Friday, October 16, 2015

Cessna 207, C-GNVZ, Chapman Corporate Air Services: Fatal accident occurred October 16, 2015 in Baldonnel, British Columbia, Canada

PRINCE GEORGE — The two people killed in a plane crash near Fort St. John on Friday were both from Vernon.

The B.C. Coroners Service has confirmed Leonard Bradley Chapman, 56, and Florian Michael Chapman, 26, are the two men who were killed following the airplane crash.

“Leonard Chapman was the pilot of, and Florian Chapman a passenger in, a Cessna 207 airplane which crashed on takeoff from an unpaved airstrip at the Chapman gravel site on 239 Road in Baldonnel, about 15 kilometres south of Fort St. John, shortly after 3 p.m.,” says Coroner Barb McLintock.

Both men died at the scene and their families have been notified of their deaths.

The B.C. Coroners Service and Transportation Safety Board continue to investigate the deaths.




A fatal plane crash near Fort St. John has an Okanagan connection.

Two people were killed in the crash on Friday of a Cessna 207 registered to Chapman Corporate Air Services Ltd. of Calgary.

While it is not yet confirmed who was on board the aircraft when it crashed on a grass strip at the Chapman Sand and Gravel pit about 4 p.m. Friday, the plane and company are believed to be connected to LB Chapman Construction of Vernon.

Transport Canada records show the plane, identified by the tail mark C-GNVZ, is registered to Chapman Corporate Air Services Ltd.

The pit where the crash occurred is owned and operated by LB Chapman Construction Ltd., which operates in the Peace Region and has head offices in Vernon.

The same plane can be seen on the company’s website.

The site describes the company as a general contractor in the field of heavy civil construction and infrastructure operating throughout British Columbia including roadworks, rock blasting, excavation and rock fall protection. 

It contracts air services with Chapman Group Aviation to ferry engineers, technical staff, crew and material to remote locations.

The company could not be reached for comment.

Transportation Safety Board spokesman Chris Krepski said the crash happened in the late afternoon, while a privately owned Cessna was taking off from a grass runway near the community of Taylor, just south of Fort St. John.

He said the plane crashed and the two people onboard were fatally injured.

Krepski added there was also a fire after the crash.

Investigators from Edmonton are on the scene this weekend, investigating the crash.

Castanet will provide more details as they become available.



Cirrus SR22, N849CD : Accident occurred October 16, 2015 near Lancaster Regional Airport (KLNC), Dallas County, Texas

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

Docket And Docket Items -  National Transportation Safety Board: http://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms

Aviation Accident Data Summary  -  National Transportation Safety Board: http://app.ntsb.gov/pdf

MAHMOOD ATAEE: http://registry.faa.gov/N849CD

NTSB Identification: CEN16LA016
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, October 16, 2015 in Lancaster, TX
Probable Cause Approval Date: 02/17/2016
Aircraft: CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22, registration: N849CD
Injuries: 1 Serious, 1 Uninjured.

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 private pilot reported that he was flying a night visual pattern to a nontowered airport. Due to another airplane on final approach, the pilot extended the downwind leg to create spacing. While on the extended final in a rural area with low lighting, the pilot descended the airplane well below a proper glidepath to the runway and struck an unlit high-voltage power line located about 1 mile from the runway. After feeling a jolt, the passenger deployed the airframe’s parachute system. The airplane subsequently became suspended in a second set of power lines, and the pilot and passenger safely egressed the airplane. 

At the time of the accident, the precision approach path indicators (PAPI) for both runways were inoperative due to maintenance. A notice to airmen (NOTAM) for the PAPI closure was active at the time of the accident, and the pilot was aware of the NOTAM. The dark conditions and extended final likely created a visual illusion in which the pilot thought he was higher than he was; without an operative PAPI, the pilot had limited external references to assist him in maintaining a proper glidepath during the approach. 

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot’s failure to maintain a proper glidepath during a night visual approach, which resulted in impact with a power line. Contributing to the accident was an inoperative precision approach path indicator. 

On October 16, 2015, about 1940 central daylight time, a Cirrus SR22 airplane, N849CD, was destroyed after striking a power line during approach to the Lancaster Regional Airport (LNC), Lancaster, Texas. The pilot was not injured and the passenger was seriously injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which departed without a flight plan from the Mid-Way Regional Airport (JWY), Midlothian, Texas about 1850. 

The pilot stated he was practicing a 'no flap' visual approach to Runway 31 at LNC and extended his downwind leg to create spacing from an aircraft that was on final approach. As the pilot flew toward Runway 31 on final approach, the airplane struck the upper static line of a set of unlit high voltage power lines, located about one mile prior to the threshold of Runway 31. After feeling a jolt, the passenger deployed the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). The airplane continued northwest about 200 feet and impacted a second set of high voltage power lines. The airplane and CAPS became entangled in the second set of power lines and the airplane came to rest suspended by the parachute, with the nose about three feet above the ground. The pilot and passenger exited through the pilot's side door and jumped to the ground. The airplane was subsequently consumed by a post-crash fire.

