/25 was a 5,600 feet by 100 feet runway with an asphalt surface. The airport listed 123.075 megahertz as its common traffic advisory frequency. Runway 7 had a four-light precision approach path indicator (PAPI) on located on the left side of the runway and that PAPI provided a 3.00-degree glide path. Runway 7 obstruction remarks listed 89-foot trees, located 1,560 feet from the runway, and 618 feet left of centerline, which indicated a 15:1 slope to clear that obstruction. It further indicated that runway 7's threshold was displaced due to the 89-foot trees.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
The main airplane wreckage came to rest inverted, next to a tree line that bounded the quarry property north of US Highway 50. This was about 1,970 feet northwest of the start of runway 7's prepared surface and about 2,300 feet northwest of runway 7's displaced threshold. Trees on the quarry property exhibited broken and cut branches along a path about 300 feet long. The color of the separation surfaces of these broken and cut branches was consistent with fresh separations. Along this path of separated branches were debris items to include red broken glass fragments, the left outboard wing tip, colored flakes consistent with paint chips, wood fragments, and clear plastic fragments. Also on this path, a ground scar was observed that paralleled Highway 50. A depression and displaced tree roots and trunks were observed east of the ground scar. The propeller was found mostly below the surface of the depression with one blade tip exposed. Charred tree trunks were visible on the east side of the depression. The three propeller blades remained attached to their hub. The crankshaft propeller flange separated from its crankshaft. The distance and direction from the start of the ground scar to the propeller was about 35 feet and was 080 degrees respectively. Tree branches in the area of the ground scar were cut on a diagonal and one cut surface had a color transfer consistent with the black color from the flat face of a propeller blade. The inverted main wreckage was found about 20 feet east of the depression. The right wingtip was found in the area of the main wreckage. The engine was displaced rearward onto its firewall and the firewall was deformed rearward into cabin space. The left outboard fuel tank was separated from its wing. Fuel smell was present at the accident site. Fuel was observed exiting from the covers over the filler necks caps. The amount of fuel on-scene could not be determined due to the fuel leaking from the covers. The battery was subsequently disconnected. The emergency locator transmitter's switch was found in its off position.
The tree at the end of the witnesses' driveway was examined. Tree branches were found to be broken and the dark color of their separations was not consistent with recent separations. Additionally no airplane debris was found under the separated branches at this location on the south side of Highway 50. The Fire Chief was asked where his first responders found separated debris from the airplane and he indicated that the debris was found on quarry property, which was north of Highway 50.
The airplane wreckage was relocated to a hangar for examination. Flight control cable continuity was traced from the empennage flight control surfaces up to the cockpit area under the control yokes. Both aileron control cables' continuity was traced to their respective bellcranks and their cables moved when the yoke tube was rotated by hand. Push pull tubes, attached to the bellcranks, moved when their aileron cables were pulled. The left wing tube separated from its out board section in overload. No preimpact anomalies were detected that would have precluded flight control. Engine control cables from the cockpit controls to the engine were traced and no preimpact anomalies were detected that would have prevented engine control. The fuel selectors were found in thier detents and a liquid consistent with avgas exited the fuel hose to the engine driven fuel pump when air pressure was applied to the left inboard fuel tank filler neck. The electric fuel pump pumped a liquid consistent with avgas from the same fuel hose when electric power was applied to the pump. The airplane's tachometer read 3,891.10 and the altimeter's Kollsman window indicated 30.14 inches of mercury.
The propeller was disassembled by a manufacturer's safety investigator under supervision of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator in charge and the examination revealed no preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal propeller operation.
