14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, July 28, 2014 in Yulee, FL
Probable Cause Approval Date: 03/02/2016
Aircraft: TEMCO GC 1B, registration: N1CY
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
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 airline transport pilot was taking off in the airplane for a personal flight. A witness reported seeing the airplane depart and then noting that the engine rpm was “low but steady.” About 200 ft above ground level, the airplane banked left, “stalled,” and then descended out of the witness’s view. The airplane impacted terrain in a marshy area about 0.2 nautical mile from the departure end of the runway. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures.
Although atmospheric conditions at the time of the accident were favorable for the accumulation of carburetor icing at glide and cruise engine power settings, it could not be determined if carburetor ice had formed while the airplane was on the ground before the accident.
Although the pilot was susceptible to an increased risk of impairment/incapacitation from an enlarged heart and septal scarring, the investigation was unable to determine if pilot impairment due to heart disease or other identified medical conditions contributed to the accident.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control, which resulted in subsequent impact with terrain.
Charlie Yeagle
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 28, 2014, about 1000 eastern daylight time, a Temco GC-1B, N1CY, impacted a swamp shortly after departure from Flying-A-Ranch Airport (FL84), Yulee, Florida. The airline transport pilot was fatally injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall and fuselage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.
According to an eyewitness, he observed the airplane depart on runway 5 and noted that the "engine rpm's were low but steady." About 200 feet above ground level, the airplane banked left, "stalled," and descended out of his view.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, multiengine land, and single-engine sea. In addition, he held a flight instructor certificate with ratings for airplane single and multiengine, and instrument airplane. He held a Federal Aviation Administration first-class medical certificate that was issued on May 8, 2014, with a limitation of "must wear lenses for distant – possess glasses for near vision." At that time, the pilot reported 30,000 total hours of flight time, of which, 75 hours were in the previous six months of the medical exam. No pilot logs could be located.
AIRPLANE INFORMATION
According to FAA records, the airplane, manufactured in 1948, was registered to the pilot/owner in 1980. It was equipped with a Continental Motors O-300-A, 145-hp engine. According to airplane maintenance logbooks, the most recent annual inspection was completed on June 8, 2014, and at that time, the airplane had accumulated 2,934.8 hours in-service.
AIRPORT INFORMATION
The airport was privately-owned and did not have an air traffic control tower. The airport was equipped with one runway designated as runway 5/23. The runway condition was not reported. The turf runway was 2,000 feet-long by 100-feet-wide, and a 25-foot tall tree was located 650 feet from the departure end of runway 5. The airport elevation was approximately 25 feet above mean sea level.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
The 0955 recorded weather observation at Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport (FHB) , Fernandina Beach, Florida, located approximately 6 miles to the northeast of the accident location, included wind from 260 at 7 knots gusting to 14 knots, visibility 10 miles, sky clear, temperature 30 degrees C, dew point 24 degrees C; barometric altimeter 29.97 inches of mercury.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
The airplane impacted terrain in a marshy area approximately 0.2 nautical miles from the departure end of runway 5. The airplane came to rest in the marsh and was partially submerged. A postaccident examination of the wreckage confirmed flight control to all flight control surfaces. The main fuel tank was approximately three-quarters full of fuel and the auxiliary tank was nearly empty. Samples of fuel drained from the airframe were absent of debris or water. The fuel selector was position to the main fuel tank. The throttle and mixture controls were in the full forward position. The carburetor heat control was in the "OFF" position.
A postaccident examination of the engine revealed that continuity of the crankshaft and valvetrain was confirmed to all cylinders and to the rear of the engine. The top spark plugs were removed and exhibited normal wear when compared to the Champion Check-A-Plug chart, and were light gray in color. Thumb compression was obtained on all cylinders when the propeller was rotated by hand. All valves were in place and no anomalies were noted. The magnetos sparked on all terminals when the crankshaft was rotated, and the impulse couplings operated without anomaly. The fuel pump contained fluid similar to 100LL aviation fuel and the fuel screen was free of debris.
The engine controls remained attached to the carburetor and moved without anomaly. The carburetor was removed and disassembled. The carburetor bowl contained about 4oz of brown water, and the bottom of the bowl was corroded and rusted. The water was similar in color and smell to the water in the swamp surrounding the wreckage. No other anomalies were noted with the carburetor.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
An autopsy was performed on the pilot's remains on July 29, 2014, by the Office of the Medical Examiner, Jacksonville, Florida. The autopsy findings included "multiple blunt force injuries," which was also listed as the cause of death.
