Friday, April 17, 2015

Race to honor life of young man killed in plane crash: Mooney M20F, N6467Q, accident occurred July 19, 2014 in North Elba, New York

Reed Phillips was an athlete and avid outdoorsman, known for his kindness and energy.



MT. PLEASANT -- A race this weekend will raise money for a scholarship fund honoring a young Midland man who was killed in a plane crash last summer.

Phillips, who was 25, was an athlete and avid outdoorsman.  

He graduated from Central Michigan University’s Athletic Training program in 2012 and was attending graduate school in Potsdam, New York before the crash.

All of the money raised at the race will go toward the Reed Phillips Athletic Training Award at CMU, which was started by his parents.

Once the endowment reaches the $10,000 mark, an award will be given to an athletic training student at CMU every year.  

The 5K/1 mile fun run race starts on the south side of CMU’s football stadium. Registration starts at 6 p.m., and the 5K starts at 7:15 p.m.

There will also be a remembrance lighting.

For more information about the race and the endowment, click here

To donate directly to the Reed Phillips Athletic Training Award, click here. 

Original article can be found here:   http://www.upnorthlive.com


Reed Phillips



http://registry.faa.gov/N6467Q 


NTSB Identification: ERA14FA345
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, July 19, 2014 in North Elba, NY
Aircraft: MOONEY M20F, registration: N6467Q
Injuries: 3 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 July 19, 2014, about 1040 eastern daylight time, a Mooney M20F, N6467Q, was destroyed when it impacted terrain in North Elba, New York. The private pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The airplane was not operating on flight plan, from Potsdam Municipal Airport (PTD), Potsdam, New York, to Lake Placid Airport (LKP), Lake Placid, New York. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

New York State Police (NYSP) interviews revealed that, on July 17, 2014, the pilot and his girlfriend originally departed their home airport in Parkersburg, West Virginia, spending the night in Nantucket, Massachusetts. They then arrived at PTD on the afternoon of July 18, 2014, intending to spend the next two nights visiting his daughter who was attending a local university. The pilot and his daughter decided to fly the next day, with the daughter bringing a friend from school. After dinner, the pilot familiarized himself online with the area, and the day of the accident left the hotel about 0900, with his daughter and her friend, expecting to return between 1400 and 1500.

LKP had a single, southeast-northwest, 4,196-foot by 60-foot runway, designated 14 to the southeast and 32 to the northwest. Runway elevation was 1,743 feet, and there was no control tower. The UNICOM (Universal Communications) frequency was 122.8 MHz. 

According to a charter pilot at LKP, he was outside the administration building when he heard a radio transmission over the loud speaker, with the pilot identifying himself as "Mooney" and the last three identifiers of his airplane. The Mooney pilot was requesting an airport "advisory, which is normal procedure." The charter pilot went inside and advised the Mooney pilot that "the winds were calm and no other reported traffic." The Mooney pilot responded and said that he was inbound for landing on runway 14.

The charter pilot went back outside and later overheard the Mooney pilot on the loud speaker saying he was seeing another airplane. The Mooney pilot was trying to talk to the other airplane, which the charter pilot had not yet seen. Shortly after that, the charter pilot saw the other airplane, which he knew to be locally-based, approach the airport passing overhead from northwest to southeast, and entering left traffic to land on runway 32. He then saw the Mooney approaching the airport from the northwest.

About 5 minutes later, the charter pilot heard over the loud speaker, "Lake Placid, Mooney, two mile final or short final runway one four." At the time, the charter pilot had his back to the runway, but turned around after hearing the Mooney engine go to full power. He then saw the airplane pitching up at a steep angle while banking right at a steep angle, and it appeared as though the right wing may have struck the runway. The charter pilot continued to watch the Mooney, and "saw that the pilot appeared to have recovered the aircraft. He started a shallow turn to the right and started to climb along the right side of the runway."

As the Mooney continued to climb, the charter pilot saw the local airplane about 100 to 200 feet over the trees, approaching from the opposite direction to land on runway 32. "They looked as though they saw each other and started to each climb to their right sides of the [runway]." The charter pilot then heard the Mooney pilot transmit something over the radio; he couldn't recall what it was, but that it sounded angry, followed later by his transmitting in a calmer voice, "I will follow you in." 

The charter pilot continued to watch the Mooney as it flew past the end of the runway. He noticed that the Mooney's landing gear were still down and the airplane was climbing at "a steeper than normal angle at a slow speed." The Mooney then started to make a left turn, and the nose "dropped." The airplane entered a counterclockwise spin toward the ground, descending "so fast it didn't even make a complete turn before it went out of sight." 

The charter pilot did not note hearing any transmissions from the local pilot. 

A witness near the impact site did not see the Mooney, but noted that, "almost simultaneously I heard the engine stop followed by a huge thud." 

Additional witnesses confirmed that the two airplanes went around after approaching the runway from opposite directions, also confirming the Mooney's hard right turn followed by a steep climb, possibly dragging a wing, and a stall/spin. A golfer who was on a nearby course stated that he saw the belly of the airplane with the right wing up, left wing down, and that the airplane was in a nose dive with the left wing as a pivot point.

In written statement, the local pilot noted that he had departed LKP earlier that morning from runway 32, and that he monitored UNICOM frequency 122.8, which was the local airport frequency. He switched frequency before stopping at another airport and spending some time there. On his way back to LKP, he switched back to 122.8, but approaching the airport, he "never heard or observed any air traffic in the lake Placid area." The pilot flew over the airport and the wind sock indicated wind slightly favoring runway 32. The pilot flew over the ski jumps, flew a [left] base leg and continued to descend the airplane. He then turned the airplane on to final approach, and initially didn't see any other aircraft. He then saw another airplane that appeared to be departing runway 14, so he turned his airplane to the right, and then flew a left traffic pattern to a landing on runway 14. He further noted, "I never heard any radio transmissions from any plane or UNICOM." 

The wreckage was located mostly on the side of a small levee about 075 degrees, 0.60 nm from the center of LKP, in the vicinity of 44 degrees, 16.03 minutes north latitude, 073 degrees, 56.94 minutes west longitude. The wreckage came to rest with the left wing and engine at the base of the levee, and with the right wing partially bent over the top of the levee. Ground indentations, paint chips, a small area of surface abrasions, spar damage and wingtip compression were together consistent with the right wing having flexed downward and forward upon initial impact. 

The tail section was bent to the right in relation to the rest of the fuselage, consistent with left rotation at impact. 

There were two damaged pine trees leading to the impact site, an estimated 30 feet from the main wreckage. Direction from the pine trees to the wreckage was about 120 degrees magnetic. Damage found about 12 feet above the ground on the left pine tree was consistent with impact damage found near the tip of the airplane's left wing. Damage found about 15 feet above the ground on the right pine tree was consistent with the distance from the airplane's left wing damage to its propeller. Damage between the two pine trees was consistent with about a 25- to 30-degree left-wing-down airplane position at tree impact.