The engine was subsequently separated from the airframe for a field examination. A manufacturer's safety investigator and the NTSB investigator in charge examined the engine. All six cylinders remained attached and intact except for impact damage to the cooling fins on the front section of the number six cylinder. The ignition harness was undamaged and all ignition leads remained attached to their respective sparkplugs. Top sparkplugs were removed and inspected. Each sparkplug exhibited "normal" combustion discoloring and a "worn out, normal condition" when compared to a Champion Check-A-Plug chart. All cylinders were inspected using a lighted borescope. Valves and piston faces exhibited normal combustion deposits. Valve train continuity was confirmed when each cylinder produced a thumb compression as the engine was rotated by hand. Both right and left magnetos remained intact and attached at their respective mounts. When the engine was rotated by hand, the impulse couplings could be heard to release and spark was produced to all upper sparkplug leads. The muffler and its heat shield were deformed and compromised. The heat shield was removed and examined. The heat shield exhibited no signs of an exhaust leak. The fuel manifold remained intact and connected to each cylinders fuel injector through metal fuel lines. The fuel manifold data plate was missing. The fuel manifold top cover was removed and a liquid consistent with avgas was present. Sar-Gel paste was used to test the residual fuel and no water was detected. The fuel-metering unit was intact. The fuel strainer was found to be free of debris when it was removed from the fuel-metering unit. The engine driven fuel pump remained attached and intact. The fuel pump was removed and its drive link was found intact. The pump was free to rotate by hand without binding. A small amount of residual liquid consistent with avgas was found in the fuel hose connecting the engine driven fuel pump and the fuel manifold. A sample of this fuel was captured and tested for water using Sar-Gel paste. No water was detected. The front mounted oil cooler appears to have been pushed rearward. The propeller governor remained intact and attached to its mount. The induction system was compromised and sections of it remained attached to the engine.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
An autopsy was performed on the pilot by the Athens County Coroner's Office. The cause of death was listed as multiple trauma injuries.
The FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute prepared a Final Forensic Toxicology Accident Report. The report showed:
12 (mg/dl ) Glucose detected in Urine
6.1 (%) Hemoglobin A1C detected in Blood
TESTS AND RESEARCH
A Garmin GPS 295 found in the wreckage was shipped to the NTSB Recorder Laboratory. A recorder specialist examined the GPS unit and it did not contain any data in reference to the accident flight.
The engine was shipped to its manufacturer for a detailed examination under the supervision of the NTSB investigator in charge. The engine had sustained impact damage and items were replaced, to include the induction Y-pipe, intake risers, engine mounts, and the starter adapter. The engine driven fuel pump's relief valve cover assembly was crushed and was replaced. The separated propeller flange and a centering pilot shaft were welded to the engine's crankshaft separation point. The engine was test run and it ran up to and at full throttle. The engine's throttle was advanced multiple times, from idle to full throttle, and the engine accelerated without hesitation. No engine pre-impact anomalies were detected during the engine run.
ADDITIONAL DATA/INFORMATION
A member of the pilot's family supplied a 72-hour history summary. According to the summary, the pilot was in bed by 2300 and was up in time to catch the 0800 bus to "Sun 'n Fun." On the night of April 4, 2014, the pilot stayed up until 0030 completing flight planning for the return trip to UNI. He took off from Sun 'n Fun at 1005 and landed at Dublin, Georgia, about 1210 to refuel and take a break. The pilot had meals during the prior days and he had a diet coke and two packs of snack crackers while at Dublin. He departed for TRI at 1350 and arrived at TRI about 1520. While at TRI, he had two cups of coffee and a pack of crackers while relaxing and visiting with family.
The family member indicated that he had flown in this accident airplane many times, knew its nuances, and any unusual tendencies it had. While flying with the pilot during this trip, he noticed that it seemed harder to start the engine than usual. At Dublin, it required the boost pump to be "left running" for the engine to start. During cruise to and from Sun 'n Fun, he observed that if the engine was leaned below 14 gallons per hour there was a distinct engine vibration.