In addition, the heart was enlarged, and demonstrated hypertensive heart disease. It weighed 475 grams and was described as having a floppy and soft consistency. The left ventricle and the interventricular septum measured 15 and 17 mm, respectively. For comparison, the average weight of a heart of a man his weight is 395 grams with a range from 299-521 grams and the average left ventricle and the interventricular septum are 12.3 mm (SD 1.6 mm) and 13.6 mm (SD 2 mm) respectively. In addition, mild coronary artery disease with about 30% stenosis was seen in multiple arteries. There was no evidence of acute myocardial infarct or coronary thrombosis. Microscopic examination of the left ventricular septum identified patchy mild myocardial fibrosis with no sign of myocarditis. Finally, cirrhosis of the liver was also identified.
Forensic toxicology was performed on specimens from the pilot by the FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The toxicology report stated no ethanol was detected in the vitreous fluid and no drugs were detected in the blood.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The carburetor icing probability chart from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB): CE-09-35 Carburetor Icing Prevention, June 30, 2009, showed a potential for icing at cruise/glide engine power settings at the temperature and dew point reported around the time of the accident.
NTSB Identification: ERA14LA363
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, July 28, 2014 in Yulee, FL
Aircraft: TEMCO GC 1B, registration: N1CY
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On July 28, 2014, about 1000 eastern daylight time, a Temco GC-1B, N1CY, impacted a swamp shortly after departure near Yulee, Florida. The airline transport pilot was fatally injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall and fuselage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight was originating at the time of the accident and the airplane had departed from Flying-A-Ranch Airport (FL84), Yulee, Florida.
According to an eyewitness, he observed the airplane depart to the east and noted that the "engine rpm's were low but steady." He watched the airplane and about 200 feet above ground level, the airplane banked left, "stalled," and descended out of his view.
The airplane impacted terrain in a marshy area approximately 0.2 nautical miles from the departure end of runway 5. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that control continuity was confirmed to all flight control surfaces. The main fuel tank was approximately three-quarters full and the auxiliary tank was nearly empty. The fuel selector was in the "ON" position. The throttle and mixture controls were in the full forward position. The carburetor heat control was in the "OFF" position.
The airplane was retained for further examination.
Flight Standards District Office: FAA Orlando FSDO-15
Charles F. "Chuck" Yeagle
April 4, 1949 - July 28, 2014
Mr. Charles Forrest “Chuck” Yeagle, age 65, of Yulee, passed away on Monday, July 28, 2014. Born in Trenton, NJ, he was the eldest of two sons born to Vivian Eunice Ashenfelter Yeagle and the late Forrest Ellwood Yeagle. He grew up in Trenton, NJ and Armonk, NY and followed in the footsteps of his father, mother and brother and became a licensed Pilot at the age of 16. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the United States Army and served as an Aviation Warrant Officer in Vietnam. Upon being discharged, Chuck came to Yulee and began a long and distinguished career as a Pilot and Flight Instructor.
At the age of 25, he joined St. Regis Paper Company where he ran their Aviation Department. In the late 1970s he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management from Pacific Western University. Chuck later flew as a Commercial Pilot for New York Air and Evergreen Airlines before joining Continental Airlines in 1986. In 1987 he met Arlene Solomon whom would become his wife in July of 1988. He remained with Continental, flying out of the Newark, NJ hub, until retiring in November of 2009.
At the time of his retirement, Captain Yeagle joined Watermakers Air of Fort Lauderdale, FL, as Director of Operations. His position with Watermakers allowed him to continue to fly private charters and freight transports to and from the Bahamas. Chuck had made the Flying A Ranch in Yulee his home since 1979. In addition to flying, he was an avid boater and enjoyed his many trips crossing the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas and South to the Florida Keys.
Chuck leaves behind, his wife of 26 years, Arlene S. Yeagle, Yulee, FL, his mother, Vivian A. Yeagle of Palm City, FL, his brother, Curtis Ellwood Yeagle, Coral Springs, FL, two nephews, Brian and Jeffrey Yeagle and many friends. Funeral services will be at 11:00 am on Friday, August 22, 2014 at Jacksonville National Cemetery where military honors will be accorded by the United States Army Honors Detail. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to K-9s for Warriors.
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YULEE, Fla. — Photos of the crash site show a yellow and white single-engine plane intact, resting in the marsh near Lofton Creek in Yulee.
Investigators say the plane went down around 10 a.m. Monday moments after taking off from the Flying A Ranch.
The pilot, 65-year-old Charlie Yeagle, was killed.
"He was a great guy. Lived down here for 30 years. He's flown in and out of the property for the last 30 years," said Jonathan Arnett.
The Flying A Ranch has been in his family for decades. He said Yeagle was an experienced pilot. He was a former commercial airline pilot and a flight instructor.
"He's really helped me out in my flying career," said Arnett. "I've flown with him several times."
