Runway bid at Yampa Valley Regional Airport in Hayden $4 million over engineer's estimate
Steamboat Springs — Routt County commissioners felt a little gravel in their throats Monday afternoon when Yampa Valley Regional Airport manager Dave Ruppel confirmed that the lowest bid for widening and resurfacing the runway at the airport came in far higher than the estimated $13.44 million - 30.5 percent higher.
“We’re $4 million over,” Commission Chairman Tim Corrigan said.
The lowest of three bidders on the project was United at $17.58 million.
“We got three conforming bids,” Ruppel told the commissioners. “The highest was about $18.5 million."
The $4 million gap between the estimate and the low bid doesn’t mean the project won’t go forward. But it likely means something will get cut, and the commissioners were already eyeing a new $3 million vehicle service road. It’s high on the wish list of the Federal Aviation Administration, but the easiest to defer to another round of grant funding.
Ruppel said the county’s consultant on the project, Jviation, pins the bulk of the overrun on the unusually high cost of gravel in the wake of last fall’s floods on Colorado’s Front Range.
“What we found was the primary issue was aggregate,” Ruppel said. “The floods on the Front Range washed away most gravel production in the Front Range – not just the gravel, but the equipment."
Corrigan and commissioner Doug Monger were skeptical about how the high cost of gravel on the Front Range would impact the Western Slope.
“How much of the $13.4 million was gravel?” Corrigan asked. “It would be one thing if $8 million of that was gravel, which I would find hard to believe. I guess on some level it feels a little convenient for someone to say, ‘Oh, the cost of gravel blew us out of the water.’”
“I’m a little disappointed with Jviation for blowing the bid this bad,” Monger said.
The project, most of which has been delayed until the spring of 2015 when the runway will be closed for 60 days, includes more than tearing up the old asphalt and replacing it while widening the runway by 50 feet. Taxiways will be widened and rehabilitated as will aprons.
Ruppel promised to get more details on the cost of gravel to be used both as road base and as a major component in asphalt on the project but added that United was very surprised at the cost of aggregate here and struggled to get a supplier.
The only gravel pit in West Routt that bid on the project was Precision east of Milner.
“This is a huge amount of gravel,” Ruppel said. “For any of the other pits in the valley, it would tie up their pits for the summer. They wouldn’t be able to do anything but supply gravel to us. United went to Connell and Elam for aggregate, and neither one gave them a bid.”
Ruppel and Jviation will consult with the FAA to see how to make the project fit available funds.
The county is required to pay only a 10 percent match on a FAA grant that would have covered the large majority of the $13.44 million estimate, with a much smaller but still significant grant from the Colorado Department of Transportation’s aeronautical division requiring a 5 percent match.
However, should the commissioners want to tackle the entire project in the current two construction seasons time frame, the airport would be on the hook for the $4 million-plus shortfall, and commissioners confirmed Monday that wasn’t going to happen.
After a preliminary conversation with the federal agency, Ruppel was hopeful the officials he is working with would go back and ask for an additional $1.7 million.
“It’s disappointing, but we still have a viable project,” Corrigan concluded.
Source: http://www.craigdailypress.com
Monday, April 28, 2014
Planes Dropping Fire Retardant on Buffalo Gap Fire, Texas
6:34 p.m. Monday Update: Planes are now dropping fire retardant on the fire at Buffalo Gap.
5:29 p.m. Monday Update: After re-assessing the threat, the evacuations are no longer being ordered for the entire town of Buffalo Gap.
The evacuations will now only affect the northwest portion of Buffalo Gap.
An air tanker plane has been requested from New Mexico to drop water on hot spots.
4:51 p.m. Monday Update:
All of Buffalo Gap is now being evacuated due to the fire threat.
4:37 p.m. Monday Update: Evacuations are underway for residents of Buffalo Gap who live north of North Street and west of West Street.
Firefighters are also urging everyone to stay away from the area.
4:10 p.m. Monday Update: More evacuations are underway in the Buffalo Gap area due to hot spot flare-ups.
At this time, people living on Clubhouse Drive in Buffalo Gap are being asked to evacuate.
2:25 p.m. Monday Update: The evacuations at Apache Junction along County Road 330 were triggered by a hot spot flare-up near the area and headed south.
2:02 p.m. Monday Update: Though the fire at Buffalo Gap is considered around 60 percent contained according to the Texas A&M Forest Service, the people who were allowed back in their homes earlier Monday morning after being evacuated Sunday due to the fire danger are being asked to evacuate again.
Firefighters have determined the fire is once again posing a threat and residents of Apache Junction on County Road 330 were allowed back in Monday on the condition that they might have to evacuate again if the fire danger re-emerged.
11:31 a.m. Monday Update: The people who evacuated their homes Sunday along County Road 330 are now being allowed back in.
However, this is under the condition that these residents understand they may be asked to evacuate again if the fire once again poses a threat.
Firefighters were able to more accurately estimate the containment level of the fire Monday morning and the new estimate is that the fire is only around 50 percent contained, as opposed to the estimated 70 percent containment from early Monday morning.
10:06 a.m. Monday Update: The fire has burned the equipment at the STEMS and Buffalo Gap VFD radio communications tower. Firefighters will work Monday to estimate the exact acreage the fire has covered since Sunday.
Firefighters are continuing to cut additional fire lines Monday morning, as well as cutting a road to a particular hot spot in the midst of the damaged area so it can be brought under control before winds pick up. A spotter plane is helping firefighters knock down any additional hotspots.
Helicopters have been brought in again Monday morning to drop more water on the area.
7:30 a.m. Monday Update: Firefighters are meeting this morning to decide tactics on how to contain the blaze that has burned at least 1,000 acres. Light winds overnight helped crews gain some headway in battle to extinguish the fire. No buildings have been damaged so far, and no further evacuations have been ordered following mandatory evacuations of homes on County Road 330 Sunday afternoon.
10:45 p.m. Update: Firefighters will stay on the scene through the night to battle this large fire. Winds have subsided significantly, which will help firefighters gain control of the blaze.
No further evacuations have been ordered at this time.
The Texas Forest Service estimates the fire is 40% contained, and has burned about 1,000 acres.
8:30 p.m. Update: Taylor County Sheriff Ricky Bishop, who is also Chief of the View Volunteer Fire Department, tells us the high winds are the primary concern when it comes to battling this blaze. Bishop estimates the size of the fire at about 200 acres, though it's difficult to know the exact size at this point.
About 20 homes have been evacuated, but no structures have been damaged, other than a communications tower. A firefighting aircraft was brought in late this afternoon to help with the effort.
Bishop says firefighters will be working throughout the night to help get the blaze under control.
5:15 p.m. Update: Residents of the Country Place South addition north of Buffalo Gap are being told to prepare to evacuate if needed.
Several Taylor County fire departments are attempting to battle a large grass fire southwest of Abilene.
Officials are evacuating all houses on County Road 330.
FM 1235 has been closed down between Buffalo Gap and View.
Firefighters are trying to keep the flames away from houses in the area.
Officials are urging people to please stay away from the area.
Story and photos: http://www.bigcountryhomepage.com
5:29 p.m. Monday Update: After re-assessing the threat, the evacuations are no longer being ordered for the entire town of Buffalo Gap.
The evacuations will now only affect the northwest portion of Buffalo Gap.
An air tanker plane has been requested from New Mexico to drop water on hot spots.
4:51 p.m. Monday Update:
All of Buffalo Gap is now being evacuated due to the fire threat.
4:37 p.m. Monday Update: Evacuations are underway for residents of Buffalo Gap who live north of North Street and west of West Street.
Firefighters are also urging everyone to stay away from the area.
4:10 p.m. Monday Update: More evacuations are underway in the Buffalo Gap area due to hot spot flare-ups.
At this time, people living on Clubhouse Drive in Buffalo Gap are being asked to evacuate.
2:25 p.m. Monday Update: The evacuations at Apache Junction along County Road 330 were triggered by a hot spot flare-up near the area and headed south.
2:02 p.m. Monday Update: Though the fire at Buffalo Gap is considered around 60 percent contained according to the Texas A&M Forest Service, the people who were allowed back in their homes earlier Monday morning after being evacuated Sunday due to the fire danger are being asked to evacuate again.
Firefighters have determined the fire is once again posing a threat and residents of Apache Junction on County Road 330 were allowed back in Monday on the condition that they might have to evacuate again if the fire danger re-emerged.
11:31 a.m. Monday Update: The people who evacuated their homes Sunday along County Road 330 are now being allowed back in.
However, this is under the condition that these residents understand they may be asked to evacuate again if the fire once again poses a threat.
Firefighters were able to more accurately estimate the containment level of the fire Monday morning and the new estimate is that the fire is only around 50 percent contained, as opposed to the estimated 70 percent containment from early Monday morning.
10:06 a.m. Monday Update: The fire has burned the equipment at the STEMS and Buffalo Gap VFD radio communications tower. Firefighters will work Monday to estimate the exact acreage the fire has covered since Sunday.
Firefighters are continuing to cut additional fire lines Monday morning, as well as cutting a road to a particular hot spot in the midst of the damaged area so it can be brought under control before winds pick up. A spotter plane is helping firefighters knock down any additional hotspots.
Helicopters have been brought in again Monday morning to drop more water on the area.
7:30 a.m. Monday Update: Firefighters are meeting this morning to decide tactics on how to contain the blaze that has burned at least 1,000 acres. Light winds overnight helped crews gain some headway in battle to extinguish the fire. No buildings have been damaged so far, and no further evacuations have been ordered following mandatory evacuations of homes on County Road 330 Sunday afternoon.
10:45 p.m. Update: Firefighters will stay on the scene through the night to battle this large fire. Winds have subsided significantly, which will help firefighters gain control of the blaze.
No further evacuations have been ordered at this time.
The Texas Forest Service estimates the fire is 40% contained, and has burned about 1,000 acres.
8:30 p.m. Update: Taylor County Sheriff Ricky Bishop, who is also Chief of the View Volunteer Fire Department, tells us the high winds are the primary concern when it comes to battling this blaze. Bishop estimates the size of the fire at about 200 acres, though it's difficult to know the exact size at this point.
About 20 homes have been evacuated, but no structures have been damaged, other than a communications tower. A firefighting aircraft was brought in late this afternoon to help with the effort.
Bishop says firefighters will be working throughout the night to help get the blaze under control.
5:15 p.m. Update: Residents of the Country Place South addition north of Buffalo Gap are being told to prepare to evacuate if needed.
Several Taylor County fire departments are attempting to battle a large grass fire southwest of Abilene.
Officials are evacuating all houses on County Road 330.
FM 1235 has been closed down between Buffalo Gap and View.
Firefighters are trying to keep the flames away from houses in the area.
Officials are urging people to please stay away from the area.
Story and photos: http://www.bigcountryhomepage.com
John F. Kennedy International Airport (KJFK), New York
Man may lose legs in freak airport accident
A city Department of Education worker may lose both his legs after a truck knocked a concrete barrier onto him outside an aviation-school annex at Kennedy Airport on Monday, officials said.
The freak accident occurred around 1:15 p.m. as DOE contract manager Mark Drake, 47, of Maspeth, Queens, was standing alongside the barrier in a parking lot in front of the Q-750 Aviation HS Annex, said police sources and education officials.
A driver backing up a truck nearby apparently failed to see either the barrier or Drake. His vehicle struck the barrier, which then toppled onto Drake and crushed his legs, a source said.
Read more here: http://nypost.com
A city Department of Education worker may lose both his legs after a truck knocked a concrete barrier onto him outside an aviation-school annex at Kennedy Airport on Monday, officials said.
The freak accident occurred around 1:15 p.m. as DOE contract manager Mark Drake, 47, of Maspeth, Queens, was standing alongside the barrier in a parking lot in front of the Q-750 Aviation HS Annex, said police sources and education officials.
A driver backing up a truck nearby apparently failed to see either the barrier or Drake. His vehicle struck the barrier, which then toppled onto Drake and crushed his legs, a source said.
Read more here: http://nypost.com
Civil Air Patrol Planes Examine Arkansas Tornado Damage
LITTLE ROCK, AR (News release) - The Arkansas Wing of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary, has been assisting in the response to the devastating tornados that struck central Arkansas Sunday evening.
The Civil Air Patrol has been tasked with taking aerial video and still photography of damaged areas and currently has seven light aircraft participating in the effort and a mission base as been set up at CAP headquarters at the Little Rock National Airport.
Maj. Doug Wood, Arkansas Wing administrator, said the view from above showed widespread damage. Of one subdivision in Vilonia, he commented, “Not one house was standing. Everything else was just flattened.”
Capt. John Bowden of the wing’s 42nd Composite Squadron in Little Rock said, “It looks like the houses and buildings just exploded. All that is left if a flat foundation with scattered sticks all around.”
On Wednesday morning, at the request of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, CAP aircrews will photograph the entire tornado track – from Ferndale to Mount Vernon.
Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with 61,000 members nationwide, operating a fleet of 550 aircraft. CAP, in its Air Force auxiliary role, performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 80 lives annually.
Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies.
Story and photo: http://www.arkansasmatters.com
The Civil Air Patrol has been tasked with taking aerial video and still photography of damaged areas and currently has seven light aircraft participating in the effort and a mission base as been set up at CAP headquarters at the Little Rock National Airport.
Maj. Doug Wood, Arkansas Wing administrator, said the view from above showed widespread damage. Of one subdivision in Vilonia, he commented, “Not one house was standing. Everything else was just flattened.”
Capt. John Bowden of the wing’s 42nd Composite Squadron in Little Rock said, “It looks like the houses and buildings just exploded. All that is left if a flat foundation with scattered sticks all around.”
On Wednesday morning, at the request of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, CAP aircrews will photograph the entire tornado track – from Ferndale to Mount Vernon.
Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with 61,000 members nationwide, operating a fleet of 550 aircraft. CAP, in its Air Force auxiliary role, performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 80 lives annually.
Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies.
Story and photo: http://www.arkansasmatters.com
$250K police drone crashes into Lake Conroe, Texas
Divers are scouring the bottom of Lake Conroe in the hope of recovering a controversial $250,000 police drone that crashed into the water Friday.
The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office confirms the remote-controlled helicopter drone, which was bought in 2011 with a federal grant, suffered a malfunction and went down during an exercise over the lake.
The drone is equipped with a camera and an infrared scanning device and is used by MCSO for emergency management, missing person recovery and operation overwatch, for example filming above SWAT team activities, according to spokesman Brady Fitzgerald.
"Divers did go down to look for it. They are still looking. It went down in deep water where there is a rocky bottom. Visibility is also a problem because of sediment at the bottom of the lake," Fitzgerald said.
The mini helicopter which weighs around 49 pounds and, in a military setting, could be fitted with a single- or multiple-shot 40mm grenade launcher, 25mm Grenade Launcher or 12 gauge shotgun, according to Vanguard Defense Industries.
Civil Liberties organizations were critical when the ShadowHawk drone was purchased from Vanguard just over two years ago.
At the time, Kirsten Bokenkamp, spokeswoman for the Houston-based American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, said the drones raise concerns because there are not enough safeguards in place to protect citizens from unreasonable search and seizure.
"It's just another example of technology that is outstripping our lives," she said. "What we mean by that, is the technology moves so quickly and the interpretations of the Fourth Amendment are failing to keep up with the technology. That brings privacy concerns."
MCSO officials emphasize that the drone is not used for surveillance.
Drones or unmanned aircraft are governed by the Federal Aviation Administration, which first authorized their use in the national airspace in 1990.
Fitzgerald said deputies were confident the drone would be recovered and further investigation into the crash would follow.
Story, photos and comments/reaction: http://www.beaumontenterprise.com
The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office confirms the remote-controlled helicopter drone, which was bought in 2011 with a federal grant, suffered a malfunction and went down during an exercise over the lake.
The drone is equipped with a camera and an infrared scanning device and is used by MCSO for emergency management, missing person recovery and operation overwatch, for example filming above SWAT team activities, according to spokesman Brady Fitzgerald.
"Divers did go down to look for it. They are still looking. It went down in deep water where there is a rocky bottom. Visibility is also a problem because of sediment at the bottom of the lake," Fitzgerald said.
The mini helicopter which weighs around 49 pounds and, in a military setting, could be fitted with a single- or multiple-shot 40mm grenade launcher, 25mm Grenade Launcher or 12 gauge shotgun, according to Vanguard Defense Industries.
Civil Liberties organizations were critical when the ShadowHawk drone was purchased from Vanguard just over two years ago.
At the time, Kirsten Bokenkamp, spokeswoman for the Houston-based American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, said the drones raise concerns because there are not enough safeguards in place to protect citizens from unreasonable search and seizure.
"It's just another example of technology that is outstripping our lives," she said. "What we mean by that, is the technology moves so quickly and the interpretations of the Fourth Amendment are failing to keep up with the technology. That brings privacy concerns."
MCSO officials emphasize that the drone is not used for surveillance.
Drones or unmanned aircraft are governed by the Federal Aviation Administration, which first authorized their use in the national airspace in 1990.
Fitzgerald said deputies were confident the drone would be recovered and further investigation into the crash would follow.
Story, photos and comments/reaction: http://www.beaumontenterprise.com
Aero Adventure AVENTURA II, N543MG: Incident occurred April 27, 2014 in Charlotte Harbor, Punta Gorda, Florida
AIRCRAFT EXPERIMENTAL AERO ADVENTURE AVENTURA II FLIPPED OVER ON LANDING INTO CHARLOTTE HARBOR, PUNTA GORDA, FL
http://www.asias.faa.gov
http://registry.faa.gov/N543MG
CHARLOTTE COUNTY, FL -
The FAA is still trying to figure out what caused an experimental aircraft to go down in the Charlotte Harbor Sunday afternoon.
Luckily, the one man inside the plane made it out safely, but getting the aircraft to shore was a different story.
A tow company was able to finally bring the plane back to dry land at the Burnt Store Marina. The whole mission took more than four hours, but everyone we spoke with say the hard work was well worth it. They’re just glad this didn't end in tragedy.
“It was a little unbelievable to see something like that. You just don't see a plane fly by one minute and the next minute it's down in the water,” said Jim Harding, who saw the plane go down.
Harding thought he was heading out for a regular Sunday fishing trip at the Burnt Store Marina --but it's not the manatees or the tarpon he'll remember...
“It was a really colorful plane. It looked like a big lure in the water. Haha...because we had our fishing boats, that's what I thought of,” Harding said.
“I looked over, and the boat was just sitting there, half submerged,” said Captain Nick Sanguedolce, who towed the boat to shore.
Sanguedolce with Towboat US was the one who helped get the boat back to solid ground.
Earlier Monday, he took us two miles out from the marina to show us where the plane landed.
“We got right next to it. We anchored out boat. We dropped our pumps in. Got the flotation ready,” said Sanguedolce.
Sanguedolce said it took about four hours because they actually had to drain some of the water off the plane first and then tow it two miles to the marina. But there was one thing that made the whole thing just a little bit easier
“Any time we can do anything like that and stand on the ground it's always a lot easier than trying to tow the thing upside down or drag it through the water,” Sanguedolce.
First responders told us the pilot was able to walk away from the crash without getting hurt.
Captain Nick has seen two other plane rescues in his almost three decades on the water -- and says they don't always have a happy ending.
“It's very lucky, you know? An airplane falling from the sky and you can tell the story? That's pretty incredible,” he said.
We tracked down the registered owner of the boat. She lives in Illinois and told me she sold the boat to a man by the name of Jack Keyworth from Port Charlotte. We’re working to get in touch with Keyworth to hear how he was able to survive such an ordeal.
In the meantime, the FAA tells us they still don't know why the plane went down in the first place and their investigation will continue until they can figure out some answers.
Story, video and photo: http://www.nbc-2.com
http://www.asias.faa.gov
http://registry.faa.gov/N543MG
CHARLOTTE COUNTY, FL -
The FAA is still trying to figure out what caused an experimental aircraft to go down in the Charlotte Harbor Sunday afternoon.
Luckily, the one man inside the plane made it out safely, but getting the aircraft to shore was a different story.
A tow company was able to finally bring the plane back to dry land at the Burnt Store Marina. The whole mission took more than four hours, but everyone we spoke with say the hard work was well worth it. They’re just glad this didn't end in tragedy.
“It was a little unbelievable to see something like that. You just don't see a plane fly by one minute and the next minute it's down in the water,” said Jim Harding, who saw the plane go down.
Harding thought he was heading out for a regular Sunday fishing trip at the Burnt Store Marina --but it's not the manatees or the tarpon he'll remember...
“It was a really colorful plane. It looked like a big lure in the water. Haha...because we had our fishing boats, that's what I thought of,” Harding said.
“I looked over, and the boat was just sitting there, half submerged,” said Captain Nick Sanguedolce, who towed the boat to shore.
Sanguedolce with Towboat US was the one who helped get the boat back to solid ground.
Earlier Monday, he took us two miles out from the marina to show us where the plane landed.
“We got right next to it. We anchored out boat. We dropped our pumps in. Got the flotation ready,” said Sanguedolce.
Sanguedolce said it took about four hours because they actually had to drain some of the water off the plane first and then tow it two miles to the marina. But there was one thing that made the whole thing just a little bit easier
“Any time we can do anything like that and stand on the ground it's always a lot easier than trying to tow the thing upside down or drag it through the water,” Sanguedolce.
First responders told us the pilot was able to walk away from the crash without getting hurt.
Captain Nick has seen two other plane rescues in his almost three decades on the water -- and says they don't always have a happy ending.
“It's very lucky, you know? An airplane falling from the sky and you can tell the story? That's pretty incredible,” he said.
We tracked down the registered owner of the boat. She lives in Illinois and told me she sold the boat to a man by the name of Jack Keyworth from Port Charlotte. We’re working to get in touch with Keyworth to hear how he was able to survive such an ordeal.
In the meantime, the FAA tells us they still don't know why the plane went down in the first place and their investigation will continue until they can figure out some answers.
Story, video and photo: http://www.nbc-2.com
AUCTION: Kestrel Aircraft Co - Dakil Auctioneers, Inc. - Tuesday, April 29th, 2014 – 9:00am
Sale Date: 4/29/2014 9:00 AM
Bidding Location: 200 NW 114, Oklahoma City OK 73114
Full auction details: http://www.internetauctionlist.com
http://www.dakil.com
Bidding Location: 200 NW 114, Oklahoma City OK 73114
Full auction details: http://www.internetauctionlist.com
http://www.dakil.com
Glasair III, N911EX: Fatal accident occurred April 26, 2014 in Young, Arizona
http://registry.faa.gov/N911EX
NTSB Identification: WPR14FA172
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, April 26, 2014 in Young, AZ
Probable Cause Approval Date: 05/16/2016
Aircraft: NBB INC GLASAIR III, registration: N911EX
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 noninstrument-rated private pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight; no records were found indicating that the pilot obtained an official weather briefing before departing on the flight. During the flight, the pilot contacted an air route traffic control center (ARTCC) and stated that he was trapped underneath a cloud layer in mountainous terrain and that the visibility was deteriorating. He then declared an emergency. In response to the ARTCC controller, the pilot provided the airplane’s GPS position coordinates. Subsequently, the controller was unable to make further direct contact with the pilot due to the mountainous terrain and initiated a relayed conversation using pilots of nearby high-flying aircraft in an attempt to direct the pilot to the nearest airport reporting visual meteorological conditions (VMC).
During the ensuing conversation, the ARTCC controller identified one airport with VMC, but the pilot stated he could not get there without help, presumably due to intervening instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). The closest airport to the accident airplane reported wind 240 degrees at 18 knots gusting to 24 knots, visibility 3/4 mile in snow, and ceilings at 100 ft. An airplane attempting an instrument approach to that airport executed a missed approach and left the area, and this was communicated to the accident pilot. While the controller was checking for other reachable airports, all contact with the pilot was lost.
The airplane was found in mountainous terrain directly below the pilot’s first position report, and examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane impacted terrain in a steep descent. The engine and propeller examinations revealed signs consistent with the engine producing power at the time of impact. Because the wreckage was found near the pilot’s first position report, it is likely that the pilot loitered in a small geographic area underneath the clouds before entering IMC. He subsequently lost visual reference and was unable to maintain airplane control.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The noninstrument-rated pilot’s decision to enter instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in the loss of airplane control.
On April 26, 2014, about 1015 mountain standard time, an experimental amateur built NBB INC, Glasair III airplane, N911EX was destroyed by impact with terrain and a postcrash fire, about 20 miles southeast of Young, Arizona. The airplane was registered to and being operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal cross-country flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Instrument meteorological conditions were reported in the area of the accident, and the non-instrument rated, solo, private pilot received fatal injuries. No flight plan was filed for the flight which departed Lea County Airport (KHOB), Hobbs, New Mexico about 0930. The airplane was bound for Falcon Field (KFFZ), Mesa, Arizona.
On April 26, about 1300 Pacific daylight time, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) was notified by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) technician from the Western Pacific Regional Operations Center that the Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) at Albuquerque, New Mexico had been in contact with the accident airplane. The technician reported that the accident airplane pilot had declared an emergency, stating that he was trapped underneath a cloud layer in mountainous terrain, and that the visibility was deteriorating. The ARTCC controller attempted to direct the accident airplane to San Carlos Apache Airport (P13), Globe, Arizona. Contact with the airplane was lost, and an Alert Notice (ALNOT) was issued.
About 1800 the IIC was notified that the airplane's wreckage had been located in remote mountainous terrain, about 20 miles southeast of Young.
The airplane had been at Falcon Field (KFFZ), Mesa, AZ, for an extensive conditional inspection and upgrades. While awaiting parts for the upgrades, the pilot flew the airplane to Hobbs to visit friends, and on the day of the accident was returning to Mesa to complete the upgrades.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
The 68 year old pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land. He was issued a third-class airman medical certificate on May 23, 2013, with the limitation that he must wear corrective lenses.
