Patrick Carter
Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Helena, Montana
Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Aviation Accident Data Summary - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Location: Missoula, MT
Accident Number: WPR16FA012
Date & Time: 10/14/2015, 1510 MDT
Registration: N1940J
Aircraft: BUCKER JUNGMEISTER BU 133
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Defining Event: Loss of control in flight
Injuries: 1 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On October 14, 2015, at 1510 mountain daylight time, a Bucker Jungmeister BU 133/C, airplane N1940J, crashed in a parking lot during the initial takeoff climb at the Missoula International Airport (MSO), Missoula, Montana. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was destroyed. The airplane was owned by the pilot, who operated the airplane under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal cross-country flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that was destined for Alabama. No flight plan had been filed.
The pilot purchased the World War II-era single-seat biplane the day before the accident. According to the former mechanic for the airplane, on the day of the accident, the previous owner contacted him to let him know that the airplane had been sold and that the new owner/pilot was having a problem with fuel running into the cockpit. The former owner asked the mechanic if he could call the pilot. The mechanic called the pilot and left a message. When the pilot called him back, the pilot stated that he had refueled at the Dalles, Oregon, airport. After takeoff, when the pilot lowered the nose, he was getting fuel on the floor and down the tubing on the side of the cockpit. He shut off all the electrical power and continued the flight; after a while, the problem went away. The pilot also experienced the same scenario when he refueled in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. The mechanic told the pilot that it sounded like the fuel tank was not venting properly and that it was forcing out fuel until air could get into the tank. The pilot said that someone at the airport in Missoula was helping him inspect the fuel system, but they were not able to find anything wrong. The mechanic suggested that the pilot ask them to check the vent system. The pilot told the mechanic that he was going to call the tower and leave Missoula with all electrical power off. The mechanic suggested to the pilot that he not fly the airplane until the problem was fixed. The pilot reported that he had to get to Alabama, or as far east as he could by October 16. The mechanic stated that they spoke for about 10 minutes, and he found out later that the pilot had crashed about 20 minutes after they had spoken.
Witnesses located at Northstar Jet, the fixed base operator (FBO) at MSO where the pilot obtained fuel, reported that they had very little interaction with the pilot. The line crew employee reported that the pilot pumped his own fuel and spilled some fuel during the fueling process. The airplane was fueled with 14 gallons of fuel. None of the Northstar Jet personnel reported helping the pilot inspect the fuel system or seeing the pilot or anyone else perform such inspection.
Several witnesses saw the airplane takeoff. A mechanic at another FBO stated that during takeoff from runway 25, the airplane appeared to have plenty of power and sounded good. Once airborne, the airplane made a hard-right turn with the bank angle increasing. A second witness at the same FBO stated that the airplane made a steep right bank and began to descend.
A third witness reported that the airplane climbed quickly after rotation, and made an immediate right turn; the rate of climb decreased, and the airplane began to sink as it continued to turn right. After turning about 180°, the airplane "suddenly rolled about 90° to the right as the wing stalled." The airplane entered a spin and descended "almost straight down," to impact in the rental car lot at the airline terminal. Upon impact, a fire erupted.
Another witness stated that he was on the west end of the airport when he saw the airplane about 80 ft above ground level (agl) enter a hard-right turn, then the airplane descended and impacted the ground. According to this witness, the engine sounded like it was "powering up." A witness at the eastern end of the rental car parking lot stated that the engine was running at the time the airplane impacted the ground.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
No personal logbooks were made available to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). A review of the pilot's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airman medical records on file at the Airman and Medical Records Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, revealed that the pilot was issued a second-class medical certificate on June 4, 2015. He reported 11,200 total flight hours with 150 hours accrued in the past 6 months.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
The last maintenance performed on the airplane was an annual inspection completed on June 12, 2015, at an airplane total time of 2,038.9 hours. The airplane was powered by a radial piston Warner Aircraft Engines Scarab 165, serial number 2031A; at the time of the annual inspection, the engine total time was recorded as 909.4 hours, with 32.7 hours since major overhaul.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
AIRPORT INFORMATION
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
Investigators from the NTSB and an inspector from the FAA responded to the accident site. The entire airplane came to rest in the long-term parking lot on airport property, and most of the airplane was consumed by the postcrash fire.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
The Montana Department of Justice Forensic Science Division, Missoula, Montana, conducted a post mortem examination on the pilot. The cause of death was listed as blunt force trauma with thermal injuries and smoke inhalation.
The FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, performed forensic toxicology on specimens from the pilot. The results were negative for cyanide, ethanol, and drugs of abuse. The results were positive for carbon monoxide, which was detected at 10% in heart blood.