"According to a witness, upon takeoff, it appeared that the aircraft lost power and it crashed in the marsh," said Undersheriff George Lueders with the Nassau County Sheriff's Office.
The crash site could only be accessed by boat. By the time first responders arrived, they say Yeagle was dead. Arnett calls the crash unfortunate -- a tragic loss of a close family friend.
"Family and everybody is just upset about what happened," he said.
Investigators say the plane went down before Yeagle could make any radio distress calls. They have not yet said where he was headed.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
The NTSB tells Action News they will have more information on the crash Tuesday. The sheriff's office said they left the scene Monday evening and that one NTSB investigator was on the scene Monday night. Action News did see DEP and FAA vehicles leave the scene before 7 p.m. Monday. We have also learned the plane was a 1948 Global Swift.
http://www.actionnewsjax.com
Nassau County Sheriff’s deputies boat on Lofton Creek near the site of a plane crash Monday morning.
Investigators are still trying to find out why an experienced commercial pilot from Yulee crashed into the Lofton Creek marsh Monday morning within minutes oftaking off from the airstrip at the Flying A Ranch where had lived for the last 30 years.
The pilot, who a friend says was flying a vintage plane from the late 1940s, did not survive.
Authorities said Charles Yeagle, 65, died at the scene off Miner Road south of Yulee High School and that he was the only person in the aircraft.
Yeagle, who was retired from a long career for a commercial carrier, worked as director of operations for Nealco Air Charter Services based in Fort Lauderdale. The owner of the company said in an interview Tuesday that Yeagle was a dedicated employee as well as a friend.
“He was the consummate professional,” said David Hocher.
“It’s a loss for the company because we’re a small operation with a few employees, but it’s also a loss on a personal level. We were all friends.”
According to the Federal Aviation Administration’s website, Yeagle was certified to fly commercial jets and had FAA certification to sign off on the proficiency of other pilots.
The National Transportation Safety Board is sending investigators to the crash site, said Nassau County Undersheriff George Lueders. He said the NTSB will decide when to move the aircraft from the marsh.
Lueders said a witness saw the plane go down.
“According to the witness, the plane had just taken off when it appeared that it lost power and lost altitude,” said Lueders.
The undersheriff said the pilot was apparently trying to gain altitude in an effort to return to the airstrip at the Flying A Ranch before the crash.
He said the plane went down “probably 10 to 15 feet from Lofton Creek itself, in the marsh.”
He said someone from the ranch called 9-1-1 just after 10 a.m.
Fred Arnett, who owns the Flying A Ranch as well as the airstrip on the 85000 block of Miner Road, said he and his wife, Jean, heard Yeagle’s plane take off around 9:30 a.m. but did not hear any sounds of trouble.
“It sounded fine from the house,” said Arnett.
Arnett said a local fisherman spotted the plane in trouble and then called him at home. Arnett said the fisherman could not say why the pilot and his plane dropped from the sky.
“The emergency workers said they think that maybe he had a heart attack or some kind of medical emergency,” said Arnett. “All I know for sure is that this is a terrible, terrible accident.”
Arnett said he has owned the airstrip for 40 years and that he has known Yeagle for the past 30 years.
“He was an outstanding person, a family man, well liked, and he was absolutely in love with aviation,” said Arnett. “He was the kind of person who would rather fly somewhere than drive a car.”
Arnett said Yeagle lived on the ranch with his wife, Arlene, and that the couple did not have any children.
“They are great people,” said Arnett.
He said Yeagle split his time between homes in Yulee and Fort Lauderdale.
“He wasn’t going to work this morning, he told me he was off this week,” said Arnett. “I don’t know where he was going today. He was always flying somewhere.”
Arnett said the plane was found in the marsh about a mile and a half from the north end of his 3,000-foot runway. He said a local boater gave emergency responders the first ride to the scene.
“It took some effort to get them out there, but the plane wasn’t in the water. It was on a dry part of the marsh,” said Arnett.
Sheriff’s deputies launched their own boats Monday morning from the Lofton Creek boat ramp along A1A in Yulee.
Yeagle was reportedly flying a Globe/Temco Swift, which is a light, two-seat single-engine plane. The FAA registry said the plane was manufactured in 1948 and that Yeagle registered the aircraft in 1980.
Authorities similarly identified the plane, calling it a yellow and white 125 Swift.
“It’s an older, classic (plane) and he won all kinds of
awards for it. He fixed it up and worked on it for hours. Groomed it. It was like his child,” said Arnett.
Arnett said Yeagle parked his plane in the on-site hangar and had purchased a home on the property 30 years ago. He said Yeagle was one of several owner/investors in the airstrip. Arnett said his hangar houses six aircraft.