No personal flight records were discovered for the pilot, and the aeronautical experience listed was obtained from a review of the airman's FAA records on file in the Airman and Medical Records Center in Oklahoma City. On the pilot's last application for medical certificate, dated May 23, 2013, he indicated that his total aeronautical experience consisted of about 970 hours, of which he listed 21 hours were accrued in the previous 6 months.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
The airplane was an experimental amateur-built, Glasair III, with retractable landing gear, a Lycoming IO-540 series engine and controllable pitch propeller, completed in 1999. The pilot was not the builder of the airplane.
No Airframe or engine logbooks were discovered for examination, and were believed to be onboard the airplane during the post-crash fire. An extensive conditional inspection had been completed 3 days prior to the accident on April 22, 2014. At the time of the inspection the airplane had accrued 255 total flight hours since its completion.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
There was no record of the pilot obtaining an "official" weather briefing through a flight service station or similar service, prior to departing on the accident flight.
The weather synopsis valid for the area of the accident during the time period, reported broken cloud layers from 7,000-9,000 feet, and 13,000 feet with tops at 18,000 feet, wind southwesterly gusting to 35 knots, and visibility occasionally 3-5 statute miles in light rain or snow showers.
The following weather information is a synopsis of weather observations from automated systems at various airports.
Near the time of the accident, the Show Low (KSOW) weather was reported as wind 240 at 18 gusting to 24, visibility 3/4 mile in snow, and ceiling of 100 feet. A Beech 1900 attempting an instrument approach into Show Low executed a missed approach, and left the area.
The airport at Globe (San Carlos Apache Airport P13) was reporting, wind 240 at 21 gusting to 32, visibility greater than 10 miles, and few clouds at 5,000 feet.
Weather in the Phoenix area showed varying broken cloud layers and VFR visibilities.
COMMUNICATIONS
The pilot initially contacted the Albuquerque ARTCC, and reported that he was trapped underneath an overcast in mountainous terrain, and that the visibility was deteriorating. The air route traffic controller responded to the pilot, and received a global positioning system (GPS) position coordinate from the pilot. After the initial contact, the controller was unable to make further direct contact with the pilot, and initiated a relayed conversation with the pilot using high flying aircraft (airlines) flying high over the position reported by the pilot.
The NTSB IIC auditioned a recording and a transcript of the recorded conversation between the ARTCC controller and the pilot of N911EX, was provided by the FAA.
At 0951:17, N911EX made the first radio contact with the Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) at Albuquerque, New Mexico. Following just a few exchanges, the Center controller lost direct communications with N911EX, and a relay of information began using high flying IFR aircraft transiting the area. As relaying aircraft left the area, and new aircraft entered, the relay was handed off to the new aircraft. During the next 25+ minutes, and for 30 minutes after all contact was lost with N911EX, no less than 2 ground controllers and 17 aircraft were used in the relay process. The last radio contact with N911EX occurred at 1013:58. The following is a brief synopsis of the communications with N911EX:
0951 First contact with Albuquerque Center (ABQ). N911EX, Pilot was heard by the ABQ controller, then direct contact was lost
0952 ABQ established contact with N911EX via relay from overhead aircraft
0953 N911EX reported that he was below clouds at 6,900 feet has declared an emergency, 3 hours of fuel remaining, his position was N33.57.79, W110.39.68, in MVFR with deteriorating visibility, 40 SE of Show Low (KSOW), Relayed by (Delta Flight)
0953 N911EX wants to go to Show Low Airport (KSOW) but would have to climb into the clouds to get there, he is a VFR pilot, he cannot be heard by ABQ, relayed by (Delta Flight)
0954 Delta can no longer hear N911EX
0955 ABQ asks (American Flight) to attempt contact with N911EX
0956 N911EX now at 5,500, MVFR, pilot can be heard on recording, but not by ABQ, messages relayed by (United Flight)
0957 ABQ asks for 911EX position relative to KSOW, relayed by (United Flight)
0957 N911EX nearest VOR is IWA
0958 N911EX pilot advised 62 miles from IWA, relayed by (United Flight)
1001 ABQ asked (United Flight) to relay Globe AZ (P13) weather at Globe to N911EX, Globe was the nearest airport reporting VFR
1002 (United Flight) attempted to relay weather, unable to contact N911EX
1003 (Delta Flight) second failed attempt to contact N911EX with Globe weather
1004 (Delta Flight) contact reestablished
1005 (Delta Flight) weather relayed, N911EX advised he could not get to Globe VFR
1006 N911EX is heard saying he is a VFR pilot and will need help getting to Globe
1007 ABQ can hear pilot, and asks DME from IWA. N911EX says 60 miles, he is closer to KSOW and wants to go there.
1008 ABQ advises that KSOW is reporting IMC, Beech 1900 missed approach at KSOW and headed back to Phoenix
1008 N911EX asks if he can go to Phoenix (KIAW), ABQ will check weather at KIAW, N911EX advises that he needs to land, ABQ advises that Globe is the closest airport reporting VFR
1009 N911EX will head for Globe, but will need help getting there.
1010 ABQ asks N911EX what color his airplane is, N911EX replied white
1010 ABQ advises an aircraft in the vicinity if VFR to look for N911EX
1013: N911EX attempting to contact ABQ, but ABQ can no longer hear him, relayed by (unknown)
1013: Aircraft in the vicinity advises ABQ that they are IMC/ no joy on N911EX
1014: ABQ unable to contact N911EX, asks (red stripe 121) to relay, negative contact
1016: ABQ still unable to contact N911EX, (red stripe 121) unable to contact N911EX
1017: ABQ asks (Delta Flight) to attempt contact with N911EX, negative contact
1019: (Delta Flight) advises still unable to contact N911EX
1020: ABQ and (Delta Flight) unable to contact N911EX
1021: ABQ requests (394 HA) to attempt contact with N911EX, negative contact
1022: (394 HA) reports still no contact
1023: ABQ asks (Air Canada) to attempt contact with N911EX, negative contact
Attempts to contact N911EX continued for about 30 minutes using various aircraft, center and UNICOM frequencies. No further communication was heard from N911EX.
Although given a discreet code to squawk on his transponder, N911EX never appears on the ARTCC scope.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
On April 27, the NTSB IIC, accompanied by a second NTSB investigator and an FAA aviation safety inspector, examined the airplane wreckage at the accident site. The site was located in remote, rugged, mountainous terrain, about 5,000 feet in elevation. The debris field was on a steep west facing slope, and about 70 feet in diameter. The west-facing impact slope lead down into a narrow valley/canyon. At the bottom of the valley/canyon was a dried creek bed and dirt road which ran north-south. Beyond the canyon to the west was steep ascending mountainous terrain. To the east of the wreckage site was steep ascending mountainous terrain.
The airplane impacted a rock outcrop in a steep nose-low attitude, the wings were parallel to the terrain, and the airplane was facing downhill during impact. Following the impact the airplane toppled over, inverted, with the tail pointing downhill. All of the airplane's major structural components and control surfaces were identified. The wreckage was extensively burned, and control continuity was not established.
The engine had impacted on a rock surface and both the rock and the engine crankcase were fractured. The crankshaft and camshaft were fractured and liberated from the fractured engine case, along with the engine's cylinders.
Exhaust manifold pieces were located and showed signs of hot-metal folding.
Both blades of the, two-blade, constant-speed propeller were located and examined. Both blades exhibited major torsional twisting and leading edge gouging. One blade had 4-6 inches of the blade tip snapped off. Both blades were liberated from the propeller hub and the pitch was not determined.
Engine and flight controls had melted in the postcrash fire and their positions were not determined.
The navigation and communications panels/equipment was melted and the settings were not determined.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
A postmortem examination of the pilot was performed under the authority of the Gila County, Office of the Medical Examiner, Payson, Arizona, on April 28 2014. The examination determined that the cause of death was attributed to multiple blunt force trauma, and the manner of death was an accident.
Toxicology was performed at the Mike Monroney Aeromedical Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on June 12, 2014. Rosuvastatin was found in both the Muscle and Liver. A review of the medical/toxicological information by NTSB medical personnel determined that it is unlikely that medical issues contributed to this accident.
NTSB Identification: WPR14FA172
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, April 26, 2014 in Young, AZ
Aircraft: NBB INC GLASAIR III, registration: N911EX
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 26, 2014, about 1030 mountain standard time, a NBB INC, Glasair III airplane, N911EX was destroyed by impact with terrain and a postcrash fire, about 20 miles southeast of Young, Arizona. The airplane was owned and being operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal cross-country flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Instrument meteorological conditions were reported in the area of the accident, and the non-instrument rated, solo, private pilot received fatal injuries. No flight plan was filed for the flight which departed Lea County Airport (KHOB), Hobbs, New Mexico about 0930. The airplane was bound for Falcon Field (KFFZ), Mesa, Arizona.
On April 26, about 1300 Pacific daylight time, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) was notified by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) technician from the Western Pacific Regional Operations Center that the Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) at Albuquerque, New Mexico had been in contact with the accident airplane. The technician reported that the accident airplane pilot had declared an emergency, stating that he was trapped underneath a cloud layer in mountainous terrain, and that the visibility was deteriorating. The ARTCC operator attempted to direct the accident airplane to San Carlos Apache Airport (P13), Globe, Arizona. Contact with the airplane was lost, and an Alert Notice (ALNOT) was issued.
About 1800 the IIC was notified that the airplane's wreckage had been located in remote mountainous terrain, about 20 miles southeast of Young.
On April 27, the NTSB IIC accompanied by an FAA aviation safety inspector examined the airplane wreckage at the accident site. The site was located in remote, rugged, mountainous terrain, about 5,000 feet in elevation. The debris field was on a steep west facing slope, and about 70 feet in diameter. All of the airplane's major structural components and control surfaces were identified. The wreckage was extensively burned, and control continuity could not be established.
The investigation is continuing.
Steven Carter Haskins, a UC Davis professor emeritus who helped found two veterinary medical specialities, died last week in a plane crash in eastern Arizona. He was 69.
Gila County Sheriff’s Office investigators said Thursday they are awaiting the results of a DNA test before officially identifying the body found inside Haskins’ two-seat Stoddard-Hamilton Glasair III experimental plane on the Fort Apache Reservation.
It took deputies about two hours to find the wreckage in a remote area of scrub brush at 5,000 to 6,000 feet of elevation after receiving a call Saturday afternoon from the U.S. Air Force Rescue Coordination Center at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida.
Detective Johnny Holmes said Haskins may have been headed from points east to Phoenix when an air traffic controller rerouted him toward Globe, Arizona, 87 miles to the east.
Why was unclear, but a Federal Aviation Administration investigation is underway.
“He may have become disoriented in a storm,” Holmes said.
The father of veterinary anesthesiology and a pioneer in emergency and critical care, Haskins authored more than 70 research papers and many book chapters and teaching publications.
He helped form the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society and the American College of Veterinary Emergency Critical Care, serving as president of both. He established one of the first intensive care residency programs.
“He really was one of the most sort of famous members of our profession. People all over the world were influenced by him,” said Kate Hopper, chief of the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital’s small-animal emergency medicine and critical care service.
After graduating from Washington State University in 1969 and completing a residency in New York, Haskins earned a master’s degree and completed an anesthesia residency in human medicine at the University of Minnesota in 1973.
He did so because he saw a need to formalize what veterinarians had been doing for their animal patients, Hopper said.
“Before that, (anesthesia) was just something veterinarians did, they used drugs and things, but nobody had specified which drugs and the safest way to do it,” Hopper said. “Back then, a lot of animals died under anesthesia. Now, it’s an unusual event because of that specialty.”
Haskins came to UCD in 1975. He went on to play a key role in emergency care as a speciality, formalizing everything from the taking of blood pressure to patient evaluation in critical care situations.
“Before that, animals were routinely put to sleep because their injuries were so severe it was believed care was unlikely to be successful,” Hopper said. “Steve was the first person who did all those things and then taught the world.”
Haskins received distinguished teaching awards at both UCD and the University of Minnesota. Teaching probably was his greatest skill, said Hopper, who first met Haskins in 1999. She did both her residency and Ph.D. under his guidance.
She called him “incredibly charismatic,” funny and warm — the kind of teacher who made sure everyone felt involved.
Anyone can learn this, Haskins would say, be brave.
“People who knew him for only a couple of weeks say he was the most influential person on their career,” Hopper said. “He was probably the most brilliant person I’ve ever met and the least arrogant about it.
“He was devastated if we lost a patient. He was truly committed to every animal. That was pretty inspirational to all of us.”
Haskins, who lived on a ranch between Davis and Winters, retired in 2006, but he continued to teach at UCD and around the world. He worked with UCD students as recently as December.
In 2007, Washington State University gave Haskins an alumni award for teaching and research. And last September, he was recognized for teaching at all 19 International Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Symposiums.
A pilot earlier in his life, Haskins set out to get a new license and buy a plane after retirement, Hopper said.
On his website, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, veterinarian Ira Zaslow wrote that he saw his friend Haskins only two weeks before his death. They made plans for Haskins, who had grown bored with retirement, to join the Florida practice and make regular visits.
Over dinner, they laughed about how, in the early 1970s, they would hold meetings of what was then the Veterinary Critical Care Society and have only six people turn up to see five speakers.
“Today, the organization boasts a membership of over 3,500, much to Steve’s credit,” Zaslow wrote.
Many times, he wrote, he told Haskins that his plane was unsafe and that he ought to get rid of it.
Haskins “would chuckle and remind me that he used to say the same to me during my years of sailing, when I sailed in angry seas,” wrote Zaslow, who called his friend ”undefeatable.”
Haskins is survived by his wife, Nanci Bristowe; sisters, Cathy Haskins O’Donnell and Dayle Haskins Imperado; nephew, Kacie Haskins; great-niece, Ashton Haskins; and great-nephew, Grayson Haskins.
A memorial service has been scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 18, at Gladys Valley Hall on the UCD campus.
Story and photo: http://www.davisenterprise.com
Gila County — On April 26, 2014 at 2:35 p.m., the Sheriff's Office received a call regarding a downed aircraft on the Ft. Apache Reservation north of the Salt River Canyon.
Sheriff’s Deputies, with the assistance of a Department of Public Safety helicopter, responded.
Once the aircraft was located, the pilot was found deceased.
The pilot was identified as Steven Carter Haskins, age 69, from California.
This is an on-going investigation and more information may be released as it becomes available.
Sheriff J. Adam Shepherd would like to thank the Department of Public Safety for their assistance with this response.
Source: http://www.silverbelt.com
According to Sheriff J. Adam Shepherd of Gila County, one man has died following a plane crash on the Ft. Apache Reservation north of the Salt River Canyon.
The Sheriff's Office received a call about a possible downed aircraft late Saturday afternoon.
Once the aircraft was located, the pilot was found deceased.
The pilot has been identified as 69-year-old Steven Carter Haskins of California.
The cause of the crash is unknown and is currently under investigation.
NTSB Identification: WPR14FA172
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, April 26, 2014 in Young, AZ
Probable Cause Approval Date: 05/16/2016
Aircraft: NBB INC GLASAIR III, registration: N911EX
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 noninstrument-rated private pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight; no records were found indicating that the pilot obtained an official weather briefing before departing on the flight. During the flight, the pilot contacted an air route traffic control center (ARTCC) and stated that he was trapped underneath a cloud layer in mountainous terrain and that the visibility was deteriorating. He then declared an emergency. In response to the ARTCC controller, the pilot provided the airplane’s GPS position coordinates. Subsequently, the controller was unable to make further direct contact with the pilot due to the mountainous terrain and initiated a relayed conversation using pilots of nearby high-flying aircraft in an attempt to direct the pilot to the nearest airport reporting visual meteorological conditions (VMC).
During the ensuing conversation, the ARTCC controller identified one airport with VMC, but the pilot stated he could not get there without help, presumably due to intervening instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). The closest airport to the accident airplane reported wind 240 degrees at 18 knots gusting to 24 knots, visibility 3/4 mile in snow, and ceilings at 100 ft. An airplane attempting an instrument approach to that airport executed a missed approach and left the area, and this was communicated to the accident pilot. While the controller was checking for other reachable airports, all contact with the pilot was lost.
The airplane was found in mountainous terrain directly below the pilot’s first position report, and examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane impacted terrain in a steep descent. The engine and propeller examinations revealed signs consistent with the engine producing power at the time of impact. Because the wreckage was found near the pilot’s first position report, it is likely that the pilot loitered in a small geographic area underneath the clouds before entering IMC. He subsequently lost visual reference and was unable to maintain airplane control.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The noninstrument-rated pilot’s decision to enter instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in the loss of airplane control.
On April 26, 2014, about 1015 mountain standard time, an experimental amateur built NBB INC, Glasair III airplane, N911EX was destroyed by impact with terrain and a postcrash fire, about 20 miles southeast of Young, Arizona. The airplane was registered to and being operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal cross-country flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Instrument meteorological conditions were reported in the area of the accident, and the non-instrument rated, solo, private pilot received fatal injuries. No flight plan was filed for the flight which departed Lea County Airport (KHOB), Hobbs, New Mexico about 0930. The airplane was bound for Falcon Field (KFFZ), Mesa, Arizona.
On April 26, about 1300 Pacific daylight time, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) was notified by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) technician from the Western Pacific Regional Operations Center that the Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) at Albuquerque, New Mexico had been in contact with the accident airplane. The technician reported that the accident airplane pilot had declared an emergency, stating that he was trapped underneath a cloud layer in mountainous terrain, and that the visibility was deteriorating. The ARTCC controller attempted to direct the accident airplane to San Carlos Apache Airport (P13), Globe, Arizona. Contact with the airplane was lost, and an Alert Notice (ALNOT) was issued.
About 1800 the IIC was notified that the airplane's wreckage had been located in remote mountainous terrain, about 20 miles southeast of Young.
The airplane had been at Falcon Field (KFFZ), Mesa, AZ, for an extensive conditional inspection and upgrades. While awaiting parts for the upgrades, the pilot flew the airplane to Hobbs to visit friends, and on the day of the accident was returning to Mesa to complete the upgrades.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
The 68 year old pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land. He was issued a third-class airman medical certificate on May 23, 2013, with the limitation that he must wear corrective lenses.
No personal flight records were discovered for the pilot, and the aeronautical experience listed was obtained from a review of the airman's FAA records on file in the Airman and Medical Records Center in Oklahoma City. On the pilot's last application for medical certificate, dated May 23, 2013, he indicated that his total aeronautical experience consisted of about 970 hours, of which he listed 21 hours were accrued in the previous 6 months.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
The airplane was an experimental amateur-built, Glasair III, with retractable landing gear, a Lycoming IO-540 series engine and controllable pitch propeller, completed in 1999. The pilot was not the builder of the airplane.
No Airframe or engine logbooks were discovered for examination, and were believed to be onboard the airplane during the post-crash fire. An extensive conditional inspection had been completed 3 days prior to the accident on April 22, 2014. At the time of the inspection the airplane had accrued 255 total flight hours since its completion.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
There was no record of the pilot obtaining an "official" weather briefing through a flight service station or similar service, prior to departing on the accident flight.
The weather synopsis valid for the area of the accident during the time period, reported broken cloud layers from 7,000-9,000 feet, and 13,000 feet with tops at 18,000 feet, wind southwesterly gusting to 35 knots, and visibility occasionally 3-5 statute miles in light rain or snow showers.
The following weather information is a synopsis of weather observations from automated systems at various airports.
Near the time of the accident, the Show Low (KSOW) weather was reported as wind 240 at 18 gusting to 24, visibility 3/4 mile in snow, and ceiling of 100 feet. A Beech 1900 attempting an instrument approach into Show Low executed a missed approach, and left the area.
The airport at Globe (San Carlos Apache Airport P13) was reporting, wind 240 at 21 gusting to 32, visibility greater than 10 miles, and few clouds at 5,000 feet.
Weather in the Phoenix area showed varying broken cloud layers and VFR visibilities.
COMMUNICATIONS
The pilot initially contacted the Albuquerque ARTCC, and reported that he was trapped underneath an overcast in mountainous terrain, and that the visibility was deteriorating. The air route traffic controller responded to the pilot, and received a global positioning system (GPS) position coordinate from the pilot. After the initial contact, the controller was unable to make further direct contact with the pilot, and initiated a relayed conversation with the pilot using high flying aircraft (airlines) flying high over the position reported by the pilot.
The NTSB IIC auditioned a recording and a transcript of the recorded conversation between the ARTCC controller and the pilot of N911EX, was provided by the FAA.
At 0951:17, N911EX made the first radio contact with the Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) at Albuquerque, New Mexico. Following just a few exchanges, the Center controller lost direct communications with N911EX, and a relay of information began using high flying IFR aircraft transiting the area. As relaying aircraft left the area, and new aircraft entered, the relay was handed off to the new aircraft. During the next 25+ minutes, and for 30 minutes after all contact was lost with N911EX, no less than 2 ground controllers and 17 aircraft were used in the relay process. The last radio contact with N911EX occurred at 1013:58. The following is a brief synopsis of the communications with N911EX:
0951 First contact with Albuquerque Center (ABQ). N911EX, Pilot was heard by the ABQ controller, then direct contact was lost
0952 ABQ established contact with N911EX via relay from overhead aircraft
0953 N911EX reported that he was below clouds at 6,900 feet has declared an emergency, 3 hours of fuel remaining, his position was N33.57.79, W110.39.68, in MVFR with deteriorating visibility, 40 SE of Show Low (KSOW), Relayed by (Delta Flight)
0953 N911EX wants to go to Show Low Airport (KSOW) but would have to climb into the clouds to get there, he is a VFR pilot, he cannot be heard by ABQ, relayed by (Delta Flight)
0954 Delta can no longer hear N911EX
0955 ABQ asks (American Flight) to attempt contact with N911EX
0956 N911EX now at 5,500, MVFR, pilot can be heard on recording, but not by ABQ, messages relayed by (United Flight)
0957 ABQ asks for 911EX position relative to KSOW, relayed by (United Flight)
0957 N911EX nearest VOR is IWA
0958 N911EX pilot advised 62 miles from IWA, relayed by (United Flight)
1001 ABQ asked (United Flight) to relay Globe AZ (P13) weather at Globe to N911EX, Globe was the nearest airport reporting VFR
1002 (United Flight) attempted to relay weather, unable to contact N911EX
1003 (Delta Flight) second failed attempt to contact N911EX with Globe weather
1004 (Delta Flight) contact reestablished
1005 (Delta Flight) weather relayed, N911EX advised he could not get to Globe VFR
1006 N911EX is heard saying he is a VFR pilot and will need help getting to Globe
1007 ABQ can hear pilot, and asks DME from IWA. N911EX says 60 miles, he is closer to KSOW and wants to go there.
1008 ABQ advises that KSOW is reporting IMC, Beech 1900 missed approach at KSOW and headed back to Phoenix
1008 N911EX asks if he can go to Phoenix (KIAW), ABQ will check weather at KIAW, N911EX advises that he needs to land, ABQ advises that Globe is the closest airport reporting VFR
1009 N911EX will head for Globe, but will need help getting there.
1010 ABQ asks N911EX what color his airplane is, N911EX replied white
1010 ABQ advises an aircraft in the vicinity if VFR to look for N911EX
1013: N911EX attempting to contact ABQ, but ABQ can no longer hear him, relayed by (unknown)
1013: Aircraft in the vicinity advises ABQ that they are IMC/ no joy on N911EX
1014: ABQ unable to contact N911EX, asks (red stripe 121) to relay, negative contact
1016: ABQ still unable to contact N911EX, (red stripe 121) unable to contact N911EX
1017: ABQ asks (Delta Flight) to attempt contact with N911EX, negative contact
1019: (Delta Flight) advises still unable to contact N911EX
1020: ABQ and (Delta Flight) unable to contact N911EX
1021: ABQ requests (394 HA) to attempt contact with N911EX, negative contact
1022: (394 HA) reports still no contact
1023: ABQ asks (Air Canada) to attempt contact with N911EX, negative contact
Attempts to contact N911EX continued for about 30 minutes using various aircraft, center and UNICOM frequencies. No further communication was heard from N911EX.
Although given a discreet code to squawk on his transponder, N911EX never appears on the ARTCC scope.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
On April 27, the NTSB IIC, accompanied by a second NTSB investigator and an FAA aviation safety inspector, examined the airplane wreckage at the accident site. The site was located in remote, rugged, mountainous terrain, about 5,000 feet in elevation. The debris field was on a steep west facing slope, and about 70 feet in diameter. The west-facing impact slope lead down into a narrow valley/canyon. At the bottom of the valley/canyon was a dried creek bed and dirt road which ran north-south. Beyond the canyon to the west was steep ascending mountainous terrain. To the east of the wreckage site was steep ascending mountainous terrain.
The airplane impacted a rock outcrop in a steep nose-low attitude, the wings were parallel to the terrain, and the airplane was facing downhill during impact. Following the impact the airplane toppled over, inverted, with the tail pointing downhill. All of the airplane's major structural components and control surfaces were identified. The wreckage was extensively burned, and control continuity was not established.
The engine had impacted on a rock surface and both the rock and the engine crankcase were fractured. The crankshaft and camshaft were fractured and liberated from the fractured engine case, along with the engine's cylinders.
Exhaust manifold pieces were located and showed signs of hot-metal folding.
Both blades of the, two-blade, constant-speed propeller were located and examined. Both blades exhibited major torsional twisting and leading edge gouging. One blade had 4-6 inches of the blade tip snapped off. Both blades were liberated from the propeller hub and the pitch was not determined.
Engine and flight controls had melted in the postcrash fire and their positions were not determined.
The navigation and communications panels/equipment was melted and the settings were not determined.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
A postmortem examination of the pilot was performed under the authority of the Gila County, Office of the Medical Examiner, Payson, Arizona, on April 28 2014. The examination determined that the cause of death was attributed to multiple blunt force trauma, and the manner of death was an accident.