With concurrence, the occupants were removed from the airplane prior to NTSB arrival. To facilitate removal, part of the airplane's tubular structure had been cut away. Upon NTSB arrival, extensive charring and fusing of materials were noted in the cockpit area as well as semi-flattening of the instrument panel. There was no evidence of an in-flight fire. 

All flight control surfaces were accounted for at the accident scene, and flight control continuity was confirmed from the control surfaces to entry points of the charred cockpit.

Engine control positions at the time of impact could not be confirmed due to impact forces and the postcrash fire. 

The landing gear would have normally been actuated manually by direct mechanical linkage through a "Johnson bar" located between the front seats. The Johnson bar was found parallel to the semi-flattened instrument panel, consistent with the landing gear being in the down position. In addition, one main landing gear was found partially extended and one fully extended; and both tires exhibited dirt skid marks and staining consistent with their being out of the wheel wells when the airplane impacted the ground. The nose landing gear was destroyed.

Flap positions could not be definitively determined. Flaps, which were normally hydraulically operated and mechanically linked, were observed to be extended or partially extended to various degrees along the wings at the scene. The flap relief valve handle, which normally releases hydraulic pressure at a slow rate to allow springs or air forces to raise the flaps, was found in the "Up" or "Release" position, but was attached to the deformed instrument panel. 

The airplane's wings were subsequently removed and the wreckage transported to a secure NYSP holding yard. There, with additional charred material removed, the mechanical trim and flap indicators were found. The indicators would have normally been mounted vertically in the airplane below the engine controls and forward of the Johnson bar. However, with the fire and crushing, they were found almost horizontal, to the right of the Johnson bar. Indications as found had the trim indicator at the "Takeoff" position, and the flap indicator between "Landing" and "Takeoff." 

The propeller was examined both at the scene and at the NYSP holding yard. There was no significant torsional bending, yet there was significant leading edge burnishing and chordwise markings on both propeller blades, consistent with the propeller passing through the sandy river soil mix prevalent at the accident site.

The engine was also examined at the holding yard with no evidence of preexisting mechanical anomalies found. In addition, there was scoring on the starter Bendix housing and grinding on the starter ring gear, consistent with the engine attempting to pull the propeller through the soil. 

There were no flight data or cockpit voice recording devices on the airplane.

Subsequent to the accident, a wavy scrape mark was found in the right half of the runway in the vicinity of a taxiway that led to the ramp. NYSP photographs revealed that the mark was continuous with various branches "Y"ing off and rejoining the main scrape. The scrape was 17 feet in length and appeared deepest at its southernmost point. Looking toward the southeast, down runway 14, the scrape veered gradually to the left, which was inconsistent with an airplane seen turning hard to the right. Examination of the airplane's right wing tip revealed a pristine wingtip position light and no structural damage that would have been consistent with the wingtip scraping the runway.






Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub, N162SC: Accident occurred April 17, 2015 near Bermuda Dunes Airport (KUDD), Riverside County, California

The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.

Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Riverside, California 

Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board:  https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf

Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf

Registered Owner: Judsen M Gundersen 
Operator Does Business As: Las Vegas Banner Tow

http://registry.faa.gov/N162SC

NTSB Identification: WPR15LA149
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, April 17, 2015 in La Quinta, CA
Aircraft: PIPER PA 18-150, registration: N162SC
Injuries: 1 Minor.

NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On April 17, 2015, about 1615 Pacific daylight time, the pilot landed a Piper PA-18-150, N162SC, off airport near La Quinta, California. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The commercial pilot sustained minor injuries; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The local banner tow flight departed Bermuda Dunes (UDD), California, at 1531. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.

The pilot stated that the airplane was in left orbit over the advertising destination at 1,200 ft agl when it began to shake violently, and lose altitude. The pilot immediately initiated a right turn away from the banner pattern, and reduced power to idle which alleviated the violent shaking. The pilot then made an emergency radio call on the Bermuda Dunes common traffic advisory frequency, began looking for a safe place to drop the banner, and maneuvered to release it over an empty fairway at a golf course at 600 ft agl.

The pilot advanced the throttle, and noted that the severe vibration returned at the higher engine rpm. Neither a climb nor level flight was achievable. After pulling the mixture and checking that the seat belt was tight, the next empty fairway was selected as the landing site. The pilot engaged full flaps, and proceeded to forward slip the airplane in order to make a touchdown in the empty fairway. About 100 to 200 ft agl, the pilot noted that the landing area had significant elevation changes, but it was too late to select another landing area. The airplane touched down on a plateau at 60 knots indicated airspeed (KIAS), but could not be stopped prior to a 10-foot drop-off. The airplane became airborne, and bounced down at the next plateau, which was the green. The airplane did not stop despite full application of the brakes. The pilot noted a tree line about 20 yards away with residential housing behind it. The airplane became airborne again, and the pilot attempted a 90° turn to avoid crossing the tree line and impacting a house. The airplane contacted the ground sideways; it rolled at a 45° angle (to the 2-o'clock position) onto its back, and came to rest inverted. The pilot released the seatbelt, and exited the airplane.

TESTS AND RESEARCH

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge and an inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration examined the wreckage. Several inches of one propeller blade tip was missing, and not located. The fracture surface was flat, and this blade tip was sent to the NTSB Research and Engineering Materials Laboratory for examination. No anomalies with the airframe or engine were noted that would have precluded normal operation. One magneto was sent to a shop for examination, and it passed functional checks.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Blade Tip Examination

The NTSB Materials Laboratory specialist reported that the fracture surface on the separated blade was generally flat with a finely textured appearance and a unified crack front consistent with fatigue crack progression. The fatigue cracking had propagated through approximately 83% of the blade cross-section. Overstress separation covered the remaining 17% of the blade fracture surface. The fatigue cracking appeared to initiate from one general area on the pressure side of the blade, which contained an anomaly.

The anomaly appeared to consist of deformed material. Parallel lines consistent with hand finishing were on the external surface of the blade, and overlapped into the deformed material. There were also thinner circular lines on the surfaces of the blade that were consistent with machining marks from an orbital grinder that overlapped the hand finishing lines. Examination with a scanning electron microscope revealed feathery features and striations consistent with fatigue cracking on the fracture surface emanating from the pressure side of the blade in the area of the anomaly. No contamination was observed at the fatigue initiating site.

Propeller Logbook

A review of the propeller logbook revealed that it was overhauled on June 13, 2011; it was installed on the accident airplane on June 19, 2011. An annual inspection dated March 1, 2014, recorded 281.9 hours since overhaul. On October 23, 2014, the propeller was removed at 393.6 hours since overhaul; it was installed back onto the airplane on October 30. An entry dated February 23, 2015, was for an annual inspection, which indicated that the propeller had been dynamically balanced, inspected, and was in an airworthy condition. The time recorded since overhaul was 380.3 hours, but correlation with tachometer entries determined that it should have been 480.3 hours since overhaul. The tachometer read 948.68 at the wreckage examination. No entry, including the overhaul entry, indicated any work to a deformed area on the propeller.

