14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, April 18, 2014 in Saint Albans, VT
Aircraft: OCONNOR PAUL A ULTIMATE AERO 10-200, registration: N827D
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On April 18, 2012, about 1203 eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur built Ultimate Aero 10-200, N827D, was substantially damaged near Saint Albans, Vermont, after an in-flight separation of a propeller blade. The commercial rated pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, which departed Franklin County State Airport (FSO), Highgate, Vermont about 1200.
According to the pilot, He had just recently returned from an airshow in Florida where he had been performing aerobatics with the airplane. On the day of the accident, he was performing a "high-level shakedown" flight, which was his common practice after a long cross country flight. He stated that "the shakedown flight is made at a higher altitude to ensure the satisfactory condition of the aircraft". He departed FSO at approximately 1200 (he reports this is his normal daily practice time) and departed the traffic pattern to the west. He then climbed to 3,000 feet above mean sea level (msl), over some farm fields. He went to begin his high-level shakedown maneuvers but since he was in a "flat pitch attitude" decided to head approximately northeast. As he did so, there was a sudden loud bang/shudder and the canopy shattered. The pilot initially thought there was some type of catastrophic structural failure, and thought a wing had failed. The engine "stopped instantly" and the canopy "clam-shell opened and then slammed back down". He realized that the airplane was "un-flyable" after trying to control the airplane with the flight controls. The airplane then began to spin and he could not arrest the spin. He related that it seemed like a "car accident" loud and sudden and that it seemed the aircraft had lost a lot of forward airspeed.
He advised that before every flight he would practice his egress routine. When he realized that he could not arrest the spin and the airplane was un-flyable, he decided to leave the airplane and initiated an egress. The egress went as planned but his headset jacks would not unplug easily and he ended up breaking them off. He advised that this caused him some concern and a challenge to alleviate the issue. He could not remember what altitude he egressed from the airplane but, after exiting the airplane, his parachute deployed fully at 700 to 1,000 feet msl, and he came to rest in the top of a tree.
According to two witnesses at FSO, They were both familiar with the pilot's airshow practice routine, and the airplane. Both witnesses stated that a couple of minutes after the airplane took off that they heard a normal engine noise followed by a "pop" or a "bang". They both stated that they then ran to the open door of the hangar they were in and looked to the northwest of the airport they saw that the pilot had egressed the airplane and was already descending under a fully deployed chute. They stated that he was approximately 500' to 1,000 feet high and above the trees and was drifting to the northeast.
The airplane was later discovered on the shoulder of the north bound lane of Interstate 89 were it had impacted, and was subject to a post impact fire which consumed the majority of the airplane.
Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed that a propeller blade had separated from the two bladed constant speed propeller's hub.
The propeller hub, the remaining propeller blade, and the propeller governor were retained by the NTSB for further examination.
AIRCRAFT CRASHED AND BURNED SHORTLY AFTER PILOT BAILED OUT DURING AN AEROBATIC MANEUVER, NEAR SWANTON, VT
http://registry.faa.govN827D
https://www.facebook.com/DanMarcotteAirshows
http://www.danmarcotteairshows.com/
Photo (above) of Ultimate Aero 10-200 (N827D) taken at Sun N Fun in Florida shortly before the accident.
BAKERSFIELD, Vt. —Pilot Dan Marcotte works in his machine shop, shaping metal parts for a new project, just like any other Saturday. But after what he went through the day before, even the most mundane task feels like a miracle.
"It's a really scary thought when you just stepped out of the plane and you no longer have any control over where it went and it's headed for the ground," said Marcotte.
He has been showing planes for 11 years and is well-known for flying his biplane all over North America. But the trick pilot got more of a ride than he bargained for Friday.
"There was a real loud bang, and some parts left the airplane and when they did they went through the canopy that went over my head," he said.
Marcotte could no longer control the aircraft. Still, his first instinct was to try and save it.
"My first though was that I wanted to save my airplane, its my employment. I love it. I love flying air shows. I love entertaining people," Marcotte said.
But it didn't take long for the veteran pilot to realize that whatever had broken made it impossible for him to regain control of his plane. As precious seconds were ticking by, he was getting closer to the ground. Marcotte decided to bail out.
He released his seat belts, jumped out of the cockpit and let the plane slip past him. He pulled his parachute. Marcotte drifted into a tree, where he was suspended until rescuers helped him down. Through it all, he says the most frightening part was wondering what -- or who -- the plane may have crashed on.
"Thats the first thing I asked when people came to the scene, was 'Has anybody seen where the airplane went?' And when they said it's just off the side of the road with nobody around, then I went back to thinking that I'm suspended 40 feet up in a tree hanging off a parachute," said Marcotte.
About 20 minutes later, rescuers had him down. All that was left of his beloved plane was a mangled metal frame and some burnt debris. Marcotte says the initial cause of the crash is still a mystery.
"It's important for people to understand this was not just an engine failure. Parts departed the airplane. Parts went through other parts of the airplane and started a chain reaction that, within seconds, I realized that I no longer had control of the airplane," said Marcotte.
