Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Cirrus SR22T, N1703, Weaver Aircraft: Fatal accident occurred January 26, 2016 near Greene County - Lewis A. Jackson Regional Airport (I19) , Xenia, Ohio

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

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

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

Weaver Aircraft LLC:http://registry.faa.gov/N1703 

FAA Flight Standards District Office: FAA Cincinnati FSDO-05

NTSB Identification: CEN16FA095
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, January 26, 2016 in Xenia, OH
Probable Cause Approval Date: 11/17/2016
Aircraft: CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22T, registration: N1703
Injuries: 1 Fatal.

NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

The airline transport pilot was repositioning the airplane to its home base after maintenance was completed at a repair station. The pilot filed an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan with a cruise altitude of 9,000 ft mean sea level (msl). The en route portion of the flight to the destination was uneventful. Before descending to approach altitude, the pilot contacted approach control and reported that he had received weather information for the destination airport. The pilot then requested and was given clearance to fly the area navigation (RNAV) approach to runway 7. Approach control cleared the pilot to descend to 3,000 ft msl and issued pilot reports for icing. The pilot flew the RNAV approach to runway 7, tracking inbound to the airport on the published approach course. About 5.8 miles from the airport, the pilot cancelled his IFR clearance and continued inbound under visual flight rules. His recorded altitude at the time of IFR cancellation was 2,700 ft msl. Reported weather at the airport at the time of the accident included a ceiling of 1,700 ft above ground level (2,649 ft msl) and wind from 240 degrees at 9 kts, gusting to 14 kts, and variable from 240 to 330 degrees. One witness at the airport saw the airplane enter a downwind leg to land into the wind on runway 25. As the airplane began its turn from the base leg to final, several other witnesses saw it nose down and descend to impact in wooded terrain about 300 ft short of the runway threshold. 

A postaccident weather study showed high icing potential within the cloud layers above the surface and a likelihood of moderate or greater icing along the airplane's route of flight until the airplane descended below the cloud ceiling. Because the surface temperature was below freezing, any structural ice that built up on the airplane while it descended through the clouds would not have melted after the airplane descended below the cloud ceiling. 

An examination of the airplane revealed no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operations. Data recovered from the airplane's Remote Data Module showed that the airplane's anti-ice tank switch was turned on about 7 minutes 30 seconds before the accident and remained on for 1 minute 50 seconds. The switch was then turned off and remained off for the remainder of the flight. The airplane's flaps were extended to the "HALF" position about 2 minutes 50 seconds before the accident. Just before the data ended, the airplane's pitch and bank increased, and the stall warning activated. In the last 3 seconds of data, the airplane's bank angle was 48 to 50 degrees, and the indicated airspeed was between 87 and 90 kts. The Pilot's Operating Handbook for the airplane showed that at 60 degrees of bank with half flaps, the airplane's stall speed was 95 kts. It is possible that, during the approach, ice accumulated on the airplane, which may have increased the airplane's stall speed. However, regardless of whether or not structural ice was present, during the turn to final, the pilot allowed the airspeed to decrease below the airplane's published stall speed. As a result, the wing's critical angle-of-attack was exceeded, and the airplane entered an aerodynamic stall and departed controlled flight.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while turning from the base leg to final, which resulted in the wing's critical angle-of-attack being exceeded and a subsequent aerodynamic stall.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On January 26, 2016, about 1754 eastern standard time, a Cirrus Design Corporation SR22T single engine airplane, N1703, impacted terrain during the turn to final approach to runway 25 at the Greene County - Lewis A. Jackson Regional Airport (I19), Xenia, Ohio. The pilot, who was the sole occupant and operator of the airplane, sustained fatal injuries, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to Weaver Aircraft LLC of Carmel, Indiana, and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a positioning flight. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed in the area during the approach and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed. The flight originated about 1700 from the Indianapolis Executive Airport (TYQ), Indianapolis, Indiana, and I19 was its planned destination.

The purpose of the flight was to reposition the airplane to its home base of Xenia, Ohio, after having completed maintenance at a repair station. Information provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) showed that the pilot filed an IFR flight plan from TYQ, flying at 9,000 ft enroute to I19. After a normal IFR flight from TYQ, the pilot contacted Middletown [Ohio] Radar Approach Control and reported having received the weather for I19. He then requested and was given clearance to fly the RNAV 7 instrument approach into I19.