The pilot's final approach to Runway 31 was over a rural area with low cultural lighting. At the time of the accident, the precision approach path indicator (PAPI) for both runways was inoperative due to maintenance. The PAPI is a visual aid that provides glideslope information to help a pilot acquire and maintain the correct glide path to a runway. A Notice to Airman (NOTAM) concerning the inoperative PAPI was active, which the pilot stated he was aware of. 


The airport manager and Texas Department of Transportation personnel reviewed obstacle clearance information for LNC. The closest tower to the power line struck was 592 feet msl, which was 105 feet above the touchdown zone elevation for Runway 31. This tower and other power lines/obstacles in the vicinity of LNC were below the 34:1 obstacle clearance plane required for a non-precision runway.

NTSB Identification: CEN16LA016
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, October 16, 2015 in Lancaster, TX
Aircraft: CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22, registration: N849CD
Injuries: 1 Serious.

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

On October 16, 2015, about 1940 central daylight time, a Cirrus SR22 airplane, N849CD, was destroyed after striking a power line during approach to the Lancaster Regional Airport (LNC), Lancaster, Texas. The pilot was not injured and the passenger was seriously injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which departed without a flight plan from the Mid-Way Regional Airport (JWY), Midlothian, Texas about 1850.

The pilot stated he was practicing a 'no flap' visual pattern to Runway 31 at LNC and extended his downwind leg to create spacing from an aircraft that was on final approach. As the pilot flew toward Runway 31 on final, the airplane struck the upper static line of a set of high voltage power lines, located about one mile prior to the threshold of Runway 31. After feeling a jolt, the passenger deployed the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). The airplane continued northwest about 200 feet and impacted a second set of high voltage power lines. The airplane and CAPS became entangled in the second set of power lines and the airplane came to rest suspended by the parachute, with the nose about three feet above the ground. The pilot and passenger exited through the pilot's side door and jumped to the ground. The airplane was subsequently consumed by a post-crash fire.

At the time of the accident, the precision approach path indicator (PAPI) for both runways was inoperative due to maintenance. The PAPI is a visual aid that provides glideslope information to help a pilot acquire and maintain the correct approach to a runway. A Notice to Airman (NOTAM) concerning the inoperative PAPI was active at the time of the accident.

FAA Flight Standards District Office: FAA Dallas FSDO-05





The cleanup continued Saturday in a field near Lancaster Regional Airport where a single-engine airplane clipped a power line and crashed Friday night.

Crews were seen repairing the power lines and removing debris, including a Ballistic Recovery System parachute that deployed from the plane as it was landing.

Two people were on board the Cirrus SR22, and the passenger was taken to a hospital with unspecified injuries, according to an FAA spokesperson.

A witness of the crash told NBC DFW he heard the plane making a sputtering noise as it flew over his house. Concerned something was wrong, Arnold Jisdel got into his truck and began following it.

"I heard a bunch of sirens, the sky lit up orange - it was glowing - so I knew that plane had already went down," said Jisdel.

A preliminary report was expected to be released within a week, an FAA spokesperson said.







LANCASTER – Witnesses say a small plane crashed and caused a grass fire Friday evening near Lancaster Regional Airport.


According to a woman who told News 8 she could see the crash from her home, the plane went down at about 7:20 p.m. south of the airport and caught fire.


According to initial reports, two people were aboard the plane. Both people survived, though one was transported to a local hospital.


The FAA said the plane was a Cirrus SR22 and it clipped a power line two miles south of Lancaster.


The Dallas Co. Sheriff's Department is responding, along with the Lancaster and Ferris fire departments.


-Source:  http://www.wfaa.com






One person is injured after a single-engine airplane clipped a power line and landed in a field Friday evening near the Lancaster Regional Airport, officials say.

Emergency crews were called at about 7:20 p.m. to a field near Ferris and Lavender roads, approximately two miles south of the airport.

Two people were on board the s Cirrus SR22, and the passenger was transported from the scene for treatment of unspecified injuries, according to a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman.

The crash also caused a small grass fire, officials said.

The Dallas County Sheriff's Department, along with Lancaster police and fire, and Ferris fire personnel are working at the scene.

There was no immediate reports of power outages as a result of the incident.

- Source:  http://www.nbcdfw.com

Captain of capsized Atlantic Charger decries lack of rescue aircraft

Survivors wave during initial contact with a CP-140 Aurora aircraft after abandoning their fishing vessel, the Atlantic Charger, southeast of Iqaluit on Sept. 21. 



As rising waters sloshed just below his knees and five-metre waves slammed the sides of his crippled fishing boat, Byron Oxford knew time was of the essence if he and his eight crew were going to survive in the North Atlantic.

The skipper of the Atlantic Charger was battling 40-knot winds, frigid temperatures and churning seas late last month when he decided he and his mates would have to abandon their 21-metre boat in Frobisher Bay as the storm worsened and they began taking on water.

As waves “fell out of the sky and broke down on top” of them, Mr. Oxford issued a mayday and informed search and rescue officials of their location, confident that a rescue operation involving the military and coast guard would quickly kick into gear.

But after the nine men abandoned their boat, they endured more than 12 hours of being tossed around in a life raft before they were finally scooped out of the sea by the crew of another fishing vessel about 320 kilometres south of Iqaluit.