NTSB Identification: WPR15LA149
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, April 17, 2015 in La Quinta, CA
Aircraft: PIPER PA 18-150, registration: N162SC
Injuries: 1 Minor.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

On April 17, 2015, about 1615 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-18-150, N162SC, experienced an off airport emergency landing near La Quinta, California. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The commercial pilot sustained minor injuries; the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, wings, vertical stabilizer, and rudder when it rolled onto its back during the accident sequence. The local banner tow flight departed Bermuda Dunes (UDD), California, about 1531. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.

The pilot stated that the airplane was in left orbit over the advertising destination at 1,200 feet agl. The airplane began to shake violently, and lose altitude. The pilot immediately initiated a right turn away from the banner pattern. A power reduction to idle alleviated the violent shaking. The pilot made an emergency radio call on the Bermuda Dunes common traffic advisory frequency, began looking for a safe place to drop the banner, and maneuvered to release it over an empty fairway at a golf course at 600 agl.

The pilot advanced the throttle, and noted that the severe vibration returned at the higher engine rpm. Neither a climb nor level flight was achievable. After pulling the mixture and checking that the seat belt was tight, the next empty fairway was selected as the landing site. The pilot engaged full flaps, and proceeded to forward slip the airplane in order to make a touchdown in the empty fairway. About 100 to 200 feet agl, the pilot noted that the landing area had significant elevation changes, but it was too late to select another landing area. The airplane touched down on a plateau at 60 KIAS, but could not be stopped prior to a 10-foot drop-off. The airplane became airborne, and bounced down at the next plateau, which was the green. The airplane did not stop despite full application of the brakes. The pilot noted a tree line about 20 yards away with residential housing behind it. The airplane became airborne again, and the pilot attempted a 90-degree turn to avoid crossing the tree line and impacting a house. The airplane contacted the ground sideways; the airplane rolled at a 45-degree angle (to the 2-o'clock position) onto its back, and came to rest inverted. The pilot released the seatbelt, and exited the airplane.





A small Coachella Fest banner plane went down on the golf course of Mountain View Country Club. 

 Reports of the incident came into the Sheriff's Department at 4:18 this afternoon. 

 We have confirmed there was one passenger aboard the aircraft, we do not yet know if there are any injuries. 

 The plane was upside down.  

Initial reports state the plane went down due to mechanical failure.  

Mountain View Country Club sits directly across the street from the Empire Polo Club where the second weekend of Coachella is now underway.

We spoke with officials at Bermuda Dunes Airport who said they had no comment on this on-going situation.

Original article can be found here: http://www.kmir.com






Pilot concerned about hangar maintenance • Frederick Municipal Airport (KFDK), Maryland

Alex Hamilton recently displays a propeller damaged by rust, which he said was caused by wet conditions in the hangar.




A tenant at Frederick Municipal Airport is raising concerns about the condition of the hangars as he gets ready to move his plane to Hagerstown.

Frederick resident Alex Hamilton leases a hangar in the south section of the airport, where many pilots use tarps to keep rain from leaking through the roof onto their equipment.

His hangar is bare-bones, made of corrugated metal.

On a recent visit, he showed off a propeller that rusted because of wet conditions and pointed out holes where animals had made their way into neighboring hangars.

Airport commissioner Jon Harden said he was not aware of complaints about the hangars. But it is unclear how many users, if any, share Hamilton’s concerns because the airport does not keep records of complaints.

The airport has no formal complaint intake system, according to staff, but instead addresses each issue on a case-by-case basis.

Most often, staff receives and resolves complaints by phone, assistant manager Nick Sabo wrote in an email. Most of those are related to aircraft noise or aircraft believed to be flying too low.

“In almost every case we are able to explain the airport’s operations and what they likely saw or heard,” he wrote. “This settles the vast majority of complaints we receive.”

Harden said he would request that staff begin tracking complaints.

On the issue of the south hangars, manager Steve Johnson said staff responds to issues quickly.

“We have not received notice from a south hangar tenant about the condition of their facility that was not addressed in a timely manner,” Johnson wrote in an email.

The city of Frederick is responsible for maintaining the structural components of the hangars: the doors, door tracks, locks and so on, according to Johnson.

He added staff will sometimes go beyond those responsibilities and handle wildlife or uneven pavement problems.

But Hamilton said that much of the hangar maintenance is done by tenants. He painted lines on the area in front of his and poured concrete in a different hangar he previously rented.

He enjoys the active community at his local airport, but he recently signed a lease in Hagerstown, where his hangar would have drywall and electricity.

“This is a really cool little airport,” Hamilton said, adding that he would like to continue housing his plane there.

He spends about $230 each month on rent, he said. In Hagerstown, he would pay just a few dollars more each month for a hangar he considered nicer.

Storing his plane in a drier environment would likely reduce his maintenance costs, he said.

A pilot might spend $2,500 each year on maintenance, and Hamilton said he found he had to do more maintenance on his plane when it was parked in Frederick because of the moisture in the hangar.

Bob Zajko, a Frederick pilot, also keeps tarps up in his hangar to keep water out, but he said he is happy with it.

He would much rather have an inexpensive hangar than a new, expensive one.

“They’re actually built pretty well,” he said of the older hangars like his, built in the 1940s or 1950s.

“Most of them have dirt floors.”

Zajko did note, however, that he has had problems with his door sticking, and last winter, his plane got stuck outside the hangar because a puddle of water turned to ice.

There is a chance that the south hangars may be removed in the future, according to Johnson, but that would not be for many years. Zajko said he would like to see the hangars stay.

“It’s certainly better than parking the plane outside,” he said.

Original article can be found here:   http://www.fredericknewspost.com

Incident occurred April 11, 2015 at El Paso International Airport (KELP), Texas

EL PASO, Texas -- Friday the FAA confirmed to KFOX14 it is now investigating an incident which happened Saturday afternoon at the El Paso International Airport.

Eye witnesses describe it as a "near miss" when a Southwest flight from Austin landed on a runway which was closed and under construction.

The FAA said they're conducting an investigation into how this happened.

According to the FAA, around 4 p.m. on April 11, Southwest Airlines Flight 4012 from Austin to El Paso was cleared by FAA Air Traffic Control to land on a runway which was closed for construction.

An eyewitness told KFOX14 there was equipment on the runway that the plane "just missed."

But Friday, the FAA claimed no workers or equipment were on the runway surface at the time of the landing.

The runway was scheduled to be closed on from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. that day.

