Wednesday, March 09, 2016

Piper PA-28R-200 Arrow II, N4363F; fatal accident occurred April 28, 2018 in Gainesville, Forsyth County (and) Incident occurred March 08, 2016 at Paulding Northwest Atlanta Airport (KPUJ), Dallas, Paulding County, Georgia

Ernesto Antonio Arteaga-Membreno, Flight Instructor.
July 7th, 1989 ~ April 28th, 2018.


The National Transportation Safety Board traveled to the scene of this accident.

Additional Participating Entities: 

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Atlanta, Georgia
The New Piper Aircraft Company; Wichita, Kansas
Textron Lycoming; Atlanta, Georgia

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


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


http://registry.faa.gov/N4363F




Location: Gainesville, GA
Accident Number: ERA18FA137
Date & Time: 04/28/2018, 1715 EDT
Registration: N4363F
Aircraft: PIPER PA28R
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Loss of engine power (partial)
Injuries: 1 Fatal, 2 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Instructional 

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On April 28, 2018, about 1715 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28R-200, N4363F, was substantially damaged when it struck a vehicle during a forced landing to a highway near Gainesville, Georgia. The flight instructor was fatally injured; the commercial pilot and passenger were seriously injured. The two people in the vehicle were not injured. The airplane was registered to and was being operated by the Flight School of Gwinnett as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight, which departed Gwinnett County Airport–Briscoe Field (LZU), Lawrenceville, Georgia, about 1615.

According to the commercial pilot, who was seated in the front left seat, the purpose of the flight was to practice maneuvers for a single-engine add-on rating to his commercial certificate. After they departed, they flew to the flight school's practice area, which was over Lake Lanier, before returning to the airport to practice landings and traffic pattern work. While returning to the airport in level flight between 3,500 and 5,000 ft mean sea level (msl), the commercial pilot heard a loud bang from the engine and saw the cowling expand simultaneously. Engine oil then sprayed over the entire windscreen and obstructed their view. The engine was producing some power, but the airplane was unable to maintain altitude. The flight instructor, seated in the front right seat, took control of the airplane and made two descending 360° turns over the highway and prepared to land to the west. The flight instructor also made a distress call to air traffic control. The flight instructor opened the cabin door so he could see outside and aligned the airplane with the road. The commercial pilot was looking out the left-side window. When the airplane was about 20 to 30 ft above the ground, the flight instructor began to flare the airplane. The commercial pilot remembered an impact, then the airplane flipped over. He recalled seeing the top of the fuselage caving in before losing consciousness.

The passenger in the rear left seat was a student pilot at the flight school and was observing the flight. He stated that they had been practicing maneuvers when he heard a loud bang and the airplane began to shake. Oil then covered the windshield from right to left. The flight instructor said they were going to make an emergency landing. The flight instructor opened the cabin door so he could make sure the landing area was clear, because he could not see out the windshield. The passenger said that there was a loud crash sound as the airplane touched down. The next thing he knew he was upside down still strapped into his seat via his lap belt. He unbuckled the belt and exited the airplane.

Several people witnessed the accident and reported that the airplane's engine was sputtering, leaking fluid, and trailing smoke.

A witness was driving westbound on the highway when she saw the airplane fly over her car. She said the pilots tried to land the airplane and struck a vehicle; there was then an explosion. The airplane then went down an embankment.

Another witness was a passenger in a car driving westbound on Highway 369 when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. The airplane then struck the car from behind. Her husband, who was driving the car, said the airplane struck their car, then he saw flames in his rearview mirror before the airplane passed the car on the left and went into a ditch.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The flight instructor held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. He also held a flight instructor certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine, and instrument airplane. His most recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) second-class medical certificate was issued on December 18, 2017.

The flight instructor's logbook was not recovered. According to information provided by the flight school, as of November 2017, the flight instructor had about 536 total hours of flight experience. The flight instructor began employment at the flight school in December 2017 and had flown about 135 hours between that time and the accident.

The pilot receiving instruction held a commercial pilot certificate with a rating for airplane multi-engine land and instrument airplane, with private pilot privileges for airplane single-engine land. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on April 10, 2018. The commercial pilot reported about 560 total hours of flight experience.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The Piper PA-28R-200 is a four-seat, low-wing, single-engine airplane powered by a four-cylinder Lycoming IO-360 engine.