The pilot was cleared from 9,000 ft to 3,000 ft. The Middletown Approach controller issued pilot reports for icing.

The pilot flew the RNAV approach to runway 7 tracking inbound to the airport on the published approach course of 068 degrees. About 5.8 miles from the airport, the pilot cancelled his IFR clearance and continued inbound under visual flight rules (VFR). His recorded altitude at that time was 2,700 ft. The pilot was then instructed to change to advisory frequency.

An airport employee, who witnessed the airplane flying on a downwind beneath the cloud base, stated that the airplane appeared to be setting up for a circling visual approach to runway 25. The airport employee was in proximity to the I19 Automated Weather Observation System (AWOS) weather information screen. He reported that the screen showed a 1,700 ft cloud ceiling with wind from 240 degrees at 9 kts; gusting to 14 kts. Wind gusts were variable from 240 to 330 degrees.

Several other witnesses, who were in vehicles on roadways near the airport, reported that they saw the airplane flying low. It then entered a steep left bank and then nose-dived toward the ground into the trees.

There were no reported distress calls from the pilot during the flight and the pilot had normal communications with Air Traffic Control and ground personnel throughout the flight.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The airplane was a Cirrus SR-22T. The five-place, low wing, single-engine airplane, serial number 0806, was manufactured in 2014, and had a standard airworthiness certificate classifying its operation in the normal category, dated June 23, 2014.

The airplane was powered by one Continental Motors, Incorporated TSIO-550-K1B fuel-injected and turbocharged 6-cylinder horizontally opposed reciprocating engine, serial number 1010320, rated at 315 horsepower at 2,600 rpm.

The airplane was equipped with a 3-blade Hartzell model PHC-J3Y1F-1RF constant-speed propeller, serial number NJ932B. The propeller was installed on June 2, 2014 at zero time.

According to the airplane's airframe logbook, the airplane underwent an annual inspection on September 18, 2015. The recorded tachometer and Hobbs times at the annual were 874.0 hours. A 50-hour inspection was performed on December 14, 2015. The airframe time at the 50-hour inspection was 1,198.1 hours. No other logbook entries followed. According to the engine logbook, a 50-hour inspection was performed on the engine in accordance with the Cirrus service manual and inspection checklist. The oil and filter were changed and engine operational and leak tests were performed satisfactorily. On January 19, 2016, an overhauled fuel pump was installed on the engine and the engine was ground run and checked satisfactory. No other logbook entries followed.

PILOT INFORMATION

The pilot, age 33, held an airline transport pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine and multi-engine land, instrument airplane rating, and rotorcraft helicopter and instrument helicopter rating. Additionally, the pilot held a flight instructor certificate with ratings in single and multi-engine land, instrument airplanes and helicopters. According to the pilot's logbook, the pilot had recorded 2,075 total flying hours and 100 flying hours in the 90 days preceding the accident. Additionally, he recorded having 200 hours in the accident airplane and 80 hours in the accident airplane within the preceding 90 days. The pilot had successfully completed an instrument proficiency check flight on October 1, 2015.

The pilot held a valid first-class medical certificate dated May 9, 2015. The certificate showed no restrictions or limitations.

METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS

At 1732, the routine aviation weather report for I19 was wind 300 at 6 kts, ceiling 1,800 ft overcast, 10 statute miles visibility, temperature 0 degrees Celsius (C), dew point -02 degrees C, and altimeter 30.13 inches Hg.

At 1658, the routine aviation weather report for Wright Paterson Air Force Base (FFO), Dayton, Ohio, 343-degrees at 9 nm from I19, was wind 240 degrees at 9 kts, ceiling 200 ft overcast, visibility 10 statute miles, temperature 01 degree Celsius (C), dew point -03 degrees C, altimeter 30.10 inches Hg, and remarks variable ceiling height 170 ft. to 220 ft.

At 1753, the routine aviation weather report for FFO was wind 250 at 11 kts, gusting to 17 kts, ceiling 190 ft overcast, visibility 10 statute miles, temperature 0 degrees Celsius (C), dew point -04 degrees C, altimeter 30.12 inches Hg, and remarks sea level pressure 207 hPa.