Toxicology was performed at the Mike Monroney Aeromedical Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on June 12, 2014. Rosuvastatin was found in both the Muscle and Liver. A review of the medical/toxicological information by NTSB medical personnel determined that it is unlikely that medical issues contributed to this accident.
NTSB Identification: WPR14FA172
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, April 26, 2014 in Young, AZ
Aircraft: NBB INC GLASAIR III, registration: N911EX
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 26, 2014, about 1030 mountain standard time, a NBB INC, Glasair III airplane, N911EX was destroyed by impact with terrain and a postcrash fire, about 20 miles southeast of Young, Arizona. The airplane was owned and being operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal cross-country flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Instrument meteorological conditions were reported in the area of the accident, and the non-instrument rated, solo, private pilot received fatal injuries. No flight plan was filed for the flight which departed Lea County Airport (KHOB), Hobbs, New Mexico about 0930. The airplane was bound for Falcon Field (KFFZ), Mesa, Arizona.
On April 26, about 1300 Pacific daylight time, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) was notified by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) technician from the Western Pacific Regional Operations Center that the Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) at Albuquerque, New Mexico had been in contact with the accident airplane. The technician reported that the accident airplane pilot had declared an emergency, stating that he was trapped underneath a cloud layer in mountainous terrain, and that the visibility was deteriorating. The ARTCC operator attempted to direct the accident airplane to San Carlos Apache Airport (P13), Globe, Arizona. Contact with the airplane was lost, and an Alert Notice (ALNOT) was issued.
About 1800 the IIC was notified that the airplane's wreckage had been located in remote mountainous terrain, about 20 miles southeast of Young.
On April 27, the NTSB IIC accompanied by an FAA aviation safety inspector examined the airplane wreckage at the accident site. The site was located in remote, rugged, mountainous terrain, about 5,000 feet in elevation. The debris field was on a steep west facing slope, and about 70 feet in diameter. All of the airplane's major structural components and control surfaces were identified. The wreckage was extensively burned, and control continuity could not be established.
The investigation is continuing.
Steven Carter Haskins.
Steven Carter Haskins, a UC Davis professor emeritus who helped found two veterinary medical specialities, died last week in a plane crash in eastern Arizona. He was 69.
Gila County Sheriff’s Office investigators said Thursday they are awaiting the results of a DNA test before officially identifying the body found inside Haskins’ two-seat Stoddard-Hamilton Glasair III experimental plane on the Fort Apache Reservation.
It took deputies about two hours to find the wreckage in a remote area of scrub brush at 5,000 to 6,000 feet of elevation after receiving a call Saturday afternoon from the U.S. Air Force Rescue Coordination Center at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida.
Detective Johnny Holmes said Haskins may have been headed from points east to Phoenix when an air traffic controller rerouted him toward Globe, Arizona, 87 miles to the east.
Why was unclear, but a Federal Aviation Administration investigation is underway.
“He may have become disoriented in a storm,” Holmes said.
The father of veterinary anesthesiology and a pioneer in emergency and critical care, Haskins authored more than 70 research papers and many book chapters and teaching publications.
He helped form the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society and the American College of Veterinary Emergency Critical Care, serving as president of both. He established one of the first intensive care residency programs.
“He really was one of the most sort of famous members of our profession. People all over the world were influenced by him,” said Kate Hopper, chief of the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital’s small-animal emergency medicine and critical care service.
After graduating from Washington State University in 1969 and completing a residency in New York, Haskins earned a master’s degree and completed an anesthesia residency in human medicine at the University of Minnesota in 1973.
He did so because he saw a need to formalize what veterinarians had been doing for their animal patients, Hopper said.
“Before that, (anesthesia) was just something veterinarians did, they used drugs and things, but nobody had specified which drugs and the safest way to do it,” Hopper said. “Back then, a lot of animals died under anesthesia. Now, it’s an unusual event because of that specialty.”
Haskins came to UCD in 1975. He went on to play a key role in emergency care as a speciality, formalizing everything from the taking of blood pressure to patient evaluation in critical care situations.
“Before that, animals were routinely put to sleep because their injuries were so severe it was believed care was unlikely to be successful,” Hopper said. “Steve was the first person who did all those things and then taught the world.”
Haskins received distinguished teaching awards at both UCD and the University of Minnesota. Teaching probably was his greatest skill, said Hopper, who first met Haskins in 1999. She did both her residency and Ph.D. under his guidance.
She called him “incredibly charismatic,” funny and warm — the kind of teacher who made sure everyone felt involved.
Anyone can learn this, Haskins would say, be brave.
“People who knew him for only a couple of weeks say he was the most influential person on their career,” Hopper said. “He was probably the most brilliant person I’ve ever met and the least arrogant about it.
“He was devastated if we lost a patient. He was truly committed to every animal. That was pretty inspirational to all of us.”
Haskins, who lived on a ranch between Davis and Winters, retired in 2006, but he continued to teach at UCD and around the world. He worked with UCD students as recently as December.
In 2007, Washington State University gave Haskins an alumni award for teaching and research. And last September, he was recognized for teaching at all 19 International Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Symposiums.
A pilot earlier in his life, Haskins set out to get a new license and buy a plane after retirement, Hopper said.
On his website, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, veterinarian Ira Zaslow wrote that he saw his friend Haskins only two weeks before his death. They made plans for Haskins, who had grown bored with retirement, to join the Florida practice and make regular visits.
Over dinner, they laughed about how, in the early 1970s, they would hold meetings of what was then the Veterinary Critical Care Society and have only six people turn up to see five speakers.
“Today, the organization boasts a membership of over 3,500, much to Steve’s credit,” Zaslow wrote.
Many times, he wrote, he told Haskins that his plane was unsafe and that he ought to get rid of it.
Haskins “would chuckle and remind me that he used to say the same to me during my years of sailing, when I sailed in angry seas,” wrote Zaslow, who called his friend ”undefeatable.”
Haskins is survived by his wife, Nanci Bristowe; sisters, Cathy Haskins O’Donnell and Dayle Haskins Imperado; nephew, Kacie Haskins; great-niece, Ashton Haskins; and great-nephew, Grayson Haskins.
A memorial service has been scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 18, at Gladys Valley Hall on the UCD campus.
Story and photo: http://www.davisenterprise.com
Gila County — On April 26, 2014 at 2:35 p.m., the Sheriff's Office received a call regarding a downed aircraft on the Ft. Apache Reservation north of the Salt River Canyon.
Sheriff’s Deputies, with the assistance of a Department of Public Safety helicopter, responded.
Once the aircraft was located, the pilot was found deceased.
The pilot was identified as Steven Carter Haskins, age 69, from California.
This is an on-going investigation and more information may be released as it becomes available.
Sheriff J. Adam Shepherd would like to thank the Department of Public Safety for their assistance with this response.
Source: http://www.silverbelt.com
According to Sheriff J. Adam Shepherd of Gila County, one man has died following a plane crash on the Ft. Apache Reservation north of the Salt River Canyon.
The Sheriff's Office received a call about a possible downed aircraft late Saturday afternoon.
Once the aircraft was located, the pilot was found deceased.
The pilot has been identified as 69-year-old Steven Carter Haskins of California.
The cause of the crash is unknown and is currently under investigation.
Etihad to hire 22 Jet Airways’ pilots for a year, offers over 30% pay hike
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad is hiring around 22 pilots from Jet Airways for its Boeing-777 wide-body aircraft fleet. These pilots, who were previously flying Airbus A330s for Jet, will be based in Abu Dhabi for a minimum contract of one year (excluding four months of training). These pilots will get tax-free income, bonuses and a hike of about 30-40% on the current base salary of about R6-7 lakh a month.
Sources told FE an internal job notice has been sent to the pilots in Jet Airways on April 10. In all, 11 positions have been offered to captains (minimum 6,000 hours) and a similar number for co-pilots (minimum 1,000 hours) as well. The recruitment process is expected to be completed in May.
“Jet has excess pilots for its A330 fleet, so Etihad has offered them these positions. Some of the captains who have applied have 15,000-20,000 hours to their credit. Most likely, these pilots will be absorbed back in Jet once their contract with Etihad is over,” said a source.
Jet Airways, however, did not respond to an emailed questionnaire.
The move comes three months after Etihad had offered similar jobs to Air India pilots, with a promise of a fat pay hike. Incidentally, Etihad, which is in the mid of a massive expansion spree, had recently purchased five Boeing 777 LR (Long range) aircraft from Air India and may also buy three more of the same aircraft from the state-run carrier.
“Etihad is rapidly expanding operations and since it takes a long time on new aircraft deliveries, they are growing through acquisitions. In last few months, Etihad had held roadshows for pilots for narrow body and wide body aircraft in Delhi and Mumbai,” said an official.
Jet, in which Etihad picked up a 24% stake for over R2,000 crore in April last year, currently has 101 aircraft — 12 aircraft from the Airbus 330 family, 59 Boeing 737s, 10 Boeing 777s and 18 ATRs.
Jet is believed to have 10 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and around 50 Boeing 737 Max aircraft on order. On other hand, Etihad currently has a fleet of 94 planes, with a further 225 on order.
Source: http://www.financialexpress.com
Sources told FE an internal job notice has been sent to the pilots in Jet Airways on April 10. In all, 11 positions have been offered to captains (minimum 6,000 hours) and a similar number for co-pilots (minimum 1,000 hours) as well. The recruitment process is expected to be completed in May.
“Jet has excess pilots for its A330 fleet, so Etihad has offered them these positions. Some of the captains who have applied have 15,000-20,000 hours to their credit. Most likely, these pilots will be absorbed back in Jet once their contract with Etihad is over,” said a source.
Jet Airways, however, did not respond to an emailed questionnaire.
The move comes three months after Etihad had offered similar jobs to Air India pilots, with a promise of a fat pay hike. Incidentally, Etihad, which is in the mid of a massive expansion spree, had recently purchased five Boeing 777 LR (Long range) aircraft from Air India and may also buy three more of the same aircraft from the state-run carrier.
“Etihad is rapidly expanding operations and since it takes a long time on new aircraft deliveries, they are growing through acquisitions. In last few months, Etihad had held roadshows for pilots for narrow body and wide body aircraft in Delhi and Mumbai,” said an official.
Jet, in which Etihad picked up a 24% stake for over R2,000 crore in April last year, currently has 101 aircraft — 12 aircraft from the Airbus 330 family, 59 Boeing 737s, 10 Boeing 777s and 18 ATRs.
Jet is believed to have 10 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and around 50 Boeing 737 Max aircraft on order. On other hand, Etihad currently has a fleet of 94 planes, with a further 225 on order.
Source: http://www.financialexpress.com
Gary/Chicago International Airport (KGYY), Indiana
Gary airport bills to land at redevelopment commission
GARY | The Gary/Chicago International Airport Authority by a 4-0 vote on Monday punted more than $800,000 in consultant fees over to the Gary Redevelopment Commission for possible payment.
The bills for consultants were run up during the airport's successful conclusion of a 40-year deal for airport development with Aviation Facilities Company Inc., but that company was unwilling to pay them.
"It would be a logical next step for the airport and the city to share in some of the costs, since both are benefiting from the public-private partnership contract we've entered into," airport attorney Lee Lane told the authority before its vote.
The adviser standing to win the largest fee of up to $500,000 is JClark Aviation, which is headed by former Indianapolis Airport CEO John Clark. A.C. Advisory Inc., of Chicago, is due to get $250,000 for its services and Hawthorne Strategy Group, of Chicago, could get $67,500.
At its Feb. 27 meeting, the airport authority deferred action on a resolution to make the payments. Two weeks later, Airport Authority Chairman James Cooper said the authority had found its hands tied when it came to paying the advisers, because the contracts for all three called for the winning bidder to pay their fees.
On Monday, Cooper confirmed that the law firm of Faegere Baker Daniels will be be paid by the airport for its services as an adviser on the public-private partnership. That bill was estimated at nearly $1 million just before the deal was concluded.
Officials at the Gary Redevelopment Commission could not immediately be reached for comment on Monday. One possible source of money to pay the bills mentioned at Monday's airport authority meeting was the Lakefront Allocation Area, which is a tax increment financing district managed by the redevelopment commission.
Source: http://www.nwitimes.com
GARY | The Gary/Chicago International Airport Authority by a 4-0 vote on Monday punted more than $800,000 in consultant fees over to the Gary Redevelopment Commission for possible payment.
The bills for consultants were run up during the airport's successful conclusion of a 40-year deal for airport development with Aviation Facilities Company Inc., but that company was unwilling to pay them.
"It would be a logical next step for the airport and the city to share in some of the costs, since both are benefiting from the public-private partnership contract we've entered into," airport attorney Lee Lane told the authority before its vote.
The adviser standing to win the largest fee of up to $500,000 is JClark Aviation, which is headed by former Indianapolis Airport CEO John Clark. A.C. Advisory Inc., of Chicago, is due to get $250,000 for its services and Hawthorne Strategy Group, of Chicago, could get $67,500.
At its Feb. 27 meeting, the airport authority deferred action on a resolution to make the payments. Two weeks later, Airport Authority Chairman James Cooper said the authority had found its hands tied when it came to paying the advisers, because the contracts for all three called for the winning bidder to pay their fees.
On Monday, Cooper confirmed that the law firm of Faegere Baker Daniels will be be paid by the airport for its services as an adviser on the public-private partnership. That bill was estimated at nearly $1 million just before the deal was concluded.
Officials at the Gary Redevelopment Commission could not immediately be reached for comment on Monday. One possible source of money to pay the bills mentioned at Monday's airport authority meeting was the Lakefront Allocation Area, which is a tax increment financing district managed by the redevelopment commission.
Source: http://www.nwitimes.com
Truckee-Tahoe Airport (KTRK), Truckee, California
Truckee Tahoe Airport offers new website
TRUCKEE, Calif. — In response to public feedback, Truckee Tahoe Airport District has launched a new website.
“With redesign, we were responding to the public, so they can find really rich and revenant content with ease,” said Hardy Bullock, director of aviation & community services at the Truckee Tahoe Airport.
Home page features include a weather report, noise report widget, webcam widget, recent news and upcoming events.
“The new website makes it easier for the community to understand what the airport does and who we are,” Kevin Smith, general manager of the airport, said in a statement. “Pilots can get weather and flight path information in one click.”
To learn more, visit truckeetahoeairport.com. For questions or comments, email Bullock at hardy.bullock@truckeetahoeairport.com.
Source: http://www.tahoedailytribune.com
TRUCKEE, Calif. — In response to public feedback, Truckee Tahoe Airport District has launched a new website.
“With redesign, we were responding to the public, so they can find really rich and revenant content with ease,” said Hardy Bullock, director of aviation & community services at the Truckee Tahoe Airport.
Home page features include a weather report, noise report widget, webcam widget, recent news and upcoming events.
“The new website makes it easier for the community to understand what the airport does and who we are,” Kevin Smith, general manager of the airport, said in a statement. “Pilots can get weather and flight path information in one click.”
To learn more, visit truckeetahoeairport.com. For questions or comments, email Bullock at hardy.bullock@truckeetahoeairport.com.
Source: http://www.tahoedailytribune.com
Saved After Tsunami, Sendai Airport Plans Privatization: WSJ
The Wall Street Journal
By Mitsuru Obe
Three years ago, the Sendai Airport was in ruins. Hit by a giant tsunami caused by the March 2011 earthquake, the runway was piled with overturned cars, uprooted trees and debris of broken homes. The control tower was out of order. The terminal building flooded.
The airport was rebuilt and reopened by U.S. forces aiding relief efforts under the name Operation Tomodachi. Given a new lease on life, the airport now hopes to boost traffic and bring more visitors to the Tohoku northeastern region.
Achieving that vision requires money, and on Friday, the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe approved the airport’s plan to auction off a 65-year concession to manage its facilities, making it the first privatized regional airport in the country. A new operator will be decided by next summer.
Miyagi Prefecture, which includes Sendai, hopes to improve services in the terminal and reduce costs, which in turn would allow the airport to cut landing fees and bring more business from low-cost carriers. The Sendai Airport currently has flights to Seoul, Guam, Taipei, Shanghai and Dalian as well as domestic routes.
In a similar plan, New Kansai International Airport Co., which runs the Kansai Airport serving the Osaka region, has already decided to outsource its management to the private sector in 2015.
Privatization of public infrastructure is a pillar of Mr. Abe’s economic program called Abenomics. A similar approach is expected to be used for the management of other regional airports, major expressways, toll roads, subway systems and municipal water systems.
The Olympic Village for athletes at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo will also be developed in a similar fashion.
Miyagi Gov. Yoshihiro Murai has pushed privatization at Sendai Airport. “The airport is the face of the prefecture, the first place of encounter for visitors,” he said in a speech last year. “A lively airport will give visitors an impression of recovery.”
Most of Japan’s regional airports operate in the red. The situation is expected to become more severe as the population declines. Many local governments are already concerned about how to manage their infrastructure in the future, and are looking for new ways to pay for the cost, said Kumiko Kakimoto, analyst at Standard & Poor’s.
Source: http://blogs.wsj.com
By Mitsuru Obe
Three years ago, the Sendai Airport was in ruins. Hit by a giant tsunami caused by the March 2011 earthquake, the runway was piled with overturned cars, uprooted trees and debris of broken homes. The control tower was out of order. The terminal building flooded.
The airport was rebuilt and reopened by U.S. forces aiding relief efforts under the name Operation Tomodachi. Given a new lease on life, the airport now hopes to boost traffic and bring more visitors to the Tohoku northeastern region.
Achieving that vision requires money, and on Friday, the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe approved the airport’s plan to auction off a 65-year concession to manage its facilities, making it the first privatized regional airport in the country. A new operator will be decided by next summer.
Miyagi Prefecture, which includes Sendai, hopes to improve services in the terminal and reduce costs, which in turn would allow the airport to cut landing fees and bring more business from low-cost carriers. The Sendai Airport currently has flights to Seoul, Guam, Taipei, Shanghai and Dalian as well as domestic routes.
In a similar plan, New Kansai International Airport Co., which runs the Kansai Airport serving the Osaka region, has already decided to outsource its management to the private sector in 2015.
Privatization of public infrastructure is a pillar of Mr. Abe’s economic program called Abenomics. A similar approach is expected to be used for the management of other regional airports, major expressways, toll roads, subway systems and municipal water systems.
The Olympic Village for athletes at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo will also be developed in a similar fashion.
Miyagi Gov. Yoshihiro Murai has pushed privatization at Sendai Airport. “The airport is the face of the prefecture, the first place of encounter for visitors,” he said in a speech last year. “A lively airport will give visitors an impression of recovery.”
Most of Japan’s regional airports operate in the red. The situation is expected to become more severe as the population declines. Many local governments are already concerned about how to manage their infrastructure in the future, and are looking for new ways to pay for the cost, said Kumiko Kakimoto, analyst at Standard & Poor’s.
Source: http://blogs.wsj.com
Rick Anderson: From Horseback to Helicopter
During a long career as a cop I conducted patrols from horseback, bike, boat, and car. I also did foot patrols and even walked a barefoot beat, wearing only shorts, T-shirt and concealed pistol, while guarding a beach in a resort town plagued by a rapist running rampant. I learned a lot, was exposed to greater and wider degrees of humanity, and loved it all. But of all the modes in making a go of it, my favorite method was by helicopter.
I patrolled by car my first few years as a Maryland State Police trooper. One minute I’d be dealing with a speeding motorist, the next saw me en route to a homicide. In between I investigated major burglaries and petty thefts, intervened during domestic disputes and broke up bar fights. There were a few undercover assignments along the way, and of course the boredom of working graves on frigid Fridays in mid-February. But when my long-awaited transfer to the Aviation Division was accepted, I felt mixed emotions. While I loved the interactions that come from performing patrol activities, Aviation promised new opportunities and challenges. And although the change was bittersweet, once I made that leap from car to helicopter, there was no looking down . . . I mean, back.
Read more and photos: http://richardcraiganderson.com
I patrolled by car my first few years as a Maryland State Police trooper. One minute I’d be dealing with a speeding motorist, the next saw me en route to a homicide. In between I investigated major burglaries and petty thefts, intervened during domestic disputes and broke up bar fights. There were a few undercover assignments along the way, and of course the boredom of working graves on frigid Fridays in mid-February. But when my long-awaited transfer to the Aviation Division was accepted, I felt mixed emotions. While I loved the interactions that come from performing patrol activities, Aviation promised new opportunities and challenges. And although the change was bittersweet, once I made that leap from car to helicopter, there was no looking down . . . I mean, back.
Read more and photos: http://richardcraiganderson.com
Fort Wayne International Airport (KFWA), Indiana
Plane Makes Emergency Landing at FWA
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): A flight bound for Chicago was forced to make an emergency landing this morning at Fort Wayne International Airport.
Around 9 a.m. this morning, a Chautauqua Airlines flight crew detected a burning odor in the cockpit during the flight from Knoxville to Chicago.
Airport officials say an initial inspection by firefighters discovered no issues, but mechanics will give it a more intensive review today.
About 45 passengers were believed to be on board. It's not clear how many remain at the airport.
Source: http://www.wowo.com
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): A flight bound for Chicago was forced to make an emergency landing this morning at Fort Wayne International Airport.
Around 9 a.m. this morning, a Chautauqua Airlines flight crew detected a burning odor in the cockpit during the flight from Knoxville to Chicago.
Airport officials say an initial inspection by firefighters discovered no issues, but mechanics will give it a more intensive review today.
About 45 passengers were believed to be on board. It's not clear how many remain at the airport.
Source: http://www.wowo.com
Michael Hoebel: Missing flight MH370 wreckage 'identified' by American pilot
Michael Hoebel, 60, believes he has found an image of the plane seemingly in one piece taken days after the plane disappeared
A recreational pilot in America believes he has identified the wreckage of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.
Michael Hoebel, 60, of New York, spent hours trawling through thousands of images released to the public on crowd-sourcing website TomNod.
He came across a piece of debris floating under the water off the northeast coast of Malaysia and west of Songkhla in Thailand which he says perfectly matches the dimensions of the missing aircraft.
If he is proven correct, the plane, which disappeared two months ago, looks to have been in one piece at the time the image was taken - days after it went missing.
"I was taken aback because I couldn't believe I would find this," he told WIVB.
Comparing the image to a picture of the plane, he told the reporter: "The lighter skin where the wing attaches to the fuselage - you see that lighter skin [here in the image]."
When asked if it could be a shark, he responded: "That's a 210ft shark."
No one has yet disagreed with the theory on TomNod or offered an alternative explanation.
He said he has contacted the federal National Transportation Safety Board and FBI, but not received a response.
The potential development comes just as the authorities say it is unlikely the plane will ever be found.
Seven weeks after the plane vanished with 239 people on board, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said a new phase of the search will focus on a larger area of the Indian Ocean floor.
No wreckage of the Boeing 777, flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, has been found on the surface.
Given the length of time spent with the air and surface search, Abbott said underwater equipment capable of scouring the ocean floor with sophisticated sensors would now take priority.
But he also admitted it was possible nothing would ever be found of the jetliner.
"We will do everything we humanly can, everything we reasonably can, to solve this mystery," he said.
Malaysia, China, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Britain and the United States are all still assisting Australia in conducting the most expensive search in aviation history.
But it remains unclear what caused the Boeing 777 to veer sharply off its course and disappear from radar as it prepared to cross into Vietnamese airspace.
Malaysian authorities have still not ruled out mechanical problems, but say evidence suggests it was deliberately diverted from its scheduled route.
Malaysia is under pressure to bring closure to the grieving families by finding wreckage to determine definitively what happened to the aircraft.
But the empty expanse of water northwest of the Australian city of Perth is one of the most remote places in the world and also one of the deepest, making the search complicated.
Authorities had been focusing on a 6.2-square mile stretch of seabed about 2,000 miles from Perth, after detecting what they suspected was a signal from the plane's black box recorder on April 4.
The U.S. Navy Bluefin-21 underwater drone searching the seabed has so far failed to turn up any sign of the plane.
Mr Abbot, speaking in Canberra, added: "We are still baffled and disappointed that we haven't been able to find undersea wreckage based on those detections."
The new search area, which spans 435 miles by 40 miles, could take between six and eight months to completely examine, costing Australia £35 million.
Meanwhile, Exploration company GeoResonance also claims it has identified the jet.
It says it has identified several elements consistent with material from a plane - and they weren't there before the disappearance.
Story, video and photo gallery: http://www.mirror.co.uk
Jackson Hole Airport (KJAC), Jackson, Wyoming
Planes change airport approach to avoid Tetons
Four out of five planes landing at Jackson Hole Airport are using a new route that shifts their descent away from the Tetons, Jackson Lake and the Snake River.
The new voluntary flight path, approved by the Federal Aviation Administration in March 2013, was expected to be used by only a small portion of the planes landing in Jackson Hole, airport director Ray Bishop said. But the rate of use has been 80 percent, he said.
“As a pilot, I’m very surprised,” Bishop said. “Pretty much everybody is using it.
“It’s more convenient, particularly for people who are coming in from the east,” he said.
The new route cuts noise and, close to the airport, also the distraction of low-flying aircraft.
Jackson Hole Airport’s conventional landing route took aircraft from the Buffalo Valley on a westward trajectory to the eastern shores of Jackson Lake. Planes then turned nearly 90 degrees over the lake and headed south toward the runway.
The new path is identical to the old route up to the Buffalo Valley, but instead of heading straight toward Jackson Lake pilots can now opt for a curved, west-to-southwest-to-south descent.
The route realigns with the old flight path just north of Moose.
Because of prevailing winds in the valley, planes at Jackson Hole Airport nearly always land north-to-south.