For Byron Oxford, it was a stunning conclusion to a “nightmare” he expected would end with a military helicopter hoisting them to safety rather than civilians risking their lives to pull them on board their boat.

The 44-year-old veteran fisherman says the incident highlights a problem with a lack of resources in the region.

“Had there been a rescue station in either Goose Bay or Iqaluit, the rescue could have taken place a lot faster,” he said in an interview from his home in Springdale, Nfld.

“Thank God we made it to the life raft, thank God that we had immersion suits, thank God everything worked out well for us, but it was done as an eye opener…

“It’s just a matter of time before a vessel gets in distress or an airplane goes down in that area and, if there’s nothing there to deal with the situation, then they’re at the mercy of passerby vessels.”

The complaint is not new for some in the Atlantic region, who say there are too few aircraft and vessels at the ready to help with emergencies at sea.

Ryan Cleary, the NDP MP for St. John’s South-Mount Pearl, said he spoke with the captain of the Atlantic Charger as the incident was unfolding on Sept. 21 and they both had the same question about the rescue.

“Where the hell was the Cormorant,” he said, adding that the area’s harsh conditions would make it tough to last long.

“You can’t survive jig time in the waters of northern Labrador – you will freeze to death, so it’s critical, given the traffic off northern Labrador, that we have immediate response.”

Mr. Cleary says the government should be looking at how much vessel traffic there is off northern Labrador and providing search and rescue resources that can be quickly deployed to the area.

Defense dispatched several assets to assist in the rescue, including fixed-wing aircraft, two Cormorant helicopters and a coast guard vessel, along with two civilian ships.

The first Cormorant flew out of Gander, Nfld., and had to make two fuel stops on the way to the scene, including one in Goose Bay. But, a Defense spokeswoman said in an e-mail that after it experienced unspecified technical problems after it left Goose Bay and had to turn back.

The second Cormorant out of 14 Wing Greenwood in Nova Scotia was turned back after the men were rescued.

Maj. Rhonda Stevens of the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Center in Halifax was working throughout the rescue and said it would have taken 10 hours for the first Cormorant to get there, and about 12 hours for the second.

Mr. Oxford praised the response from rescue officials, who he says were doing the best with the resources they were given.

But he says having to rely on other vessels for rescue can be a dangerous proposition.

He said his crew tried to get aboard the research vessel, the Arctic, after it pulled up at about 8 p.m. and put a rope ladder down its side for the men to climb up. Some were still in pajamas and slippers, and were already cold from exposure.

But the waves were so high that they risked getting smashed against the vessel, so Mr. Oxford said they had to paddle hard in the life-raft to get clear of it.

“One minute you’re down in a trough and you’re looking 50 to 60 feet up at the vessel and the next you’re up and eye-balling the railing,” said Mr. Oxford, who is married and has a teenage son and 12-year-old daughter.

“It was impossible.”

- Source:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com

U.S. Will Require Drones to Be Registered



The federal government will announce a new plan requiring anyone buying a drone to register the device with the U.S. Department of Transportation, NBC news has learned.

The government has been concerned about the rise in close calls between unmanned drones and aircraft flying into and out of some of the nation's biggest airports. The plan is expected to be announced Monday.

In July, there was a dangerously close encounter between a drone and a passenger jet with 159 people aboard setting up to land at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The unmanned aerial vehicle was just 100 feet away from the passenger jet at an altitude of 1,700 feet; normal safe separation distance is between aircraft is at least 1,000 feet.

Private drones were also blamed with hampering aerial firefighting efforts over a California blaze in July.

Firefighting aircraft trying to attack the fast-moving blaze in the Cajon Pass had to leave the area for around 20 minutes over safety concerns, officials said. The fire swept over a busy freeway and torched 20 vehicles.

Under the plan, the government would work with the drone industry to set up a structure for registering the drones, and the regulations could be in place by Christmas.

Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration proposed a $1.9 million fine against Chicago drone company SkyPan, which was alleged to have flown dozens of unauthorized flights over Chicago and New York since 2012. 

- Story and video:  http://www.nbcnews.com

Great Lakes Airlines seeking exemption from Federal Aviation Administration rules to return to 19 passenger aircraft



The Riverton Airport Board Friday morning was told that Great Lakes Airlines has filed a petition with the Federal Aviation Administration to allow it an exemption to current flight rules for a commuter airline. The Cheyenne-based airline is seeking permission to again use 19 seat aircraft on its routes, rather than the nine-seaters that have been flown this summer.

In a request for support from the city, Great Lakes CEO Chuck Howell said the exemption request would “improve commercial air service to small communities without a reduction in safety for the flying public.” Howell said communities served by Great Lakes had lost over 380,000 seats with the new commuter airline pilot hour requirements. “Granting the request for the exemption would reverse the economic penalty communities have experienced due to passenger enplanement reductions.”

In Riverton, the summer-time closure of the main runway for reconstruction combined with the new pilot hour requirements and only 9-seat aircraft serving the city has meant a huge drop in enplanements. Airport Division Manager Paul Griffin said passenger boardings through September only totaled 2,878 for the year, compared to 6,545 at the same time last year. In all of 2014, only 7,760 passenger boardings were recorded, a number which fell below the FAA’s minimum of 10,000 boardings to allow the airport to receive $1-million annually in airport improvement funds. In its last year above the 10,000 boardings mark, Riverton Regional had over 13,000 passengers pass through the terminal. That traffic has now evaporated to mostly Casper and Denver, Griffin said.