The airplane's most recent annual inspection was conducted on February 6, 2018, at an airframe total time of about 5,477.87 hours. At the time of the accident, the airplane had accrued about 5,515.01 hours.

The engine's most recent annual inspection was conducted on February 6, 2018 at a total time of 1,033.97 hours and the engine had accrued 1,071.11 hours since major overhaul at the time of the accident. The overhaul was conducted in July 2014, at which time the crankcase was reassembled and all four cylinders were installed. Review of maintenance records did not reveal any cylinder removals or crankcase disassembly since the overhaul.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

Recorded weather at LZU at 1656 included wind from 250° at 8 knots, 10 miles visibility, few clouds at 8,000 ft, temperature 25°C, dew point 5°C, and a barometric pressure setting of 29.92 inches of mercury.



WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The airplane collided with a set of power lines before touching down on the road. It then struck a car, veered to the right, went off the road, and down a steep embankment before coming to rest inverted on a northerly heading about 450 ft from the power lines. The main wreckage exhibited no evidence of fire; however, the right wing, which had separated from the airplane and came to rest on the opposite side of the highway, was fire damaged.

Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the fuselage, including the top and bottom of the engine cowling, the windshield, and the aft section of the fuselage were coated in oil. The top of the fuselage was crushed down, left, and aft. The left wing separated from the airframe at the wing root, but the control cables remained connected. The outboard section of the left wing was separated and found adjacent to the main wreckage.

The vertical stabilizer, including the rudder, was bent to the left. The left side of the horizontal stabilator was bent up. The elevator trim was neutral.

Flight control continuity was established from all flight control surfaces to the cockpit. The flaps were fully retracted and the landing gear were extended.

All four seats remained attached to their respective mounts. The front left seatbelt/shoulder harness assembly was intact and found unbuckled. The shoulder harness inertia reel was locked and would not retract or extend. Some stretching of the harness was observed. The front right lap belt was buckled and the webbing was cut by emergency personnel. The shoulder harness was retracted and found stowed with the metal clip attached to the headliner. Both rear seats were equipped only with lap belts, and both belts were unbuckled.

The engine and cowling remained attached to the airframe and the two-bladed propeller remained attached to the engine. Both blades exhibited chordwise scoring, curling at the tips, and twisting toward the blade faces.

Examination of the engine revealed that the No. 2 cylinder (S/N: EC10 3504-08) had separated from the cylinder mounting deck. Two fractured sections of the left crankcase, which included part of the No. 2 cylinder bore, were found lying in the engine cowling. The No. 2 cylinder rocker box cover and a pushrod tube was protruding from the left forward side of the cowling. The No. 2 cylinder connecting rod was protruding through the top of the cowling. The No. 2 cylinder base studs and thru bolts remained in the cylinder/crankcase bore and were fractured. The separated portions of the bolts and the cylinder base nuts were not observed with the recovered wreckage.

The Nos. 1, 3, and 4 cylinders were removed and the crankcase was disassembled. The No. 1 cylinder head was impact damaged. No damage was noted to the pistons, valves or cylinder walls of the Nos. 1, 3, or 4 cylinders. The No. 2 piston remained in the No. 2 cylinder. The cylinder skirt and piston skirt were damaged consistent with impact by the No. 2 connecting rod. The No. 2 connecting rod remained attached to the No. 2 piston and was damaged consistent with impact with the cylinder skirt. The No. 2 rod cap was not attached to the rod and no bolts were present in the rod bolt holes. The rod cap was damaged. A portion of one rod bolt remained in the rod cap. The shank portion of the rod bolt that remained was narrowed consistent with stretching of the bolt. The rod bearing shell was distorted consistent with the distortion of the rod cap.

The crankcase web mating surfaces at the Nos. 2, 3, and No. 4 bearing journals exhibited pitting consistent with fretting.

The left section of the crankcase with remaining base studs and thru bolts, the two broken sections of the crankcase with remaining bolts, the No. 2 cylinder with piston and attached lower section of connecting rod, the No. 2 cylinder end-cap with one bolt, the No. 2 cylinder connecting cap bearing, and the No. 2 cylinder pushrod tube were sent to the National Transportation Safety Board's Materials Laboratory for examination. The examination revealed that all the No. 2 cylinder's base studs and thru bolts were fractured at their threaded section. The fractured surfaces exhibited evidence of crack arrest marks consistent with fatigue cracking and microvoid coalescence features typical of overstress separation.