Grand Teton National Park officials appeciate that air traffic has been shifted to the east, away from the park’s main attractions.
“We’re really pleased that it’s been implemented,” said Gary Pollock, Grand Teton’s management assistant, “and we’re especially pleased that it’s been used much more, I think, than it was expected to be used.”
Both smaller private planes and commercial jets are using the new “NextGen” flight path, Bishop said.
By shaving 14 miles and three or four minutes off air time the new path saves money, he said.
“A big airplane costs $15,000 to $20,000 an hour to fly, so if you can save a few minutes that’s real money,” Bishop said.
Source: http://www.jhnewsandguide.com
Four out of five planes landing at Jackson Hole Airport are using a new route that shifts their descent away from the Tetons, Jackson Lake and the Snake River.
The new voluntary flight path, approved by the Federal Aviation Administration in March 2013, was expected to be used by only a small portion of the planes landing in Jackson Hole, airport director Ray Bishop said. But the rate of use has been 80 percent, he said.
“As a pilot, I’m very surprised,” Bishop said. “Pretty much everybody is using it.
“It’s more convenient, particularly for people who are coming in from the east,” he said.
The new route cuts noise and, close to the airport, also the distraction of low-flying aircraft.
Jackson Hole Airport’s conventional landing route took aircraft from the Buffalo Valley on a westward trajectory to the eastern shores of Jackson Lake. Planes then turned nearly 90 degrees over the lake and headed south toward the runway.
The new path is identical to the old route up to the Buffalo Valley, but instead of heading straight toward Jackson Lake pilots can now opt for a curved, west-to-southwest-to-south descent.
The route realigns with the old flight path just north of Moose.
Because of prevailing winds in the valley, planes at Jackson Hole Airport nearly always land north-to-south.
Grand Teton National Park officials appeciate that air traffic has been shifted to the east, away from the park’s main attractions.
“We’re really pleased that it’s been implemented,” said Gary Pollock, Grand Teton’s management assistant, “and we’re especially pleased that it’s been used much more, I think, than it was expected to be used.”
Both smaller private planes and commercial jets are using the new “NextGen” flight path, Bishop said.
By shaving 14 miles and three or four minutes off air time the new path saves money, he said.
“A big airplane costs $15,000 to $20,000 an hour to fly, so if you can save a few minutes that’s real money,” Bishop said.
Source: http://www.jhnewsandguide.com
Piper PA-32R-300 Cherokee Lance, N8700E: Fatal accident occurred April 27, 2014 in Highmore, South Dakota
National Transportation Safety Board - Aviation Accident Final Report: http://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Docket And Docket Items - National Transportation Safety Board: http://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
Aviation Accident Data Summary - National Transportation Safety Board: http://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
NTSB Identification: CEN14FA22414 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, April 27, 2014 in Highmore, SD
Probable Cause Approval Date: 04/27/2015
Aircraft: PIPER PA 32R-300, registration: N8700E
Injuries: 4 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.
During a dark night cross-country flight, the instrument-rated pilot was approaching the intended airport for landing when the airplane collided with the blades of a wind turbine tower. The weather had started to deteriorate and precipitation echoes were observed on radar. Witnesses in the area described low clouds, windy conditions, and precipitation. In addition, weather briefing records and statements made to a witness indicate that the pilot was aware of the current and forecast weather conditions for the route of flight. Investigators were unable to determine why the airplane was operating at a low altitude; however, the pilot was likely attempting to remain clear of the clouds even though both the pilot and the airplane were capable of flying in instrument meteorological conditions. An examination of the airplane, systems, and engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Toxicology findings revealed a small amount of ethanol in the pilot’s blood, which was unlikely due to ingestion since no ethanol was found in liver or muscle tissue. The investigation revealed that the wind turbine farm was not marked on either sectional chart covering the accident location; however, the pilot was familiar with the area and with the wind turbine farm. Investigators were not able to determine what the pilot was using for navigation just before the accident. The light on the wind turbine tower that was struck was not operational at the time of the accident, and the outage was not documented in a notice to airmen. The wind turbine that was struck was the 5th tower in a string of towers oriented east to west, then the string continued south and southwest with an additional 13 towers. If the pilot observed the lights from the surrounding wind turbines, it is possible that he perceived a break in the light string between the wind turbines as an obstacle-free zone.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's decision to continue the flight into known deteriorating weather conditions at a low altitude and his subsequent failure to remain clear of an unlit wind turbine. Contributing to the accident was the inoperative obstruction light on the wind turbine, which prevented the pilot from visually identifying the wind turbine.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On April 27, 2014, about 2116 central daylight time (CDT), a Piper PA-32R-300 airplane, N8700E, was destroyed during an impact with the blades of a wind turbine tower 10 miles south of Highmore, South Dakota. The commercial pilot and three passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Dark night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated without a flight plan. The flight originated from Hereford Municipal Airport (KHRX), Hereford, Texas, approximately 1700, and was en route to Highmore Municipal Airport (9D0), Highmore, South Dakota.
According to family members, the pilot and three passengers had been in Texas for business. The pilot's family reported that they had intended to leave earlier in the day, on the day of the accident, but elected to delay, and subsequently left later than they had planned. The family stated that most likely, the flight was going to stop at 9D0 to drop off one passenger before continuing to Gettysburg Municipal Airport (0D8), Gettysburg, South Dakota.
A fixed base operator employee at KHRX witnessed the pilot fuel the accident airplane at the self-serve fuel pump just prior to the accident flight. He reported that the fuel batch report showed 82.59 gallons of fuel had been dispensed. The pilot commented to the employee that he was going to "top it off" as he had "pushed his luck on the trip down." The pilot also discussed the weather conditions in South Dakota, noting that it was raining there. The pilot also added that the only reason they were leaving was because one of the passengers was anxious to get home.
The pilot contacted the Fort Worth Lockheed Martin Contract Flight Service Station at 1711 when the airplane was 38 miles west of Borger, Texas, on a direct flight to North Platte, Nebraska. The pilot requested and obtained an abbreviated weather briefing. During this briefing, winds aloft and weather advisories for the reported route of flight were provided. The pilot also provided a pilot report for his position.
At 1812 the pilot sent a text stating that they were "Into KS aways" (sic). At 1923 he sent a text stating that they were "into NE". At 2054 he stated that they were flying by Chamberlain, South Dakota.
Several witnesses in the area reported seeing an airplane fly over their homes the evening of the accident. The first witness, located near the shore of the Missouri River, near Fort Thompson, South Dakota, reported seeing an airplane about 200 feet above the ground, flying to the northeast, about 2045. He stated that the airplane was low and was moving quickly. The second witness, located a few miles southwest of the accident site, reported seeing an airplane flying at a very low altitude, headed north, about 2115. Neither witness reported hearing problems with the engine.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the airplane was reported missing by a concerned family member when the airplane did not arrive in Gettysburg, South Dakota, on the evening of April 27, 2014. The wreckage of the airplane was located by members of the Hyde County Fire Department and the Hyde County Sheriff's department around 0330 on the morning of April 28, 2014. The pilot was not communicating with air traffic control at the time of the accident and radar data for the accident flight was not available.
OTHER DAMAGE
Wind turbine tower #14, part of the South Dakota Wind Energy Center owned by NextEra Energy Resources, was damaged during the accident sequence. One of the three blades was fragmented into several large pieces. One large piece remained partially attached to a more inboard section of the turbine blade. The inboard piece of this same turbine blade remained attached at the hub to the nacelle. The outboard fragmented pieces of the wind turbine blade were located in a radius surrounding the base of the wind turbine tower. The other two wind turbine blades exhibited impact damage along the leading edges and faces of the blades.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
The pilot, age 30, held a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single engine land, multiengine land, and instrument ratings. He was issued a second class airman medical certificate without limitations on January 19, 2014. The pilot was a professional agricultural pilot and had flown agricultural airplanes in the area for several seasons.
The family provided investigators the pilot's flight logbook. The logbook covered a period between April 22, 2010, and April 20, 2014. He had logged no less than 3,895.8 hours total time; 100.7 hours of which were in the make and model of the accident airplane and 95.1 hours of which were in the accident airplane. This time included 76.2 hours at night, 1.1 hours of which had been recorded within the previous 90 days. The pilot was current for flight with passengers at night. He successfully completed the requirements of a flight review on January 18, 2013. He successfully completed an instrument proficiency check in a PA-32R on February 7, 2014.
According to the FAA, the pilot was familiar with the accident area. Specifically, the pilot was familiar with the wind turbine farm and had expressed his concern about the wind turbine farm to the FAA Flight Standards District Office in Rapid City, South Dakota. The details of his concerns were not available.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
The accident airplane, a Piper PA-32R-300 (serial number 32R-7680159), was manufactured in 1976. It was registered with the FAA on a standard airworthiness certificate for normal operations. A Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D engine rated at 300 horsepower at 2,700 rpm powered the airplane. The engine was equipped with a 2-blade Hartzell propeller. The airplane was equipped and certified for flight in instrument meteorological conditions.
The airplane was maintained under an annual inspection program. A review of the maintenance records indicated that an annual inspection had been completed on April 17, 2013, at an airframe total time of 4,766 hours.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
The closest official weather observation station was Pierre Regional Airport (KPIR), Pierre, South Dakota, located 35 miles west of the accident location. The elevation of the weather observation station was 1,744 feet mean sea level (msl). The routine aviation weather report (METAR) for KPIR, issued at 2124, reported wind from 010 degrees at 19 knots, visibility 10 miles, light rain, sky condition broken clouds at 1,000 feet, overcast at 1,600 feet, temperature 6 degrees Celsius (C), dew point temperature 5 degrees C, altimeter 29.37 inches, remarks ceiling variable between 800 and 1,200 feet.
The METAR issued at 2139 for KPIR reported wind from 070 degrees at 19 knots, visibility 4 miles, rain, mist, sky condition ceiling overcast clouds at 800 feet, temperature 6 degrees C, dew point temperature 5 degrees C, altimeter 29.37 inches, remarks ceiling variable between 600 and 1,300 feet.
Huron Regional Airport (KHON) in Huron, South Dakota, was located 53 miles to the east of the accident site at an elevation of 1,289 feet. The METAR issued at 2055 for KHON reported wind from 100 degrees at 20 knots, gusting to 27 knots, visibility 10 miles, sky condition ceiling overcast at 1,000 feet, temperature 9 degrees C, dew point temperature 7 degrees C, altimeter 29.36 inches, remarks peak wind of 29 knots from 090 degrees at 2015, rain began at 1956 and ended at 2006.
The National Weather Service (NWS) Surface Analysis Chart for 2200 CDT depicted a low-pressure center in southern Nebraska, with an occluded front extending into northeastern Kansas. A stationary front extended from northeastern Nebraska southeast through southern Iowa. Surface wind east of the accident location was generally easterly, with surface wind to the west of the accident location generally northerly. Station models across the state of South Dakota depicted overcast skies, with temperatures ranging from the high 30's Fahrenheit (F) to the mid-50's F. Rain and haze were depicted across the state.
A regional Next-Generation Radar (NEXRAD) mosaic obtained from the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) for 2115 identified a large portion of South Dakota under light to moderate values of reflectivity, including the region surrounding the accident site. WSR-88D Level II radar data obtained at 2114 from Aberdeen, South Dakota, (KABR), depicted altitudes between 5,460 and 13,200 feet at the accident site. The KABR data identified an area of light reflectivity coincident with the accident location approximately two minutes prior to the accident time.
Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data from the NOAA-16 satellite data were obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and identified cloudy conditions at or near the accident site. Cloud-top temperatures in the region varied between -53 degrees C and 6 degrees C. The temperature of -53 degrees C corresponded to heights of approximately 35,000 feet. Due to a temperature inversion in the ABR sounding near 4,000 feet, the temperature of 6 degrees C may correspond to various cloud heights ranging from at or very near the surface to between 3,500 and 6,500 feet.
An Area Forecast that included South Dakota was issued at 2045 CDT. The portion of the Area Forecast directed toward the eastern two-thirds of South Dakota forecasted for the accident time: ceiling overcast at 3,000 feet msl with cloud tops to flight level (FL)180, widely scattered light rain showers, and wind from the east at 20 knots with gusts to 30 knots. Prior to the 2045 CDT Area Forecast, another Area Forecast that included South Dakota was issued at 1345 CDT. The portion of the Area Forecast directed toward the central and eastern portions of South Dakota forecasted for the accident time: ceiling overcast at 3,000 feet msl with clouds layered up to FL300, scattered thunderstorms with light rain, cumulonimbus cloud tops to FL400, wind from the southeast at 20 knots with gusts to 35 knots.
Airmen's Meteorological Information (AIRMET) SIERRA for IFR conditions was issued at 1959 CDT for a region that included the accident location. AIRMET TANGO for moderate turbulence for altitudes below 15,000 feet was issued at 1545 CDT for a region that included the accident location. The AIRMET also addressed strong surface winds for a region that did not include the accident location. AIRMET ZULU for moderate ice for altitudes between the freezing level and FL200 was issued at 1545 CDT for a region that included the accident location.
There were no non-convective Significant Meteorological Information (SIGMET) advisories active for the accident location at the accident time. There were two Convective SIGMETs issued for convection close to the accident location in the two hours prior to the accident time
According to the United States Naval Observatory, Astronomical Applications Department Sun and Moon Data, the sunset was recorded at 2037 and the end of civil twilight was 2109. The moon rose at 0615 on the following day.
At the time of the accident the wind turbine tower #14 recorded the wind velocity at 9.7 meters per second or 21 miles per hour and the ambient temperature was 7 degrees C.
The pilot logged on to the CSC DUAT System on April 26, 2014, at 2141:36 and requested a low altitude weather briefing quick path service. The pilot identified the route of flight as a direct flight between KHRX and 0D8, at an altitude of 8,500 feet.
AIDS TO NAVIAGATION
The FAA Twin Cities Sectional Chart 87th edition, dated 9 January, 2014, through 26 June, 2014, depicted the city of Highmore, South Dakota, and the Highmore Airport on the southern edge of the chart boundary. The city of Highmore and the airport were both within the same boundary box with a maximum elevation figure of 24 or 2,400 feet msl. The maximum elevation figure immediately south of Highmore was 27 or 2,700 feet msl. An obstacle at an elevation of 276 feet above ground level (agl) and 2,180 feet msl was depicted immediately south of the city of Highmore. A wind farm was depicted south and east of Ree Heights, South Dakota – this wind farm was at an elevation of 420 feet agl and 2,447 feet msl. The wind farm involved in this accident was not depicted on this sectional chart.
The FAA Omaha Sectional Chart 89th edition, dated 6 February, 2014, through 24 July, 2014, depicted the city of Highmore, South Dakota, and the Highmore Airport on the northern edge of the chart boundary. The city of Highmore and the airport were both within the same boundary box with a maximum elevation figure of 24 or 2,400 feet msl. The maximum elevation figure immediately south of Highmore was 27 or 2,700 feet msl. A wind farm was depicted south and east of Ree Heights, South Dakota – this wind farm was at an elevation of 420 feet agl and 2,447 feet msl and 420 feet agl and 2,500 feet msl.
A single obstruction was depicted on the chart about 7 miles south of the city of Highmore, just to the east of highway 57. The obstruction was at an elevation of 215 feet agl and 2,335 feet msl. A group of obstructions was depicted on the chart about 9 miles south of the city of Highmore, just to the west of highway 57. The obstructions were at an elevation of 316 feet agl and 2,496 feet msl. The wind farm involved in this accident was not depicted on this sectional chart as a wind farm.
According to the FAA, the 90th edition of the Omaha Sectional Chart, effective from 24 July, 2014, through 5 February, 2015, added the depiction of the accident wind farm just south of the city of Highmore. This depicted the wind farm west and southwest of highway 57 at an elevation of 2,515 feet msl. In addition, an unlit obstruction at an elevation of 415 feet agl and 2,597 feet msl was depicted just south of the wind farm boundary.
There are no instrument approach procedures into 9D0. There are two RNAV (GPS) approaches, runway 13 and runway 31, into 0D8.
FLIGHT RECORDERS
The accident airplane was equipped with an Apollo GX-50 panel-mount 8-channel GPS receiver. The unit includes a waypoint database with information about airports, VOR, NDB, en route intersections, and special use airspace. Up to 500 custom user-defined waypoints may be stored, as well. The GX-50 is a TSO-C129a class unit capable of supporting IFR non-precision approach operations. Thirty flight plans composed of a linked list of waypoints may be defined and stored. The real-time navigation display can be configured to show: latitude/longitude, bearing, distance to target, ground speed, track angle, desired track, distance, and an internal course deviation indicator (CDI). The unit stores historical position information in volatile memory; however, by design there is no method to download this information.
The unit was sent to the NTSB Vehicle Recorders Lab in Washington D.C. for download. Upon arrival at the Vehicle Recorders Laboratory, an exterior examination revealed the unit had sustained significant structural damage. An internal inspection revealed most internal components, including the battery, were dislodged. Since the internal battery was dislodged and the unit relied upon volatile memory to record information, no further recovery efforts were attempted.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
The accident scene was located in level, vegetated terrain, in the middle of a wind turbine farm, about 10 miles south of Highmore, South Dakota. The terrain was vegetated with short and medium grass. The wreckage of the airplane was fragmented and scattered in a radius to the north, through to the west, and then through the south, surrounding the base of wind turbine tower #14. The fragmented pieces of the fuselage, empennage, engine and propeller assembly, and both wings were accounted for in the field of debris.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
The autopsy was performed by the Sanford Health Pathology Clinic on April 29, 2014, as authorized by the Hyde County Coroner's office. The autopsy concluded that the cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries and the report listed the specific injuries.
The FAA's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI), Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, performed toxicological tests on specimens that were collected during the autopsy (CAMI Reference #201400071001). Results were negative for all carbon monoxide and drugs. Testing of the blood detected 11 mg/dL ethanol; however, none was detected in the muscle or liver. Tests for cyanide were not conducted.
TESTS AND RESEARCH
Wreckage Examination
The wreckage was recovered and relocated to a hangar in Greeley, Colorado, for further examination. The wreckage was examined by investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board, Piper Aircraft, and Lycoming Engines.
The left wing separated from the fuselage and was fragmented. The fuel tanks were impact damaged and the left main landing gear separated from the wing assembly. The aileron and the flap separated from the wing assembly and were impact damaged.
The right wing separated from the fuselage and was fragmented. The fuel tanks were impact damaged. The right main landing gear was extended and remained attached to the right wing spar. The aileron and the flap separated from the wing assembly and were impact damaged.
The fuel selector valve was impact damaged. The position of the selector handle was at the left main fuel tank. Disassembly of the valve found the selector in an intermediate position between off and the left main tank. The fuel screen was clear of debris.
The instrument panel was fragmented and many of the instruments, radios, and gauges were destroyed. The ADI case and the directional gyro exhibited signatures of rotational scoring. The tachometer exhibited a reading of 2,400 to 2,500 rpm. The altimeter was broken and the needles separated. The Kollsman window was set at 29.27 inches. The airspeed indicator exhibited a reading of 235 miles per hour.
The pitot static system was impact damage and fragmented. The pitot tube and static port were clear and free of debris or mechanical blockage. Due to the damage, the system could not be functionally tested.
The empennage separated from the fuselage and was impact damaged. The aft portion of the vertical stabilizer was impact damaged and remained partially attached to the rudder at the hinge points. The stabilator was impact damaged and fragmented.
Flight control continuity to the ailerons, stabilator, and rudder could not be confirmed. The flight control cables were fractured in overload in multiple locations. The position of the flaps and landing gear could not be determined due to impact damage.
The engine was impact damaged impeding examination and testing for functionality. The spark plugs exhibited worn out normal signatures when compared to the Champion Aviation Check-A-Plug chart. The fuel injectors for the 1, 3, and 5 cylinders were clear of debris. The fuel injectors for the 2, 4, and 6 cylinders were impact damaged. The oil pick-up screen was clear of debris. The fuel servo and fuel pump were impact damaged and could not be functionally tested. The fuel flow divider was clear of debris. The vacuum pump case was bent and exhibited internal scoring consistent with operation at the time of the accident.
The propeller separated from the engine at the propeller flange. One blade exhibited S-bending, a curled tip, chord-wise scratches, and nicks and gouges along the leading edge of the propeller blade. The second blade exhibited chord-wise scratches, nicks and gouges along the leading edge of the propeller blade, and grey angular pain transfer near the tip of the propeller blade.
Wind Turbine Tower #14 Obstruction Light Power Supply, Flash Head, and Photocell Examination
The obstruction light, which included the power supply, flash head, and photocell (44812A), was removed from wind turbine tower #14 by an employee of ESI at the request of the wind turbine company. All of the components were shipped to Hughey & Phillips for further examination.
During the examination the following observations were made:
• The flash head gasket was broken into 5 pieces. The day lens was crazed and a screw was loose in flash head.
• The photocell which was in the container is an aftermarket unit and not as supplied by Hughey & Phillips.
• An aftermarket transformer was added to the power supply above the TB1 terminal block. This was not wired into the power supply and two wires hung from the transformer.
The power supply was placed on test jig and the power supply and flash head were connected via a 7-wire power cable, 7 feet in length, provided by Hughey & Phillips. When power was applied to the unit the flash head did not work - the red lamp attempted to flash and the white lamp did not flash.
• The lower flash tube was black consistent with age/use
• The power supply - capacitor C3 – was bulged at the top consistent with a bad capacitor
The capacitor was replaced and the red lamp functioned as designed. The white lamp did not function. The white flash tube was replaced with a new flash tube.
• When it was in day mode the white light activated
• When in night mode the red light activated
• When in auto mode, light was applied to the photocell sensor and after 30 seconds it switched from night to day mode. When light was removed and the sensor was covered to remove light, it switched back to night mode after 30 seconds.
The photocell was placed in a test chamber. When all light was removed, one light bulb illuminated. When 5 candelas was applied there was no change. The candelas were increased incrementally to 30 with no change. When the candelas were increased to 50, the test chamber switched to night mode within a minute or more.
The flash rate of the unit was tested.
• The red lamp tested at a rate of 25 flashed per minute – This is within the FAA specifications for the L-864 fixture, 20 to 40 flashes per minute.
• The white lamp tested at a rate of 40 flashes per minute- This is within the FAA specifications for the L-865 fixture, 40 flashes per minute.
The alarm function tested as designed.
The entire system operated normally with basic replacement of the flashtube and capacitor. The system was not operational in its as removed state.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Wind Turbine
The wind turbine farm south of Highmore, South Dakota, was constructed in 2003. There are 27 towers in the entire farm oriented from east to west across highway 57. It was reported to the NTSB, on scene, that each turbine tower is about 213 feet tall (from the ground to the center of the hub) and the blade length is 100 feet long. Each tower is equipped with three blades and FAA approved lighting. The blades are constructed from carbon fiber.
On June 2, 2003, the FAA issued a Determination of No Hazard to Air Navigation, regarding the installment of wind turbine tower #14 near Highmore, South Dakota. The document identified that the wind turbines would be 330 feet agl and 2,515 feet msl. A condition to the determination included that the structure be marked and/or lighted in accordance with FAA Advisory Circular 70/7460-1K Change 1.
The wind turbine tower #14 was located to the west of highway 57, and was the 5th wind turbine tower in a string of wind turbine towers, oriented from east to west. Wind turbine tower #14 was 0.3 miles to the west of the 4th wind turbine tower and 0.5 miles to the west of the 3rd wind turbine tower. The string of wind turbine towers changed direction after wind turbine tower #14 and continued to the south and south west for about 2 additional miles with 13 additional wind turbine towers in the string. The next closest wind turbine tower to #14 was 0.5 miles south.
The wind turbine tower #14 recorded an alert in the system when the airplane and the turbine blade collided and the turbine went offline. The impact was recorded at 2116:33. The blades were pitched at -0.5 degrees and the nacelle was at 112 degrees yaw angle (not a compass heading, rather nacelle rotation). There were no employees at the wind farm maintenance facility when the accident occurred. The NextEra control center in Juno Beach, Florida, received an immediate alert when the collision occurred. The company response would have been to send an employee to the wind turbine the next morning to determine why the turbine had gone offline.
Maintenance records for wind turbine tower #14, for 5 years prior to the accident, were submitted to the NTSB investigator in charge for review. These records included major and minor inspection sheets for 2010 and 2011 in addition to work management records for general maintenance, repairs, and fault troubleshooting that occurred between June 2010, and October of 2014 (after the accident). The major and minor inspection sheets for 2010 and 2011 indicated that the FAA lighting was inspected and found to be "normal" or "OK." No other maintenance records were provided which illustrated maintenance that was conducted or performed on the FAA lighting system between 2010 and the accident.
It was reported to the NTSB IIC that the light on tower #14 was not functioning at the time of the accident and had been inoperative for an undefined period. The actual witness to the inoperative light did not return telephone calls in attempt to confirm or verify this observation.
FAA Lighting Requirements
The US Department of Transportation – FAA issued Advisory Circular AC 70/7460-1K Obstruction Marking and Lighting on February 1, 2007.
Section 23. Light Failure Notification states in part that "…conspicuity is achieved only when all recommended lights are working. Partial equipment outages decrease the margin of safety. Any outage should be corrected as soon as possible. Failure of a steady burning side or intermediate light should be corrected as soon as possible, but notification is not required. B. Any failure or malfunction that lasts more than thirty (3) minutes and affects a top light or flashing obstruction light, regardless of its position, should be reported immediately to the appropriate flight service station (FSS) so a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) can be issued."
Section 44. Inspection, Repair, and Maintenance states in part that "Lamps should be replaced after being operated for not more than 75 percent of their rated life or immediately upon failure. Flashtubes in alight unit should be replaced immediately upon failure, when the peak effective intensity falls below specification limits or when the fixture begins skipping flashes, or at the manufacturer's recommended intervals. Due to the effects of harsh environments, beacon lenses should be visually inspected for ultraviolet damage, cracks, crazing, dirt, build up, etc., to insure that the certified light output has not deteriorated."