When starting the engine at TRI, he observed fuel coming from under the cowling and dripping down on the tarmac. He attributed it to the fuel boost primer and opted not to interrupt the pilot as he prepped for departure in the cockpit. After engine start, the leak stopped and the engine ran normally all the way through runup and magneto check. He stated that there were no other engine or airframe issues. No oil was added throughout this trip and the airplane's fuel tanks were topped off at every stop. The 72-hour history is appended to the docket associated with this case.
http://registry.faa.gov/N8259R
NTSB Identification: CEN14FA185
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, April 05, 2014 in Albany, OH
Aircraft: BELLANCA 17 30A, registration: N8259R
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On April 5, 2014, about 1830 eastern daylight time, a Bellanca 17-30A airplane, N8259R, impacted trees and terrain while on approach to runway 7 at the Ohio University Airport-Snyder Field (UNI), near Albany, Ohio. The airline transport rated pilot was fatally injured. The airplane sustained substantial wing and fuselage damage. The flight was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as personal flight. Day visual flight rules (VFR) conditions prevailed for the flight, which did not operate on a flight plan. The flight originated from the Tri-Cities Regional Airport (TRI), near Blountville, Tennessee about 1715, and was destined for UNI.
The pilot was flying the airplane to its based location following a cross-country flight. Fueling service receipts showed and witnesses at TRI reported that about 1500 the airplane was serviced with 36 gallons of aviation gasoline (avgas), which complied with the pilot's request to "top all tanks." The pilot observed the fuel service and rechecked the securing of the airplane's filler neck caps.
Flight service had no record of a pilot representing N8259R requesting a weather briefing or filing a flight plan in reference to the flight. The pilot used VFR flight following services from air traffic control (ATC) during the flight to UNI. According to initial information from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), about 12 miles from UNI, the pilot reported to the Huntington, West Virginia, ATC approach controller that he had UNI in sight. The ATC controller subsequently terminated the flight following services and advised the pilot to switch to the advisory frequency for UNI.
A witness heard and saw the airplane at the end of her driveway. The airplane's left wing was low and the right wing was high. She said that the airplane hit a neighbor's tree. The engine was running normal and had a constant pitch sound. The airplane was described as flying up and down sideways. She subsequently contacted 9-1-1.
According to witness statements given to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, a group of witness who were in a vehicle traveling on US Highway 50 near the Diamond Stone Quarries reported that the airplane was traveling in a direction towards the airport. The weather was sunny with some clouds. They saw the airplane "nose dive" on the quarry property. The airplane's altitude was "low" and the back of the airplane hit a tree. The airplane subsequently flew downward at an angle and hit the ground. A witness in the vehicle said that the left side of the airplane made contact with the ground and that the airplane was "angled pretty hard." Another witness in the car said that the airplane engine was making a "buzzing" noise after the crash and he did not hear anything before it crashed.
The pilot held a FAA airline transport pilot certificate with an airplane multi engine land rating. He held commercial pilot privileges for single-engine land airplanes. The most recent medical certificate issued to the pilot was a third-class medical certificate issued on October 28, 2013, with limitations for wearing corrective lenses. On the application for this medical certificate, he reported a history of diabetes requiring oral medication and this medical certificate was issued as a time-limited special issuance certificate. The pilot reported that he had accumulated 25,075 hours of total flight time and 20 hours of flight time in the six months prior to the application. A logbook endorsement showed the pilot completed a flight review on June 11, 2013.
N8259R was a 1972 model Bellanca 17-30A airplane with serial number 30475. The airplane was a single-engine, low wing monoplane with an all-wood wing construction and a fabric covered steel-tube fuselage. The four-seat airplane was equipped with retractable landing gear and a constant speed three-bladed propeller. The FAA issued a Standard Airworthiness Certificate for the airplane on August 25, 1972.
According to a copy of a work order, the airplane's last annual inspection was completed on October 1, 2013. An endorsement indicated the airplane's airframe accumulated a total time of 3,867.69 hours on that date.
According to its data plate, the engine was a fuel-injected, six cylinder, Continental IO-520-DCK model marked with serial number 158316-6-D. It was rated at 300-horsepower for takeoff and 285-horsepower for maximum continuous operations. According to the work order, the engine had accumulated 3,746.54 hours of total time and had accumulated 676.18 hours since overhaul.
The engine drove a three-bladed Hartzell HC-C3YF-1RF propeller with serial number EC75. According to the work order, the propeller had accumulated an unknown total time and had accumulated 688.94 hours since its last overhaul.