Examination of the fractured bolt from the connecting rod end cap revealed that the shank portion exhibited evidence of a cup-and-cone fracture consistent with overstress separation.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

The Division of Forensic Sciences, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Atlanta, Georgia, performed the autopsy on the pilot. The autopsy report indicated that the cause of death was, "Blunt force trauma of the head and neck."

Toxicology testing performed at the FAA Forensic Laboratory identified an unquantifiable amount of doxylamine in the pilot's iliac blood and urine. Doxylamine is a sedating antihistamine available in several over-the-counter cold and allergy products and in some over-the-counter sleep aids.



ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

According to the FAA Aviation Maintenance Technician Handbook (FAA-H-8083-30), fretting occurs:

…when two mating surfaces, normally at rest with respect to one another, are subject to slight relative motion. It is characterized by pitting of the surfaces and the generation of considerable quantities of finely divided debris. Since the restricted movements of the two surfaces prevent the debris from escaping very easily, an extremely localized abrasion occurs.

According to the Lycoming Overhaul Manual, section 6, page 6-21, "To assure proper assembly of the crankcase halves and to eliminate the possibility of subsequent loosening of the cylinder base nuts, a definite and specific sequence of tightening all crankcase and cylinder base nuts must be followed." Lycoming also issued Service Instruction No. 1029D for all Lycoming piston engines, titled Tightening Procedures for Crankcase Thru-Studs and Bolts, on August 15, 1986. The Service Instruction stated,

All Avco Lycoming aircraft engines incorporate bolts and long thru studs that extend through the crankcase halves primarily for holding them together. The studs also secure the cylinders to their mounting decks on the crankcase. To ensure uniform loading on the main bearings, it is necessary to tighten these studs and bolts in a sequence beginning at the approximate center of the engine and progressing evenly to both front and rear of the engine...

In a June 2014 issue of EAA Sport Aviation, Mike Busch wrote an article, "Cylinder Work: Be Afraid," that stated that:

…preload is the technical term for the clamping force created by tightening a fastener (typically a threaded bolt or stud) that holds assembled parts together. Having sufficient preload is the key to a strong and reliable bolted joint that will not loosen, break, or shift under the load. In order for a bolted joint to be stable under cyclic repetitive stress, the preload on the fasteners must be greater than the maximum stress that is trying to pull the joint apart. If this condition is met, the joint will not separate, and the fasteners won't "feel" the repetitive stress cycles. But if it isn't, the joint will shift under load and the fasteners will ultimately fail from repetitive stress fatigue.

Flight Instructor Information

Certificate: Flight Instructor; Commercial; Private
Age: 28, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Right
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used:
Instrument Rating(s): Airplane
Second Pilot Present: Yes
Instructor Rating(s): Airplane Single-engine; Instrument Airplane
Toxicology Performed: Yes
Medical Certification: Class 2 Without Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 12/18/2017
Occupational Pilot: Yes
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: 04/10/2018
Flight Time: (Estimated) 671 hours (Total, all aircraft)

Pilot Information

Certificate: Commercial; Private
Age: 30, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Multi-engine Land; Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used:
Instrument Rating(s): Airplane
Second Pilot Present: Yes
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 3 Without Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 04/10/2018
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: 05/06/2015
Flight Time: 560 hours (Total, all aircraft)

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: PIPER
Registration: N4363F
Model/Series: PA28R 200
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 1976
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: 28R-7635406
Landing Gear Type: Retractable - Tricycle
Seats: 4
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 02/06/2018, Annual
Certified Max Gross Wt.:
Time Since Last Inspection: 37 Hours
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 5515.01 Hours at time of accident
Engine Manufacturer: Lycoming
ELT: C91 installed, not activated
Engine Model/Series: IO-360-C1C
Registered Owner: On file
Rated Power: 200 hp
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: LZU, 1061 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site: 16 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 1656 EDT
Direction from Accident Site: 360°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Few / 8000 ft agl
Visibility:  10 Miles
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 8 knots /
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual: None / None
Wind Direction: 250°
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual: N/A / N/A
Altimeter Setting: 29.92 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 25°C / 5°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: Lawrenceville, GA (LZU)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: Lawrenceville, GA (LZU)
Type of Clearance: VFR Flight Following
Departure Time: 1615 EDT
Type of Airspace: Unknown