The upper air balloon sounding from Wilmington, Ohio, 165 degrees at 18 miles from I19, taken at 1900 showed high icing potential within the cloud layers above the surface. The upper air balloon was released into air that was drier above 5,000 ft mean seal level (msl). However, the infrared satellite imagery from 1730 to 1815 showed cloud top temperatures of -12 C, which corresponded to cloud tops around 12,000 ft indicating the likelihood of moderate or greater icing along the airplane's route of flight until 1752 when the airplane descended below the cloud ceiling. However, with the surface temperature at freezing and no warm layer above that, any ice built up on the airplane would not have melted before reaching the ground.

The weather radar imagery showed no precipitation falling from aloft to the surface so cloud droplets remained in the air and in the clouds

The area forecast issued at 1345 and valid for the accident time called for broken ceilings at 3,000 ft msl with cloud tops as 12,000 ft msl and visibilities of 3 to 5 miles in freezing mist.

There were Airmen's Meteorological Information (AIRMETs) issued at 1545 for instrument conditions, ceiling below 1,000 ft and/or visibilities below 3 miles in precipitation and/or mist, and for moderate icing conditions below 12,000 ft. The Center Weather Service Unit in Indianapolis Center issued a meteorological impact statement warning of occasional moderate rime and mixed icing between 2,000 and 5,000 ft msl.

Pilot reports received two hours prior to the accident and 1 hour after the accident showed for the area around I19, light and moderate rime to moderate mixed icing in the clouds below flight level 200.

A query of Lockheed Martin Flight Service and DUATS indicated the pilot did not contact either for weather or Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs).

AIRPORT INFORMATION

The Greene County - Lewis A. Jackson Regional Airport, FAA identifier I19, was located 10 miles east of Dayton, Ohio. The published field elevation was 949 ft msl. Its runway was 7-25, which was 4,500 ft. long and 75 ft. wide, and had an asphalt surface. The airport was publically owned by the Green County Regional Airport Authority and operated on a Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF) of 122.7 MHz. Both runways featured PAPI visual slope indicators and runway end identifier lights. The airport had RNAV (GPS) and VOR approaches to both runways.

The RNAV (GPS) approach to Runway 7 began at the UYOKO waypoint, which was the published initial fix. A 5 nm holding pattern at or above 2,700 ft was collocated with the waypoint. The final approach course was 068-degrees. On crossing UYOKO, pilots established themselves on the 068-degree course and remained at or above 2,700 ft until reaching the final approach fix, the WANKU waypoint, which after crossing; pilots could descend to at or above 1,820 ft until crossing the NINRE waypoint, located 2.7 nm from the end of the runway. On crossing NINRE, pilots could continue their descent to the published minimum descent altitude of 1,320 ft, if the airplane is I-NAV equipped, which is 384 ft above the runway elevation. The weather minimums to fly the straight-in approach were 400 ft ceiling and 1 mile visibility.

To fly the circling approach to land on Runway 25, on crossing NINRE, pilots could descend to 1,460 ft, which was 514 ft above the runway elevation. The weather minimums to fly the circling approach were a 600 ft ceiling and 1 mile visibility.

The published missed approach procedure required that pilots initiated a climb to 2,700 ft, fly the runway heading of 069 degrees, and proceed to the TUNNU waypoint.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The airplane wreckage was found in a lightly wooded ravine about 300 ft short of the runway 25 threshold, approximately on bearing with the runway. The airplane impacted in a nose down vertical attitude. Trees and brush immediately adjacent to the wreckage showed little damage.

The airplane was oriented on a 284-degree magnetic heading and was located at 39.693888 degrees North longitude, and -83.983611 West latitude, at an elevation of 932 ft msl. The entire airplane was confirmed to be in the in the vicinity of the initial ground impact.

The ground underneath the airplane's engine was pushed outward and up, consistent with it being the initial point of impact. The engine was twisted to the left and resting on its left side. The propeller hub was separated from the crankshaft aft of the propeller mounting flange and lay uphill from the airplane. The crankshaft at the fracture showed a torsional, shear separation consistent with the crankshaft turning at high speed at the time of the fracture. Two of the composite propeller blades were found on the ground between the airplane and the propeller hub. Both of the blades showed leading edge gouges and dents. The blade that remained with the propeller hub showed minimal damage. The airplane's cowling was broken out and found resting forward of the airplane wreckage. The nose landing gear strut was fractured in multiple locations and was located on the ground immediately adjacent to the bottom of the engine.

The airplane was equipped with the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS), a Ballistic Recovery System (BRS). Evidence at the accident site showed that the CAPS system was not activated in flight. The charge cartridge for the parachute deployment mechanism was found expended, due to impact forces.