Because of the reduced passenger load, Griffin said an average of 2.5 passengers per flight are boarding in Riverton, with a total of only 7.5 passengers boarding in one day. Board chairman Dean Peranteaux noted that number does not include passengers boarded in Worland before coming to Riverton.

Due to the pilot hour restrictions and required pilot rest, Griffin also said Great Lakes had 32 cancellations during September out of 119 flights. “Denver’s weather was a reason for many of the cancellations when the flights could not leave there,” he said.

- Source:  http://county10.com

Cessna 414A Chancellor, N414TA, G Fisher Aviation: Incident occurred October 16, 2015 at Corpus Christi International Airport (KCRP), Texas



CORPUS CHRISTI -

A pilot who had just taken off from Corpus Christi International Airport ran into a pilot's worst nightmare Friday afternoon.


The left engine on George Fisher's Cessna 414A Chancellor gave out when he was just 50 miles from the airport.


He couldn't get it restarted so he decided an emergency landing was his only option.


Fisher says he's flown since 1970, but this is the first time he's ever had an engine failure. 


Lucky for him, he was trained for this type of emergency. 


"We practice that all the time, I just finished three days with a flight instructor for re-qualification  I'd flown around about four hours single-engine last weekend," says Fisher.


Fisher was flying to Houston with his family for the Wings Over Texas airshow this weekend. He says they'll be driving to the air show now.


- Story and video:  http://www.kristv.com 


G FISHER AVIATION LLC: http://registry.faa.gov/N414TA

80-year-old marijuana dealer pleads guilty in federal court

 
 Marshall Dion
Junction City Police Department



Document: Charges against Marshall Dion 



He owned houses in Massachusetts, Colorado, and Arizona, had $11 million stashed in a North Reading storage facility, and once crawled away from a plane crash in Wisconsin as thousands of dollars in cash (suspected drug profits) floated through the air around him.

But his dramatic exploits came to an end Thursday, when 80-year-old Marshall Herbert Dion, wearing tan prison clothing, shuffled to the witness stand to plead guilty to running a massive marijuana-dealing and money-laundering operation.

Under a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, Dion could serve 5 to 7 years in federal prison, ending a lucrative criminal career that spanned decades until a chance traffic stop in Kansas.

“Over the course of the conspiracy . . . he had sold approximately 3,000 to 10,000 kilograms of marijuana,” Assistant US Attorney Leah Foley said during a brief court hearing.

Dion’s lawyer, Hank Brennan, said later that “Mr. Dion has embraced his responsibility and is looking forward to the next chapter in his life.”

Under a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, Marshall Herbert Dion could serve 5 to 7 years in federal prison.

Dion’s unraveling began during a traffic stop in Junction City, Kan., in June 2013, when a police officer pulled him over for driving 80 in a 75 m.p.h. zone. During the stop, the officer searched Dion’s beat-up pickup truck and found nearly $850,000 in cash.

The discovery sparked a federal investigation that ultimately led to the discovery of $2 million in a bank account, another $880,000 in an Arizona building, and the storage facility in North Reading, where authorities found 395 pounds of marijuana and $11 million in cash.

Foley told US District Judge Denise Casper that authorities found travel logs that indicate Dion had sold more than 3,000 kilograms of marijuana — and possibly as many as 10,000 kilograms — dating back to 1992.

Dion’s decision to plead guilty Thursday caps a lengthy criminal career. He was convicted in Massachusetts in the late 1980s of drug trafficking after authorities in Boston found about 180 pounds of marijuana in a 1986 Chrysler sedan. Police later found 101 pounds of marijuana stashed in a commercial storage building in Lynnfield.

A Boston police spokesman told the Globe at the time that “apparently he has houses all over New England. He’s a major operator, there’s no question.”

After the plane crash in Wisconsin in 1985, Dion was found crawling through a muddy field, though he denied that the $112,000 in cash found inside the plane and floating through the air was his.

For Dion’s latest exploits, Casper could sentence him to prison for a term ranging from 60 to 87 months for conspiracy to deal marijuana, possession with intent to deal marijuana, and money laundering, under the deal he reached with prosecutors. He had faced a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years in prison if he had been convicted in a trial. He is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 11.

Under the plea agreement, however, Dion’s conviction and guilty plea would be vacated if he is successful in an appeal he is pursuing before a higher court. That appeal is based on what he calls an unconstitutional search of his truck after the traffic stop in Kansas.

Dion told Casper that he agreed with everything Foley said about him in court Thursday excepttwo things: That the Kansas officer had a reason to stop him for speeding, and that he consented to the search of the truck.

“There’s no way the officer could have known if I was speeding, even if I was, which I wasn’t,” Dion said.

Then he added, “There’s no way I would have agreed to a search of my property.”

- Source:  https://www.bostonglobe.com

Kenosha County Sheriff’s Deputy Cathy Baxter can’t imagine having more fun on the job.