Section 47. Monitoring Obstruction Light stated in part that "Obstruction lighting systems should be closely monitored by visual or automatic means. It is extremely important to visually inspect obstruction lighting in all operating intensities at least once every 24 hours on systems without automatic monitoring."
Chapter 13, Sections 130 through 134, addressed Marking and Lighting Wind Turbine Farms. Wind turbine farms are defined as "a wind turbine development that contains more than three (3) turbines of heights over 200 feet above ground level." In addition, a linear configuration in a wind farm is "a line-like arrangement… The line may be ragged in shape or be periodically broke, and may vary in size from just a few turbines up to 20 miles long."
Section 131. General Standards states in part that "Not all wind turbine units within an installation or farm need to be lighted." "Definition of the periphery of the installation is essential; however, lighting of interior wind turbines is of lesser importance…" "Obstruction lights within a group of wind turbines should have unlighted separations or gaps of no more than ½ statute mile if the integrity of the group appearance is to be maintained."
Section 134. Lighting Standards states in part that "Obstruction lights should have unlighted separations or gaps of no more than ½ mile. Lights should flash simultaneously. Should the synchronization of the lighting system fail, a lighting outage report should be made in accordance with paragraph 23 of this advisory circular." Section c. Linear Turbine Configuration states in part "Place a light on each turbine positioned at each end of the line or string of turbines. Lights should be no more than ½ statute mile, or 2,640 feet from the last lit turbine."
http://registry.faa.gov/N8700E
NTSB Identification: CEN14FA224
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, April 27, 2014 in Highmore, SD
Aircraft: PIPER PA 32R-300, registration: N8700E
Injuries: 4 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 27, 2014, at 2116 central daylight time, a Piper PA-32R-300 airplane, N8700E, was destroyed when it impacted the blade of a wind turbine 11 miles south of Highmore, South Dakota. The commercial pilot and three passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated without a flight plan. The flight originated from Hereford Municipal Airport (KHRX), Hereford, Texas, approximately 1700.
According to officials with the Federal Aviation Administration, the airplane was reported missing by a concerned family member when the airplane did not arrive in Gettysburg, South Dakota, on the evening of April 27, 2014. The wreckage of the airplane was located by members of the Hyde County Fire Department and the Hyde County Sheriff's department around 0330 on the morning of April 28, 2014.
The wreckage of the airplane was scattered in a radius surrounding the base of a wind turbine. The airplane was fragmented. One turbine blade exhibited impact damage and was broken into several large pieces, several of which remained attached to the turbine nacelle. The remaining two turbine blades exhibited impact damage.
The closest official weather observation station was Pierre Regional Airport (KPIR), Pierre, South Dakota, located 37 miles west of the accident location. The routine aviation weather report (METAR) for KPIR, issued at 2124, reported wind 010 degrees at 19 knots, visibility 10 miles, sky condition broken clouds at 1,000 feet, overcast at 1,600 feet, temperature 06 degrees Celsius (C), dew point temperature 05 degrees C, altimeter 29.37 inches, remarks, ceiling variable between 800 and 1,200 feet.
Donald "DJ" Jerome Fischer
(May 1, 1983 - April 27, 2014)
Donald “DJ” Fischer, 30, of Gettysburg, passed away, Sunday, April 27, 2014 in a tragic plane crash south of Highmore, SD.
Mass of Christian Burial was held at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, May 3, 2014 at the Gettysburg School Gym with Father Jerry Kopel officiating. Burial followed in the Gettysburg Cemetery. A prayer service was held at 7:00 p.m., Friday, May 2, 2014 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Gettysburg.
Donald Jerome Fischer “DJ”, was born May 1, 1983 in Gettysburg, SD to Donald Dale and Laurie (Pollock) Fischer.
DJ was born, raised, and resided in Gettysburg, a community he loved and generously supported. He graduated from Gettysburg High School in 2001 where he enjoyed competing in football, basketball, and track for the Battlers. He was a great friend to all and was named Homecoming King and Male Athlete of the Year his senior year. His true passion was on the football field and he continued his football career with a scholarship to South Dakota State University, where he was an outstanding Jackrabbit for 5 years. He graduated from SDSU with an Economics degree in 2006. It was at SDSU where he earned his private pilot’s license, and discovered his new passion, FLYING.
He started his flying career by briefly moving to Myrtle Beach, SC to build flight hours by towing banners along the beach. He said the job was horribly boring, but was worth it to become a Commercial Ag Pilot, a career he had been looking forward to since he was a little boy. He moved back to Gettysburg in 2007 to work for Air Kraft Spraying out of Timber Lake, SD. He loved his job dearly and looked forward to every day he was able to do what he loved (unless it was a day full of little fields). He was most comfortable when he was in an airplane and enjoyed giving rides to anyone brave enough to ride with him. Local farmers were always searching the skies, as they knew a “buzz” from DJ was always a possibility.
DJ could never sit still. In addition to flying, he owned and operated Dakota Applicators, a spray foam insulation company that he built into a thriving business. He also was an avid outdoorsman and dedicated his fall each year to guiding at the Paul Nelson Farm pheasant-hunting lodge. He raised and trained two labs, Blondie and Zoey, and loved to watch them flush birds and make impossible retrieves from the field.
DJ was highly regarded in the community of Gettysburg where he was very active. He was a member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus. He served as the city airport manager and was an active member of the local Friends of the NRA chapter. He also served as an EMT and volunteer firefighter. Everyone praised DJ for his calm and confident demeanor during emergency situations.
DJ, aka “the gentle giant”, was a very selfless man and always put others ahead of himself. He was quite the jokester and the king of “winging it”. Details never really meant much to DJ as long as the end result was close to what he was looking for. He was a light-hearted, sincere man who never let the small things get to him. He truly took life in stride adhering to his motto, “it is what it is”.
DJ met the love of his life, Megan Grove in June of 2012. Sparks flew from the start and they spent as much time as possible together over the next several months. He knew she was “the one” and they got engaged during a well planned “emergency” landing in September of 2013. They were then married in Mexico on March 12, 2014 with family and friends by their side. A good time was definitely had by all.
The couple made the most of their short time together by having fun in whatever they did. They enjoyed traveling together in their Piper Lance airplane to visit family and friends. They also attended every possible Jackrabbit football game and hosted the Mini Winnie Tailgate party at home games.
DJ is survived by his wife Megan of Gettysburg; mother, Laurie (Steve) Robbennolt of Gettysburg; maternal grandparents: Mike & Mary Pollock of Sturgis; paternal grandmother, Dorothy Fischer of Gettysburg; grandmother, Donna Robbennolt of Gettysburg; sisters: Amber (Andy) Mikkelsen, Katelyn and Kelcey Robbennnolt all of Gettysburg; brothers: Tyler (Kelsey) Fischer, Michael Fischer, and Blake Robbennolt all of Gettysburg; nieces: Neva, Olivia, and Isabelle Mikkelsen; nephews: Camdon and Nash Fischer; aunts, uncles, cousins and his two dogs, Blondie and Zoey. He is also survived by his paternal father-in-law, Mark (Sharilyn) Grove of Cedar Falls, IA; maternal mother-in-law, Jackie (Chet) Edinger of Mitchell; brother-in-law, Tanner Grove and sisters-in-law, Molly & Taylor Grove all of Mitchell.
DJ was preceded in death by his father, Donald Fischer; uncles: Jerry, Duane, and Donny Pollock; grandfather, Wilfred Fischer and Gene Robbennolt.
Our deepest and sincerest gratitude is extended to all of our family and friends, near and far, for your support and prayers in our time of grieving.
A memorial has been established at Great Western Bank, 111 N. East St, Gettysburg, SD 57442.
Luce Funeral Home of Gettysburg has been entrusted with DJ’s arrangements.
http://www.familyfuneralhome.net
Brent Beitelspacher, 37, Bowdle, died Sunday, April 27, 2014 in an airplane accident south of Highmore, SD. Funeral services will be 2:00 PM, Thursday, May 1, 2014 at the Bowdle School Gymnasium with Pastor Patrick Hahn leading the service. Burial follows at the St. Paul Lutheran Church Cemetery, Bowdle. Organist will be Rhonda Strouckel and the congregation will sing "Christ is Risen! Alleluia!", "On Eagle's Wings", and "Precious Lord, Take My hand". Ushers will be Lyle Kiesz and David Schaffer.
Visitation will be from 5:00-9:00 PM Wednesday at Lien Funeral Home, Bowdle, with family present from 5:00-7:00 PM.
Brent Jay Beitelspacher, son of Carla (Kilber) and Leroy Beitelspacher, was born at Bowdle on April 28, 1976. He was brought up on the Beitelspacher farm 15 miles SW of Bowdle in Walworth County. He attended school in Bowdle and graduated with the BHS Class of 1994. He went on to South Dakota State University where he was on the Collegiate Livestock Judging Team. In December 1998, Brent earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Animal Science. In 1999, Brent, along with Mark Beitelspacher, purchased Potter County Livestock from Kenneth Koops, changed the name to Gettysburg Livestock, and re-opened it on May 1, 1999. Brent married Nicole Michael at Rapid City on August 11, 2001 and the couple settled in Gettysburg, SD. Brent, along with his brother Brandon, and Justin Cronin also purchased J&B’s C Store in Gettysburg. In 2009, he sold both businesses and he and his family relocated to Bowdle. After farming for two years, Brent was hired as an animal nutrition consultant by Northern Plains Cooperative. He continued to help on the family farm with all farming and livestock aspects. He also purchased livestock for both club calf and purebred breeders throughout the United States. Brent belonged to St. Paul Lutheran Church, Bowdle, and was vice president of the Bowdle Golf Club. He was instrumental in resurrecting the Bowdle Trap Club and was just beginning instruction of shooting and archery for 4-H. He loved hunting, which led him to be the Bowdle Rooster Round Up co-chair for several years. He was also a tournament fisherman, golfer, and scuba diver.
Brent is survived by his grandmother, Lenora Kilber of Bowdle; His parents, Leroy and Carla of Bowdle; Nicole, his wife of 12 years; his son, Cade, and daughter, Alana; and two brothers, Colin (Amanda) Beitelspacher of Bowdle and Brandon (Andrea) Beitelspacher of Ipswich, SD.
He was preceded in death by grandparents, Erhard and Minnie Beitelspacher and Lester Kilber.
Honorary bearers will be Brent’s cousins and all of his friends.
Casketbearers will be Cory Jueneman of Mobridge, SD, Jerry Beadle, Stuart Thomsen, Craig Hoerner, Jeremy Hoffman, Mark Beitelspacher, and Jeb Schock all of Bowdle, and Joel Heilman of Roscoe, SD.
Lien Funeral Home, Bowdle, Is in charge of arrangements.
http://www.millerlienfh.com
The plane crash that took the lives of three cattlemen and one pilot from central South Dakota was the first of its kind, according to industry experts. While the investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board is ongoing, South Dakota Wind Energy Association executive director Paul Bachman said the accident was the first plane to ever collide with a wind turbine in the state.
Lindsay North, spokesperson for the American Wind Energy Association, said her organization has never heard of a plane colliding with a turbine. The NTSB finished collecting any remaining debris from the crash on Wednesday. The material will be examined by investigators in Greeley, Colo.
The single engine Piper was manufactured in 1976 and owned by Donald “D.J.” Fischer, 30, of Gettysburg. Fischer used the plane while working for Air Kraft Spraying Inc.
Fischer, along with Brent Beitelspacher, 37, of Bowdle, Logan Rau, 25, of Java, and Nick Reimann, 33, of Ree Heights, died after the plane crashed into a 300-foot wind turbine.
The crash occurred in the South Dakota Wind Energy Center, south of Highmore. The plane was declared missing late Sunday evening. The energy center contains 27 wind turbines, which are owned by Florida-based NextEra Energy Inc.
The flight originated in Hereford, Texas, after the four men attended a cattle show on Saturday.
According to Hereford city manager Rick Hanna, the men used a self-service fueling station before leaving around 7 p.m. on Sunday. Hanna said there was a terrible dust storm in Hereford at the time. Fischer did not file a flight plan, Hanna said.
As of Thursday afternoon, the NTSB did not have any new updates on the nature of the crash or why the plane was flying so low.
http://www.capjournal.com
The fundraising site has been set up in memory of Nick and in honor of his wife and children. 100% of the money raised will go towards the needs of Kyrstin, Croix, and Cannon. Nick was a loving husband, father, son, and friend to many.
Donald "DJ" Fischer
The National Transportation Safety Board will begin today to remove the wreckage from the crash of a small aircraft south of Highmore.
The single-engine Piper PA-32 was reported missing Sunday evening and was found early Monday 10 miles south of the central South Dakota town.
The pilot and airplane owner, Donald "DJ" Fischer, and the three passengers, Nick Reimann, Logan Rau, Brent Beitelspacher, were killed in the crash.
Jennifer Rodi, a senior air safety investigator with the NTSB, said what is known at this point is that around 9:16 p.m. Sunday the plane struck one of the 27 wind turbines on the South Dakota Wind Energy Center.
"But why the plane hit the turbine will obviously be the focus of the investigation moving forward," she said.
The NTSB is leading the investigation, not the Federal Aviation Administration, because there were fatalities.
Rodi said the intent is to recover the wreckage over the next couple days, if the damaged wind turbine blade does not present a danger to crews on the ground. The objective on Monday was recovering the bodies, she said.
The FAA was on scene yesterday, and a NTSB recovery team from Greeley, Colo., will arrive soon, she said.
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A college friend of one of the victims in Sunday night's airplane crash recalls Nick Reimann as a selfless man.
Reimann was one of four South Dakotans on a Piper aircraft that crashed about 10 miles south of Highmore late Sunday night. All four on board died. Those on the plane were Reimann, of Ree Heights; Brent Beitelspacher, 37, of Bowdle; Logan Rau, 25, of Java; and the pilot and plane's owner, Donald "D.J." Fischer, 30, of Gettysburg.
Savanah Allen, of Palmer, Texas, has fond memories of Reimann. The two met while attending Oklahoma State University. Allen now operates Ranchology, a design firm that promotes the Western lifestyle.
"He was so selfless," Allen said of Reimann. "He would help anyone that needed help. He loved kids; he loved cattle. He was amazing at what he did."
Allen said Reimann was born and raised in Ree Heights, which is about 13 miles east of Highmore.
"Nick always knew he was going back home," said Allen, explaining she heard of the accident at 7:15 a.m. Monday.
She said it's "gut wrenching" just thinking about how close the group was to being home.
"I wish they would have waited until morning," Allen said.
A preliminary FAA report filed Monday reports that the Piper aircraft struck a wind tower and crashed.
Local law enforcement officers have referred all inquiries about the accident to the Hyde County State's Attorney's office.
According to an Associated Press report, The National Safety Transportation Board has indicated an investigation will be taking place to determine why the aircraft was flying low enough to strike the wind turbines.
Local residents say the 27 wind turbines south of town have been in place for about eight years. Highmore resident Garry Van Zee said the area near the turbines is notoriously foggy.
"It's always twice as foggy as anywhere else," he said. "I would say they probably didn't know what they were running into."
The single-engine Piper crashed in foggy weather Sunday evening 10 miles south of the central South Dakota city of Highmore, killing the pilot and three cattlemen returning from a sale of live cattle and embryos.
Possible factors include trouble with the pilot or plane and weather, said Jennifer Rodi, an NTSB investigator.
"Was the pilot having problems? Was it the weather? Was the airplane having problems?" Rodi said. "We haven't ruled anything out at this point."
It's not known if the pilot filed a flight plan, she added. He was not communicating with air-traffic controllers at the time of the crash.
Mike Mimms, a veterinarian who runs the annual sale in Hereford, said Reimann had been down for the show multiple times and is known across the industry as a master in livestock genetics.
"He was honestly the number one guy in this business and one that people trusted," he said of Reimann. "He kind of a was a trendsetter that people wanted to know what he was doing and they tended to follow suit."
The wreckage was found Monday at the South Dakota Wind Energy Center, a site south of Highmore with 27 turbines that are about 213 feet tall, plus the length of the blade.
The National Weather Service said fog and low clouds combined for reduced visibility in the Highmore area on Sunday night, and winds were out of the east at about 15 to 25 mph.
Rodi said the ultimate destination of the flight was Gettysburg, where the pilot lived, but he had picked up a passenger in Highmore on the way to Texas.
Highmore is less than 800 miles from Hereford, which falls within the maximum range of a Piper. However, factors such as how much fuel was in the plane when it left and what kind of head winds there were contribute to range, so that will also be part of the investigation, she said.
Rodi said that to her knowledge the plane did not stop to refuel, though that will be part of the investigation.
Source: http://www.aberdeennews.com
A pilot and three cattlemen died early Monday morning near Highmore when their plane struck a wind turbine.
Tony Molinaro, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said the single-engine Piper PA-32 was reported missing on Sunday and was later found 10 miles south of the central South Dakota town. The plane was traveling from Hereford, Texas, to Gettysburg, according to the FAA.
An FAA team was sent to the crash site Monday. However, since there were fatalities, the investigation is under the jurisdiction of the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB did not return calls seeking comment by Monday evening.
A preliminary accident and incident report on the FAA’s website Monday night said the aircraft struck a wind tower and lists the plane’s condition as “destroyed.” The report also said the plane was the subject of an alert notice, which was sent out at 2:40 a.m. on Monday.
The four victims have been identified as Nick Reimann of Ree Heights, Logan Rau of Java, Brent Beitelspacher of Bowdle and Donald “DJ” Fischer of Gettysburg.
According to FAA records the plane was registered to Fischer.
A graduate of South Dakota State University, Fischer played football for the school in the mid-2000s under current head coach John Stiegelmeier.
“DJ was a picture of what you want out of a student athlete,” Stiegelmeier said. “He was one of those guys who when you asked him to do something there was no hesitation.”
Fischer had an unbelievable work ethic, he said, and stayed connected to the football program even after graduating.
The 30-year-old, who, according to the South Dakota Aviation Association, was a pilot for Air Kraft Spraying Inc., died in the vehicle he made a living with, Stiegelmeier said.
Fischer was one of seven siblings. According to his brother, Michael, he had three nieces and two nephews and was a loving family man. Fischer married his wife, Megan, six weeks ago.
As a volunteer firefighter and EMT, Fischer was always there to help other people, Michael said.
“He was a community man,” Michael said.
The wreckage was found at the South Dakota Wind Energy Center, a group of wind turbines, all approximately 300-foot-tall, placed on several parcels of private property. The crash site was in a pasture west of South Dakota State Highway 47 and north of 207th Street.
Steve Stengel, a spokesman for Florida-based NextEra Engery Inc, whose subsidiary operates the turbines, said the company was notified early Monday morning about the missing plane. One of the wind turbine technicians on the site is a volunteer fireman, and he was alerted to the situation at 3 a.m., Stengel said.
Because of the weather – heavy fog and moderate rain for most of the day – no one from NextEra had been out to inspect the turbines, Stengel said. He could not confirm what damage had been done to the turbines.
“We are following the lead of the authorities who are leading the investigation,” he said.
The Hyde County Sheriff’s Office had all access to the area blocked off Monday and referred all questions to the Hyde County State’s Attorney. The State’s Attorney’s office referred questions to the FAA.
The identities of Fischer and the other victims were released by the families and the funeral homes making the burial arrangements.
Rau’s sister, TiAnn Poloncic, said her 25-year-old brother could sell a ketchup Popsicle to someone wearing white gloves.
“He had the gift of gab and could make anyone laugh,” she added.
Rau loved his family, hunting, ice fishing, the Kansas City Chiefs and treated his three dogs like children, Poloncic said.
Rau married his wife, Natalie, a school teacher in Bowdle, on July 27, 2013. He attended Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown and was halfway done with a paramedic program before making the choice to head back to the family farm and run the operation with his father Todd, Poloncic said.
“He was living the American dream,” she said. “He was a tough farmer but he had a soft heart. He loved what he did.”
Beitelspacher, who turned 38 on Monday, was remembered by friends and loved ones for his passion.
“He was very energetic,” said his mother Carla. “He was ready to capture the world.”
He was a very loving husband and father and a hard worker who almost always had a smile on his face, she said.
Carla Beitelspacher said her son loved hunting, fishing and being outdoors. Beitelspacher had a sale barn in Gettysburg for 10 years before he began working for Northern Plains, a diversified farmer-owned county operation of Cenex Harvest States.
Cory Jueneman was one of the people that traveled around the country, hunted and fished with Beitelspacher.
“We fished a lot of tournaments over the years,” he said, “and hunted everything we could.”
The men had become so close they spoke every day while they went to work. “I talked to him every day at 6:50 in the morning,” Jueneman said, adding that counted the weekends also. He and Beitelspacher even vacationed together, taking their wives with them. This year, the group went to Costa Rica, Jueneman said.
“We were pretty big buddies,” he said.
Reimann, 33, operated Reimann Ranch along with his wife Kyrstin according to the company’s website.
The four men traveled to Hereford to attend an annual cattle sale hosted by Mike Mimms, a veterinarian, on Saturday.
“Nick Reimann had some of the best cows in the country,” said Mimms. “He was an influential breeder in the industry.”
Mimms considered Reimann a long-time friend, who was well respected among cattlemen.
Although he had been purchasing cattle from Beitelspacher for more than a decade, Mimms hadn’t met his supplier until last weekend. Mimms met Rau the same day.
Fog and low clouds combined for reduced visibility in the Highmore area on Sunday night, and winds were out of the east at about 15 to 25 mph, said Renee Wise, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Aberdeen. There were also scattered showers across region Sunday night, and some might have been heavy at times, she said.
The cattlemen, along with Fischer, tried to wait for extreme winds to subside before making the flight back to South Dakota, Mimms said. They even considered heading back with another cattleman who was driving back to South Dakota early Sunday morning, he said, but the men didn’t want to trouble him.
“The people that have lost family members need to know that people in Texas realize that the parents and the families of those guys are well respected here,” Mimms said. “The guys came down here to support us and pay respects to customers they had.That’s a thing that weighs on my mind – if it hadn’t been for this sale, they wouldn’t have been here.”
Story and comments/reaction: http://www.capjournal.com
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A federal investigator at the site of a fatal plane crash in South Dakota plans to focus on why the airplane was flying so low when it apparently hit the blade of a wind turbine.
The single-engine Piper crashed in foggy weather Sunday evening 10 miles south of the central South Dakota city of Highmore, killing the pilot and three cattlemen returning from a sale of live cattle and embryos.
Possible factors include trouble with the pilot or plane and weather, said Jennifer Rodi, a National Transportation Safety Board investigator.
"Was the pilot having problems? Was it the weather? Was the airplane having problems?" Rodi said. "We haven't ruled anything out at this point."
It's not known if the pilot filed a flight plan, she added. He was not communicating with air-traffic controllers at the time of the crash.
The pilot, Donald J. "D.J." Fischer, 30, of Gettysburg, owned the plane. Also killed were cattlemen Brent Beitelspacher, 37, of Bowdle, and Logan Rau, 25, of Java, and Nick Reimann, 33, of Ree Heights.
Mike Mimms, a veterinarian who runs the annual sale in Hereford, said Reimann had been down for the show multiple times and is known across the industry as a master in livestock genetics.
"He was honestly the number one guy in this business and one that people trusted," he said of Reimann. "He kind of a was a trendsetter that people wanted to know what he was doing and they tended to follow suit."
Mimms said much of Reimann's herd originated from the Beitelspacher family's herd.
Beitelspacher's mother, Carla Beitelspacher, told the Pierre Capital Journal that her son loved hunting, tournament fishing and being outdoors. He was a loving husband and father who almost always had a smile on his face, she said.
"He was very energetic," Carla Beitelspacher said. "He was ready to capture the world."
Rau, who had two pregnant cows consigned to the sale, loved his family, hunting, ice fishing, the Kansas City Chiefs and treated his three dogs like children, said his sister, TiAnn Poloncic.
Poloncic told the Capital Journal that her brother was halfway through a paramedic program at Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown when he made choice to head back to the family farm and run the operation with his father, Todd Rau.
"He was living the American dream," she said. "He was a tough farmer but he had a soft heart. He loved what he did."
Fischer, a crop sprayer for Air Kraft Spraying Inc., attended South Dakota State University and played defensive tackle for the school's football team from 2002-2005. Fischer's college coach, John Stiegelmeier, described him as a gifted athlete who was a great friend to his teammates.
The wreckage was found Monday at the South Dakota Wind Energy Center, a site south of Highmore with 27 turbines that are about 213 feet tall, plus the length of the blade.
The National Weather Service said fog and low clouds combined for reduced visibility in the Highmore area on Sunday night, and winds were out of the east at about 15 to 25 mph.
Rodi said the ultimate destination of the flight was Gettysburg, where the pilot lived, but he had picked up a passenger in Highmore on the way to Texas.
Highmore is less than 800 miles from Hereford, which falls within the maximum range of a Piper. However, factors such as how much fuel was in the plane when it left and head winds contribute to range, so that will also be part of the investigation, she said.
Rodi said that to her knowledge the plane did not stop to refuel, though that will be part of the investigation.
Fischer was certified to fly with instruments only but she didn't know if he was current on that rating, she added.
Civil Air Patrol Grounded Day Of Plane Disappearance
SIOUX FALLS, SD -
Captain Neil Schmid has been a pilot for many years, now working with the Civil Air Patrol. He's been through many different types of weather conditions and knows how quickly a flight plan can change.
"Clouds, ceilings, wind, winds upstairs and winds on the ground, visible moisture, visibility and so on," Schmid said.