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Serious
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 1 Serious
Aircraft Fire: On-Ground
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal, 2 Serious
Latitude, Longitude: 34.250000, -83.972778 (est)

Location: Gainesville, GA
Accident Number: ERA18FA137
Date & Time: 04/28/2018, 1715 EDT
Registration: N4363F
Aircraft: PIPER PA28R
Injuries: 1 Fatal, 2 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Instructional 

On April 28, 2018, about 1715 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28R-200, N4363F, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Gainesville, Georgia. The flight instructor was fatally injured. The commercial pilot and the passenger were seriously injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the Flight School of Gwinnett as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight that departed the Gwinnett County Airport – Briscoe Field (LZU), Lawrenceville, Georgia, about 1615.

According to the commercial pilot, who was seated in the front left seat, the purpose of the flight was to practice maneuvers for a single-engine add-on rating to his commercial certificate. After they departed, they flew to the flight school's practice area, which was over Lake Lanier, before returning to the airport to practice landings/traffic pattern work. On the way back to the airport, while in level flight between 3,500 and 5,000 ft mean sea level (msl), the commercial pilot simultaneously heard a loud bang from the engine and saw the cowling expand. Engine oil then sprayed over the entire windshield and obstructed their view. The engine was producing some power, but they were unable to maintain altitude. The commercial pilot immediately focused on finding a place to make a forced landing. He said their only option was Highway 369 or the lake. The flight instructor, seated in the front right seat, took control of the airplane, and made two, descending orbits over the highway and prepared to land to the west. On the second circuit, they extended the landing gear. The flight instructor also made a distress call to air traffic control. The flight instructor opened the cabin door, so he could see outside and lined up on the road. The commercial pilot was looking out the left side window. When the airplane was about 20-30 ft above the ground, they began to flare. The commercial pilot said he remembered an impact, and then the airplane flipped over. He recalled seeing the top of the fuselage caving in before losing consciousness.

The passenger in the rear left seat was a student pilot at the flight school and was observing the flight. He said they had been practicing maneuvers when he heard a loud bang and the airplane began to shake. Oil then covered the windshield from right to left. The flight instructor said they were going to make an emergency landing. The flight instructor opened the cabin door, so he could make sure the landing area was clear, because he could not see out the windshield. The passenger said as the airplane touched down there was a loud crash sound. The next thing he knew he was upside down still strapped in to his seat via his lap belt. He unbuckled the belt and exited the airplane.

Several people witnessed the accident and reported the airplane's engine was sputtering, leaking fluid, and trailing smoke.

One witness stated that he observed the airplane about 10-15 minutes before the accident. The engine was sputtering, and the airplane made five "laps" overhead before it attempted to land to the west on Highway 369.

A second witness was driving westbound on the highway when she observed the airplane fly over her car. She said the airplane tried to land on the road but struck a vehicle followed by an explosion. The airplane then went down an embankment.

A third witness was a passenger in a car driving westbound on Highway 369 when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She said, "Loud noise and force came through the back window and almost decapitated us." Her husband, who was driving the car said, "…we were impacted in the rear of the car by a plane. I looked in rearview and saw flames and then the plane passed us on the driver's side and went off side of the road into a ditch."

The airplane collided with a set of power lines prior to touching down on the highway. It then struck a car, veered to the right, went off the road, and down a steep embankment, before coming to rest inverted on a northerly heading. The distance between the point where the airplane struck the power lines to where it came to rest was about 450 ft. There was no post-impact fire to the main wreckage; however, the right wing, which had separated from the airplane and came to rest on the opposite side of the highway was fire damaged.

Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the fuselage, including the top and bottom of the engine cowling, the windshield and the aft section of the fuselage were coated in oil. The top of the fuselage was crushed down, left and aft. The right wing exhibited impact and postimpact fire damage. The left wing separated from the airframe at the wing root but the control cables remained connected. The outboard section of the left wing had separated and was found adjacent to the main wreckage.

The vertical stabilizer, including the rudder, was bent to the left. The left side of the horizontal stabilator was bent up. The elevator trim was neutral.

Flight control continuity was established for all flight controls from the flight control surface to the cockpit. The flaps were fully retracted, and the landing gear were extended.