The fuselage remained predominantly intact. The cabin floor structure and bottom of the fuselage showed upward crushing from the firewall aft to the fuselage station 306 bulkhead. The wing and spar cover were separated. The cabin roof was intact, however first responders had cut the A and B-pillars and laid the cabin roof to the side of the airplane to facilitate the recovery of the pilot. It remained attached to the fuselage by the CAPS activation cable and other wires. The left cabin door broken out from the fuselage and was crushed and fractured. The right cabin door remained attached to the detached cabin roof section by its upper hinge and showed crush damage. The baggage door was separated from the fuselage and showed crush damage.

The firewall was crushed aft displacing the rudder pedal wells and twisted the cockpit center console. The windscreen and all of the cabin windows were broken out. Pieces of Plexiglas were located around the airplane in all directions.

The instrument panel was broken downward and aft. However, most of the components, instruments and switched remained intact. The BAT 1&2, ALT 1&2, avionics, and pitot heat switches were found in the ON position. All other bolster switches were in the OFF position. The panel dimmer knob was at the 7 o'clock position, the windshield dimmer knob was broken off. The flap switch was in the UP position. The fuel selector was set to the right tank. The oxygen switch was in the OFF position and all of the oxygen cannulas were stored in their storage bag, which was found on the ground near the airplane. The fan selector was set to zero and the hot/cold selector knob was set to full hot. The standby altimeter was set to 30.09 and displayed an altitude of 1,040 ft.

All four seats showed upward crushing due to impact. The pilot seat was positioned forward of the seat stop. The energy absorption module in the pilot seat was crushed approximately 2-3 inches in the center while the four corners remained higher. Both airbag seatbelts had deployed. The pilot airbag vent holes were both squared and the airbag showed a 2-inch cut.

A ground scar was present immediately forward of the right wing that spanned the entire length of the right wing. Dirt was found pushed upward on the underside of the right wing just aft of the leading edge consistent with the wing impacting the terrain at that location.

The wing right remained attached to the fuselage and exhibited impact damage. Dirt adhered to the upper wing surfaces in such a manner that it was evident that the wing skin had been coated with TKS (ice protection) fluid during flight. The outboard section of the right side of the wing was broken at a 90-degree angle to the inboard portion of the wing and was resting on its wingtip. The fractured end was supported by the right main landing gear attached to the inboard wing section. The right aileron remained attached to the wing and exhibited upward crushing and buckling. The right flap remained attached to the wing by its inboard hinge point and showed upward crushing and buckling.

The left wing was lying flat on the ground and exhibited upward crushing and bucking. The left main landing gear was broken aft, but remained attached to the underside of the wing. The left aileron remained attached to the wing at its hinges and showed upward crushing and buckling. The left flap remained attached to the wing and showed upward crushing. An examination of the roll trim motor at the left flap showed the roll trim to be in a position between neutral and full left trim, but favoring neutral.

A visual inspection of the aileron cables showed no anomalies with routing through the fairleads in the wing or aileron actuation pulleys in the wing. Cable routing at the forward pulley also showed no anomalies. Both flaps visually were shown to be retracted.

Both wing fuel tanks were breached but contained undetermined amounts of fuel. Both fuel caps were present and secure in their receptacles.

The empennage remained attached to the fuselage and showed upward crushing from impact. The horizontal stabilizer was partially debonded from the empennage and showed upward crushing. Both elevators remained attached to the horizontal stabilizer. The pitch trim motor examined and the pitch trim was determined to be approximately neutral.

The vertical stabilizer remained attached to the empennage and showed bending and crushing from impact. The rudder remained attached to the vertical stabilizer by the lower hinge point and push-pull tube. The rudder exhibited bending and crushing from impact. Control continuity to the elevator and rudder were confirmed.

The airplane's engine was retained for further examination at Continental Motors, Mobile, Alabama. The airplane's Remote Data Module (RDM) was sent to the National Transportation Safety Board's Vehicle Recorders Laboratory, Washington, DC, for download and readout.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

The results of an autopsy performed on the pilot on January 27, 2016, by the Montgomery County, Ohio, Coroner, Dayton, Ohio, showed the cause of death to be from acute ventricular dysrhythmia and multiple blunt force trauma sustained in an airplane crash.

The FAA's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute performed forensic toxicology on specimens from the pilot. The results were negative for all tests conducted.