At 1835, the recorded weather at UNI was: Wind 340 degrees at 4 knots; visibility 10 statute miles; sky condition scattered clouds at 5,000 feet; temperature 9 degrees C; dew point -3 degrees C; altimeter 30.15 inches of mercury.
UNI was a public, non-towered airport, which was owned by Ohio University. The airport had a surveyed elevation of 766 feet above mean sea level. The airport's runway 7/25 was a 5,600 feet by 100 feet runway with an asphalt surface. The airport listed 123.075 megahertz as its common traffic advisory frequency. Runway 7 had a four-light precision approach path indicator (PAPI) on located on the left side of the runway and that PAPI provided a 3.00-degree glide path. Runway 7 obstruction remarks listed 89-foot trees, located 1,560 feet from the runway, and 618 feet left of centerline, which indicated a 15:1 slope to clear that obstruction. It further indicated that runway 7's displaced threshold was due to the 89-foot trees.
The main airplane wreckage came to rest inverted by a tree line that bounded the quarry property north of US Highway 50. This was about 1,970 feet northwest of the start of runway 7's prepared surface and about 2,300 feet northwest of runway 7's displaced threshold. Trees on the quarry property exhibited broken and cut branches along a path about 300 feet long. The color of the separation surfaces of these broken and cut branches was consistent with fresh separations. Along this path of separated branches were debris items to include red broken glass fragments, the left outboard wing tip, colored flakes consistent with paint chips, wood fragments, and clear plastic fragments, which were found on the ground. Also on this path, a ground scar was observed that paralleled Highway 50. A depression and displaced tree roots and trunks were observed east of the ground scar. The propeller was found mostly below the surface of the depression with one blade tip exposed. Charred tree trunks were visible on the east side of the depression. The three propeller blades remained attached to their hub. The crankshaft propeller flange separated from its crankshaft. The distance and direction from the start of the ground scar to the propeller was about 35 feet and was 080 degrees respectively. Tree branches in the area of the ground scar were cut on a diagonal and one cut surface had a color transfer consistent with the black color from the flat face of a propeller blade. The inverted main wreckage was found about 20 feet east of the depression. The right wingtip was found in the area of the main wreckage. The engine was displaced rearward onto its firewall and the firewall was deformed rearward into cabin space. The left outboard fuel tank was separated from its wing. Fuel smell was present at the accident site. Fuel was observed exiting from the covers over the filler necks caps. The amount of fuel on-scene could not be determined due to the fuel leaking from the covers. The battery was subsequently disconnected. The emergency locator transmitter's switch was found in its off position.
The neighbor's tree at the end of the driveway was examined. Tree branches were found to be broken and the dark color of their separations was not consistent with recent separations. Additionally no airplane debris was found under the separated branches at this location on the south side of Highway 50. The Fire Chief was asked where his first responders found separated debris from the airplane and he indicated that the debris was found on quarry property, which was north of Highway 50.
The airplane wreckage was relocated to a hangar for examination. Flight control cable continuity was traced from the empennage flight control surfaces up to the cockpit area under the yokes. Both aileron control cables' continuity was traced to their respective bellcranks and their cables moved when the yoke tube was rotated by hand. Push pull tubes, attached to the bellcranks, moved when their aileron cables were pulled. The left wing tube separated from its out board section in overload. No anomalies were detected that would have precluded flight control. Engine control cables from the cockpit controls to the engine were traced and no anomalies were detected that would have prevented engine control. The fuel selectors were in detents and a liquid consistent with avgas exited the fuel hose to the engine driven fuel pump when a container with shop air supplied air pressure to the left inboard fuel tank filler neck. The electric fuel pump pumped a liquid consistent with avgas from the same fuel hose when electric power was applied. The airplane's tachometer read 3,891.10 and the altimeter's Kollsman window indicated 30.14 inches of mercury.
The propeller was disassembled by a manufacturer's safety investigator under supervision of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator in charge and the examination revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal propeller operation.