The engine and cowling remained attached to the airframe and the two-bladed propeller remained attached to the engine. Both blades exhibited chordwise scoring, curling at the tips and twisting toward the blade faces.

Examination of the engine revealed the No. 2 cylinder had separated from the cylinder base pad. The No. 2 cylinder rocker box cover and a pushrod tube was protruding from the left forward side of the cowling. The No. 2 cylinder connecting rod was protruding through the top of the cowling. The No. 2 cylinder base studs and through-bolts remained in the crankcase and were fractured.

The engine was retained for further examination.

The flight instructor held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. He also held flight instructor ratings for airplane single-engine land, and instrument airplane. His last Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) second-class medical certificate was issued on December 18, 2017.

According to information provided by the flight school, as of November 2017, the flight instructor had a total of 536 flight hours. The flight instructor began employment at the flight school in December 2017 and had flown about 135 hours between then and the time of the accident.

The commercial pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. He also held a commercial pilot certificate with a rating for airplane multi-engine land, and instrument airplane. His last FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on April 10, 2018. The commercial pilot reported a total of about 560 flight hours.

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Manufacturer: PIPER
Registration: N4363F
Model/Series: PA28R 200
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No
Operator: FLIGHT SCHOOL OF GWINNETT
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None 

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: LZU, 1061 ft msl
Observation Time: 1656 EDT
Distance from Accident Site: 16 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 25°C / 5°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Few / 8000 ft agl
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 8 knots, 250°
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility:  10 Miles
Altimeter Setting: 29.92 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Lawrenceville, GA (LZU)
Destination: Lawrenceville, GA (LZU)

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Serious
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 1 Serious
Aircraft Fire: On-Ground
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal, 2 Serious
Latitude, Longitude:  34.250000, -83.972778 (est)


Ernesto Arteaga-Membreno


FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. - Friends and co-workers are remembering a flight instructor who was killed when his plane crashed over the weekend.

Channel 2’s Lori Wilson spoke with a neighbor who said he spent hours with the pilot the night before. 

Those who knew him best said Ernesto Arteaga-Membreno, 28, of Grayson, was a good pilot and a good neighbor. He was a flight instructor at flight school in Gwinnett County. 

“We had a reveal party and that was really the first time we interacted, and he was just a really nice guy,” neighbor Erik Siders told Wilson. 

He said Arteaga-Membreno had just bought the house next to him a couple of months ago. 

Siders invited him to a party Saturday and got to know more about the young pilot, instructor and airplane mechanic.

“Actually, my aunt, she works for Delta, and my wife's dad, he also did stuff with planes, so they all had really good conversations,” Siders said. 

Siders said he was glad he was able to spend a couple of hours with his neighbor, not knowing they would be his final moments.

“He actually stayed for a long time, until he had to go to work,” Siders said.

At the flight school in Gwinnett County where Arteaga-Membreno worked part-time, operations director Gary Stone told Wilson he hired Arteaga-Membreno because he was good.

“The chief flight instructor goes and flies with you and he came back and goes, ‘He's an excellent pilot.’ So that sold me,” Stone said. 

He was an excellent pilot who would take his last flight Saturday evening. 

“We consider ourselves a family, and we've lost one of the members of our family. That's kind of tough,” Stone said. 

Two passengers, Litsu Chen and Shen Yang Wu, were both injured in the crash. 

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash.


Story and video ➤ https://www.wsbtv.com


A man killed in a weekend plane crash in Forsyth County was identified as a Gwinnett County flight instructor. 

Ernesto Antonio Arteaga-Membreno, 28, of Grayson, died at the scene Saturday afternoon after a single-engine prop plane went down in the area of Browns Bridge Road and Waldrip Circle, Forsyth County sheriff’s Cpl. Doug Rainwater said Monday in a statement. 

Arteaga-Membreno was a part-time instructor for The Flight School of Gwinnett, Channel 2 Action News reported. The flight school’s operations director, Gary Stone, told the news station that Arteaga-Membreno was a mechanic for Delta Air Lines who moved from California late last year.

“We consider ourselves a family, and we've lost one of the members of our family,” Stone told Channel 2. “That's kind of tough.”

The plane’s other occupants — student pilots Litsu Chen, 30, of Lawrenceville, and Shen Yang Wu, 25, of Duluth — were taken to a nearby hospital for their injuries. Chen remained in the hospital Monday.