TESTS AND RESEARCH

The airplane's Remote Data Module (RDM) was sent to the NTSB Vehicle Recorder's laboratory, Washington, DC, for download and readout. Tabular data and graphic depictions of the airplane's systems and performance indicated the airplane's engine and systems performed normally up to the time of the accident. Some highlights drawn from the data included:

The CAPS system showed ARMED throughout the flight.

The RDM data showed the position of the anti-ice tank switch. From the graphic depiction, the system was turned on about 7 minutes and 30 seconds prior to the accident for 1 minute and 50 seconds. It was then turned off and remained off for the remaining 5 minutes and 40 seconds to the accident.

The airplane's flaps were positioned to HALF, 2 minutes and 50 seconds before the accident.

Just before the data and graphs end, the airplane's pitch and bank increased and the stall warning activated. In the last three seconds of the data, the airplane's bank angle was 48 to 50 degrees. Indicated airspeed showed between 87 and 90 kts, and vertical speed increased from a 240 ft per minute descent to 1,056 ft per minute.

The airplane's engine was disassembled and examined at Continental Motors, Incorporated, Mobile, Alabama, on June 24, 2016. The examination showed no anomalies that would have resulted in the engine not producing full power when needed.


A review of the Pilot's Operating Handbook showed that at 60 degrees of bank with half flaps, the airplane's stall speed is 95 kts.

NTSB Identification: CEN16FA095 
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, January 26, 2016 in Xenia, OH
Aircraft: CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22T, registration: N1703
Injuries: 1 Fatal.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

On January 26, 2016, about 1800 eastern standard time, a Cirrus Design Corp SR22 single engine airplane, N1703, registered to Weaver LLC of Indianapolis, Indiana, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during final approach to runway 25 at the Greene County - Lewis A Jackson Regional Airport (I19), Xenia, Ohio. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed in the area during the approach. The positioning flight was being conducted under the provisions of Federal Code of Regulations Part 91 and an IFR flight plan was filed. The flight originated about 1700 from the Indianapolis Executive Airport (TYQ), Indianapolis, Indiana, and I19 was its planned destination.

The purpose of the flight was to reposition the airplane to its home base of Xenia, Ohio, after completed maintenance at a repair station. Information provided by the FQAA showed that the pilot filed an IFR flight plan from TYQ, flying at 9,000 feet enroute to I19. After a normal IFR flight from TYQ, the pilot requested and was given clearance to fly the RNAV 7 instrument approach to I19. The airplane broke out of the cloud base, and the pilot canceled his IFR clearance. An airport employee, who witnessed the airplane flying on a downwind beneath the cloud base, stated that the airplane appeared to be setting up for a circling VMC approach to runway 25. The airport employee was in proximity to the I19 Automated Weather Observation System (AWOS) weather information screen. He reported that the screen showed a 1,700 cloud ceiling, with wind from 240 degrees at 9 knots, gusting to 14 knots (gusts variable from 240 to 330 degrees). Several other witnesses who were in vehicles on roadways near the airport reported that they saw the airplane appear to start a left base turn to final and then nose down prior to the runway 25 threshold. 

There were no reported distress calls from the pilot during the flight and the pilot had normal communications with ATC and ground personnel throughout the flight.

The airplane wreckage was found in a lightly wooded ravine about 300 feet short of the runway 25 threshold, approximately on bearing with the runway. Evidence at the accident site were consistent with a nose down impact. The airplane was equipped with a Ballistic Recovery System (BRS). Evidence at the accident site showed that the BRS system was not activated in flight. The charge cartridge for the parachute deployment mechanism was found expended, due to impact forces.

Those who may have information that might be relevant to the National Transportation Safety Board investigation may contact them by email eyewitnessreport@ntsb.gov,  and any friends and family who want to contact investigators about the accident should email assistance@ntsb.gov

   Joel and Julia Ann and their twin boys.



GREENE COUNTY — Friends of a Fairborn pilot who died in a plane crash last week are organizing community to help care for his wife and two children. 

Joel Lansford, 33, of Fairborn, served in the Ohio Army National Guard. Chris Collins, who severed with him in Afghanistan, said Collins enjoyed helping others. Lansford would play piano in their chapel services. Collins said he was in disbelief when he learned his friend was in a plane crash.

“I remember waking up at six o’clock in the morning and sharing the report on Facebook,” Collins said. “I knew it was his part of town but I didn’t want to believe it.”