The engine was subsequently separated from the airframe. A manufacturer's safety investigator and the NTSB investigator in charge examined the engine. All six cylinders remained attached and intact except for impact damage to the cooling fins on the front section of the number six cylinder. The ignition harness was undamaged and all ignition leads remained attached to their respective sparkplugs. Top sparkplugs were removed and inspected. Each sparkplug exhibited normal combustion discoloring and a worn out, normal condition when compared to a Champion Check-A-Plug chart. All cylinders were inspected using a lighted borescope. Valves and piston faces exhibited normal combustion deposits. Valve train continuity was confirmed when each cylinder produced a thumb compression as the engine was rotated by hand. Both right and left magnetos remained intact and attached at their respective mounts. When the engine was rotated by hand, the impulse couplings could be heard to release and spark was produced to all upper sparkplug leads. The muffler and its heat shield were deformed and compromised. The heat shield was removed and examined. The heat shield exhibited no signs of an exhaust leak. The fuel manifold remained intact and connected to each cylinders fuel injector through metal fuel lines. The fuel manifold data plate was missing. The fuel manifold top cover was removed and a liquid consistent with avgas was present. Sar-Gel paste was used to test the residual fuel and no water was detected. The fuel-metering unit was intact. The fuel strainer was found to be free of debris when it was removed from the fuel-metering unit. The engine driven fuel pump remained attached and intact. The fuel pump was removed and its drive link was found intact. The pump was free to rotate by hand without binding. A small amount of residual liquid consistent with avgas was found in the fuel hose connecting the engine driven fuel pump and the fuel manifold. A sample of this fuel was captured and tested for water using Sar-Gel paste. No water was detected. The front mounted oil cooler appears to have been pushed rearward. The propeller governor remained intact and attached to its mount. The induction system was compromised and sections of it remained attached to the engine.
The NTSB investigator in charge requested, from a family member, the pilot's 72-hour history prior to the accident.
An autopsy to include toxicological testing was requested.
The engine will be shipped to its manufacturer for additional testing under NTSB supervision.
AIRCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THE 1 PERSON ON BOARD WAS FATALLY INJURED, 1 MILE FROM ATHENS, OH
http://www.asias.faa.gov
Kevin Wagner, left, and his father, Charles, attended last week’s Sun ’n Fun air show in Florida. Behind them is the 1972 Bellanca that Charles was flying home to Ohio when he crashed Saturday.
A double-sided picture frame in Kevin Wagner’s Atlanta home says all that needs to be said about his father.
On the left side is a photo of Kevin, standing on the back of his dad’s orange tractor, a John Deere cap on his head and his hand on the wheel.
On the right side is a photo of Charles Wagner with his hand on the yoke of a Boeing 727 airliner.
“He was equally comfortable in a field shearing 200 sheep, which he just did just a couple of months ago, as flying a 747,” Kevin said. “He’s the greatest man I’ve ever known.”
Charles Wagner died Saturday evening when his single-engine plane crashed near a quarry only a few hundred yards from the runway at the Ohio University airport near his home in Glouster.
In 73 years, Wagner lived a life of high-flying adventure, including taking ground fire as a Navy pilot in Vietnam and once thwarting a hijacking attempt while he was a commercial pilot.
Barely an hour before the crash, the elder Wagner had dropped off his son at the Tri-Cities Regional Airport in Blountville, Tenn., hugged his two granddaughters, and headed home to his 400-acre family farm, about 15 miles north of Athens.
Kevin and his dad had spent the previous five days at the Sun ’n Fun air show in Lakeland, Fla.
After growing up on the family farm in Glouster, Charles Wagner took his first solo flight from an airstrip in Athens that since has been replaced by a Walmart.
He attended Ohio University before rising to the rank of lieutenant commander in the Navy while fighting in Vietnam, piloting a P-3 Orion over the South China Sea to drop sonar buoys searching for enemy subs.
Wagner then became a commercial airline pilot for 31 years, first with National Airlines in Miami, which was taken over by Pan American in 1980, and then with Delta. He retired in 2000 and moved back to the farm.