More than one thing can keep a plane on the ground, and it could be more than one thing that led to a crash near Highmore, killing all four people on board. Schmid won't speculate about what could've brought the plane down, but he does know that on Sunday, the day the Piper 32 disappeared; the winds led to the cancellation of a scheduled drill and grounded every Civil Air Patrol aircraft.
"There were several aircraft in the air and it got too windy and we brought them down and held by the safety standard that we have," Schmid said.
Those planes are still grounded, waiting for the winds to calm down. Schmid says that he has flown a Piper PA-32R-300, like the one that went down, and like the planes he flies for the Civil Air Patrol; the smallest weather change can keep him from going in the air.
"Most light aircraft have weather capabilities, but it's fairly limited. You don't want to be flying through thunderstorms and severe high wind situations, you want to be very careful," Schmid said.
Schmid says the experience of the pilot can also go a long way in determining whether flying in certain weather conditions is safe.
"Always have an out. You can always turn around and go back the way you came from, that's probably best because if you're going into bad weather, the weather you came from is probably better than where you're going," Schmid said.
Schmid emphasized that anything discussed about why the plane went down is purely speculation until the NTSB concludes its investigation.
Story and video: http://www.keloland.com
Football Coach Remembers Plane Crash Victim
SIOUX FALLS, SD -
While the Federal Aviation Administration tries to learn more about the small plane that crashed and killed four people, SDSU Head Football Coach John Stiegelmeier is thinking about a saying he teaches the players who step onto his field.
"Play like it's your last play," Stiegelmeier said.
It is something Donald "DJ" Fischer, who is one of the four men killed in the crash, learned while he was a football player at SDSU. Fischer redshirted in 2001 and lettered from 2002 to 2005.
"This is a tough loss," Stiegelmeier said. "From my observation with his teammates, a great friend to many. Just a lovable guy."
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the single-engine Piper was registered to Fischer of Gettysburg. The crash was reported early Monday morning about five miles south of Highmore, which is 50 miles east of Pierre. The wreckage is near a wind farm south of Highmore and a blade on one of the wind towers appears to be broken. According to the FAA preliminary crash report, the aircraft hit the wind tower before crashing.
The National Weather Service in Aberdeen reported fog and low clouds combined for reduced visibility in the Highmore-area Sunday night. Winds were out of the east at about 15 to 25 miles per hour and there were scattered showers, some of them heavy.
Stiegelmeier got the news early Monday morning. He said the defensive tackle was serious and quiet. He let his work ethic do the talking for him.
"Anybody who works as hard as DJ Fischer worked, guys are going to look up to him. That's kind of the trademark of being a Jackrabbit. He was kind of a picture of that," Stiegelmeier said.
Fischer was an honorable mention all-Great West Football Conference selection as a junior in 2004. He also earned all-state recognition in football at Gettysburg High School as a junior and senior. The SDSU Football program is a big family, and right now players and colleagues who knew Fischer are leaning on each other for support. It is easy to see the motto Stiegelmeier teaches his teams goes beyond the football field.
"The lesson to me, is, live like it's your last day. I would say DJ did live his life like that. He lived his life to the fullest," Stiegelmeier said.
Story and video: http://www.keloland.com
HIGHMORE -- A small airplane heading back to South Dakota after a Texas cattle sale crashed into a wind farm in foggy weather.
Nick Reimann, Logan Rau, Brent Beitelspacher and pilot Donald ‘DJ’ Fischer all died in the crash. Sullivan Supply, a stock show industry news site, confirmed this information on its blog.
Steve Stengel with Florida-based NextEra Energy Resources says the wreckage was found on the site of the South Dakota Wind Energy Center.
That operation south of Highmore has 27 turbines that are about 213 feet tall, plus the length of the blade.
Fischer’s mother sparked the search for the wreckage when she hadn’t heard from him around 2 a.m. The plane was expected to land around 10 or 11 last night.
Doug Kroeplin helped the search party. He told KSFY News the plane stopped in Highmore to pick up a passenger on the way to Texas. Some assume Fischer planned to land in Highmore again on the return trip. The crash happened near the Highmore airport.
The National Weather Service in Aberdeen says fog and low clouds combined for reduced visibility in the area Sunday night. Winds were out of the east at about 15 to 25 mph and there were scattered showers, some of them heavy.
Story, video, photo gallery and comments/reaction: http://www.ksfy.com
An Industry in Mourning
The stock show industry in mourning the loss of three young cattleman from tremendous South Dakota ranching families. Nick Reimann, Logan Rau, and Brent Beitelspacher were all involved in a deadly plane accident last night due to bad weather.
Read more here: http://pulse.sullivansupply.com/
HIGHMORE, S.D. — A small airplane that crashed into a wind turbine in central South Dakota and killed four people Monday morning was returning from a cattle sale in Hereford.
Three of the men killed in an early-morning plane cras been identified by information sent from funeral homes to the American News in Aberdeen, S.D.
Brent Beitelspacher, 37, of Bowdle, S.D., and Logan Rau, 25, of Java, S.D., were killed in an overnight airplane accident, according to their funeral notices.
Donald J. “D.J.” Fischer, of Gettysburg, S.D., died early this morning in the Highmore area, according to a death notice sent to the newspaper. A standout athlete, he played college football at South Dakota State University.
The fourth victim had not been identified Monday afternoon. The plane was en route from Hereford to South Dakota, an FAA official said.
Beitelspacher and Rau are all well-known in the cattle industry.
Mike Mimms, of Mimms Cattle Co. in Hereford, said Beitelspacher and Rau were in Hereford for Saturday’s Donor’s Unlimited Share the Future sale. He said Beitelspacher had one cow consigned in the sale and Rau two.
Mimms said that he has been buying cattle from the Beitelspachers in Bowdle for the past 15 years, but that he met Brent in person for the first time for about a minute before Saturday’s sale.
Both Beitelspacher and Rau had excellent reputations in the cattle industry, Mimms said. He said he and Beitelspacher have done millions of dollars in business over the phone.
“It was always honest dealings and fair dealings and mutual respect,” Mimms said.
“I can’t get their families out of my mind, thinking about them.”
Mimms said Beitelspacher traveled to Hereford so the two could meet after doing business together for so long, not to watch his one cow sell.
“They came down here to support this sale, not for any reason of their own,” Mimms said.
The plane was found near a damaged wind tower, according to the Associated Press.
The accident scene appears to be about 10 miles south of Highmore, to the west of County Road 47 near 207th Street.
Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Cory said the Piper 32 from traveling from Hereford on its way to Gettysburg.
She confirmed the tail number of the plan as 8700E. According to Federal Aviation Administration records, a plane with that tail number is registered to Fischer.
According to FAA records, Fischer’s plane is a Piper PA-32R-300. It is a fixed wing, single-engine plane manufactured in 1976.
Cory said the crash was reported early Monday morning about 5 miles south of Highmore, which is about 50 miles east of Pierre.
Kathy Zilverberg, an EMT in Highmore, said all EMTs got an alert at 2:30 this morning, saying officials were looking for a missing plane.
Hand County Sheriff Doug DeBoer said his office was contacted early Monday morning to help search for an overdue plane. DeBoer said he and others from the sheriff’s office and a Miller Police officer helped search near the wind farm in Hyde County before being told about 4 a.m. that the plane had been found.
Hyde County officials referred calls to the state’s attorney’s office, but the office phone number has been busy throughout the morning.
Dave Hintz, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Aberdeen, said that first responders in the Highmore area reported foggy conditions early this morning. There were likely low clouds in the area much like those in Aberdeen this morning, he said.
Rain has been off and on all day today, making gravel roads soft around the wind farm.
Cory said the National Transportation Safety Board is heading the investigation into the crash and that the FAA is also involved.
http://amarillo.com
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — A small airplane heading back to South Dakota after a Texas cattle sale crashed into a wind farm in foggy weather, killing the pilot and three passengers.
Steve Stengel, a spokesman for Florida-based NextEra Energy Resources says the wreckage was found at the 27-turbine South Dakota Wind Energy Center.
The FAA says the single-engine Piper found Monday was registered to Donald J. “D.J.” Fischer of Gettysburg, South Dakota.
Funeral homes confirmed the deaths of Fischer and cattlemen Brent Beitelspacher, of Bowdle, and Logan Rau, of Java. The fourth passenger was not named.
The National Weather Service in Aberdeen says fog and low clouds combined for reduced visibility in the area Sunday night. Winds were out of the east at about 15 to 25 mph and there were scattered showers.
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A small airplane heading back to South Dakota after a Texas cattle sale crashed into a wind farm in foggy weather, killing the pilot and three passengers.
Elizabeth Cory, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said the Piper PA-32 was traveling from Hereford, Texas, to Gettysburg, South Dakota. The single-engine plane was registered to Donald J. “D.J.” Fischer of Gettysburg, according to the FAA.
Authorities have not released the names of the victims, and the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
The three passengers were in Hereford to attend a sale of live cattle and embryos, primarily for the production of show steers, said Mike Mimms, a veterinarian who runs the annual event.
Mimms said the three cattlemen noted that they had a rough flight down to Texas due to high winds, and conditions were similar in Hereford when they left.
“They made it through the windy weather, and the fog was the problem when they got there,” he said.
The wreckage was found Monday at the South Dakota Wind Energy Center, a site south of Highmore with 27 turbines that are about 213 feet tall, plus the length of the blade.
Steve Stengel, a spokesman with Florida-based NextEra Energy Inc., said there was damage to a turbine but he couldn’t say what part of the tower was hit.
“It’s been so foggy up there and we haven’t had a chance to investigate,” Stengel said Monday.
Fog and low clouds combined for reduced visibility in the Highmore area on Sunday night, and winds were out of the east at about 15 to 25 mph, said Renee Wise, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Aberdeen. There were also scattered showers across region Sunday night, and some might have been heavy at times, she said.
Mimms, who performs cattle embryo transfers, said the news has sent shock and sadness through the close-knit ranching community.
“There are a lot of people out there who feel like they lost one of their best friends,” Mimms said.
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HIGHMORE A missing plane that was discovered Monday morning in a central South Dakota field was found close to a damaged wind tower, a spokesman for the wind company said.
Four people died, FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Cory said. The plane was traveling from Hereford, Texas, to Gettysburg.
The crash was reported early Monday just south of Highmore, which is 50 miles east of Pierre.
Steve Stengel, a spokesman for Florida-based NextEra Energy, said the plane was discovered at its South Dakota Wind Energy Center, a 27-turbine operation near Highmore.
"One of our turbines is damaged in proximity to the plane, but in terms of investigating, we haven't had a chance to investigate our turbine," Stengel said.
The Piper PA-32 was registered to Gettysburg crop sprayer Donald J. Fischer, who flew for Air Kraft Spraying Inc., according to his listing with the South Dakota Aviation Association. Fischer is listed as a member of the association's board of directors.
Authorities have not released the names of the victims.
According to FAA records, the seven-seat Piper was built in 1976. The plane was licensed to Fischer in 2012 and was valid through 2015.
Hand County Sheriff Doug DeBoer told the Aberdeen American News that his office helped with the search near a wind farm until being told the wreckage had been found.
Hyde County's sheriff referred calls to the state's attorney's office, which didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
Source: http://www.argusleader.com
HIGHMORE — Four people were killed when a small plane flying from Texas crashed in central South Dakota.
FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Cory said the Piper PA-32 from traveling from Hereford, Texas, on its way to Gettysburg.
She confirmed the tail number of the plan as N8700E. According to Federal Aviation Administration records, a plane with that tail number is registered to Donald J. Fischer, of Gettysburg.
A death notice sent to the American News notes that Donald J. "D.J." Fischer, of Gettysburg, died early this morning in the Highmore area.
According to FAA records, Fischer's plane is a Piper PA-32R-300. It is a fixed wing, single-engine plane manufactured in 1976.
Cory says the crash was reported early this morning about 5 miles south of Highmore, which is about 50 miles east of Pierre.
Hereford is southwest of Amarillo in north Texas.
Dave Hintz, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Aberdeen, said that first responders in the Highmore area reported foggy conditions early this morning. There were likely low clouds in the area much like those in Aberdeen this morning, he said.
Cory says all four people onboard were killed. Their names will be released when their families are notified.
Hand County Sheriff Doug DeBoer said his office was contacted early this morning to help search for an overdue plane. DeBoer said he and others from the sheriff's office and a Miller Police officer helped search near the wind farm in Hyde County before being told about 4 a.m. that the plane had been found.
Hyde County officials referred calls to the state's attorney's office, but the office phone number has been busy throughout the morning.
Cory said the National Transportation Safety Board is heading the investigation into the crash and that the FAA is also involved.
The identities of the victims will be released by the local coroner, she said.
American News reporter Elisa Sand (@ElisaSand_AA) is en route to Highmore at this hour.
Source: http://www.aberdeennews.com
FAA:4 Killed In Plane Crash Near Highmore, SD
A South Dakota sheriff says a plane crash that killed four people happened near a wind farm.
FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Cory says the Piper PA-32 was traveling from Hereford, Texas, to Gettysburg.
The crash was reported early Monday just south of Highmore, which is 50 miles east of Pierre.
Cory says all four people onboard were killed. Their names will be released when their families are notified.
The plane is registered to someone in Gettysburg.
Hand County Sheriff Doug DeBoer says his office helped with the search near a wind farm until being told the wreckage had been found.
Hyde County's sheriff referred calls to the state's attorney's office, which didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
http://www.kdlt.com
The crash of a small plane south of Highmore this morning is said to have caused the deaths of four people. The Federal Aviation Administration says the crash involved a Piper PA-32 aircraft. Elizabeth Cory, a spokesperson for the FAA in Chicago says the crash was reported about 3:44 a.m. this morning and the plane had been traveling from Texas to Gettysburg, South Dakota. She says all information at this time is preliminary…..
Audio news report: http://wnax.com
Docket And Docket Items - National Transportation Safety Board: http://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
Aviation Accident Data Summary - National Transportation Safety Board: http://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
NTSB Identification: CEN14FA22414 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, April 27, 2014 in Highmore, SD
Probable Cause Approval Date: 04/27/2015
Aircraft: PIPER PA 32R-300, registration: N8700E
Injuries: 4 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.
During a dark night cross-country flight, the instrument-rated pilot was approaching the intended airport for landing when the airplane collided with the blades of a wind turbine tower. The weather had started to deteriorate and precipitation echoes were observed on radar. Witnesses in the area described low clouds, windy conditions, and precipitation. In addition, weather briefing records and statements made to a witness indicate that the pilot was aware of the current and forecast weather conditions for the route of flight. Investigators were unable to determine why the airplane was operating at a low altitude; however, the pilot was likely attempting to remain clear of the clouds even though both the pilot and the airplane were capable of flying in instrument meteorological conditions. An examination of the airplane, systems, and engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Toxicology findings revealed a small amount of ethanol in the pilot’s blood, which was unlikely due to ingestion since no ethanol was found in liver or muscle tissue. The investigation revealed that the wind turbine farm was not marked on either sectional chart covering the accident location; however, the pilot was familiar with the area and with the wind turbine farm. Investigators were not able to determine what the pilot was using for navigation just before the accident. The light on the wind turbine tower that was struck was not operational at the time of the accident, and the outage was not documented in a notice to airmen. The wind turbine that was struck was the 5th tower in a string of towers oriented east to west, then the string continued south and southwest with an additional 13 towers. If the pilot observed the lights from the surrounding wind turbines, it is possible that he perceived a break in the light string between the wind turbines as an obstacle-free zone.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's decision to continue the flight into known deteriorating weather conditions at a low altitude and his subsequent failure to remain clear of an unlit wind turbine. Contributing to the accident was the inoperative obstruction light on the wind turbine, which prevented the pilot from visually identifying the wind turbine.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On April 27, 2014, about 2116 central daylight time (CDT), a Piper PA-32R-300 airplane, N8700E, was destroyed during an impact with the blades of a wind turbine tower 10 miles south of Highmore, South Dakota. The commercial pilot and three passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Dark night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated without a flight plan. The flight originated from Hereford Municipal Airport (KHRX), Hereford, Texas, approximately 1700, and was en route to Highmore Municipal Airport (9D0), Highmore, South Dakota.
According to family members, the pilot and three passengers had been in Texas for business. The pilot's family reported that they had intended to leave earlier in the day, on the day of the accident, but elected to delay, and subsequently left later than they had planned. The family stated that most likely, the flight was going to stop at 9D0 to drop off one passenger before continuing to Gettysburg Municipal Airport (0D8), Gettysburg, South Dakota.
A fixed base operator employee at KHRX witnessed the pilot fuel the accident airplane at the self-serve fuel pump just prior to the accident flight. He reported that the fuel batch report showed 82.59 gallons of fuel had been dispensed. The pilot commented to the employee that he was going to "top it off" as he had "pushed his luck on the trip down." The pilot also discussed the weather conditions in South Dakota, noting that it was raining there. The pilot also added that the only reason they were leaving was because one of the passengers was anxious to get home.
The pilot contacted the Fort Worth Lockheed Martin Contract Flight Service Station at 1711 when the airplane was 38 miles west of Borger, Texas, on a direct flight to North Platte, Nebraska. The pilot requested and obtained an abbreviated weather briefing. During this briefing, winds aloft and weather advisories for the reported route of flight were provided. The pilot also provided a pilot report for his position.
At 1812 the pilot sent a text stating that they were "Into KS aways" (sic). At 1923 he sent a text stating that they were "into NE". At 2054 he stated that they were flying by Chamberlain, South Dakota.
Several witnesses in the area reported seeing an airplane fly over their homes the evening of the accident. The first witness, located near the shore of the Missouri River, near Fort Thompson, South Dakota, reported seeing an airplane about 200 feet above the ground, flying to the northeast, about 2045. He stated that the airplane was low and was moving quickly. The second witness, located a few miles southwest of the accident site, reported seeing an airplane flying at a very low altitude, headed north, about 2115. Neither witness reported hearing problems with the engine.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the airplane was reported missing by a concerned family member when the airplane did not arrive in Gettysburg, South Dakota, on the evening of April 27, 2014. The wreckage of the airplane was located by members of the Hyde County Fire Department and the Hyde County Sheriff's department around 0330 on the morning of April 28, 2014. The pilot was not communicating with air traffic control at the time of the accident and radar data for the accident flight was not available.
OTHER DAMAGE
Wind turbine tower #14, part of the South Dakota Wind Energy Center owned by NextEra Energy Resources, was damaged during the accident sequence. One of the three blades was fragmented into several large pieces. One large piece remained partially attached to a more inboard section of the turbine blade. The inboard piece of this same turbine blade remained attached at the hub to the nacelle. The outboard fragmented pieces of the wind turbine blade were located in a radius surrounding the base of the wind turbine tower. The other two wind turbine blades exhibited impact damage along the leading edges and faces of the blades.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
The pilot, age 30, held a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single engine land, multiengine land, and instrument ratings. He was issued a second class airman medical certificate without limitations on January 19, 2014. The pilot was a professional agricultural pilot and had flown agricultural airplanes in the area for several seasons.
The family provided investigators the pilot's flight logbook. The logbook covered a period between April 22, 2010, and April 20, 2014. He had logged no less than 3,895.8 hours total time; 100.7 hours of which were in the make and model of the accident airplane and 95.1 hours of which were in the accident airplane. This time included 76.2 hours at night, 1.1 hours of which had been recorded within the previous 90 days. The pilot was current for flight with passengers at night. He successfully completed the requirements of a flight review on January 18, 2013. He successfully completed an instrument proficiency check in a PA-32R on February 7, 2014.
According to the FAA, the pilot was familiar with the accident area. Specifically, the pilot was familiar with the wind turbine farm and had expressed his concern about the wind turbine farm to the FAA Flight Standards District Office in Rapid City, South Dakota. The details of his concerns were not available.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
The accident airplane, a Piper PA-32R-300 (serial number 32R-7680159), was manufactured in 1976. It was registered with the FAA on a standard airworthiness certificate for normal operations. A Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D engine rated at 300 horsepower at 2,700 rpm powered the airplane. The engine was equipped with a 2-blade Hartzell propeller. The airplane was equipped and certified for flight in instrument meteorological conditions.
The airplane was maintained under an annual inspection program. A review of the maintenance records indicated that an annual inspection had been completed on April 17, 2013, at an airframe total time of 4,766 hours.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
The closest official weather observation station was Pierre Regional Airport (KPIR), Pierre, South Dakota, located 35 miles west of the accident location. The elevation of the weather observation station was 1,744 feet mean sea level (msl). The routine aviation weather report (METAR) for KPIR, issued at 2124, reported wind from 010 degrees at 19 knots, visibility 10 miles, light rain, sky condition broken clouds at 1,000 feet, overcast at 1,600 feet, temperature 6 degrees Celsius (C), dew point temperature 5 degrees C, altimeter 29.37 inches, remarks ceiling variable between 800 and 1,200 feet.
The METAR issued at 2139 for KPIR reported wind from 070 degrees at 19 knots, visibility 4 miles, rain, mist, sky condition ceiling overcast clouds at 800 feet, temperature 6 degrees C, dew point temperature 5 degrees C, altimeter 29.37 inches, remarks ceiling variable between 600 and 1,300 feet.
Huron Regional Airport (KHON) in Huron, South Dakota, was located 53 miles to the east of the accident site at an elevation of 1,289 feet. The METAR issued at 2055 for KHON reported wind from 100 degrees at 20 knots, gusting to 27 knots, visibility 10 miles, sky condition ceiling overcast at 1,000 feet, temperature 9 degrees C, dew point temperature 7 degrees C, altimeter 29.36 inches, remarks peak wind of 29 knots from 090 degrees at 2015, rain began at 1956 and ended at 2006.
The National Weather Service (NWS) Surface Analysis Chart for 2200 CDT depicted a low-pressure center in southern Nebraska, with an occluded front extending into northeastern Kansas. A stationary front extended from northeastern Nebraska southeast through southern Iowa. Surface wind east of the accident location was generally easterly, with surface wind to the west of the accident location generally northerly. Station models across the state of South Dakota depicted overcast skies, with temperatures ranging from the high 30's Fahrenheit (F) to the mid-50's F. Rain and haze were depicted across the state.
A regional Next-Generation Radar (NEXRAD) mosaic obtained from the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) for 2115 identified a large portion of South Dakota under light to moderate values of reflectivity, including the region surrounding the accident site. WSR-88D Level II radar data obtained at 2114 from Aberdeen, South Dakota, (KABR), depicted altitudes between 5,460 and 13,200 feet at the accident site. The KABR data identified an area of light reflectivity coincident with the accident location approximately two minutes prior to the accident time.
Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data from the NOAA-16 satellite data were obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and identified cloudy conditions at or near the accident site. Cloud-top temperatures in the region varied between -53 degrees C and 6 degrees C. The temperature of -53 degrees C corresponded to heights of approximately 35,000 feet. Due to a temperature inversion in the ABR sounding near 4,000 feet, the temperature of 6 degrees C may correspond to various cloud heights ranging from at or very near the surface to between 3,500 and 6,500 feet.
An Area Forecast that included South Dakota was issued at 2045 CDT. The portion of the Area Forecast directed toward the eastern two-thirds of South Dakota forecasted for the accident time: ceiling overcast at 3,000 feet msl with cloud tops to flight level (FL)180, widely scattered light rain showers, and wind from the east at 20 knots with gusts to 30 knots. Prior to the 2045 CDT Area Forecast, another Area Forecast that included South Dakota was issued at 1345 CDT. The portion of the Area Forecast directed toward the central and eastern portions of South Dakota forecasted for the accident time: ceiling overcast at 3,000 feet msl with clouds layered up to FL300, scattered thunderstorms with light rain, cumulonimbus cloud tops to FL400, wind from the southeast at 20 knots with gusts to 35 knots.
Airmen's Meteorological Information (AIRMET) SIERRA for IFR conditions was issued at 1959 CDT for a region that included the accident location. AIRMET TANGO for moderate turbulence for altitudes below 15,000 feet was issued at 1545 CDT for a region that included the accident location. The AIRMET also addressed strong surface winds for a region that did not include the accident location. AIRMET ZULU for moderate ice for altitudes between the freezing level and FL200 was issued at 1545 CDT for a region that included the accident location.
There were no non-convective Significant Meteorological Information (SIGMET) advisories active for the accident location at the accident time. There were two Convective SIGMETs issued for convection close to the accident location in the two hours prior to the accident time
According to the United States Naval Observatory, Astronomical Applications Department Sun and Moon Data, the sunset was recorded at 2037 and the end of civil twilight was 2109. The moon rose at 0615 on the following day.
At the time of the accident the wind turbine tower #14 recorded the wind velocity at 9.7 meters per second or 21 miles per hour and the ambient temperature was 7 degrees C.
The pilot logged on to the CSC DUAT System on April 26, 2014, at 2141:36 and requested a low altitude weather briefing quick path service. The pilot identified the route of flight as a direct flight between KHRX and 0D8, at an altitude of 8,500 feet.
AIDS TO NAVIAGATION
The FAA Twin Cities Sectional Chart 87th edition, dated 9 January, 2014, through 26 June, 2014, depicted the city of Highmore, South Dakota, and the Highmore Airport on the southern edge of the chart boundary. The city of Highmore and the airport were both within the same boundary box with a maximum elevation figure of 24 or 2,400 feet msl. The maximum elevation figure immediately south of Highmore was 27 or 2,700 feet msl. An obstacle at an elevation of 276 feet above ground level (agl) and 2,180 feet msl was depicted immediately south of the city of Highmore. A wind farm was depicted south and east of Ree Heights, South Dakota – this wind farm was at an elevation of 420 feet agl and 2,447 feet msl. The wind farm involved in this accident was not depicted on this sectional chart.