According to the FAA, the El Paso Airport did file all the necessary and the correct notifications to air carriers and pilots related to the runway closure.

The FAA is investigating why an air traffic controller gave the plane permission to land on that runway.

The plane landed safely in what otherwise could have been a catastrophic event.

The FAA released this statement about the incident:

"On Saturday, April 11, 2015 at approximately 3:50 p.m., Southwest Airlines flight 4012 from Austin to El Paso was cleared by FAA Air Traffic Control to land on a closed runway at El Paso International Airport. Flight 4012 landed without incident on runway 26L; no workers or equipment were on the runway surface at the time of the landing. Runway 26L was scheduled for a closure on Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. for FAA construction-related activities. El Paso Airport filed required notifications to air carriers and pilots related to the runway closure in compliance with FAA regulations. The FAA is conducting an investigation into the incident."

KFOX14 will bring you updates on this story as they become available.

Florida Man Wins More Federal Aviation Administration Documents on Suspicious Drone

(Courthouse News) - A Florida man who fears that he has been followed by a flying drone is entitled to more documents from the Federal Aviation Administration, a federal court ruled.

David Elkins saw an aircraft over his home in St. Petersburg in July 2013. It appeared to him that the aircraft was circling his home and following him.

Thinking he was being watched by the government, he submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the FAA to discover more information about the aircraft.

This wasn't Elkins' first experience with the FAA, as he had been seeking similar records since 2005. He has stated that he wants to expose illegal government surveillance.

The FAA gave Elkins voice recordings from the Tampa Airport with the aircraft registration number redacted. Dissatisfied with this response, Elkins sued the FAA in the D.C. district court.

The FAA's attempt to dismiss the case failed, with the court ruling that the agency had not justified its search or properly explained its withholdings.

In response, the FAA released one more record to Elkins, but stated that it would not identify who was controlling the drone or reveal records of its flight patch.

U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg ruled on Thursday that FAA Special Operation liaison Carol Might did not reveal agreements between the FAA and local law-enforcement agencies to withhold records.

"If responsive records can exist, however, then presumably there is a place Might could search to find it - a search she must describe," Boasberg wrote.

The judge also stated that the FAA's explanation of its withholdings was "laconic to say the least."

He also ruled that the FAA has not proven that the voice recordings and flight-tracking information was exempt because it was compiled for law-enforcement purposes.

However, Boasburg ruled that the FAA had properly justified its withholding of the FAA order identifying who controlled the plane.

"The order was indisputably created for law-enforcement purposes," he wrote. "Its production would disclose techniques and procedures for law-enforcement activities, and disclosure would risk circumvention of the law." 

Original article can be found here: http://www.courthousenews.com

Cessna 172: Incident occurred April 17, 2015 at Sebastian Municipal Airport (X26), Florida

SEBASTIAN — A plane has crashed at the Sebastian Municipal Airport during its landing.

There were no injuries or fuel leaks, according to Sebastian Police Spokesman Sgt. Steve Marcinick. 

The plane crashed during its landing at the airport. 

It was a  Cessna 172.

The crash happened on the east side of the airport around 2 p.m., according to authorities. 

The plane was heading to Deltona from the Keys.

There were two in the plane, the pilot was identified as David Magnuson, 46, and his passenger, Benjamin Stilwell-Hernandez, 37, both of Deltona, according to police. 

Magnuson told authorities he was coming in too fast and bounced on the runway.

There was minor damage to the plane.

The FAA and the NTSB will inspect the plane on Monday to determine if they can continue to Deltona. 

The plane was towed to a hangar until the inspection.

Original article can be found here:  http://www.veronews.com

Pensacola hospital's helicopters investigated

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the flying practices of the vendor that owns and operates emergency helicopters that service two Pensacola hospitals.

The FAA is proposing a $1.54 million civil penalty for Denver-based Air Methods Corp. for a total of 83 passenger flights over water around Pensacola that did not follow FAA safety regulations. 

The Eurocopter EC-130 helicopters, which service southern Alabama, southern Mississippi and the Florida Panhandle, operated without flotation devices or other gear for each passenger. In 70 of those flights, helicopters also operated beyond gliding distance from shore.

Baptist Health Care and Sacred Heart Health System both contract with Air Methods for hospital-to-hospital transfers and for emergency transfers to trauma centers.

"We were not aware of the issue," Baptist spokesperson Carmela Cook said.

Sacred Heart's AIRHeart helicopter ambulance service flights are "conducted by, and operational control over all aircraft is exercised solely by Air Methods Corp.," the hospital said in a statement. "AIRHeart does not fly the Eurocopter ED-130 helicopters that are the subject of the FAA allegations."

Air Methods operates 300 bases in 48 states.

"Air Methods is investigating these allegations, and the FAA has our full cooperation in the matter," said Mike Allen, president of Air Methods in a statement. "We take safety seriously and the safe return of our crews (and the patients we serve) is and always will be our highest priority ... In 2013, Air Methods became the first air medical provider and helicopter operator to achieve the highest level within the FAA's voluntary Safety Management System program."

A helicopter operated by Air Methods crashed March 6 while approaching St. Louis University Hospital in St. Louis, Mo., killing the commercial pilot who was the sole occupant.

Original article can be found here:   http://www.pnj.com

Driver in fatal crash reportedly told police he thought he was flying plane

Richmond Police Department 
Robert S. Gentil



A Virginia man charged with manslaughter in the death of a noted Civil War historian told police he thought he was taking off in a plane, not driving a car at an estimated 100 miles per hour, when he caused the fatal accident, prosecutors said Friday.

Robert Stevens Gentil, 32, was charged Tuesday with manslaughter in the death of Richmond historian Elizabeth Pryor, who has written about Robert E. Lee and Abraham Lincoln, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported. At a Friday court appearance, many of Gentil's fellow congregants from First Presbyterian Church, came to support the suspect, who suffers from a mental condition, according to his attorney.

Witnesses said Gentil appeared to be going as much as 100 miles per hour for several blocks when he plowed into Pryor's car Monday. Attorney Ted Bruns said his client is subject to manic episodes that they occur without warning. He said Gentil was under stress because his wife is pregnant and they are in the process of buying their first home.

A judge set a bond of $15,000 and ordered Gentil taken directly to his psychiatrist and would be hospitalized.

Pryor’s car was struck at a high rate of speed from the rear at about 2:45 p.m. Monday afternoon.

Pryor, 64, was pronounced dead at the scene. She was a historian and writer who had moved to Richmond in 2009 to pursue her interest in Civil War era history after a 20-year career with the U.S. State Department, according to the newspaper.