In the 1970s, Kevin said, a man with a Mason jar full of acid demanded that Wagner fly a National jet to Cuba.
“Dad put the plane into a steep bank. The high g(-force) load threw the hijacker down. He was subdued, and Dad landed in Alabama. Dad said some Buford Pusser-like sheriff got on the plane, pistol-whipped the guy once and carried him away.”
In retirement, he owned two classic planes: a 1972 Bellanca Super Viking 17-30A and a 1946 Aeronca 7AC.
The Bellanca, which Wagner was piloting when he crashed, is a sleek four-seater, said Robert Szego, president of the Bellanca-Champion Club. It’s “very powerful, very fast, very pretty and really fun to fly.”
The Aeronca is an older, slower twin-seater.
A National Transportation Safety Board spokesman said it likely will be six months to a year before a final report is issued on the cause of Wagner’s crash.
Kevin Wagner doesn’t need to wait. He visited the crash site, saw his dad’s beige and red Bellanca upside down on the ground, its spruce and mahogany wings sheared off.
“The landing gear was down. He was on his final approach. He’d already flown 31/2 hours, and now he was five minutes from home.”
He thinks his father had some sort of engine trouble. “There were a couple of houses there, mobile homes. He saw the quarry there and was trying desperately to make it. He clipped a tree."
A woman at one of the mobile homes witnessed the crash.
“She told me that he veered up — those were her words — to avoid hitting the trailer, and clipped the other set of trees and nose-dived into the quarry,” said Kevin, who is also a pilot.
“The cockpit and the fuselage were completely intact. It didn’t crush. What killed him was the force of hitting the ground. It simply broke his neck. The yoke broke off in his hands. He was fighting it to the last second.”
Story and comments/reaction: http://www.dispatch.com
ALBANY — A 73-year-old Glouster man has died in an airplane crash that occurred Saturday evening near the intersection of Routes 32 and 50, close to Ohio University's Gordon K. Bush Airport.
Charles Wagner was piloting a 1972 Bellanca Super Viking four-seat plane from Bristol, Tenn. in what was scheduled to be a flight of about one hour and 18 minutes when the crash happened. Wagner was the only occupant of the plane.
According to the Athens County Public Information Officer Network, Athens County 911 received a call at 6:35 p.m. on Saturday reporting the crash.
The Albany Area Volunteer Fire Department and Athens County Emergency Medical Services were dispatched to the scene. First responders found the small four-person, single engine aircraft with its top to the ground. Wagner was pronounced dead at the scene.
The last recorded data on the flight plan showed the plane was traveling at 160 mph at an altitude of 4,500 feet at 6:26 p.m. Data related to the aircraft shows that Wagner registered the plane in June of 2006 and was last in action in August of 2013.
Several emergency response agencies were on scene including Albany Fire Department, Ohio University Police Department, Athens County Sheriff's Office and the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The incident is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
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A small plane crashed near Albany early Saturday evening, killing the pilot, according to official reports. He apparently was alone in the plane.
In a preliminary report issued Saturday night, the Ohio State Highway Patrol identified the pilot as Charles W. Wagner, 73, of Athens County. He crashed the single-engine 1972 Bellanca Super Viking that he was flying en route to the nearby OU Airport, the report said.
Photos of the crash site – southwest of Albany near where U.S. Rt. 50 veers west toward McArthur from Ohio Rt. 32 – show a badly damaged small plane upside-down on the ground, with first responders on the scene.
A report released at 8:45 p.m. by the Athens County Public Information Officer Network said the county 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Center "received a 9-1-1 call at 6:35 p.m. reporting a plane crash near 3315 U.S. Rt. 50, near Ohio University's Gordon K Bush airport."
The Albany Area Volunteer Fire Department and Athens County Emergency Medical Services were dispatched to the scene, the report said, adding: "First responders found a small four-person, single-engine aircraft. The aircraft had a single occupant who was the pilot and was declared dead at the scene."
The report said the Ohio State Highway Patrol was on scene performing an initial aircraft crash investigation. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had been notified, and a FFA crash investigation "go team" dispatched to the scene. The National Transportation Safety Board also will be involved in the investigation.