The FAA Omaha Sectional Chart 89th edition, dated 6 February, 2014, through 24 July, 2014, depicted the city of Highmore, South Dakota, and the Highmore Airport on the northern edge of the chart boundary. The city of Highmore and the airport were both within the same boundary box with a maximum elevation figure of 24 or 2,400 feet msl. The maximum elevation figure immediately south of Highmore was 27 or 2,700 feet msl. A wind farm was depicted south and east of Ree Heights, South Dakota – this wind farm was at an elevation of 420 feet agl and 2,447 feet msl and 420 feet agl and 2,500 feet msl.
A single obstruction was depicted on the chart about 7 miles south of the city of Highmore, just to the east of highway 57. The obstruction was at an elevation of 215 feet agl and 2,335 feet msl. A group of obstructions was depicted on the chart about 9 miles south of the city of Highmore, just to the west of highway 57. The obstructions were at an elevation of 316 feet agl and 2,496 feet msl. The wind farm involved in this accident was not depicted on this sectional chart as a wind farm.
According to the FAA, the 90th edition of the Omaha Sectional Chart, effective from 24 July, 2014, through 5 February, 2015, added the depiction of the accident wind farm just south of the city of Highmore. This depicted the wind farm west and southwest of highway 57 at an elevation of 2,515 feet msl. In addition, an unlit obstruction at an elevation of 415 feet agl and 2,597 feet msl was depicted just south of the wind farm boundary.
There are no instrument approach procedures into 9D0. There are two RNAV (GPS) approaches, runway 13 and runway 31, into 0D8.
FLIGHT RECORDERS
The accident airplane was equipped with an Apollo GX-50 panel-mount 8-channel GPS receiver. The unit includes a waypoint database with information about airports, VOR, NDB, en route intersections, and special use airspace. Up to 500 custom user-defined waypoints may be stored, as well. The GX-50 is a TSO-C129a class unit capable of supporting IFR non-precision approach operations. Thirty flight plans composed of a linked list of waypoints may be defined and stored. The real-time navigation display can be configured to show: latitude/longitude, bearing, distance to target, ground speed, track angle, desired track, distance, and an internal course deviation indicator (CDI). The unit stores historical position information in volatile memory; however, by design there is no method to download this information.
The unit was sent to the NTSB Vehicle Recorders Lab in Washington D.C. for download. Upon arrival at the Vehicle Recorders Laboratory, an exterior examination revealed the unit had sustained significant structural damage. An internal inspection revealed most internal components, including the battery, were dislodged. Since the internal battery was dislodged and the unit relied upon volatile memory to record information, no further recovery efforts were attempted.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
The accident scene was located in level, vegetated terrain, in the middle of a wind turbine farm, about 10 miles south of Highmore, South Dakota. The terrain was vegetated with short and medium grass. The wreckage of the airplane was fragmented and scattered in a radius to the north, through to the west, and then through the south, surrounding the base of wind turbine tower #14. The fragmented pieces of the fuselage, empennage, engine and propeller assembly, and both wings were accounted for in the field of debris.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
The autopsy was performed by the Sanford Health Pathology Clinic on April 29, 2014, as authorized by the Hyde County Coroner's office. The autopsy concluded that the cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries and the report listed the specific injuries.
The FAA's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI), Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, performed toxicological tests on specimens that were collected during the autopsy (CAMI Reference #201400071001). Results were negative for all carbon monoxide and drugs. Testing of the blood detected 11 mg/dL ethanol; however, none was detected in the muscle or liver. Tests for cyanide were not conducted.
TESTS AND RESEARCH
Wreckage Examination
The wreckage was recovered and relocated to a hangar in Greeley, Colorado, for further examination. The wreckage was examined by investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board, Piper Aircraft, and Lycoming Engines.
The left wing separated from the fuselage and was fragmented. The fuel tanks were impact damaged and the left main landing gear separated from the wing assembly. The aileron and the flap separated from the wing assembly and were impact damaged.
The right wing separated from the fuselage and was fragmented. The fuel tanks were impact damaged. The right main landing gear was extended and remained attached to the right wing spar. The aileron and the flap separated from the wing assembly and were impact damaged.
The fuel selector valve was impact damaged. The position of the selector handle was at the left main fuel tank. Disassembly of the valve found the selector in an intermediate position between off and the left main tank. The fuel screen was clear of debris.
The instrument panel was fragmented and many of the instruments, radios, and gauges were destroyed. The ADI case and the directional gyro exhibited signatures of rotational scoring. The tachometer exhibited a reading of 2,400 to 2,500 rpm. The altimeter was broken and the needles separated. The Kollsman window was set at 29.27 inches. The airspeed indicator exhibited a reading of 235 miles per hour.
The pitot static system was impact damage and fragmented. The pitot tube and static port were clear and free of debris or mechanical blockage. Due to the damage, the system could not be functionally tested.
The empennage separated from the fuselage and was impact damaged. The aft portion of the vertical stabilizer was impact damaged and remained partially attached to the rudder at the hinge points. The stabilator was impact damaged and fragmented.
Flight control continuity to the ailerons, stabilator, and rudder could not be confirmed. The flight control cables were fractured in overload in multiple locations. The position of the flaps and landing gear could not be determined due to impact damage.
The engine was impact damaged impeding examination and testing for functionality. The spark plugs exhibited worn out normal signatures when compared to the Champion Aviation Check-A-Plug chart. The fuel injectors for the 1, 3, and 5 cylinders were clear of debris. The fuel injectors for the 2, 4, and 6 cylinders were impact damaged. The oil pick-up screen was clear of debris. The fuel servo and fuel pump were impact damaged and could not be functionally tested. The fuel flow divider was clear of debris. The vacuum pump case was bent and exhibited internal scoring consistent with operation at the time of the accident.
The propeller separated from the engine at the propeller flange. One blade exhibited S-bending, a curled tip, chord-wise scratches, and nicks and gouges along the leading edge of the propeller blade. The second blade exhibited chord-wise scratches, nicks and gouges along the leading edge of the propeller blade, and grey angular pain transfer near the tip of the propeller blade.
Wind Turbine Tower #14 Obstruction Light Power Supply, Flash Head, and Photocell Examination
The obstruction light, which included the power supply, flash head, and photocell (44812A), was removed from wind turbine tower #14 by an employee of ESI at the request of the wind turbine company. All of the components were shipped to Hughey & Phillips for further examination.
During the examination the following observations were made:
• The flash head gasket was broken into 5 pieces. The day lens was crazed and a screw was loose in flash head.
• The photocell which was in the container is an aftermarket unit and not as supplied by Hughey & Phillips.
• An aftermarket transformer was added to the power supply above the TB1 terminal block. This was not wired into the power supply and two wires hung from the transformer.
The power supply was placed on test jig and the power supply and flash head were connected via a 7-wire power cable, 7 feet in length, provided by Hughey & Phillips. When power was applied to the unit the flash head did not work - the red lamp attempted to flash and the white lamp did not flash.
• The lower flash tube was black consistent with age/use
• The power supply - capacitor C3 – was bulged at the top consistent with a bad capacitor
The capacitor was replaced and the red lamp functioned as designed. The white lamp did not function. The white flash tube was replaced with a new flash tube.
• When it was in day mode the white light activated
• When in night mode the red light activated
• When in auto mode, light was applied to the photocell sensor and after 30 seconds it switched from night to day mode. When light was removed and the sensor was covered to remove light, it switched back to night mode after 30 seconds.
The photocell was placed in a test chamber. When all light was removed, one light bulb illuminated. When 5 candelas was applied there was no change. The candelas were increased incrementally to 30 with no change. When the candelas were increased to 50, the test chamber switched to night mode within a minute or more.
The flash rate of the unit was tested.
• The red lamp tested at a rate of 25 flashed per minute – This is within the FAA specifications for the L-864 fixture, 20 to 40 flashes per minute.
• The white lamp tested at a rate of 40 flashes per minute- This is within the FAA specifications for the L-865 fixture, 40 flashes per minute.
The alarm function tested as designed.
The entire system operated normally with basic replacement of the flashtube and capacitor. The system was not operational in its as removed state.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Wind Turbine
The wind turbine farm south of Highmore, South Dakota, was constructed in 2003. There are 27 towers in the entire farm oriented from east to west across highway 57. It was reported to the NTSB, on scene, that each turbine tower is about 213 feet tall (from the ground to the center of the hub) and the blade length is 100 feet long. Each tower is equipped with three blades and FAA approved lighting. The blades are constructed from carbon fiber.
On June 2, 2003, the FAA issued a Determination of No Hazard to Air Navigation, regarding the installment of wind turbine tower #14 near Highmore, South Dakota. The document identified that the wind turbines would be 330 feet agl and 2,515 feet msl. A condition to the determination included that the structure be marked and/or lighted in accordance with FAA Advisory Circular 70/7460-1K Change 1.
The wind turbine tower #14 was located to the west of highway 57, and was the 5th wind turbine tower in a string of wind turbine towers, oriented from east to west. Wind turbine tower #14 was 0.3 miles to the west of the 4th wind turbine tower and 0.5 miles to the west of the 3rd wind turbine tower. The string of wind turbine towers changed direction after wind turbine tower #14 and continued to the south and south west for about 2 additional miles with 13 additional wind turbine towers in the string. The next closest wind turbine tower to #14 was 0.5 miles south.
The wind turbine tower #14 recorded an alert in the system when the airplane and the turbine blade collided and the turbine went offline. The impact was recorded at 2116:33. The blades were pitched at -0.5 degrees and the nacelle was at 112 degrees yaw angle (not a compass heading, rather nacelle rotation). There were no employees at the wind farm maintenance facility when the accident occurred. The NextEra control center in Juno Beach, Florida, received an immediate alert when the collision occurred. The company response would have been to send an employee to the wind turbine the next morning to determine why the turbine had gone offline.
Maintenance records for wind turbine tower #14, for 5 years prior to the accident, were submitted to the NTSB investigator in charge for review. These records included major and minor inspection sheets for 2010 and 2011 in addition to work management records for general maintenance, repairs, and fault troubleshooting that occurred between June 2010, and October of 2014 (after the accident). The major and minor inspection sheets for 2010 and 2011 indicated that the FAA lighting was inspected and found to be "normal" or "OK." No other maintenance records were provided which illustrated maintenance that was conducted or performed on the FAA lighting system between 2010 and the accident.
It was reported to the NTSB IIC that the light on tower #14 was not functioning at the time of the accident and had been inoperative for an undefined period. The actual witness to the inoperative light did not return telephone calls in attempt to confirm or verify this observation.
FAA Lighting Requirements
The US Department of Transportation – FAA issued Advisory Circular AC 70/7460-1K Obstruction Marking and Lighting on February 1, 2007.
Section 23. Light Failure Notification states in part that "…conspicuity is achieved only when all recommended lights are working. Partial equipment outages decrease the margin of safety. Any outage should be corrected as soon as possible. Failure of a steady burning side or intermediate light should be corrected as soon as possible, but notification is not required. B. Any failure or malfunction that lasts more than thirty (3) minutes and affects a top light or flashing obstruction light, regardless of its position, should be reported immediately to the appropriate flight service station (FSS) so a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) can be issued."
Section 44. Inspection, Repair, and Maintenance states in part that "Lamps should be replaced after being operated for not more than 75 percent of their rated life or immediately upon failure. Flashtubes in alight unit should be replaced immediately upon failure, when the peak effective intensity falls below specification limits or when the fixture begins skipping flashes, or at the manufacturer's recommended intervals. Due to the effects of harsh environments, beacon lenses should be visually inspected for ultraviolet damage, cracks, crazing, dirt, build up, etc., to insure that the certified light output has not deteriorated."
Section 47. Monitoring Obstruction Light stated in part that "Obstruction lighting systems should be closely monitored by visual or automatic means. It is extremely important to visually inspect obstruction lighting in all operating intensities at least once every 24 hours on systems without automatic monitoring."
Chapter 13, Sections 130 through 134, addressed Marking and Lighting Wind Turbine Farms. Wind turbine farms are defined as "a wind turbine development that contains more than three (3) turbines of heights over 200 feet above ground level." In addition, a linear configuration in a wind farm is "a line-like arrangement… The line may be ragged in shape or be periodically broke, and may vary in size from just a few turbines up to 20 miles long."
Section 131. General Standards states in part that "Not all wind turbine units within an installation or farm need to be lighted." "Definition of the periphery of the installation is essential; however, lighting of interior wind turbines is of lesser importance…" "Obstruction lights within a group of wind turbines should have unlighted separations or gaps of no more than ½ statute mile if the integrity of the group appearance is to be maintained."
Section 134. Lighting Standards states in part that "Obstruction lights should have unlighted separations or gaps of no more than ½ mile. Lights should flash simultaneously. Should the synchronization of the lighting system fail, a lighting outage report should be made in accordance with paragraph 23 of this advisory circular." Section c. Linear Turbine Configuration states in part "Place a light on each turbine positioned at each end of the line or string of turbines. Lights should be no more than ½ statute mile, or 2,640 feet from the last lit turbine."
http://registry.faa.gov/N8700E
NTSB Identification: CEN14FA224
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, April 27, 2014 in Highmore, SD
Aircraft: PIPER PA 32R-300, registration: N8700E
Injuries: 4 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 27, 2014, at 2116 central daylight time, a Piper PA-32R-300 airplane, N8700E, was destroyed when it impacted the blade of a wind turbine 11 miles south of Highmore, South Dakota. The commercial pilot and three passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated without a flight plan. The flight originated from Hereford Municipal Airport (KHRX), Hereford, Texas, approximately 1700.
According to officials with the Federal Aviation Administration, the airplane was reported missing by a concerned family member when the airplane did not arrive in Gettysburg, South Dakota, on the evening of April 27, 2014. The wreckage of the airplane was located by members of the Hyde County Fire Department and the Hyde County Sheriff's department around 0330 on the morning of April 28, 2014.
The wreckage of the airplane was scattered in a radius surrounding the base of a wind turbine. The airplane was fragmented. One turbine blade exhibited impact damage and was broken into several large pieces, several of which remained attached to the turbine nacelle. The remaining two turbine blades exhibited impact damage.
The closest official weather observation station was Pierre Regional Airport (KPIR), Pierre, South Dakota, located 37 miles west of the accident location. The routine aviation weather report (METAR) for KPIR, issued at 2124, reported wind 010 degrees at 19 knots, visibility 10 miles, sky condition broken clouds at 1,000 feet, overcast at 1,600 feet, temperature 06 degrees Celsius (C), dew point temperature 05 degrees C, altimeter 29.37 inches, remarks, ceiling variable between 800 and 1,200 feet.
Donald "DJ" Jerome Fischer
Donald "DJ" Jerome Fischer
(May 1, 1983 - April 27, 2014)
Donald “DJ” Fischer, 30, of Gettysburg, passed away, Sunday, April 27, 2014 in a tragic plane crash south of Highmore, SD.
Mass of Christian Burial was held at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, May 3, 2014 at the Gettysburg School Gym with Father Jerry Kopel officiating. Burial followed in the Gettysburg Cemetery. A prayer service was held at 7:00 p.m., Friday, May 2, 2014 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Gettysburg.
Donald Jerome Fischer “DJ”, was born May 1, 1983 in Gettysburg, SD to Donald Dale and Laurie (Pollock) Fischer.
DJ was born, raised, and resided in Gettysburg, a community he loved and generously supported. He graduated from Gettysburg High School in 2001 where he enjoyed competing in football, basketball, and track for the Battlers. He was a great friend to all and was named Homecoming King and Male Athlete of the Year his senior year. His true passion was on the football field and he continued his football career with a scholarship to South Dakota State University, where he was an outstanding Jackrabbit for 5 years. He graduated from SDSU with an Economics degree in 2006. It was at SDSU where he earned his private pilot’s license, and discovered his new passion, FLYING.
He started his flying career by briefly moving to Myrtle Beach, SC to build flight hours by towing banners along the beach. He said the job was horribly boring, but was worth it to become a Commercial Ag Pilot, a career he had been looking forward to since he was a little boy. He moved back to Gettysburg in 2007 to work for Air Kraft Spraying out of Timber Lake, SD. He loved his job dearly and looked forward to every day he was able to do what he loved (unless it was a day full of little fields). He was most comfortable when he was in an airplane and enjoyed giving rides to anyone brave enough to ride with him. Local farmers were always searching the skies, as they knew a “buzz” from DJ was always a possibility.
DJ could never sit still. In addition to flying, he owned and operated Dakota Applicators, a spray foam insulation company that he built into a thriving business. He also was an avid outdoorsman and dedicated his fall each year to guiding at the Paul Nelson Farm pheasant-hunting lodge. He raised and trained two labs, Blondie and Zoey, and loved to watch them flush birds and make impossible retrieves from the field.
DJ was highly regarded in the community of Gettysburg where he was very active. He was a member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus. He served as the city airport manager and was an active member of the local Friends of the NRA chapter. He also served as an EMT and volunteer firefighter. Everyone praised DJ for his calm and confident demeanor during emergency situations.
DJ, aka “the gentle giant”, was a very selfless man and always put others ahead of himself. He was quite the jokester and the king of “winging it”. Details never really meant much to DJ as long as the end result was close to what he was looking for. He was a light-hearted, sincere man who never let the small things get to him. He truly took life in stride adhering to his motto, “it is what it is”.
DJ met the love of his life, Megan Grove in June of 2012. Sparks flew from the start and they spent as much time as possible together over the next several months. He knew she was “the one” and they got engaged during a well planned “emergency” landing in September of 2013. They were then married in Mexico on March 12, 2014 with family and friends by their side. A good time was definitely had by all.
The couple made the most of their short time together by having fun in whatever they did. They enjoyed traveling together in their Piper Lance airplane to visit family and friends. They also attended every possible Jackrabbit football game and hosted the Mini Winnie Tailgate party at home games.
DJ is survived by his wife Megan of Gettysburg; mother, Laurie (Steve) Robbennolt of Gettysburg; maternal grandparents: Mike & Mary Pollock of Sturgis; paternal grandmother, Dorothy Fischer of Gettysburg; grandmother, Donna Robbennolt of Gettysburg; sisters: Amber (Andy) Mikkelsen, Katelyn and Kelcey Robbennnolt all of Gettysburg; brothers: Tyler (Kelsey) Fischer, Michael Fischer, and Blake Robbennolt all of Gettysburg; nieces: Neva, Olivia, and Isabelle Mikkelsen; nephews: Camdon and Nash Fischer; aunts, uncles, cousins and his two dogs, Blondie and Zoey. He is also survived by his paternal father-in-law, Mark (Sharilyn) Grove of Cedar Falls, IA; maternal mother-in-law, Jackie (Chet) Edinger of Mitchell; brother-in-law, Tanner Grove and sisters-in-law, Molly & Taylor Grove all of Mitchell.
DJ was preceded in death by his father, Donald Fischer; uncles: Jerry, Duane, and Donny Pollock; grandfather, Wilfred Fischer and Gene Robbennolt.
Our deepest and sincerest gratitude is extended to all of our family and friends, near and far, for your support and prayers in our time of grieving.
A memorial has been established at Great Western Bank, 111 N. East St, Gettysburg, SD 57442.
Luce Funeral Home of Gettysburg has been entrusted with DJ’s arrangements.
http://www.familyfuneralhome.net
Brent Beitelspacher
Brent Beitelspacher, 37, Bowdle, died Sunday, April 27, 2014 in an airplane accident south of Highmore, SD. Funeral services will be 2:00 PM, Thursday, May 1, 2014 at the Bowdle School Gymnasium with Pastor Patrick Hahn leading the service. Burial follows at the St. Paul Lutheran Church Cemetery, Bowdle. Organist will be Rhonda Strouckel and the congregation will sing "Christ is Risen! Alleluia!", "On Eagle's Wings", and "Precious Lord, Take My hand". Ushers will be Lyle Kiesz and David Schaffer.
Visitation will be from 5:00-9:00 PM Wednesday at Lien Funeral Home, Bowdle, with family present from 5:00-7:00 PM.
Brent Jay Beitelspacher, son of Carla (Kilber) and Leroy Beitelspacher, was born at Bowdle on April 28, 1976. He was brought up on the Beitelspacher farm 15 miles SW of Bowdle in Walworth County. He attended school in Bowdle and graduated with the BHS Class of 1994. He went on to South Dakota State University where he was on the Collegiate Livestock Judging Team. In December 1998, Brent earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Animal Science. In 1999, Brent, along with Mark Beitelspacher, purchased Potter County Livestock from Kenneth Koops, changed the name to Gettysburg Livestock, and re-opened it on May 1, 1999. Brent married Nicole Michael at Rapid City on August 11, 2001 and the couple settled in Gettysburg, SD. Brent, along with his brother Brandon, and Justin Cronin also purchased J&B’s C Store in Gettysburg. In 2009, he sold both businesses and he and his family relocated to Bowdle. After farming for two years, Brent was hired as an animal nutrition consultant by Northern Plains Cooperative. He continued to help on the family farm with all farming and livestock aspects. He also purchased livestock for both club calf and purebred breeders throughout the United States. Brent belonged to St. Paul Lutheran Church, Bowdle, and was vice president of the Bowdle Golf Club. He was instrumental in resurrecting the Bowdle Trap Club and was just beginning instruction of shooting and archery for 4-H. He loved hunting, which led him to be the Bowdle Rooster Round Up co-chair for several years. He was also a tournament fisherman, golfer, and scuba diver.
Brent is survived by his grandmother, Lenora Kilber of Bowdle; His parents, Leroy and Carla of Bowdle; Nicole, his wife of 12 years; his son, Cade, and daughter, Alana; and two brothers, Colin (Amanda) Beitelspacher of Bowdle and Brandon (Andrea) Beitelspacher of Ipswich, SD.
He was preceded in death by grandparents, Erhard and Minnie Beitelspacher and Lester Kilber.
Honorary bearers will be Brent’s cousins and all of his friends.
Casketbearers will be Cory Jueneman of Mobridge, SD, Jerry Beadle, Stuart Thomsen, Craig Hoerner, Jeremy Hoffman, Mark Beitelspacher, and Jeb Schock all of Bowdle, and Joel Heilman of Roscoe, SD.
Lien Funeral Home, Bowdle, Is in charge of arrangements.
http://www.millerlienfh.com
Logan Rau
Today we will remember the life of Logan Rau. As the fifth generation Rau working the land, Logan was a farmer and rancher through and through. He was a great cattleman that we will truly miss. Logan will be remembered best by his unforgettable smile and his ability to ‘tell it how it was’ one minute and make you laugh the next.
DJ Fischer
The plane crash that took the lives of three cattlemen and one pilot from central South Dakota was the first of its kind, according to industry experts. While the investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board is ongoing, South Dakota Wind Energy Association executive director Paul Bachman said the accident was the first plane to ever collide with a wind turbine in the state.
Lindsay North, spokesperson for the American Wind Energy Association, said her organization has never heard of a plane colliding with a turbine. The NTSB finished collecting any remaining debris from the crash on Wednesday. The material will be examined by investigators in Greeley, Colo.
The single engine Piper was manufactured in 1976 and owned by Donald “D.J.” Fischer, 30, of Gettysburg. Fischer used the plane while working for Air Kraft Spraying Inc.
Fischer, along with Brent Beitelspacher, 37, of Bowdle, Logan Rau, 25, of Java, and Nick Reimann, 33, of Ree Heights, died after the plane crashed into a 300-foot wind turbine.
The crash occurred in the South Dakota Wind Energy Center, south of Highmore. The plane was declared missing late Sunday evening. The energy center contains 27 wind turbines, which are owned by Florida-based NextEra Energy Inc.
The flight originated in Hereford, Texas, after the four men attended a cattle show on Saturday.
According to Hereford city manager Rick Hanna, the men used a self-service fueling station before leaving around 7 p.m. on Sunday. Hanna said there was a terrible dust storm in Hereford at the time. Fischer did not file a flight plan, Hanna said.
As of Thursday afternoon, the NTSB did not have any new updates on the nature of the crash or why the plane was flying so low.
http://www.capjournal.com
Logan Rau
Brent Beitelspacher Memorial
Shared from Michelle Weber Custom Painting’s Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Michelle-Weber-Custom-Painting/157513847665764
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Michelle-Weber-Custom-Painting/157513847665764
The fundraising site has been set up in memory of Nick and in honor of his wife and children. 100% of the money raised will go towards the needs of Kyrstin, Croix, and Cannon. Nick was a loving husband, father, son, and friend to many.
Nick Reimann
Donald "DJ" Fischer
The National Transportation Safety Board will begin today to remove the wreckage from the crash of a small aircraft south of Highmore.
The single-engine Piper PA-32 was reported missing Sunday evening and was found early Monday 10 miles south of the central South Dakota town.
The pilot and airplane owner, Donald "DJ" Fischer, and the three passengers, Nick Reimann, Logan Rau, Brent Beitelspacher, were killed in the crash.
Jennifer Rodi, a senior air safety investigator with the NTSB, said what is known at this point is that around 9:16 p.m. Sunday the plane struck one of the 27 wind turbines on the South Dakota Wind Energy Center.
"But why the plane hit the turbine will obviously be the focus of the investigation moving forward," she said.
The NTSB is leading the investigation, not the Federal Aviation Administration, because there were fatalities.
Rodi said the intent is to recover the wreckage over the next couple days, if the damaged wind turbine blade does not present a danger to crews on the ground. The objective on Monday was recovering the bodies, she said.
The FAA was on scene yesterday, and a NTSB recovery team from Greeley, Colo., will arrive soon, she said.
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A college friend of one of the victims in Sunday night's airplane crash recalls Nick Reimann as a selfless man.
Reimann was one of four South Dakotans on a Piper aircraft that crashed about 10 miles south of Highmore late Sunday night. All four on board died. Those on the plane were Reimann, of Ree Heights; Brent Beitelspacher, 37, of Bowdle; Logan Rau, 25, of Java; and the pilot and plane's owner, Donald "D.J." Fischer, 30, of Gettysburg.