The incident has not dampened the pilot's spirit. While it did set him back for the next few months of air shows, Marcotte does have a trick up his sleeve.
"Its a full afterburner engine that puts out about 5,500 to 6,000 pounds of thrust," he said.
The jet engine is not for an airplane though. Marcotte will fit the engine inside a car that he has been working on for the past few months. He's hoping his jet-powered vehicle can replace his plane on the show circuit for the time being.
Meanwhile, as he moves on from the plane crash, Marcotte says it has not shaken his confidence.
"Some people look at it as a relief -- people can get out of these things when they go wrong," he said.
Watch video: http://www.wptz.com
(NECN: Jack Thurston, Highgate, Vt.) - A small, single-passenger stunt airplane crashed Friday afternoon into one lane of Interstate 89 North in Highgate, Vt., not far from the Franklin County State Airport, near the border with Canada.
The pilot was able to parachute to safety, Vermont. State Police said, before the fiery crash that charred the ground.
"Something happened to the plane; he knew something was wrong," Lt. Garry Scott of the Vt. State Police said of the pilot.
The section of I-89 was shut down twice during this emergency: once during the initial frenzy, once as the wreckage was cleared away. At times during the removal of the wreckage, one lane of slow travel was allowed. No drivers were hit when the plane hurtled to the ground.
"These high speeds; we're pretty lucky no one else was injured," Lt. Scott said.
State Police gathered the pilot's parachute and put it in the trunk of a police cruiser, shortly after Lt. Scott said Highgate Fire cut the man down from a tree. He had dangled, stuck in the tree, after having to bail from his small plane.
The Facebook page of Dan Marcotte AirShows identified Marcotte as the operator. He's an experienced stunt pilot who performs aerobatic tricks at events such as the Independence Day celebration on the Burlington, Vt. waterfront.
A loved one wrote on the Facebook page that the performer is doing okay, explaining Marcotte was practicing when he had to jump. The page administrator wrote, "Thank God for our STRONG parachute!"
"He was very upset; emotionally upset," Lt. Scott said of Marcotte. "But no real significant injuries. He was able to walk, he came back to the scene, and talked to investigators."
Scott said the Federal Aviation Administration, out of Maine, will look into what went wrong. Police and a towing service gathered as much of the wreckage as they could find.
Asked if this was a first-of-its-kind response for him, Mike Cota of Cota's Towing in Swanton, Vt., said "No. We have about one a year or so; somebody goes down up here."
The Facebook page of Dan Marcotte AirShows was lighting up with well-wishes Friday afternoon, with folks very glad their friend lived through this, likely still with more thrill-seeking left in him.
Source: http://www.necn.com
Dan Marcotte
http://www.wcax.com
The pilot of a small plane that crashed on the interstate Friday afternoon is okay.
Vermont State Police say the pilot, and only occupant, sustained minor injuries after parachuting out of the plane before it crashed on Interstate 89N in Highgate, Vt. just after noon on Friday.
Tap here to view photos from the scene.
The pilot parachuted out before the crash and landed in a tree. Emergency crews were able to get the pilot down.
State police say initial reports from first responders indicated the single passenger plane was fully engulfed in flames and because of the crash location, posed a risk to traffic safety.
Police say one northbound lane has been reopened to traffic and the right-hand lane is expected to remain closed for some time.
Northbound traffic was redirected at Exit 21 in Swanton and through the Canadian border while emergency crews worked to extinguish the plane and provide medical attention.
Members of the Vermont State Police Bureau of Investigation and Vermont Agency of Transportation are investigating. The Federal Aviation Administration has been notified and will conduct a further investigation.
Michelle Frank
Pilot caught in tree after parachuting out of a small plane before it crash on Interstate 89N in Highgate, Vt.
Pilot caught in tree after parachuting out of a small plane before it crash on Interstate 89N in Highgate, Vt.
The pilot of a plane that crashed Friday afternoon on Interstate 89N in Highgate, Vermont dangles from a tree.
Photo Courtesy/Credit: Josh and Fred Vanslette
Michelle Frank
Michelle Frank
Emergency
crews reach the pilot of a plane who parachuted out shortly before the
small plane crashed onto Interstate 89 in Highgate Friday afternoon.
Michelle Frank
Emergency crews reach the pilot of a plane that crashed on Interstate 89N in Highgate Friday afternoon
Emergency crews reach the pilot of a plane that crashed on Interstate 89N in Highgate Friday afternoon
HIGHGATE, Vt. - A small plane crashed on I-89 near exit 21 Friday afternoon. The crash happened near the Swanton exit on the interstate at around 12:15 p.m.
Vermont State Police say a single passenger plane, fully engulfed in flames crashed onto the interstate. The pilot was able to parachute out prior to crashing. The pilot sustained minor injuries and is being provided medical treatment.
One lane of traffic has reopened, but the right-hand lane is still closed. Crews expect this lane to be closed for an extended period of time.
The FAA will be investigating the crash. The plane is going to be brought to the Vermont State Police St. Albans Barracks to be investigated.
Police couldn't provide any other information.
Officials are still investigating.
Source: http://www.mychamplainvalley.com