Covered in mud from head to toe and holding thousands of dollars, Baxter will never forget perhaps the most memorable night of her career when she responded to a single-engine plane crash near Highway E and Interstate 94 on Nov. 1, 1985.

“We spent most of the night out there in that field,” Baxter said. “I remember everyone laughing and giggling as we stuffed over $110,000 into garbage bags.”

Marshall Dion, the pilot of the plane, was in an ambulance and being treated by paramedics for two broken ankles when deputies arrived. The severely damaged plane contained several leather bags holding an estimated $200,000. Bills of all denominations floated in the crisp, fall breeze and were scattered throughout the field.

Dion, a 50-year-old Portland, Maine, resident at the time, told detectives he was unaware of the large amount of cash.

“He said, ‘What money? I don’t have any money’,” Baxter said.

When a scale with marijuana residue was seized, authorities tied the cash to drug trafficking, according to Baxter. Deputies bagged over $110,000 that night and used the money to purchase the department’s first mobile command emergency response vehicle.

The rest of the cash was an early Christmas present for nearby farmers, according to Baxter.

“The next day I’m sure there were all kind of gawkers, but I bet the farmers were out early enough to pick up everything,” Baxter said. “It was farmer’s aid for the year. They were able to keep it because it was on their property. (Dion) claimed it wasn’t his.”


Heard the crash


James Fonk, 76, owned the property. He said his son John notified him of the crash and his wife Frances, 74, made the 911 call.

“I was in the basement and John was upstairs, and he said, ‘I just heard a plane crash,’” James said in a telephone call from his winter home in Sebring, Fla. “I said, ‘You’re full of (crap).’

“I saw some lights about a half-mile away. I backed my truck out of the driveway and I see a guy crawling up the road on his hands and knees. I had to park my truck in the road so nobody would hit him.”

James said he helped Dion, who asked him to quickly retrieve items out of his plane.

“I went down there with a farmer’s flashlight, about as dim as they get, and I found a suitcase,” James said. “I pull it out and there’s a pile of money next to it. I was like, holy (crap). I took an old blanket of his and started throwing (all the money) in there, and the cops pulled up right away. They told me I better put it on the ground; this is a crime scene now.”

Kenosha County Sheriff’s detectives took over the investigation as deputies — wearing borrowed raincoats and boots from the Paris Fire Department — scooped up bills like kids on an Easter egg hunt.


Dion arrested again

Baxter, 63, spent 15 years with the department before retiring in 1995. She was surprised when a Boston writer contacted her on Nov. 17 and inquired about that memorable evening.

It appears Dion didn’t let a plane crash slow business. Dion was convicted of drug trafficking in 1989 when Boston police discovered over 100 pounds of marijuana in his car.

He ran into the law again last summer when he was reportedly pulled over speeding in a beat-up pickup truck in Junction City, Kan.

Dion, 79, told police he was a retiree from Tucson, Ariz., living off his $690-per-month Social Security check. Police reportedly found $828,220 inside his truck and used a GPS device to track his steps to a self-storage facility in North Reading, Mass.

Authorities there found $11.5 million in cash, more than 168 pounds of marijuana and records of customers, amounts of marijuana sold and cash balances in the storage unit.

“I was shocked,” Baxter said. “I thought he was in prison all this time. Unbelievable.”

Dion’s attorney, Henry Brennan, is arguing the police stop and search of Dion’s truck was illegal and everything they found as a result cannot be used against him.

According to public records, Dion has resided in Boston; Portland, Maine; Grand Junction, Colo.; and Tucson, Ariz.

Dion will likely never forget his short trip to Kenosha.

“We went and visited him in the hospital,” James Fonk said. “The people he was there with were kind of seedy looking. We ended up leaving because my wife was afraid they were going to come look for us because there was some money missing.”


- Source:  http://www.kenoshanews.com

http://registry.faa.gov/N92302

NTSB Identification: CHI86LA022.
The docket is stored on NTSB microfiche number 29497.
Accident occurred Friday, November 01, 1985 in KENOSHA, WI
Aircraft: CESSNA 182N, registration: N92302
Injuries: 1 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.

ACCORDING TO THE PILOT THE FLIGHT FROM TOLEDO TO THE KENOSHAAREA WAS UNEVENTFUL. DURING THE VOR APPROACH TO RWY 14 (APPROX 2 MILES FROM THE END OF THE RUNWAY) THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND AND WAS DESTROYED. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE LAST THING HE REMBERED BEFORE IMPACT WAS SEEING 1100 FEET MSL ON HIS ALTIMETER. HE WAS USING THE CORRECT ALTIMETER SETTING. THE ALTIMETER WAS LATER GIVEN A COMPLETE SCALE ERROR CHECK AT AN INDEPENDENT AVIONICS REPAIR FACILITY. THE RESULTS OF THIS TEST INDICATED AN ERROR RANGE OF -400 FT AT A SIMULATED ALTITUDE OF 1000 FT TO -950 FT AT A SIMULATED ALTITUDE OF 20000 FT. IT IS A NON-ENCODING ALTIMETER AND WAS LAST CHECKED BY A CERTIFIED REPAIR STATION APPROXIMATELY 19 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT.