The ranch occupies several acres at the end of Miner Road where it meets Haddock Road. It is a scenic property surrounded by old growth shade trees and a simple brown wood fence. An orange windsock is clearly seen through the trees.
For most of Monday morning sheriff’s deputies blocked the metal gate leading to the Flying A Ranch. One of the deputies said Yeagle’s wife was on her way to the property from her job in Jacksonville and that he was assigned to keep the driveway clear.
Throughout the morning, cars and trucks arrived intermittently, and after speaking with a deputy through the driver’s window, they were allowed to proceed down the long dirt driveway or were turned away.
Adults, several of them holding small children, were seen gathered with emergency workers behind a brown-colored home on the ranch near the edge of the marsh. An ambulance was parked nearby.
Fire Rescue Chief Matt Graves said Stations 30 and 70 responded to the crash. Around 12:30 p.m., a sheriff’s motorboat pulled away from a nearby dock and headed east along Lofton Creek.
Arnett said his airstrip is licensed with the state and that no one from the property has ever been involved in an accident. Late Monday afternoon, he struggled to understand and explain what happened.
“There’s not any magical reason to explain why this happened. I just don’t know,” said Arnett.
Read more: Fernandina Beach FL News Leader. The local news source for Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach FL - Consummate pro dies doing what he loved flying.
http://www.fbnewsleader.com
YULEE, Fla. - The 65-year-old pilot of a small plane was killed Monday morning in a plane crash in the Yulee area, according to the Nassau County Sheriff's Office.
Charlie Yeagle had just taken off from Flying-A-Ranch Airport, a private airport in the 85000 block of Miner Road, when there was some kind of a problem, according to the Sheriff's Office.
A witness told deputies that after taking off, it appeared the plane lost power before crashing.
The plane, a 125 Swift, crashed into marsh about 500 yards from the end of the runway. The site is only accessible by boat.
Undersheriff George Lueders said deputies initially had trouble getting to the plane.
"Luckily, a man here that had a boat that he took the first responding officer out there and they were able to get through the marsh to the plane to check on the condition of the pilot," Lueders said.
The FAA says it is investigating and that the National Transportation Safety Board will determine the crash's probable cause.
Yeagle, a veteran pilot, lived with his wife on the private property where the airport is located. The private airport has been there for nearly 40 years and is owned by a family Yeagle was friends with.
"He was a lifelong pilot," Lueders said of Yeagle. "He started very young and retired from one of the airlines. He was a flight instructor."
Fred Arnett, who owns the landing strip, said investigators are looking into whether the pilot suffered from health problems after takeoff.
People who heard what happened showed up throughout the day. Joey Stephens said his brother just talked to Yeagle about the plane last week.
"My brother was just telling me he'd redone it and was just a really good guy," Stephens said.
- Source: http://www.news4jax.com
YULEE | An experienced pilot died Monday morning after crashing his single-engine plane into a marsh shortly after taking off from a long, grassy runway on a private airstrip in the southern part of this Nassau County town.
Undersheriff George Lueders identified the pilot as Charlie Yeagle, about 65, who has homes in Nassau and Fort Lauderdale.
No one was with Yeagle when the accident occurred just after 10 a.m. in the 85000 block of Miner Road at the Flying-A-Ranch.
Lueders said a witness told authorities Yeagle’s plane, a yellow Globe/Temco GC-1B Swift, failed to gain much altitude when it plunged into the marsh near Loftin Creek about 500 yards off the runway.
Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board are en route to the scene to determine a cause for the crash.
A friend of Yeagle’s said he had just finished refurbishing the plane a few days ago.
“It’s just tragic. Local guy. It’s terrible,” said Joey Stephens, 52, who stopped by the crash site.
Lueders said Yeagle lived on the property along with his wife. Several other homes are also on the site.
Lueders said Yeagle had been flying for decades and was known as a safe pilot.
“The airport has been here 40 years, and this is the first accident he’s had,” he said of the ranch.
- Source: http://members.jacksonville.com
Nassau
County Undersheriff George Leuders informs the media about a Globe/Temco GC-1B Swift plane that crashed into the marsh near Loftin Creek
about 500 yards off a small grass runway at the Flying-A-Ranch off
Miner Road Monday, July 28, 2014 in Yulee. Pilot Charlie Yeagle was
killed in the crash that happened just after 10 a.m.
View
of a grass runway where a small plane, a Globe/Temco GC-1B Swift, took off and
then crashed into the marsh near Loftin Creek about 500 yards off a
small grass runway at the Flying-A-Ranch off Miner Road Monday, July 28,
2014 in Yulee. Pilot Charlie Yeagle was killed in the crash that
happened just after 10 a.m.
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