The plane had just taken off around 5 p.m., and Rainwater said “we can speculate” that the pilot was trying to make an emergency landing on Browns Bridge Road but collided with the rear of a car.

The occupants of the car were not injured. Their names were not released. 

“The plane was smoking as it started making circles around the cul-de-sac, and then the engine started to sputter on and off,” witness Cherie Simonds told Channel 2. She said the plane then went silent and crashed. 

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.

Stone said the young instructor will be missed.

“He wanted to do some flying and continue teaching, so we hired him,” Stone said. “And he also was a mechanic, so he knew a lot about aircraft.”

https://www.ajc.com


The pilot of a single-engine plane that crash-landed Saturday in Forsyth County has been identified as the person who was killed in the accident. 

Ernesto Antonio Arteaga-Membreno, 28, from Grayson, died at the scene of the crash on Browns Bridge Road near Waldrip Circle, according to the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office. 

Two passengers on board the plane were injured. Litsu Chen, 30, from Lawrenceville, remained hospitalized at last report with non-life threatening injuries while Shen Yang Wu, 25, from Duluth, has already been released from the hospital.

Local investigators determined the crash happened around 5 p.m. on April 28. When fire and law enforcement arrived at the scene, they found the Piper PA-28R-200 Arrow II on an embankment with one wing of the plane on the south side of Browns Bridge Road. A passenger vehicle traveling west on the roadway was clipped by the plane; the occupants of the car were not injured.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) continues its investigation into the crash. 

http://accesswdun.com



Two people are still recovering after an airplane crash Saturday in Forsyth County.

The crash happened around 5 pm, when a Piper PA-28R-200 Arrow II went down while trying to make an emergency landing on Highway 369, also known as Browns Bridge Road.

There were three people on the flight. One of them died.

The National Transportation Safety Board has confirmed there was a flight instructor and two students on board the Piper PA-28R-200 Arrow II.

Officials said it left Gwinnett County’s Briscoe Field at 5:11 pm. But shortly after takeoff, air traffic control got a distress call about a need for an emergency landing right as the plane was over Lake Lanier.

But instead of aiming for water, the pilot tried to make Highway 369 his runway. Instead, the plane hit a car, which sheared off a wing, and landed nose down in a ravine.

“The best place to land is in an open field,” said Don Barnes, who has been a pilot for 55 years. “But if there’s nothing but trees around or lakes and water, the highway may be your best choice.”

Barnes has been teaching students how to fly since 1975, and said most instructional flights are done between 2,000 and 3,000 feet, which gives a single engine airplane plenty of space to glide to the ground if the engine goes out.

“I would stay away from highways,” Barnes said. “I’ve had nine engine failures in my career and I’ve only landed once on a highway.”

But he says what’s worse than landing on a road, is landing on the water.

“You don’t want to land on a lake,” he said. “Once you hit the water, it’s like hitting concrete. It’s hard, and the plane can do any number of things. It’s unpredictable.”

http://www.11alive.com



The investigation continues into the Saturday evening plane crash that left one man dead and two others injured in Forsyth County. 

Few new details were available Sunday morning regarding the crash, which happened near Browns Bridge Road and Waldrip Circle. The Piper PA-28R-200 Arrow II - which officials have speculated was trying to make an emergency landing — collided with the back of a car that was driving on the road. 

No one in the car was hurt, but one man in the plane was killed. Two other occupants in the airplane were injured and taken to a nearby hospital in stable condition, Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Cpl. Doug Rainwater said Saturday. 

“The plane was smoking as it started making circles around the cul de sac ,and then the engine started to sputter on and off,” witness Cherie Simonds told Channel 2 Action News. She said the plane then went silent and crashed.

Authorities have not released the names of the plane’s occupants, pending notification of their next of kin. Few other details were available regarding the crash. 

Channel 2 reported Sunday morning that the plane was registered to a local flight school.

Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash as well.

https://www.ajc.com



FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. - Federal investigators are at the scene of a plane crash in Forsyth County. Investigators say the plane slammed into the back of a car before crashing along the side of Browns Bridge Road Saturday afternoon.

One person was killed and two other were injured in the crash. 

Forsyth County officials told Channel 2’s Christian Jennings that they've been trying to get in touch with the victim’s family but have not yet been able to reach them. 