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


MAINTENANCE, INSPECTION ... NOT OBTAINED ... PILOT IN COMMAND

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
MAINTENANCE, CALIBRATION ... NOT OBTAINED ... PILOT IN COMMAND

Contributing Factors

FLIGHT/NAV INSTRUMENTS, ALTIMETER...FALSE INDICATION

Near-miss prompts college aviation changes

A near-miss between a Sault College training aircraft and a Jazz Aviation flight last September has prompted the post-secondary institution to introduce several new procedures for its faculty and student pilots to prevent another close call.

A Transportation Safety Board investigation, released Thursday, warns of a continued increased risk of similar collisions because there is no special use advisory airspace (CYA), found in “other busy flight training areas,” near Sault Ste. Marie.

“A CYA has defined dimensions, and can have restricted times, altitudes, frequencies, and entry restrictions,” a TSB report reads. “A CYA is displayed on all published maps, is known to ATC (air traffic control), and can be depicted on the controller's radar displays. If maneuvers related to flight training take place in controlled airspace that is not specifically designated for such training or known to ATC, there is an increased risk of collision, as these types of maneuvers can be difficult for controllers or the crews of conflicting traffic to anticipate.”

Colin Kirkwood, dean of environment, technology and business, said safety is “first and foremost in this program.”

“We take it very seriously,” he told The Sault Star on Friday.

A Sault College Zlin 242 was on a training flight southeast of Sault Ste. Marie Airport on Sept. 3, 2014. A student pilot and instructor planned to practice steep turns, stalls and spins.

At the same time, a Jazz Aviation de Havilland Canada DHC-8-102, with three crew and 34 passengers aboard, left the Sault airport bound for Toronto.

The craft's traffic alert and collision avoidance system warned the flight crew, then flying at 4,000 feet, that the Zlin was three nautical miles ahead, and 1,000 feet above, the de Havilland. A pilot and first officer visually saw the training aircraft seconds later. When the DHC-8 levelled off at 4,500 feet, the Jazz crew saw the Zlin at 5,200 feet. The training craft began a fast descending turn that “put the two aircraft on a collision course,” the TSB report reads.

The planes were in airspace near Dafter, Mich., about 20 kilometres south of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

The DHC-8's traffic alert and collision avoidance system gave a voice instruction for the flight crew to descend. The pilot determined, due to the Zlin's flight path, a descent alone “would not be sufficient.”

The DHC-8 flight crew took evasive action shortly before 4 p.m., banking the aircraft 30 degrees to the left. The Zlin passed on the de Havilland's right side. The student banked the Zlin sharply to the left. The two planes were about 350 to 450 feet apart.

“That's quite a dangerous distance,” given the speed the planes' speed and the variability of the spinning Zlin, said Ewan Tasker, TSB investigator in charge.

An air traffic controller in Toronto, overseeing three other aircraft in the Sault Low sector, saw no conflicting traffic and had approved the de Havilland's departure from the Sault airport.

The controller knew of Sault College's flight school, the TSB says, and from experience aircraft close to the airport were “much lower” than 5,000 feet.

“This expectation may have resulted in the aircraft target's altitude going unnoticed,” the report says.

Other possible factors include the brightness of the monitor used by the controller in Toronto was on the minimum setting and a “clutter” of aircraft in the Sault area.

“It didn't click to him initially that it would be a conflict,” said Tasker. “If he had seen and acknowledged both aircraft and their altitudes, clearly he wouldn't have put them on a course that conflicted with each other.”

The incident happened in Class E airspace where there is no requirement to contact air traffic control in Toronto, or monitor for instrument flight rules traffic. That's why the student and faculty member didn't hear the go-ahead given by Toronto flight control center to the Jazz crew.

“Hearing the clearance may have alerted the C-FANU (Zlin) to the possible conflict,” the TSB says. “Given their experiences with previously completing upper airwork in the area without conflict, the student and instructor did not anticipate spotting a departing IFR aircraft during their scan of traffic in the area prior to the spin.”

Faculty and students who fly had to sign off on a printed memorandum distributed at the college on Dec. 10, 2014. Changes in flight protocol included:

  • alerting the Sault tower once within 10 nautical miles of the control zone if, or when, spins are being done;
  • not to do spins within the departure or approach paths of surrounding area aerodromes, including Chippewa County International Airport, Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., Municipal Airport, Bar River and St. Joseph Island;
  • contact Toronto center control when doing exercises in the VOR area.

“It's a serious matter for us and we take the steps necessary to make sure that everybody's informed,” said Kirkwood.

Special use advisory airspace for training aircraft can be requested by air traffic control or training schools such as Sault College, said Tasker. Transport Canada “sometimes just determines a need,” he added. Kirkwood could not confirm if the college has ever requested such a designation.

Fatigue and weather were not factors in the incident. All pilots and controllers “were certified and qualified for their respective positions.” The Sault College instructor had about five years experience and 1,025 hours of flight time. The student, with 300 hours of flight time, had about three years of flight experience.

The TSB probed the incident “for the purpose of advancing transportation safety.” It's not the agency's role to assign fault or determine civil or criminal liability.