Click for more from the Richmond Times-Dispatch


SOURCE: GEORGIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Author, Historian Elizabeth Pryor

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Cessna 172M Skyhawk, N12842, Hawaii Flight Academy: Accident occurred April 14, 2015 at Hilo International Airport (PHTO), Hawaii

Aviation Accident Final Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf

Analysis 

The flight instructor and pilot receiving instruction reported that, during the preflight inspection before the local instructional flight, they drained water from the fuel tanks. After departure, they flew for about 1 hour and then returned to the airport to practice touch-and-go landings. During the approach for landing, the pilot receiving instruction accomplished a no-flap "slip to landing." After touchdown, he applied power for the takeoff, and the airplane then reached between about 75 and 100 ft above ground level, at which point the engine began to run irregularly, and subsequently, it lost power. The flight instructor took control of the airplane and executed a left turn away from buildings located at the end of the runway. Subsequently, the airplane impacted a grassy area northeast of the departure end of the runway.

During the postaccident examination of the airplane, water was found in the fuel sump strainer and the carburetor, which likely led to the loss of engine power. It is likely the flight instructor and pilot receiving instruction failed to ensure that all the water was drained from the tank during the preflight inspection.

Probable Cause and Findings

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:

Water contamination in the fuel system due to the flight instructor's and pilot receiving instruction's failure to drain all the water from the system during the preflight inspection, which resulted in a loss of engine power. 

Findings

Aircraft
Fuel - Fluid condition (Cause)

Personnel issues
Preflight inspection - Student pilot (Cause)
Preflight inspection - Instructor/check pilot (Cause)




The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.

Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Honolulu, Hawaii
Textron Aviation; Wichita, Kansas

Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf

Investigation Docket  - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms

Barlow Aviation LLC: http://registry.faa.gov/N12842




NTSB Identification: WPR15LA146
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, April 14, 2015 in Hilo, HI
Aircraft: CESSNA 172M, registration: N12842
Injuries: 3 Serious.

NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

On April 14, 2015, about 1345 Hawaiian standard time, a Cessna 172M, N12842, experienced a loss of engine power during initial climb from Hilo International Airport (ITO), Hilo, Hawaii. The certified flight instructor, the student pilot undergoing instruction (PUI), and one passenger sustained serious injuries. The airplane was substantially damaged during the forced landing on the grassy area near the departure end of the runway. Hawaii Flight Academy was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The local instructional flight departed Hilo about 1245. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.

The operator reported that the FI was instructing the student pilot in preparation for his private pilot practical examination. The passenger was another student pilot who was observing the training flight.

The flight crew reported that they had drained water out of the fuel tanks prior to the flight. The flight departed and flew for about 1 hour before returning to ITO to practice touch-and-go landings. The flight instructor instructed the student to perform a no flap "slip to landing" and go-around. After the aggressive slip and landing, power was applied for the takeoff. The airplane became airborne and when about 75-100 feet above ground, the engine began to run irregular and subsequently lost power. 

The FI took control of the airplane and executed a left turn away from buildings, which were located at the end of the runway. The airplane impacted onto the grass area northeast of the departure end of runway 03.

During an examination of the airplane, about 8 ounces of fluid was drained from the fuel sump strainer, and 5 ounces of the fluid appeared to be water. The carburetor was removed from the engine and an unmeasured amount of fluid was drained from the carburetor; about 90% of it appeared to be water. A water paste test was utilized, and the indication was positive for water.


The operator commented that examination of the inside of the fuel tanks revealed that the sump drain valves protruded up about 1/2 inch above the bottom of the tanks. The operator suggested that pilots drain the engine sump completely, rock both wings vigorously during preflight, and drain fuel from the engine and wing sumps again.



NTSB Identification: WPR15LA146 
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, April 14, 2015 in Hilo, HI
Aircraft: CESSNA 172M, registration: N12842
Injuries: 3 Serious.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

On April 14, 2015, about 1350 Hawaiian standard time (HST), a Cessna 172M, N12842, lost engine power during takeoff following a touch-and-go landing, and the pilot made a forced landing at Hilo International Airport (ITO), Hilo, Hawaii. Hawaii Flight Academy was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The certified flight instructor (CFI), student pilot undergoing instruction (PUI), and one passenger sustained serious injuries; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The local instructional flight departed Hilo about 1350. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.

The operator reported that the CFI was instructing the student pilot in preparation for his private pilot practical examination. The passenger was another student pilot who was observing the training flight.

The flight crew reported that they had drained a lot of water out of the fuel tanks prior to the flight. They departed and flew for about 1 hour, and returned to ITO to practice touch-and-go landings. They made an aggressive slip on the first touch-and-go. After applying power they were about 50-100 feet agl when the engine lost all power.

The CFI took control of the airplane and executed a left turn away from the buildings, which were located towards the end of the runway. The airplane impacted onto the grass area northeast of the departure end of runway 03.

Postaccident examination of the airplane fuel system revealed about 8 oz of fluid, which was drained from the fuel sump strainer, 5 oz of which appeared to be water. The carburetor was removed from the engine and an unmeasured amount of fluid was drained from the carburetor, which appeared to be 90% water. A water paste test was utilized and the indication was positive for water.







A 21-year-old man says he’s lucky to be alive after the single-engine Cessna he was in crashed in Hilo.

The state Department of Transportation said the plane was executing touch-and-go maneuvers when it crashed at Hilo International Airport shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Flight student Michael Dowsett spoke to the media for the first time since it happened, accompanied by his parents and doctor.

Dowsett said it was supposed to be his last training flight before he started testing for his private pilot license.

“We took off and we were maneuvering up by Akaka Falls, just doing some polish work, making sure… I got all the points marked off perfectly in the test,” he said.

Dowsett said they flew to the airport to practice and that’s when the engine lost power.

“We were already at the end of the runway and we were maybe 50 to 100 feet off the ground and had no power and normally, if we had runway left, we would’ve simply just nosed over and we would’ve just got some airspeed up and just flared and just done our regular landing,” he said. “The problem was there was no runway in front of us anymore. It was just the houses that were out there, so the only option there, which we also practiced, was we gotta bank it hard and fast to try to get back to a safe place to land.

“We must have had at least a 45-degree angle of bank in there, because we needed to get back like now,” he continued. “I remember once we had it over, I was looking and I could actually start seeing the blades of grass already.”

Dowsett said, at that moment, he believed he was going to die.

“You hear about it in movies and TV and whatnot. I really actually genuinely did think that was it. It was so surreal, it was like a dream. I thought for sure that we were going to, that when we crashed that it was gonna be a big fire ball and that was it. I thought it was game over and then after the crash, there was fuel leaking out of the wing and into the cabin and I thought, I thought this was it.”

Dowsett said he shattered his left ankle and broke two bones in his leg. He also had lacerations, fractured his cheekbone and required stitches to his eye and knee.

Two other victims in the plane, the flight instructor and a female student pilot, were flown to the trauma center at Queen’s Medical Center.

Dowsett and his family sends them their thoughts and prayers.