Neighbor Cherie Simonds said she was outside with her husband when they looked up and knew right away something was wrong.

“It looked like it was going to hit our house the way it was coming down,” Simonds said. “The plane was smoking, making circles around the cul-de-sac and then the engine started to sputter on and off, and then it went completely silent and the plane started to come down.”

Forsyth County officials said just after 5 p.m. Saturday the single-engine aircraft crashed on Highway 369 (Browns Bridge Road) near Waldrip Circle, hitting the back of a car on its way down.

“When that occurred, a wing to the aircraft sheared off. The wing full of fuel went off to the southern embankment of the roadway, (a) very steep embankment, and set that embankment on fire,” Forsyth County Fire Division Chief Jason Shivers said. “The aircraft unfortunately tumbled off the northern embankment.”

No one inside the car was injured but three people were on board the airplane. Two of those people were rushed to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in stable condition. 

A third man inside the plane died on impact. 

“Our assumption is there was some attempt by aircraft to make an emergency landing of some sort on the roadway,” Shivers told Jennings. 

“I’m so thankful it didn’t hit a house, you know? Whoever was on there actually avoided all the houses in our subdivision,” Simonds said. 

The NTSB and FAA are on the ground beginning their investigation. There is no word from them on what caused the plane to go down.

Channel 2 Action News looked up the tail number of the plane and knows that it is registered to an area flight school. 

We're holding off on saying which school because we know officials are still working to notify next of kin.

Story and video ➤ https://www.wsbtv.com



One man is dead and two others are injured after their plane crashed in Forsyth County on Saturday afternoon.

Forsyth County emergency personnel responded to the scene, located on Browns Bridge Road (Ga. Highway 369) near Waldrip Circle, around 5:15 p.m. after receiving multiple 911 calls about a plane that had crashed, officials said.

“The plane, we presume, was attempting to make an emergency landing on 369, but as it came down — it was heading westbound — it clipped a power line,” Forsyth County Fire Department Division Chief Jason Shivers said. “As soon as it hit 369, it hit a car that was also going westbound, and one wing broke off to the east and the aircraft spun off into a bank off (the highway).”

Three men were in the plane, one of whom was pronounced dead on scene, Shivers said.

Forsyth County firefighters were able to extract the other two men, who were transported to Northeast Georgia Medical Center — Gainesville in stable condition.

Shivers said it was not immediately known who was piloting the plane, nor where the men were traveling from, though he said the National Transportation Safety Board “is working on that.”

“They are on scene investigating as well as FAA (personnel),” Shivers said. “We were able to have a heavy-duty wrecker pull the plane from the embankment onto 369, but NTSB and FAA recovery teams, which are still several hours away, will (take over) the investigation.”

Officials have not yet made contact with the deceased’s family and will release more information as it becomes available. No one in the car was injured.

Original article ➤ http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com

One man has died and two others have been injured following the crash of a Piper PA-28R-200 Arrow II plane near Lake Lanier on Saturday afternoon. 

According to Division Chief Jason Shivers of the Forsyth County Fire Department, the aircraft went down on Browns Bridge Road at Waldrip Circle.

According to a press release from Cpl. Doug Rainwater of the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to the crash at 5:12 p.m. and found the aircraft down an embankment to the north side of Browns Bridge Road. A wing was found to the south side. 

Shivers said that the aircraft contained three male passengers; one was pronounced dead at the scene, while two others were taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in stable condition.  

The aircraft also struck a sedan traveling west on Browns Bridge Road in the trunk area, but neither of the vehicle’s two occupants — a male and a female — were injured, according to the press release.

Shivers also said that a fuel fire was started by the crash but was quickly extinguished. 

Shivers said that both eastbound and westbound traffic on Browns Bridge Road is diverted with detours and is moving slowly. 

The National Transportation Safety Board is on scene and investigating the crash.

Original article can be found here ➤ https://www.forsythnews.com


Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Atlanta, Georgia 
 
March 08, 2016:  Aircraft on a rejected takeoff went off the end of runway.


Date:  08-MAR-16
Time:  23:15:00Z
Regis#:  N4363F
Aircraft Make:  PIPER
Aircraft Model:  PA28R
Event Type:  Incident
Highest Injury:  None
Damage: None
Flight Phase: TAKEOFF (TOF)
City: DALLAS
State: Georgia

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