UPDATE: From Athens PIO Network: 8:46 PM
The Athens County 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Center received a 9-1-1 call at 6:35 PM reporting a plane crash near 3315 US Route 50, near Ohio University’s Gordon K Bush airport.
The Albany Area Volunteer Fire Department and Athens County Emergency Medical Services were dispatched to the scene.
First responders found a small 4 person, single engine aircraft.
The aircraft had a single occupant who was the pilot and was declared dead at the scene.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol is on scene performing an aircraft crash investigation.
The name of the pilot is unavailable at this time as official try to notify the pilot’s family.
The Federal Aviation Administration, (FAA) has been notified and a FAA crash investigation, NTSB Go Team has been dispatched to the scene.
Unconfirmed reports stated the plane had originated in Tennessee.
Emergency crews are on the scene of a small plane crash near the intersection of US Route 50 and State Route 32 near Albany.
WOUB's Allen Henry reports emergency crews from Athens, Albany, Ohio University and the State Highway Patrol are on the scene.
According to Albany Area Fire Department Fire Chief Warren Keirns, one person died at the scene.
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ALBANY — One person has died as the result of a plane crash near the intersection of Routes 32 and 50, according to Albany Area Fire Department Chief Warren Kierns.
According to the Athens County Public Information Officer Network, Athens County 911 received a call at 6:35 p.m. on Saturday reporting a plane crash near 3315 Route 50 near Ohio University's Gordon K. Bush Airport.
The Albany Area Volunteer Fire Department and Athens County Emergency Medical Services were dispatched to the scene. First responders found a small four-person, single engine aircraft. The aircraft had a single occupant who was the pilot and was declared dead at the scene.
The name of the pilot is unavailable at this time as officials try to notify the pilot’s family. A four-seater plane that departed from Bristol, Tenn. was scheduled to arrive at the OU Airport around the time of the accident.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol is on scene performing an aircraft crash investigation. The Federal Aviation Administration has been notified and NTSB Go Tteam has been dispatched to the scene.
The Athens County 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Center received a 9-1-1 call at 6:35 PM reporting a plane crash near 3315 US Route 50, near Ohio University’s Gordon K Bush airport.
The Albany Area Volunteer Fire Department and Athens County Emergency Medical Services were dispatched to the scene.
First responders found a small 4 person, single engine aircraft.
The aircraft had a single occupant who was the pilot and was declared dead at the scene.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol is on scene performing an aircraft crash investigation.
The name of the pilot is unavailable at this time as official try to notify the pilot’s family.
The Federal Aviation Administration, (FAA) has been notified and a FAA crash investigation, NTSB Go Team has been dispatched to the scene.
Unconfirmed reports stated the plane had originated in Tennessee.
Emergency crews are on the scene of a small plane crash near the intersection of US Route 50 and State Route 32 near Albany.
WOUB's Allen Henry reports emergency crews from Athens, Albany, Ohio University and the State Highway Patrol are on the scene.
According to Albany Area Fire Department Fire Chief Warren Keirns, one person died at the scene.
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ALBANY — One person has died as the result of a plane crash near the intersection of Routes 32 and 50, according to Albany Area Fire Department Chief Warren Kierns.
According to the Athens County Public Information Officer Network, Athens County 911 received a call at 6:35 p.m. on Saturday reporting a plane crash near 3315 Route 50 near Ohio University's Gordon K. Bush Airport.
The Albany Area Volunteer Fire Department and Athens County Emergency Medical Services were dispatched to the scene. First responders found a small four-person, single engine aircraft. The aircraft had a single occupant who was the pilot and was declared dead at the scene.
The name of the pilot is unavailable at this time as officials try to notify the pilot’s family. A four-seater plane that departed from Bristol, Tenn. was scheduled to arrive at the OU Airport around the time of the accident.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol is on scene performing an aircraft crash investigation. The Federal Aviation Administration has been notified and NTSB Go Tteam has been dispatched to the scene.