Original article can be found here:   http://khon2.com

Woman removed from flight after reportedly stabbing passenger with pen



CHICAGO — A plane departing from Chicago’s Midway Airport Thursday was forced to return to the gate after an altercation between to passengers.

As the plane was taxing on the runway, passengers say a woman jabbed a pen into the arm of the man next to either stop him from snoring or to move his hand that was touching her arm.

Initial reports via Twitter from a fellow passenger referred to the incident as the woman “stabbing” the man in the arm with a pen.

Southwest downplays the incident saying in a statement, “A customer on Flight 577 was removed from the flight for poking her seatmate with a pen to stop him from snoring.”

The statement went on to say, “The flight departed shortly after the passenger was removed and is now on its way to MHT. The passenger in question will be accommodated on a later flight. No injuries were reported.”

Southwest airlines flight 577 finally took off two hours after a passenger stabbed or poked her seatmate with a pen.  It happened about 1:45 as the plane, heading to Manchester, New Hampshire just outside of Boston, was about to take off.

Chicago police officers escorted the woman off the plane.  She remains at the airport where she may face charges.  Another woman said the passenger named Lenny was okay but was sore and shocked at what had happened.

Original article can be found here:  http://wgntv.com

Cessna 421B Golden Eagle, N421PK: Accident occurred April 17, 2015 in Diboll, Angelina County, Texas

http://registry.faa.gov/N421PK 


NTSB Identification: CEN15LA199
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, April 17, 2015 in Diboll, TX
Probable Cause Approval Date: 08/25/2015
Aircraft: CESSNA 421B, registration: N421PK
Injuries: 1 Serious, 2 Minor.

NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

The pilot reported that, after a flight the day before the accident flight, he requested that the fixed-base operator (FBO) top off the tip tanks with fuel. Before the accident flight the next morning, he performed a preflight inspection of the airplane; there was no water in the fuel sample, which appeared to be blue, similar to 100LL aviation fuel. The pilot performed an engine run-up before takeoff, and no anomalies were noted. During climbout, the airplane vibrated slightly, and the climb performance degraded. The airplane reached 2,100 ft above ground level, and the left engine then sputtered and lost all power. Shortly after, the right engine also lost all power, and the pilot conducted a forced landing to a highway median. The smell of Jet A fuel was prominent at the accident scene. 

A postaccident examination of the reciprocating engines revealed that they exhibited signs of detonation, consistent with having been operated with Jet A fuel, and a review of fueling records revealed that the airplane had been serviced with Jet A fuel instead of the required 100LL aviation fuel. Further, the FBO employee who fueled the airplane reported that he mistakenly serviced the airplane with 53 gallons of Jet A fuel; examination of the fuel tank filler ports revealed placards next to the ports indicating that only 100LL fuel was to be used. A credit card receipt signed by the pilot also showed that the airplane was serviced with Jet A fuel. The FBO employee also noted that the nozzle on the Jet A fuel truck was small and round like the nozzle on the aviation gas fuel truck. According to the airport manager, the larger Jet A nozzle, which was J-shaped with an opening of 2 3/4 inches, had recently been switched to a smaller, round nozzle; switching to a smaller fuel nozzle increased the chances that aircraft that needed 100LL fuel could be misfueled with Jet A fuel.

The Federal Aviation Administration had issued an airworthiness directive (AD) about 26 years before the accident requiring that the filler ports be equipped with restrictors to preclude misfueling; the restrictors reduced the fuel filler diameter to 1 5/8 inches. A review of the airplane’s maintenance records indicated that the AD had been accomplished; however, an examination of the airplane revealed that it was not equipped with the required restrictors. Based on the evidence, the engine likely lost power due to the use of the improper fuel type. Further, the noncompliance with the AD increased the possibility that the airplane could be misfueled with Jet A fuel, as occurred before the accident.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The total loss of engine power due to the use of an improper fuel type. Contributing to the accident were the servicing of the airplane with the improper fuel, noncompliance with an airworthiness directive, and the fuel nozzle installed on the fueling truck.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On April 17, 2015 at 0745 central daylight time, a Cessna 421B airplane, N421PK, lost engine power made a forced landing onto a highway near Diboll, Texas. The airplane was substantially damaged. The pilot sustained serious injuries and the two passengers sustained minor injuries. 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 at the time of the accident and the flight operated on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan. The flight departed from the Angelina County Airport (LFK), Lufkin, Texas at 0737 and was en route to the West Houston Airport (IWS), Houston, Texas.

According to the pilot, he landed the airplane the day before and requested that the tip tanks be topped off with fuel. The next morning he performed a preflight inspection on the airplane; there was no water in the fuel sample, which appeared blue like 100LL aviation gasoline. After a normal engine run-up, he and the two passengers departed. During the climb out, the airplane had a slight vibration and the climb performance was degraded. The airplane reached 2,100 feet above ground level and the left engine sputtered and lost all power. Within 30 seconds, the right engine also lost all power and he descended for a forced landing. The airplane landed hard and came to rest in the grassy median of a highway. During the accident sequence the wings and fuselage were damaged and the right fuel tank ruptured. The pilot added that the smell of Jet A fuel was prominent at the accident scene.

The fixed based operator (FBO) employee who fueled the airplane stated that the pilot requested that he top off the tip tanks with fuel. The employee mistook the accident airplane for a similar airplane that uses Jet A fuel. He brought the Jet A tuck over and fueled the airplane. He noted that the nozzle on the Jet A fuel truck was small and round like the nozzle on the aviation gas fuel truck. The round nozzles were always on the Jet A fuel truck because of the prevalent military helicopter traffic utilizing the FBO's services. He stated that it was a lot easier to fuel the helicopters with the round nozzle. He did not know who changed the nozzles and recalled that they were always like that. He stated that the pilot paid for the fuel and signed the receipt, which noted Jet A fuel was used.

According to the LFK airport manager, the nozzle was switched to the small round nozzle in order to more easily and efficiently fuel the military helicopters that were serviced at the airport. The usual nozzle for Jet A was a larger J-shaped nozzle with an opening of 2 ¾ inches.

Fuel records obtained from LFK revealed that the accident airplane was fueled with 53 gallons of Jet A on the day prior to the accident. A review of the records revealed a credit card receipt signed by the pilot. The printed receipt showed 53 gallons of Jet A with FGII additive. The FBO's invoice had Jet A and Avgas preprinted on the form; the details of the sale were annotated on the invoice, including a circling around "Jet A".

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot, age 63, held a private pilot certificate with ratings for single engine and multi-engine land airplane. He also held an airplane instrument rating. On April 30, 2014, the pilot was issued a third class medical certificate without limitations or waivers. The pilot report that he had accumulated about 3,000 total flight hours, 500 of which were in the accident airplane make and model. In the preceding 90 and 30 days he had flown 39 and 10 hours respectively in the accident airplane make and model.