TEST AND RESEARCH
According to Northstar Jet personnel, two of their company airplanes had refueled before the accident airplane via the same truck that had fueled the accident. The two airplanes and the fuel truck were taken out of service, and the fuel was tested with no discrepancies noted.
A visual engine examination revealed no obvious mechanical problems. The engine could not be manually rotated because of engine displacement due to impact forces. The number three cylinder had separated from the crankcase and exposed the inside of the engine. The engine accessory components had sustained fire damage. Both the left and right magneto remained attached at their respective mounting pads. The left magneto was manually rotated and spark was observed at the ignition leads. The right magneto had sustained fire and impact damage, and the magneto was disassembled with no mechanical malfunctions noted.
The fuel system was subjected to and compromised by the postcrash fire. The fuel selector was removed from the airframe, and upon visual examination, no obvious mechanical deficiencies were noted. Compressed air was blown into each of its selector positions, 1,2, and both; no air escaped from the openings. The fuel selector was then manually moved through each of its positions, compressed air was blown into each position, and air was noted to come out of each fuel selector position.
Pilot Information
Certificate: Airline Transport; Commercial; Private
Age: 51, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Multi-engine Land; Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Single
Other Aircraft Rating(s): Glider
Restraint Used:
Instrument Rating(s): Airplane
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): Airplane Single-engine
Toxicology Performed: Yes
Medical Certification: Class 2 With Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 06/04/2015
Occupational Pilot: Yes
Last Flight Review or Equivalent:
Flight Time: (Estimated) 11200 hours (Total, all aircraft)
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Manufacturer: BUCKER JUNGMEISTER
Registration: N1940J
Model/Series: BU 133 C
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 1940
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Experimental
Serial Number: 22
Landing Gear Type: Tailwheel
Seats: 1
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 06/12/2015, Annual
Certified Max Gross Wt.:
Time Since Last Inspection:
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 2038.9 Hours as of last inspection
Engine Manufacturer: Warner Aircraft Engines
ELT: Not installed
Engine Model/Series: 1650
Registered Owner: MOSS JUDITH B
Rated Power: 165 hp
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KMSO, 3189 ft msl
Observation Time: 1453 MDT
Distance from Accident Site: 0 Nautical Miles
Direction from Accident Site: 340°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Temperature/Dew Point: 20°C / 3°C
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility: 10 Miles
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 7 knots, 320°
Visibility (RVR):
Altimeter Setting: 30.18 inches Hg
Visibility (RVV):
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: Missoula, MT (MSO)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination:
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time: 1510 MDT
Type of Airspace:
Airport Information
Airport: MISSOULA INTL (MSO)
Runway Surface Type: Asphalt
Airport Elevation: 3206 ft
Runway Surface Condition: Dry
Runway Used: 25
IFR Approach: None
Runway Length/Width: 4612 ft / 75 ft
VFR Approach/Landing: None
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: On-Ground
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: On-Ground
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 46.916389, -114.090556 (est)
NTSB Identification: WPR16FA012
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, October 14, 2015 in Missoula, MT
Aircraft: BUCKER JUNGMEISTER BU 133, registration: N1940J
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 October 14, 2015, at 1510 mountain daylight time, a Bucker Jungmeister BU 133/C, N1940J, crashed in a parking lot during the takeoff climb out at the Missoula International Airport (MSO), Missoula, Montana. The pilot/owner operated the airplane under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. The pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The airplane was mostly consumed in the postcrash fire. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that was destined for an undetermined location. No flight plan had been filed.
According to a friend of the previous airplane owner, the airplane had been purchased on October 13.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) responded to the accident site. The airplane was recovered for further examination.
Patrick and Tonja Carter own and operate the Prop and Gavel restaurant in downtown Monroeville, Alabama.
Missoula County Sheriff's Office Spokeswoman Brenda Bassett says the plane crash that killed a pilot Wednesday happened around 3:30 p.m.
The single engine plane was only occupied by the pilot and crash landed near the Missoula Airport long term parking lot.
No other injuries have been reported.
It is unknown at this time which direction the plane was headed or what caused the crash.
An independent investigation will be conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Bassett says flights have not been delayed but traffic going through the airport parking lots will be re-routed.
UPDATE: 4:02 p.m.
The Missoula County Sheriff's Office says a pilot has been killed in the crash. The MCSO says the pilot was the only person on board.
Emergency personnel are on scene of a plane crash outside the Missoula International Airport Wednesday afternoon.
MTN News has received several viewer photos showing the wreckage of a small plane outside the airport minutes ago.
Details are scarce at this moment. We have a reporter on the scene and will bring you more details as they arrive.
Source: http://www.kpax.com
“This is an old historic airplane. We are in the process of getting our network together to see if we can reach out and pick up all the pieces that we can ,” Lewis said. “We will start here with the photographs and the videos that we have, the witness statements..It is going to be packaged up and taken to a secure facility away from here so if we have further questions we can go back and look at it again.”