“We leave it with the people who hold the cards, if you will, to do whatever they think is necessary to reduce the risk,” said Tasker in a telephone interview from Richmond Hill, Ont. “We're all trying to advance safety and prevent this from happening again. We're not going to do that by punishing people. We need to find out why this happened to prevent the next guy from doing it again. None of these people wanted to do this. No one was acting recklessly. No one was doing anything untowards.”

The three-year aviation flight-technology, with enrollment of about 200 students, is one of Sault College's flagship programs. The program has a fleet of 11 Zlin 242Ls and two Piper PA-44-180 Seminoles.

- Source:  http://www.saultstar.com

Authorities: Report of downed plane near military base a false alarm



BIG ISLAND (HawaiiNewsNow) -

Police and firefighters responded to a report of a downed plane on the Big Island Friday, but upon arriving at the scene, learned it was a false alarm.

According to initial reports, a plane had gone down around 9:30 a.m. near the 39 mile marker on Saddle Road, which is near the military's Pohakuloa Training Area.

Emergency responders rushed to the area and determined that a passerby had mistaken the routine artillery training and smoke as a plane crash. No injuries occurred. 

- Source: http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com

Scanner Traffic: Plane Crash? • Carlin Bay/Lake Coeur d'Alene, along H97

  • 2:29 p.m. Responders decide that there's no crash. Caller might have scene small plane w/o pontoons practicing water landings.
  • 2:07 p.m. MedStar now in air looking for possible plane crash debris at Carlin Bay.
  • 2:01 p.m. Pilot reports he can't spot plane under water at Carlin Bay site but there may be something 2 miles away.
  • 1:59 p.m. Fire boat en route to possible plane crash site.
  • 1:54 p.m. Witness to possible plane crash is waiting at scene for officers, reports seeing no debris, only buoy near area of possible crash.
  • 1:50 p.m. Officer at Carlin Bay says she doesn't see any evidence of plane crash.
  • 1:47 p.m. Dispatcher has fielded a report of a small plane flying along H97 moments before crash call.
  • 1:40 p.m. Plane Crash?   Motorist reports possible crash of light plane into Carlin Bay/Lake Coeur d'Alene, along H97. Motorist said that the plane didn't have pontoons on it, so he didn't think the plane was landing. Dive team is en route.
PM Scanner Traffic -- 10.16.15: http://www.spokesman.com

Vans RV-6A, N8188D : Accident occurred October 16, 2015 at Grenada Municipal Airport (KGNF), Grenada County, Mississippi

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

Docket And Docket Items -  National Transportation Safety Board:   http://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms


National Transportation Safety Board  -  Aviation Accident Data Summary:   http://app.ntsb.gov/pdf

http://registry.faa.gov/N8188D

FAA Flight Standards District Office:  FAA Jackson FSDO-31

NTSB Identification: GAA16CA025
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, October 16, 2015 in Grenada, MS
Probable Cause Approval Date: 02/08/2016
Aircraft: DONHAM TIMOTHY J RV 6A, registration: N8188D
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.

NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.

The pilot of the experimental amateur-built airplane reported that the approach to the runway was normal and he could see that the tetrahedron indicated a right quartering crosswind. The pilot reported that just after touchdown the right wing pitched up and he was unable to overcome this motion with control inputs. The airplane veered to the left, and exited the left side of runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to right wing, engine mount, firewall, right elevator, and rudder. 

The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's loss of directional control during landing, which resulted in a runway excursion.




AIRCRAFT: 1999 Van’s Aircraft RV-6A, N8188D, Serial # 23460, Total Time 1677.5 as of last condition inspection on April 14, 2015

ENGINE:  Lycoming O-320-E2D, serial # L-42846-27A.  Last Overhaul 8/1/2000.  TSMOH  578.9 

EQUIPMENT:    Analog gauges, Apollo SL40 COM, Narco AT 150 Transponder                              
                                                                   
DESCRIPTION OF ACCIDENT: Aircraft departed runway during crosswind landing. Plane went up on its nose.
  
DESCRIPTION OF DAMAGES:   See attached photos. Damage includes but may not be limited to the following:        

Engine has had a propeller strike
Damage to most of airplane 

LOCATION OF AIRCRAFT:  Grenada, Mississippi

REMARKS:  Airframe and engine times are approximations.  Former owner believes the plane was flown about 60 hours since the condition inspection of April 14, 2015.

Read more here:  http://www.avclaims.com/N8188D













GRENADA, Miss. (WTVA) -- Officials say no one was injured when a small plane crashed at the Grenada Municipal Airport Friday afternoon.

Airport officials say the plane was on a flight from College Station, Texas and was making a refueling stop.

A couple from Hilltop Lakes, Texas, flying a Vans RV-6A airplane was attempting to land when the crash occurred. 

The plane was caught in a crosswind and crashed about 50 yards from the runway.

A man and a woman in the plane were checked by UMMC Ambulance crews at the scene. 

The FAA is investigating the incident. 

The Grenada Police Department, Grenada County Sheriff’s Department, and the Grenada Emergency Management Agency responded to the incident.