The FBO employee was a current line serviceman and possessed the required training to fuel aircraft. On January 13, 2015, he passed the AvFuel Quality Assurance Training tests which were administered by the FBO management. The manager had never experienced an aircraft misfueling under his direction in the past.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The 6 seat, low wing, retractable landing gear airplane, serial number 421B0830, was manufactured in 1975. The airplane was powered by two reciprocating GTSIO-520-H Continental Motors engines rated at 375-horsepower, which each drove a 3-blade, full feathering, constant speed McCauley propeller. The airplane was equipped with main outboard fuel tanks (tip tanks) and inboard auxiliary fuel tanks.

A review of the maintenance logbooks revealed that on April 10, 1997, the airplane registration was changed from German registration D-IAEL to United States (US) registration N421PK. An entry in the records noted that the aircraft mechanic found the airplane to meet the requirements for a US standard-normal category airworthiness certificate. Issuance of the airworthiness certificate indicated that all applicable airworthiness directives were completed. The listing also showed Airworthiness Directive (AD) 87-21-02 R1, had been previously complied with.

The last annual inspection was completed on October 17, 2014, at an aircraft total time of 5,212.2 hours. A list of the applicable airworthiness directives were signed off as completed.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

At 0753, the automated weather observation at LFK, located 5 miles northeast of the accident site, reported wind calm, 10 miles visibility, overcast cloud layer at 800 feet, temperature 66°F, dew point, 63° F, and altimeter 29.98 inches of mercury.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

A postaccident examination of the airplane and engines was conducted on April 24, 2015. The engines exhibited signs of detonation. The cylinders showed no combustion deposits, scrape marks were noted on the cylinder walls and metal particles were noted on the piston face. The sparkplugs showed signs of normal wear when compared to a Champion Check-A-Plug comparison card, but heavy dark deposits were noted in the electrode areas. No water contamination was found in either fuel strainer bowl. The airplane's fuel tank filler ports were not equipped with restrictors a required by AD 87-21-02 R1. Two fuel placards were located near the filler ports, one read: AVGAS ONLY – grade 100LL. The other placard, located just under the filler port read: Fuel, 100/130 aviation grade min, useable 50 gal.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Cessna Service Information Letter

On July 20, 1984, Cessna Aircraft Company issued a Service Information Letter ME84-31: Fuel Filler Diameter Modification and External Turbo Placard Removal. This was effective for the accident airplane and stated in part: fuel filler modification kits are being made available to reduce the size of the filler port on multiengine piston aircraft. The reduced size fuel port is sized to allow normal fueling with aviation gasoline hose nozzles but will prevent entry of the larger jet fuel hose nozzles as an aid in reducing misfueling errors. However, the only positive method of ensuring that correct fuel is used it to carefully follow proper fueling procedures.

Airworthiness Directive

On June 16, 1989, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued Airworthiness Directive (AD) 87-21-02 R1, to preclude misfueling of an airplane which would result in an engine failure. The AD mandated within the next 12 calendar months, for all applicable aircraft, all fuel filler openings should be modified in accordance with ME84-31. The accident airplane was included in the applicable aircraft.

NTSB Identification: CEN15LA199
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, April 17, 2015 in Diboll, TX
Aircraft: CESSNA 421B, registration: N421PK
Injuries: 1 Serious, 2 Minor.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

On April 17, 2015 at 0745 central daylight time, a Cessna 421B airplane, N421PK, made a forced landing onto a highway near Diboll, Texas. The airplane was substantially damaged. The pilot sustained serious injuries and the two passengers sustained minor injuries. 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 at the time of the accident and the flight operated on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan. The flight departed from the Angelina County Airport (LFK), Lufkin, Texas at 0737 and was en route to the West Houston Airport (IWS), Houston, Texas. 

According to the responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector the airplane experienced a dual engine failure after departure and the pilot made a forced landing onto the highway. The airplane came to rest in the grassy median and the right fuel tank ruptured during the accident sequence. The smell of Jet-A fuel was prominent at the accident scene. 

Fuel records obtained from KLFK revealed that the accident airplane was fueled with 53 gallons of Jet-A on the previous day.



Edd Hendee and his wife, Nina 



ANGELINA COUNTY, TX (KTRE) -  Angelina County Judge Wes Suiter confirmed Thursday that an employee at the airport put the wrong kind of fuel in the twin-engine Cessna 421B that crashed on US Highway 59 south of Diboll last week.


Suiter said that the county had to let the employee go because of the mistake even though the young man is well-liked. The county judge also said that according to protocol the pilot is supposed to be present when his or her plane is being fueled.

In addition, Suiter said the pilot, Edd Campbell Hendee, of Houston, signed the receipt that listed the fuel that was put in his plane, jet fuel. Hendee is the owner of Taste of Texas, a well-known Houston restaurant.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Cessna 421B took off from the Angelina County airport and was on its way to Houston. After takeoff, the plane experienced some type of mechanical issue and went down into the inside southbound lane of US 59, then skidded into the grassy median.

A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board stated that the plane's right fuel tank ruptured in the crash, and “[T]he smell of Jet-A fuel was prominent at the accident scene.”

Hendee and his two passengers were taken to a Lufkin hospital for treatment of their injuries. CHI St. Luke's Memorial spokeswoman Yana Ogletree said that Hendee was flown to a Houston hospital later that day.

A relative of Hendee published an account what happened on April 17 on the Taste of Texas Facebook page.

“This afternoon the FAA verified that the airport loaded the airplane with jet fuel (kerosene) instead of aviation gasoline which is very high octane gasoline,” the Facebook post stated. “Kerosene will not run in an engine or engines like Edd has in that airplane. Edd's airplane cleared the fuel lines of gasoline and then the kerosene hit. Bad news and worse news.”

The family member wrote that Hendee was on a business flight from Kansas City to Houston. When Hendee crossed over into Texas, “big nasty thunderstorms” were rolling across the Lone Star State.

According to the Facebook post, Hendee made the decision to land at the Angelina County Airport. They put a tarp on the Cessna, topped off its tanks and spent the night at a hotel. The next morning, Hendee did a pre-flight check and took off.

The Facebook post stated that after Hendee got to an altitude of about 1,500 feet, he noticed that something was wrong.

“Suddenly one engine begins to choke. Fair enough, this happens, he trims up and does what he needs to do if he loses that engine,” the Facebook post stated. “He has trained for this for years, over and over. The engine dies. It is working no more. But the ‘good engine' is showing the same signs and a few seconds later it quits.”

At that point, the plane was like a “poor glider,” according to the post. Hendee knew he had to trade altitude for speed and pointed the plane's nose down to maintain his speed, the Facebook post stated. However, he quickly hit a cloud layer and lost visibility.

“We heard from the tower that he declared an emergency and was very business-like on the radio,” the Facebook post stated.

When Hendee's plane came out of the cloud layer, he was at an altitude of about 700 feet, the Facebook post stated.