Savanah Allen, of Palmer, Texas, has fond memories of Reimann. The two met while attending Oklahoma State University. Allen now operates Ranchology, a design firm that promotes the Western lifestyle.
"He was so selfless," Allen said of Reimann. "He would help anyone that needed help. He loved kids; he loved cattle. He was amazing at what he did."
Allen said Reimann was born and raised in Ree Heights, which is about 13 miles east of Highmore.
"Nick always knew he was going back home," said Allen, explaining she heard of the accident at 7:15 a.m. Monday.
She said it's "gut wrenching" just thinking about how close the group was to being home.
"I wish they would have waited until morning," Allen said.
A preliminary FAA report filed Monday reports that the Piper aircraft struck a wind tower and crashed.
Local law enforcement officers have referred all inquiries about the accident to the Hyde County State's Attorney's office.
According to an Associated Press report, The National Safety Transportation Board has indicated an investigation will be taking place to determine why the aircraft was flying low enough to strike the wind turbines.
Local residents say the 27 wind turbines south of town have been in place for about eight years. Highmore resident Garry Van Zee said the area near the turbines is notoriously foggy.
"It's always twice as foggy as anywhere else," he said. "I would say they probably didn't know what they were running into."
The single-engine Piper crashed in foggy weather Sunday evening 10 miles south of the central South Dakota city of Highmore, killing the pilot and three cattlemen returning from a sale of live cattle and embryos.
Possible factors include trouble with the pilot or plane and weather, said Jennifer Rodi, an NTSB investigator.
"Was the pilot having problems? Was it the weather? Was the airplane having problems?" Rodi said. "We haven't ruled anything out at this point."
It's not known if the pilot filed a flight plan, she added. He was not communicating with air-traffic controllers at the time of the crash.
Mike Mimms, a veterinarian who runs the annual sale in Hereford, said Reimann had been down for the show multiple times and is known across the industry as a master in livestock genetics.
"He was honestly the number one guy in this business and one that people trusted," he said of Reimann. "He kind of a was a trendsetter that people wanted to know what he was doing and they tended to follow suit."
The wreckage was found Monday at the South Dakota Wind Energy Center, a site south of Highmore with 27 turbines that are about 213 feet tall, plus the length of the blade.
The National Weather Service said fog and low clouds combined for reduced visibility in the Highmore area on Sunday night, and winds were out of the east at about 15 to 25 mph.
Rodi said the ultimate destination of the flight was Gettysburg, where the pilot lived, but he had picked up a passenger in Highmore on the way to Texas.
Highmore is less than 800 miles from Hereford, which falls within the maximum range of a Piper. However, factors such as how much fuel was in the plane when it left and what kind of head winds there were contribute to range, so that will also be part of the investigation, she said.
Rodi said that to her knowledge the plane did not stop to refuel, though that will be part of the investigation.
Source: http://www.aberdeennews.com
A pilot and three cattlemen died early Monday morning near Highmore when their plane struck a wind turbine.
Tony Molinaro, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said the single-engine Piper PA-32 was reported missing on Sunday and was later found 10 miles south of the central South Dakota town. The plane was traveling from Hereford, Texas, to Gettysburg, according to the FAA.
An FAA team was sent to the crash site Monday. However, since there were fatalities, the investigation is under the jurisdiction of the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB did not return calls seeking comment by Monday evening.
A preliminary accident and incident report on the FAA’s website Monday night said the aircraft struck a wind tower and lists the plane’s condition as “destroyed.” The report also said the plane was the subject of an alert notice, which was sent out at 2:40 a.m. on Monday.
The four victims have been identified as Nick Reimann of Ree Heights, Logan Rau of Java, Brent Beitelspacher of Bowdle and Donald “DJ” Fischer of Gettysburg.
According to FAA records the plane was registered to Fischer.
A graduate of South Dakota State University, Fischer played football for the school in the mid-2000s under current head coach John Stiegelmeier.
“DJ was a picture of what you want out of a student athlete,” Stiegelmeier said. “He was one of those guys who when you asked him to do something there was no hesitation.”
Fischer had an unbelievable work ethic, he said, and stayed connected to the football program even after graduating.
The 30-year-old, who, according to the South Dakota Aviation Association, was a pilot for Air Kraft Spraying Inc., died in the vehicle he made a living with, Stiegelmeier said.
Fischer was one of seven siblings. According to his brother, Michael, he had three nieces and two nephews and was a loving family man. Fischer married his wife, Megan, six weeks ago.
As a volunteer firefighter and EMT, Fischer was always there to help other people, Michael said.
“He was a community man,” Michael said.
The wreckage was found at the South Dakota Wind Energy Center, a group of wind turbines, all approximately 300-foot-tall, placed on several parcels of private property. The crash site was in a pasture west of South Dakota State Highway 47 and north of 207th Street.
Steve Stengel, a spokesman for Florida-based NextEra Engery Inc, whose subsidiary operates the turbines, said the company was notified early Monday morning about the missing plane. One of the wind turbine technicians on the site is a volunteer fireman, and he was alerted to the situation at 3 a.m., Stengel said.
Because of the weather – heavy fog and moderate rain for most of the day – no one from NextEra had been out to inspect the turbines, Stengel said. He could not confirm what damage had been done to the turbines.
“We are following the lead of the authorities who are leading the investigation,” he said.
The Hyde County Sheriff’s Office had all access to the area blocked off Monday and referred all questions to the Hyde County State’s Attorney. The State’s Attorney’s office referred questions to the FAA.
The identities of Fischer and the other victims were released by the families and the funeral homes making the burial arrangements.
Rau’s sister, TiAnn Poloncic, said her 25-year-old brother could sell a ketchup Popsicle to someone wearing white gloves.
“He had the gift of gab and could make anyone laugh,” she added.
Rau loved his family, hunting, ice fishing, the Kansas City Chiefs and treated his three dogs like children, Poloncic said.
Rau married his wife, Natalie, a school teacher in Bowdle, on July 27, 2013. He attended Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown and was halfway done with a paramedic program before making the choice to head back to the family farm and run the operation with his father Todd, Poloncic said.
“He was living the American dream,” she said. “He was a tough farmer but he had a soft heart. He loved what he did.”
Beitelspacher, who turned 38 on Monday, was remembered by friends and loved ones for his passion.
“He was very energetic,” said his mother Carla. “He was ready to capture the world.”
He was a very loving husband and father and a hard worker who almost always had a smile on his face, she said.
Carla Beitelspacher said her son loved hunting, fishing and being outdoors. Beitelspacher had a sale barn in Gettysburg for 10 years before he began working for Northern Plains, a diversified farmer-owned county operation of Cenex Harvest States.
Cory Jueneman was one of the people that traveled around the country, hunted and fished with Beitelspacher.
“We fished a lot of tournaments over the years,” he said, “and hunted everything we could.”
The men had become so close they spoke every day while they went to work. “I talked to him every day at 6:50 in the morning,” Jueneman said, adding that counted the weekends also. He and Beitelspacher even vacationed together, taking their wives with them. This year, the group went to Costa Rica, Jueneman said.
“We were pretty big buddies,” he said.
Reimann, 33, operated Reimann Ranch along with his wife Kyrstin according to the company’s website.
The four men traveled to Hereford to attend an annual cattle sale hosted by Mike Mimms, a veterinarian, on Saturday.
“Nick Reimann had some of the best cows in the country,” said Mimms. “He was an influential breeder in the industry.”
Mimms considered Reimann a long-time friend, who was well respected among cattlemen.
Although he had been purchasing cattle from Beitelspacher for more than a decade, Mimms hadn’t met his supplier until last weekend. Mimms met Rau the same day.
Fog and low clouds combined for reduced visibility in the Highmore area on Sunday night, and winds were out of the east at about 15 to 25 mph, said Renee Wise, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Aberdeen. There were also scattered showers across region Sunday night, and some might have been heavy at times, she said.
The cattlemen, along with Fischer, tried to wait for extreme winds to subside before making the flight back to South Dakota, Mimms said. They even considered heading back with another cattleman who was driving back to South Dakota early Sunday morning, he said, but the men didn’t want to trouble him.
“The people that have lost family members need to know that people in Texas realize that the parents and the families of those guys are well respected here,” Mimms said. “The guys came down here to support us and pay respects to customers they had.That’s a thing that weighs on my mind – if it hadn’t been for this sale, they wouldn’t have been here.”
Story and comments/reaction: http://www.capjournal.com
Several of the wind turbines of the South Dakota Wind Energy Center
south of Highmore shrouded by fog and rain on Monday. A plane crashed
into one of the 27 turbines early Monday morning, killing the pilot and
three passengers.
A Hyde County truck parked in front the pasture south of Highmore where a
plane struck a wind turbine early Monday morning. The Hyde County
Sheriff’s Office restricted access to crash site while law enforcement
and the FAA investigated.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A federal investigator at the site of a fatal plane crash in South Dakota plans to focus on why the airplane was flying so low when it apparently hit the blade of a wind turbine.
The single-engine Piper crashed in foggy weather Sunday evening 10 miles south of the central South Dakota city of Highmore, killing the pilot and three cattlemen returning from a sale of live cattle and embryos.
Possible factors include trouble with the pilot or plane and weather, said Jennifer Rodi, a National Transportation Safety Board investigator.
"Was the pilot having problems? Was it the weather? Was the airplane having problems?" Rodi said. "We haven't ruled anything out at this point."
It's not known if the pilot filed a flight plan, she added. He was not communicating with air-traffic controllers at the time of the crash.
The pilot, Donald J. "D.J." Fischer, 30, of Gettysburg, owned the plane. Also killed were cattlemen Brent Beitelspacher, 37, of Bowdle, and Logan Rau, 25, of Java, and Nick Reimann, 33, of Ree Heights.
Mike Mimms, a veterinarian who runs the annual sale in Hereford, said Reimann had been down for the show multiple times and is known across the industry as a master in livestock genetics.
"He was honestly the number one guy in this business and one that people trusted," he said of Reimann. "He kind of a was a trendsetter that people wanted to know what he was doing and they tended to follow suit."
Mimms said much of Reimann's herd originated from the Beitelspacher family's herd.
Beitelspacher's mother, Carla Beitelspacher, told the Pierre Capital Journal that her son loved hunting, tournament fishing and being outdoors. He was a loving husband and father who almost always had a smile on his face, she said.
"He was very energetic," Carla Beitelspacher said. "He was ready to capture the world."
Rau, who had two pregnant cows consigned to the sale, loved his family, hunting, ice fishing, the Kansas City Chiefs and treated his three dogs like children, said his sister, TiAnn Poloncic.
Poloncic told the Capital Journal that her brother was halfway through a paramedic program at Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown when he made choice to head back to the family farm and run the operation with his father, Todd Rau.
"He was living the American dream," she said. "He was a tough farmer but he had a soft heart. He loved what he did."
Fischer, a crop sprayer for Air Kraft Spraying Inc., attended South Dakota State University and played defensive tackle for the school's football team from 2002-2005. Fischer's college coach, John Stiegelmeier, described him as a gifted athlete who was a great friend to his teammates.
The wreckage was found Monday at the South Dakota Wind Energy Center, a site south of Highmore with 27 turbines that are about 213 feet tall, plus the length of the blade.
The National Weather Service said fog and low clouds combined for reduced visibility in the Highmore area on Sunday night, and winds were out of the east at about 15 to 25 mph.
Rodi said the ultimate destination of the flight was Gettysburg, where the pilot lived, but he had picked up a passenger in Highmore on the way to Texas.
Highmore is less than 800 miles from Hereford, which falls within the maximum range of a Piper. However, factors such as how much fuel was in the plane when it left and head winds contribute to range, so that will also be part of the investigation, she said.
Rodi said that to her knowledge the plane did not stop to refuel, though that will be part of the investigation.
Fischer was certified to fly with instruments only but she didn't know if he was current on that rating, she added.
Civil Air Patrol Grounded Day Of Plane Disappearance
SIOUX FALLS, SD -
Captain Neil Schmid has been a pilot for many years, now working with the Civil Air Patrol. He's been through many different types of weather conditions and knows how quickly a flight plan can change.
"Clouds, ceilings, wind, winds upstairs and winds on the ground, visible moisture, visibility and so on," Schmid said.
More than one thing can keep a plane on the ground, and it could be more than one thing that led to a crash near Highmore, killing all four people on board. Schmid won't speculate about what could've brought the plane down, but he does know that on Sunday, the day the Piper 32 disappeared; the winds led to the cancellation of a scheduled drill and grounded every Civil Air Patrol aircraft.
"There were several aircraft in the air and it got too windy and we brought them down and held by the safety standard that we have," Schmid said.
Those planes are still grounded, waiting for the winds to calm down. Schmid says that he has flown a Piper PA-32R-300, like the one that went down, and like the planes he flies for the Civil Air Patrol; the smallest weather change can keep him from going in the air.
"Most light aircraft have weather capabilities, but it's fairly limited. You don't want to be flying through thunderstorms and severe high wind situations, you want to be very careful," Schmid said.
Schmid says the experience of the pilot can also go a long way in determining whether flying in certain weather conditions is safe.
"Always have an out. You can always turn around and go back the way you came from, that's probably best because if you're going into bad weather, the weather you came from is probably better than where you're going," Schmid said.
Schmid emphasized that anything discussed about why the plane went down is purely speculation until the NTSB concludes its investigation.
Story and video: http://www.keloland.com
Football Coach Remembers Plane Crash Victim
SIOUX FALLS, SD -
While the Federal Aviation Administration tries to learn more about the small plane that crashed and killed four people, SDSU Head Football Coach John Stiegelmeier is thinking about a saying he teaches the players who step onto his field.
"Play like it's your last play," Stiegelmeier said.
It is something Donald "DJ" Fischer, who is one of the four men killed in the crash, learned while he was a football player at SDSU. Fischer redshirted in 2001 and lettered from 2002 to 2005.
"This is a tough loss," Stiegelmeier said. "From my observation with his teammates, a great friend to many. Just a lovable guy."
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the single-engine Piper was registered to Fischer of Gettysburg. The crash was reported early Monday morning about five miles south of Highmore, which is 50 miles east of Pierre. The wreckage is near a wind farm south of Highmore and a blade on one of the wind towers appears to be broken. According to the FAA preliminary crash report, the aircraft hit the wind tower before crashing.
The National Weather Service in Aberdeen reported fog and low clouds combined for reduced visibility in the Highmore-area Sunday night. Winds were out of the east at about 15 to 25 miles per hour and there were scattered showers, some of them heavy.
Stiegelmeier got the news early Monday morning. He said the defensive tackle was serious and quiet. He let his work ethic do the talking for him.
"Anybody who works as hard as DJ Fischer worked, guys are going to look up to him. That's kind of the trademark of being a Jackrabbit. He was kind of a picture of that," Stiegelmeier said.
Fischer was an honorable mention all-Great West Football Conference selection as a junior in 2004. He also earned all-state recognition in football at Gettysburg High School as a junior and senior. The SDSU Football program is a big family, and right now players and colleagues who knew Fischer are leaning on each other for support. It is easy to see the motto Stiegelmeier teaches his teams goes beyond the football field.
"The lesson to me, is, live like it's your last day. I would say DJ did live his life like that. He lived his life to the fullest," Stiegelmeier said.
Story and video: http://www.keloland.com
HIGHMORE -- A small airplane heading back to South Dakota after a Texas cattle sale crashed into a wind farm in foggy weather.
Nick Reimann, Logan Rau, Brent Beitelspacher and pilot Donald ‘DJ’ Fischer all died in the crash. Sullivan Supply, a stock show industry news site, confirmed this information on its blog.
Steve Stengel with Florida-based NextEra Energy Resources says the wreckage was found on the site of the South Dakota Wind Energy Center.
That operation south of Highmore has 27 turbines that are about 213 feet tall, plus the length of the blade.
Fischer’s mother sparked the search for the wreckage when she hadn’t heard from him around 2 a.m. The plane was expected to land around 10 or 11 last night.
Doug Kroeplin helped the search party. He told KSFY News the plane stopped in Highmore to pick up a passenger on the way to Texas. Some assume Fischer planned to land in Highmore again on the return trip. The crash happened near the Highmore airport.
The National Weather Service in Aberdeen says fog and low clouds combined for reduced visibility in the area Sunday night. Winds were out of the east at about 15 to 25 mph and there were scattered showers, some of them heavy.
Story, video, photo gallery and comments/reaction: http://www.ksfy.com
DJ Fischer
Nick Reimann
Logan Rau
An Industry in Mourning
The stock show industry in mourning the loss of three young cattleman from tremendous South Dakota ranching families. Nick Reimann, Logan Rau, and Brent Beitelspacher were all involved in a deadly plane accident last night due to bad weather.
Read more here: http://pulse.sullivansupply.com/
HIGHMORE, S.D. — A small airplane that crashed into a wind turbine in central South Dakota and killed four people Monday morning was returning from a cattle sale in Hereford.
Three of the men killed in an early-morning plane cras been identified by information sent from funeral homes to the American News in Aberdeen, S.D.
Brent Beitelspacher, 37, of Bowdle, S.D., and Logan Rau, 25, of Java, S.D., were killed in an overnight airplane accident, according to their funeral notices.
Donald J. “D.J.” Fischer, of Gettysburg, S.D., died early this morning in the Highmore area, according to a death notice sent to the newspaper. A standout athlete, he played college football at South Dakota State University.
The fourth victim had not been identified Monday afternoon. The plane was en route from Hereford to South Dakota, an FAA official said.
Beitelspacher and Rau are all well-known in the cattle industry.
Mike Mimms, of Mimms Cattle Co. in Hereford, said Beitelspacher and Rau were in Hereford for Saturday’s Donor’s Unlimited Share the Future sale. He said Beitelspacher had one cow consigned in the sale and Rau two.
Mimms said that he has been buying cattle from the Beitelspachers in Bowdle for the past 15 years, but that he met Brent in person for the first time for about a minute before Saturday’s sale.
Both Beitelspacher and Rau had excellent reputations in the cattle industry, Mimms said. He said he and Beitelspacher have done millions of dollars in business over the phone.
“It was always honest dealings and fair dealings and mutual respect,” Mimms said.
“I can’t get their families out of my mind, thinking about them.”
Mimms said Beitelspacher traveled to Hereford so the two could meet after doing business together for so long, not to watch his one cow sell.
“They came down here to support this sale, not for any reason of their own,” Mimms said.
The plane was found near a damaged wind tower, according to the Associated Press.
The accident scene appears to be about 10 miles south of Highmore, to the west of County Road 47 near 207th Street.
Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Cory said the Piper 32 from traveling from Hereford on its way to Gettysburg.
She confirmed the tail number of the plan as 8700E. According to Federal Aviation Administration records, a plane with that tail number is registered to Fischer.
According to FAA records, Fischer’s plane is a Piper PA-32R-300. It is a fixed wing, single-engine plane manufactured in 1976.
Cory said the crash was reported early Monday morning about 5 miles south of Highmore, which is about 50 miles east of Pierre.
Kathy Zilverberg, an EMT in Highmore, said all EMTs got an alert at 2:30 this morning, saying officials were looking for a missing plane.
Hand County Sheriff Doug DeBoer said his office was contacted early Monday morning to help search for an overdue plane. DeBoer said he and others from the sheriff’s office and a Miller Police officer helped search near the wind farm in Hyde County before being told about 4 a.m. that the plane had been found.
Hyde County officials referred calls to the state’s attorney’s office, but the office phone number has been busy throughout the morning.
Dave Hintz, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Aberdeen, said that first responders in the Highmore area reported foggy conditions early this morning. There were likely low clouds in the area much like those in Aberdeen this morning, he said.
Rain has been off and on all day today, making gravel roads soft around the wind farm.
Cory said the National Transportation Safety Board is heading the investigation into the crash and that the FAA is also involved.
http://amarillo.com
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — A small airplane heading back to South Dakota after a Texas cattle sale crashed into a wind farm in foggy weather, killing the pilot and three passengers.
Steve Stengel, a spokesman for Florida-based NextEra Energy Resources says the wreckage was found at the 27-turbine South Dakota Wind Energy Center.
The FAA says the single-engine Piper found Monday was registered to Donald J. “D.J.” Fischer of Gettysburg, South Dakota.
Funeral homes confirmed the deaths of Fischer and cattlemen Brent Beitelspacher, of Bowdle, and Logan Rau, of Java. The fourth passenger was not named.
The National Weather Service in Aberdeen says fog and low clouds combined for reduced visibility in the area Sunday night. Winds were out of the east at about 15 to 25 mph and there were scattered showers.
===============
A small airplane heading back to South Dakota after a Texas cattle sale crashed into a wind farm in foggy weather, killing the pilot and three passengers.
Elizabeth Cory, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said the Piper PA-32 was traveling from Hereford, Texas, to Gettysburg, South Dakota. The single-engine plane was registered to Donald J. “D.J.” Fischer of Gettysburg, according to the FAA.
Authorities have not released the names of the victims, and the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
The three passengers were in Hereford to attend a sale of live cattle and embryos, primarily for the production of show steers, said Mike Mimms, a veterinarian who runs the annual event.
Mimms said the three cattlemen noted that they had a rough flight down to Texas due to high winds, and conditions were similar in Hereford when they left.
“They made it through the windy weather, and the fog was the problem when they got there,” he said.
The wreckage was found Monday at the South Dakota Wind Energy Center, a site south of Highmore with 27 turbines that are about 213 feet tall, plus the length of the blade.
Steve Stengel, a spokesman with Florida-based NextEra Energy Inc., said there was damage to a turbine but he couldn’t say what part of the tower was hit.
“It’s been so foggy up there and we haven’t had a chance to investigate,” Stengel said Monday.
Fog and low clouds combined for reduced visibility in the Highmore area on Sunday night, and winds were out of the east at about 15 to 25 mph, said Renee Wise, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Aberdeen. There were also scattered showers across region Sunday night, and some might have been heavy at times, she said.
Mimms, who performs cattle embryo transfers, said the news has sent shock and sadness through the close-knit ranching community.
“There are a lot of people out there who feel like they lost one of their best friends,” Mimms said.
===========
HIGHMORE A missing plane that was discovered Monday morning in a central South Dakota field was found close to a damaged wind tower, a spokesman for the wind company said.
Four people died, FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Cory said. The plane was traveling from Hereford, Texas, to Gettysburg.
The crash was reported early Monday just south of Highmore, which is 50 miles east of Pierre.
Steve Stengel, a spokesman for Florida-based NextEra Energy, said the plane was discovered at its South Dakota Wind Energy Center, a 27-turbine operation near Highmore.
"One of our turbines is damaged in proximity to the plane, but in terms of investigating, we haven't had a chance to investigate our turbine," Stengel said.
The Piper PA-32 was registered to Gettysburg crop sprayer Donald J. Fischer, who flew for Air Kraft Spraying Inc., according to his listing with the South Dakota Aviation Association. Fischer is listed as a member of the association's board of directors.
Authorities have not released the names of the victims.
According to FAA records, the seven-seat Piper was built in 1976. The plane was licensed to Fischer in 2012 and was valid through 2015.
Hand County Sheriff Doug DeBoer told the Aberdeen American News that his office helped with the search near a wind farm until being told the wreckage had been found.
Hyde County's sheriff referred calls to the state's attorney's office, which didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
Source: http://www.argusleader.com
HIGHMORE — Four people were killed when a small plane flying from Texas crashed in central South Dakota.
FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Cory said the Piper PA-32 from traveling from Hereford, Texas, on its way to Gettysburg.
She confirmed the tail number of the plan as N8700E. According to Federal Aviation Administration records, a plane with that tail number is registered to Donald J. Fischer, of Gettysburg.
A death notice sent to the American News notes that Donald J. "D.J." Fischer, of Gettysburg, died early this morning in the Highmore area.
According to FAA records, Fischer's plane is a Piper PA-32R-300. It is a fixed wing, single-engine plane manufactured in 1976.
Cory says the crash was reported early this morning about 5 miles south of Highmore, which is about 50 miles east of Pierre.
Hereford is southwest of Amarillo in north Texas.
Dave Hintz, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Aberdeen, said that first responders in the Highmore area reported foggy conditions early this morning. There were likely low clouds in the area much like those in Aberdeen this morning, he said.
Cory says all four people onboard were killed. Their names will be released when their families are notified.
Hand County Sheriff Doug DeBoer said his office was contacted early this morning to help search for an overdue plane. DeBoer said he and others from the sheriff's office and a Miller Police officer helped search near the wind farm in Hyde County before being told about 4 a.m. that the plane had been found.
Hyde County officials referred calls to the state's attorney's office, but the office phone number has been busy throughout the morning.
Cory said the National Transportation Safety Board is heading the investigation into the crash and that the FAA is also involved.
The identities of the victims will be released by the local coroner, she said.
American News reporter Elisa Sand (@ElisaSand_AA) is en route to Highmore at this hour.
Source: http://www.aberdeennews.com
FAA:4 Killed In Plane Crash Near Highmore, SD
A South Dakota sheriff says a plane crash that killed four people happened near a wind farm.
FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Cory says the Piper PA-32 was traveling from Hereford, Texas, to Gettysburg.
The crash was reported early Monday just south of Highmore, which is 50 miles east of Pierre.
Cory says all four people onboard were killed. Their names will be released when their families are notified.
The plane is registered to someone in Gettysburg.
Hand County Sheriff Doug DeBoer says his office helped with the search near a wind farm until being told the wreckage had been found.
Hyde County's sheriff referred calls to the state's attorney's office, which didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
http://www.kdlt.com
The crash of a small plane south of Highmore this morning is said to have caused the deaths of four people. The Federal Aviation Administration says the crash involved a Piper PA-32 aircraft. Elizabeth Cory, a spokesperson for the FAA in Chicago says the crash was reported about 3:44 a.m. this morning and the plane had been traveling from Texas to Gettysburg, South Dakota. She says all information at this time is preliminary…..
Audio news report: http://wnax.com
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