14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, November 10, 2014 in Lewisburg, WV
Aircraft: MOONEY M20C, registration: N6581U
Injuries: 1 Serious.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators 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 November 10, 2014, about 1258 eastern standard time, a Mooney M20C, N6581U, was substantially damaged when it impacted a fence and terrain in a pasture in Lewisburg, West Virginia. The private pilot received serious injuries. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the flight, which was departing from Greenbrier Valley Airport (LWB) at the time of the accident. The personal flight had an intended destination of Hanover County Municipal Airport (OFP), Ashland, Virginia. The flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
According to a witness who was working at the airport, the pilot began the takeoff roll at the approach end of runway 04 and the airplane lifted off within the first 2000 feet of the runway. The takeoff roll and initial climb appeared "normal", and the engine/propeller sounded "normal". About 200 feet above ground level the airplane leveled off and continued down the runway centerline. At that time the landing gear remained down, and the flaps remained partially deployed. Then the airplane began a left turn, which increased to a "very sharp" left bank and the nose "dropped". The wings had rolled back toward level just as the airplane went out of view. A second witness located in a parking lot near the departure end of the runway stated that she saw the airplane "Wig-Waging," which she later described as the wings rolling from left to right at a relatively steep angle but could not recall how steep of an angle it was, but said it was "considerably greater than normal takeoffs" she had seen. She stated that she watched the airplane then level its bank angle, then pitched up, and shortly thereafter the nose "came down." She watched the airplane impact the ground and she ran to provide assistance to the pilot.
The airplane initially impacted a fence (wood post and wire construction) and then terrain in a pasture about 1/4 mile to the left of the runway 04 centerline, abeam the 1000 foot marker for the reciprocal (22) runway. The accident debris path was oriented on a 323 degree (true) heading, began at a broken fence post located at N 37.86520 / W 80.39936, and was approximately 50 yards long. The major components of the airplane were located with the main wreckage with the exception of the left main landing gear, located about 15 feet from the initial impact point, and the propeller/hub assembly, which was located about 10 feet to the southwest of the main wreckage.
STONEMAN EXCAVATING CO INC: http://registry.faa.gov/N6581U
FAA Flight Standards District Office: FAA Charleston FSDO-09
Beckley, Bluefield
A pilot was taken via HealthNet to a hospital in Roanoke, Va. following a plane crash shortly after take-off at Greenbrier Valley Airport Monday afternoon, according to a West Virginia Division of Homeland Security official.
No passengers were on board.
Greg Stoneman, 65, of Ashland, Va., was flying the plane, according to West Virginia State Police spokesman Lt. Michael Baylous.
Stoneman was extricated from the wreckage by the Lewisburg Fire Department.
He reported losing power immediately after take-off. The plane veered off course and landed in a cattle pasture adjacent to the airport.
State police and Greenbrier Valley Airport police were investigating the accident. The FAA was planning to arrive on scene Tuesday.
Civil Air Patrol was on scene Monday.
Airport traffic was not impacted.
Baylous and the Division of Homeland Security official said they did not know the pilot’s condition Monday evening.
- Source: http://www.wvgazette.com
Emergency crews were called to the scene of a 1962 single engine plane crash that happened on Monday, Nov. 10, 2014. Officials said that the plane took off from the Greenbrier Valley Airport, but was crashed moments later. It happened at round 1:15 p.m.
The plane was a 1962 fixed-wing built by Mooney Aviation. The pilot was the only person on the plane according to state police.
Cpl. H.F. Blevins with the state police says there is a witness who saw the plane crash onto the field.
"An airplane flying at low altitude, thought they heard an engine possible go out, that's the way they describe it, the airplane gained altitude again and then suddenly lost altitude, until it crashed into the field."
The pilot was airlifted to a Roanoke Area Hospital. State police on the scene say the pilot was conscious at the time.
"The victim was found still inside the aircraft, had to be evacuated from the aircraft and seems to be right now in stable condition."
Cpl. Blevins says they believe the pilot is from the Richmond area. Federal Aviation Administration is investigating to determine whether this is a mechanical or human error.
- Source: http://www.wvnstv.com
A single-engine plane crashed in a field near Greenbrier Valley Airport on Monday afternoon, Greenbrier County Emergency Operations dispatchers reported.
The crash was reported at 1:01 p.m., just after the plane had left the airport and crashed into a nearby field.
Lewisburg Volunteer Fire Department Chief Wayne Pennington said firefighters extricated the pilot — who was the only passenger — from the wreckage and that he was transported via helicopter to an unidentified regional hospital.
Pennington said the pilot had serious injuries but that the extent of the injuries was unknown Monday afternoon.
The pilot was not a local resident, Pennington added.
The incident is under investigation by Cpl. H.F. Blevins and Sgt. W.A. Pendleton of the West Virginia State Police, Pennington reported.
Firefighters from Lewisburg Volunteer, Fairlea and Frankfurt Volunteer fire departments responded to the crash, along with Greenbrier County Ambulance Service and Northern Greenbrier Ambulance.
Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration had been informed of the crash Monday afternoon, and crews from the Civil Air Patrol and State Police were guarding the craft wreckage overnight, said Pennington.
- Source: http://www.register-herald.com