“Edd has at best a few seconds to choose a landing spot and then he has to get busy making preparations to bring the airplane to the spot and make it happen,” the Facebook post stated.

According to the post, Hendee spotted US Highway 59, and as luck would have it, he was already lined up, so he didn't have to make any turns. He spotted a break in the traffic right where he needed to put the Cessna down.

“He drops his landing gear and does the very best he can to flare the airplane to slow his vertical drop before they hit,” the Facebook post stated. “He misses the light poles, hits the highway and bounces, crushing his left landing gear. They come down again. The right landing gear collapses and is torn away, and Lord knows what happens to the nose wheel. But it's gone.”

The Facebook post stated that the twin-engine plane skidded down the highway and wound up in the median, where the wet soil helped slow it down even further.

“Edd asks his passengers to clear the plane as he shuts down all of the electrical and takes care of the airplane,” the Facebook post stated. “Finally Edd comes out, slowly, and limps over to the side of the highway and lies down. His back hurts.”

The writer of the Facebook post said God was protecting Hendee and his two passengers throughout the entire incident. According to the post, Hendee shattered a vertebrae, and one of the pieces wound up in Hendee's spinal canal. The post said Hendee could have wound up paralyzed from the waist down.

“As it is, they think his body will heal itself entirely in 90 days,” the post stated. “The body will consume that piece in the spinal canal.”

https://www.facebook.com/TheTasteofTexas

http://www.ktre.com


A North Texas aircraft recovery company dismantles the Cessna 421B that force landed on US Hwy 59 S. on Fri., April 17, 2015.



The company is dismantling the plane screw by screw, bolt by bolt.



ANGELINA COUNTY, TX (KTRE) - A North Texas company with more than 30 years in aircraft recovery has begun the task of dismantling the Cessna 421B that crashed Friday in South Angelina County just a few minutes after taking off from the Angelina County Airport bound for Houston.

Federal authorities asked Angelina County for a secure place the plane could be held until a recovery company could collect it.

When the plane went down on Friday, April 17, 2015, there were three people on board. The pilot - Houston restaurateur Ed Campbell Hendee - and two passengers. All were treated initially at CHI St.Luke's Memorial in Lufkin. It's believed Hendee continued care in Houston.

As for the investigation into the crash, Angelina County is not involved.

"We just provided a secure location to store the plane," said Angelina County Judge Wes Suiter.

At the secure location, the retrieval company is taking apart the plane piece by piece. All parts will be loaded onto a trailer and carted to a hangar for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to begin their thorough probe into the downed plane.

The destination for the wreckage is going to be the Dallas area.

The owner of this aircraft recovery company said when he delivers all the plane parts to that hangar for the NTSB and FAA, his job is done. The company has been in business 30-plus years. They've worked more than 100 plane crashes in Central and West Texas. This is their first wreckage recovery in East Texas.

Original article can be found here:  http://www.kltv.com


ANGELINA COUNTY, TX (KTRE) - A Houston man has been flown to a Houston hospital for injuries he suffered in a twin-engine plane crash on US 59 south of Diboll Friday morning.
 

 "To see it actually come down and land right there beside you, it was like, 'Wow," but I've never actually seen it," said Jared Swenson, a motorist who witnessed the plane crash. "As I got closer, I realized his propellers weren't spinning."

Officials from FAA are investigating the crash.

DPS had to shut down part of the northbound lane, as part of a wing was on the highway. The scene was cleared by 4:15 p.m.

According to DPS, the Cessna 421B twin-engine took off from the Angelina County airport and was on its way to Houston. After takeoff, the plane experienced some type of mechanical issue and went down into the inside southbound lane of US 59, then skidded into the grassy median. 

"How many times do you see a plane descend, see the whole process, as the fuselage and the plane actually takes the load, bounces right next to you, and skids to a stop in the middle of 59? Not very often," Swenson said.

Swenson said the pilot was both blessed and skilled. He added that it looked as though the pilot made a decision about where to land as the plane was going down. 

The pilot and his passengers were stunned but coherent when Swenson approached them. Swenson explained that one passenger kept thanking him and trying to hand him a business card. He told the man to just lie down. 

Swenson said it wasn't like any other drive to the office.

The pilot is Edd Campbell Hendee. He and his two passengers were taken to a Lufkin hospital for treatment.

According to CHI St. Luke's Memorial Hospital spokeswoman Yana Ogletree, Hendee was flown to a Houston hospital. He is in stable condition. 

Hendee is the owner of Taste of Texas, a well-known Houston restaurant.

http://www.ktre.com












DIBOLL, Texas - A Houston restaurant owner was returning from a business trip when his Cessna 421B force-landed on Highway 59 near Diboll Friday morning.

Edd Hendee, who owns the Taste of Texas restaurant near Town and Country, was piloting the plane when it lost power and went down, landing in a median on the highway.

A few of Hendee's friends and business associates were traveling with him at the time.

The Texas Department of Transportation is investigating.




Diboll (KYTX) - A twin-engine plane makes an emergency landing in Angelina County.

It happened around 7:40 Friday morning on Highway 59 South in Diboll. 

The sheriff's department says the plane landed on the highway, then veered into the median. 

Three people were on board at the time. 

The pilot was identified as Edd Campbell Hendee (63) from Houston. 

Hendee and his two passengers were transported to CHI St. Luke's Hospital in Lufkin for possible treatment.

Alton Lenderman with the Angelina County Sheriff's Department says they are still on the scene and the plane has not been removed. 

The FAA along with the Angelina County Sheriff's Department is investigating.

The Cessna 421B twin engine plane departed the Angelina County Airport en-route to Houston. 

TxDOT says Northbound motorists should expect delays as the inside lane of traffic is closed during the clean-up and any debris removal.

Southbound motorists could also see delays with inside lane closures as needed. 

Hazardous material crews are responding to the scene to remove fuel on the roadway and median.

Drivers should slow down and watch for workers, law enforcement personnel and emergency vehicles in the area for the next several hours.

CBS19 is following this story and will pass along any updates as we get them.




Three people have been taken to a Lufkin hospital for what appears to be cautionary reasons following a twin-engine plane crash on US 59 south of Diboll Friday morning.

The crash occurred at 7:47 a.m. and the plane landed in the median of US 59, a half-mile south of Diboll.

Officials from FAA are on the way to investigate the crash.

DPS is having to shut down part of the northbound lane, as part of a wing is on the highway.

According to DPS, the Cessna 421B twin-engine took off from the Angelina County airport and was on its way to Houston. 

After takeoff, the plane experienced some type of mechanical issue and went down into the inside southbound lane of US 59, then skidded into the grassy median.

The pilot is Edd Campbell Hendee. He and his two passengers were taken to a Lufkin hospital for treatment.

Original article can be found here:   http://www.kltv.com