- Source: http://www.wtva.com

Comp Air 8 Turboprop, N244MS: Accident occurred October 15, 2015 at Ray Community Airport (57D), Michigan

http://registry.faa.gov/N244MS

NTSB Identification: CEN16LA017
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, October 15, 2015 in Ray, MI
Aircraft: Comp Air CA8, registration: N244MS
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 October 15, 2015, about 1845 eastern daylight time, a Comp Air Inc. CA8 airplane, N422MS, was substantially damaged while landing at Ray Community Airport (57D), Ray, Michigan. The private pilot had minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. The cross country flight was en route to 57D.

The pilot reported that while on the base to final turn the left wing dipped. The pilot increased power but experienced difficulties with controlling the airplane. The airplane struck the ground short of the runway and the left wing separated from the fuselage.

FAA Flight Standards District Office:  FAA East Michigan FSDO-23



A 46-year-old Clinton Township man walked away from a plane crash with only small lacerations on his face after the plane he was piloting crashed while approaching Ray Community Airport Oct. 15.

According to a report from the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched at 6:10 p.m. to 59819 Indian Trail, the airport’s address, for a report of a plane crash. When deputies arrived, Ray Township Fire and MedStar Ambulance personnel were on the scene and treating the pilot.

The pilot reportedly told deputies that he was attempting to land the plane at the airport. The plane was a Comp Air 8 Turboprop.

The Sheriff’s Office reports stated that an independent witness said he saw the plane take a “hard left turn” into the ground while approaching the runway.

Weather reports at the time of the crash showed that winds were sustained at 27 knots, or 31 mph, with gusts as high as 29 knots, or 33 mph, with overcast skies.

There is no indication yet that weather played a factor in the crash.

A Federal Aviation Administration investigation into the crash is ongoing. Ray Community Airport is located northwest of the intersection of North Avenue and 27 Mile Road.

- Source:  http://www.candgnews.com



A Clinton Township pilot walked away with apparently minor injuries after his single-prop plane crashed while landing Thursday night at Ray Community Airport in Ray Township, the Macomb County Sheriff's Office said today.

Deputies were sent to the airport's administration office at 59819 Indian Trail for a report of a plane crash at about 6:10 p.m. Personnel from the township fire department and a local ambulance company were treating the 46-year-old pilot, who was the only one in the plane, the sheriff's office said.

The pilot appeared to have cuts on his face and was taken to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, Lt. John Michalke said. He said the man was wearing a seat belt harness. Michalke did not know why the plane crashed.

The plane is a kit-built Comp Air 8 Turboprop said Tony Molinaro, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating the crash. He also did not know why the plane crashed, but said the plane landed short of the runway. Molinaro said the investigation is expected to take several weeks.

He did not have the name of the pilot or know anything about the man's status as a pilot, such as how long he had been flying.

A witness told authorities that he watched as the plane made a hard left turn into the ground while on approach to runway No. 27, according to the sheriff's office.

Source: http://www.freep.com

Pilot sues airline, saying it won't accommodate his snoring

Commercial pilot Bruce Alonso of Lutz suffers from a snoring problem.

His snoring is apparently severe enough, and perhaps loud enough, that he didn't want to share a hotel room with anyone during training for a commuter airline, United Express.

But this week the 56-year-old filed suit against the airline in Hillsborough County circuit court saying Champlain Enterprises, the Vermont-based company that operates the airline, refused to accommodate what the suit said was the pilot's disability.

Alonso, who started working at the airline in August 2014, alleged in the suit that he asked Champlain on Sept. 5, 2014 to avoid giving him a roommate in the hotel room provided during pilot training because of his "severe snoring."

The snoring, he said, was caused by a medical condition which is unidentified in the suit.

Alonso said the airline initially agreed as long as he provided a doctor's note, which the suit said he quickly did.

But just over a week later, the suit said, Alonso got a letter from Champlain denying any accommodation for snoring "even though granting plaintiff's request would not have imposed any undue hardship" on the airline.

The lawsuit said that refusal "effectively" terminated his employment. Alonso did not explain how, nor did the suit say where training took place.

The refusal to accommodate Alonso's disability, the lawsuit said, violated the Florida Civil Rights Act of 1992. The airline's "actions were willful and done with malice," the suit said, noting the pilot "is a member of a protected class" under the act.

Alonso, reached at his Lutz home Friday, declined comment, saying, "I just want to keep this private." Calls to the airline were not immediately returned.

The Federal Aviation Administration has taken steps to combat obstructive sleep apnea among pilots, a condition that can cause severe snoring and other problems. An undated FAA circular warns pilots about the dangers of the potentially life-threatening condition and notes pilots with sleep apnea can keep their FAA medical certificates and keep flying with medical care.

The FAA has noted sleep apnea can lead to pilot exhaustion with potentially deadly consequences.

In 2008, the FAA said, a commercial flight with 40 passengers flew by their destination after the two pilot's on the aircraft both fell sound asleep. The pilot, who had sleep apnea, awoke and safely landed the plane. The FAA did not identify the airline involved nor identify the destination.

The voice cockpit recorder of a 2010 Air India flight picked up the sounds of the captain's loud snoring shortly before the aircraft crashed, killing 158 people.

Source:  http://www.tampabay.com