Because the plane was an older model, Lewis said it could be more of a challenge to figure out the initial cause of the crash.
“The hardest part will be the amount of fire damage to it and we find even with aluminum aircraft with massive fire damage, even metal airplanes don’t stand up real well,” Lewis said. “It might hinder us somewhat, but typically we are looking at mechanical issues or control surface issues, those kind of things. We actually have been able to determine a lot of background of a very damaged aircraft. We will be see what we can come up with.”
Larry said an investigation like this could take up to a year because the information NTSB finds has to agree with what records show.
A witness said the plane was airborne for just 10 seconds before plummeting to the ground and exploding.
The plane crashed on the east side of the airport, along the road separating the rental car parking lot and short-term parking, at 3:11 p.m.
There were no other injuries, and no apparent damage to any of the surrounding vehicles.
The name of the deceased has not yet been released and the cause of the crash is under investigation. It's also unknown where the plane was heading or where it originated.
Pilots Fred McDowell and Dick Komberec said they noticed the plane because of the unusual sound the engine was making. They watched the aircraft land, refuel and take off again, but were unaware of the plane's origin or destination.
Jeff Schmerker, who arrived at the airport to catch a flight, saw the small, yellow aircraft take off and crash only about 10 seconds after takeoff. He said he was about 50 yards from where the plane crashed.
He said it was headed west toward Frenchtown when it made a sharp turn over the airport parking lot.
"It almost came straight down," Schmerker said. "It erupted. It seemed like it was covered in cloth because it just vaporized."
Schmerker said he and others attempted to move toward the plane before it burst into flames.
"You could see the structure disintegrate in 20 seconds," he said. "There was nothing there when I started to walk over."
Schmerker explained the plane didn't appear to be on fire in the air. He said the aircraft looked like a replica of an older 1920s model, with a patriotic emblem on the side.
Airport fire engines immediately responded, as flames completely engulfed the craft and emitted a plume of black smoke. Missoula Rural Fire Department firefighters continued to fight hot spots and smother the smoldering remains with foam and water until about 5 p.m.
The Missoula County Sheriff's Department also responded to the area and blocked off a portion of the road. Sheriff's spokeswoman Brenda Bassett said the sheriff's department will assist the National Transportation Safety Board with the investigation and will complete the coroner's report.
Source: http://mtstandard.com
A well-known Alabama pilot who gave up his commercial airline career after the 2001 terrorist attacks was the victim of Wednesday's single-engine plane crash at Missoula International Airport.
Patrick Carter, 52, of Monroeville, Alabama, was killed when his small bi-plane crashed and exploded shortly after take-off.
Carter, who is the husband of Harper Lee's attorney, Tonja Carter, had stopped in Missoula to refuel while traveling from Washington state back home to Alabama.
He was a commercial pilot before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, after which he retired from the airlines and worked as a private pilot.
On Wednesday, he was flying a WWII-era Bucker Jungmeister BU 133, one of several small planes he flew from the landing strip at his Alabama home.
Shortly after takeoff, the yellow bi-plane made a sharp turn over the Missoula airport parking lot and crashed. Witnesses said it burst into flames about 20 seconds after hitting the ground.
According to Monroeville journalist Josh Dewberry, Carter was well-known and well-liked in his home state. He and his wife operated a casual fine dining restaurant in Monroeville's square, called The Prop and Gavel.
His wife appeared on the national stage earlier this year as speculation emerged surrounding the release of Harper Lee's "Go Set a Watchman," which followed the characters in her Pulitzer Prize-winning "To Kill a Mockingbird" later in life.
The cause of Wednesday's crash remains unknown, but National Transportation Safety Board investigator Larry Lewis was at the site Thursday afternoon inspecting the crash.
"Right at the moment, we are just at the preliminary stages (of the investigation) because this was a transient aircraft and a transient pilot," Lewis said. "We are trying to find the records. We are trying to find the maintenance records of the aircraft (and) the actual ownership records ... plus the FFA is helping us track down the pilot records."
Since the plane was an older model, the NTSB can't rely on the manufacturer to supply information.
Lewis and other officials are reviewing video surveillance at the airport and speaking with witnesses. It may take up to a year for the NTSB to release the official cause of the fatal crash, he said.
Missoula International Airport director Cris Jensen said Wednesday's crash was the first fatal crash at the airport in recent memory. He said a Cessna crashed in 2005, but no one on board was killed.
It was fortunate that Carter did not hit the terminal, other planes or cars in the parking lot, Jensen said. But he couldn't speculate on whether the pilot had sufficient control of the plane to intentionally avoid the people and property.
"I think we are always worried about those type of things, and obviously we were lucky," he said Thursday.
Airport staff practices and prepares for such incidents, he said. Firefighters, law enforcement and the TSA did an excellent job responding to the crash, while other airport employees kept the airport operating and other passengers safe, he explained.
Jensen added that he was grateful for the outside support of the Missoula County Sheriff's Department and Missoula Rural Fire Department.
"The community needs to know that we are prepared for these types of things, and we practice all the time," he said.
Patrick Carter, a Monroeville pilot and businessman and husband of Harper Lee's lawyer Tonja Carter, died Wednesday evening in a fiery small-plane crash in Missoula, Montana, authorities there said Thursday morning.
"The Missoula County Coroner has identified the pilot from yesterday's crash at Missoula International Airport as 52-year-old Patrick Carter of Monroeville, Alabama," Brenda Bassett, a spokeswoman for the Missoula County Sheriff's Office, said Thursday morning. "Carter had stopped in Missoula to get fuel, but was traveling from Washington State back home to Alabama."
There were no other people on board the airplane when it crashed and immediately burst into flames at 3:11 p.m. Wednesday, about 10 seconds after taking off from Missoula International Airport, and it was unclear where the plane was headed, The Montana Standard reported.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Missoula County Sheriff's Office (MSCO) both said they are investigating the crash.
"We have a team that is investigating. They should have arrived on the scene today. They are going to be looking at the wreckage. They're going to be looking at the engines," Terry Williams, a spokesman for the NTSB, said Thursday morning. "They're going to be looking at pilot records and maintenance records, those are the very standard parts of an investigation ... So we're just gathering the facts at this point."
The Missoula County Sheriff's Office confirmed that the two agencies will be working together to conduct a thorough investigation.
"An investigator from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will be at the site today to investigate the cause of the crash," Bassett said. "An MCSO coroner will be working with the State Medical Examiner to complete the coroner's investigation."
Carter, who often went by the nickname Pat, was flying a bi-plane with only one engine and one seat, according to NBC Montana. The type of plane may have been a factor in the way the crash played out, Stan Cohen, director of the Museum of Mountain Flying in Missoula, told the news station.
"It is wood and steel and fabric, and you crash and it is going to catch on fire," Cohen said. "It is a very fragile airplane."
Missoula resident Jeff Schmerker was locking up his bike in the airport's parking lot when Carter's plane crashed Wednesday evening. He said via phone Thursday morning that "when it crashed it burst into flames almost instantaneously" and that "it didn't seem like you could go save the guy. Every part of the plane was on fire," with flames rising about 10 feet above the wreckage.
"It was a 1920s-style, maybe a replica, yellow biplane. It seemed like a World War I-era plane. It took off going almost straight up - that's what caught my attention - and it was making a really loud, abnormally loud noise when it took off," Schmerker, who was arriving at the airport for a flight to visit his family in Houston, said.
"Then it turned sharply over the terminal or the parking lot area, and then the engine stopped and it fell almost straight down and crashed on a concrete space."
Carter was also a well-known figure around Monroeville who recently became a member of the board of the Monroe County Heritage Museum and often played guitar and performed other duties at the Carters' Prop and Gavel restaurant in the town center.
News of Pat Carter's death spread quickly throughout Monroeville. Wanda Green, director of the museum, said "we are all in shock" via email Thursday morning. Tom Lomenick, president of the museum's board, also offered his condolences.
"We are all in a state of shock. Pat Carter was an excellent board member. He rarely missed a meeting. He always added a different perspective to any discussion due to his worldly travels. He will be missed. He cannot be replaced. We will try to always ask at any meeting, what would Pat have said," Lomenick said via email Thursday morning.
"He died doing what he loved to do the most, flying. Monroeville lost a great man and asset to this community last night. We are in prayer for Tonja and his family."
Patrick and Tonja Carter married in 1990. Patrick Carter worked for years as a private pilot, operating for much of his career out of the Monroe County Airport for clients including disgraced wealthy pulp mill owner George Landegger.
Pat Carter's father, Jennings Carter, was a cousin of Truman Capote who grew up next-door to Harper and Alice Lee.
Alice Lee befriended Tonja Carter over the years and was instrumental in getting Tonja Carter to attend law school (she received her law degree from the University of Alabama in 2006) and eventually took her under her wing at her law firm, Barnett, Bugg, Lee & Carter, LLC. Tonja Carter went on to become a key attorney for Harper Lee and now has durable power of attorney for the novelist. Tonja Carter achieved a degree of international fame earlier this year as a focal point of the controversy over the release of author Harper Lee's bestselling "Go Set a Watchman."
Patrick Carter is survived by his wife, Tonja, as well as the couple's four children, Patrick, Jacob, Tawny and Erin.
appears to be a small bi-plane ..
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