Lansford was the only occupant in the Cirrus SR22T when it crashed into a hillside at Greene County-Lewis A. Jackson Regional Airport on Jan. 26. Collins said he was devastated when he learned his friend died, but he is happy he was able to do what he loved.

“He was always studying how to either fly them or fix them,” Collins said. “When he came home he was doing both of those things.”

Caleb Weller, who worked on service projects with Lansford focused on agriculture in Israel, created a fundraiser online to help support Lansford’s wife and two children.

“I don’t want to see his family have any concerns this year,” Weller said. “So I wanted people to rally around her as a community and help her out.”

The page had reached $6,573 of its $36,000 goal as of Wednesday. Donations are being accepted until the end of February. To donate visit www.youcaring.com/julia-ann-lansford-512353.

National Transportation Safety Board officials said Wednesday that a preliminary report on the crash could be released this week.

Source:  http://www.daytondailynews.com

The National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday began moving wreckage from a fatal airplane crash at Lewis A. Jackson Regional Airport in Xenia.

The NTSB started the investigation Wednesday after 33-year-old Joel W. Lansford, of Fairborn, crashed the Cirrus SR-22 airplane he was attempting to land at the airport Tuesday evening.

The Greene County Coroner’s Office pronounced Lansford dead at the scene of the crash.

The on-site investigation could take up to three days includes interviewing eyewitnesses.

Investigators spoke to Tara Speakman, a witness, for a second time on Thursday for about 10 minutes she said.

“They just wanted me to go over my statement and see if I remember anything else or add anything else to what happened,” she said.

Speakman said she reiterated to investigators the pilot was making a left turn and the wing of the plane was down before it rolled, nose dived and crashed.

“Thank God there was no fire,” she said. “That was when we lost him and called for help.”

The NTSB crash investigation will take into account multiple factors, such as pilot medical and flight history, to determine the cause of the crash. The agency will also be working to determine whether airplane maintenance or weather-related issues were a factor.

Preliminary investigation result could be available in a few weeks, however a final report could take up to a year to complete, according to NTSB — an independent federal agency responsible for investigating civil aviation accidents.

A NTSB spokesman at the crash site declined to comment on Thursday.

The airport is expected to remain closed during the investigation, according to Dave Kushner, the airport manager.

Lansford was employed as a corporate pilot, and was on a routine business flight from Indianapolis Executive Airport to Greene County, according to NTSB.

Lansford was a former member of the Ohio Army National Guard. He worked at the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport/Airpark Ohio under Tim Epperhart for about one year. Epperhart, who owns the Middletown Regional Flight Training Institute in Middletown and a flight training school in Springfield, called Lansford “a good guy and a great pilot.”

NTSB noted Lansford had more than 2,000 hours of flight time and said the agency does not believe the crash was caused by pilot error.

There was no recorded distress call from Lansford to the air traffic controllers. He terminated his radar service before landing, but this is typical according to NTSB. Wind conditions were 13 knots, gusting to 17 knots, wind, but not unusually bad weather on Tuesday when the plane crashed.

Source:  http://www.mydaytondailynews.com


This is an undated photo of Joel Lansford sitting in the cockpit of the same plane he was flying when he crashed Wednesday night.
 
 



 
The pilot, Joel W. Lansford, 33, of Fairborn, was alone aboard the Cirrus SR-22, and was killed.
  • NTSB said pilot action doesn’t appear to be factor in crash 
  • The plane crashed about 6 p.m. Tuesday into a hillside
  • FAA: Registered owner is Weaver Aircraft LLC, Carmel, Ind.
  • Lansford was an Army National Guard veteran and worked at a Springfield flight school for a year
UPDATE@5:06 p.m.:
In the days to come, the NTSB will formulate a plan to remove the wreckage to review components in a more safe, secure place, the agency’s Spokesman Alex Lemishko said during a press briefing.

Just before the crash, a witness saw the plane flying straight and leveled as it approached the airport, Lemishko said, noting that Lansford contacted air traffic control as he approached the airport.

There was no recorded distress calls from the pilot or the air traffic controllers, however, Lansford had terminated his radar service prior to landing but that’s normal procedure, the spokesman said.

Lansford was a highly skilled pilot with more than 2,000 hours of flight time, and he was an air transport rated pilot, so there’s no reason to believe the crash is related to pilot error, Lemishko said.

The plane took off from Indianapolis Executive Airport, Lemishko said, but it’s not clear what time. He said Lansford was employed as a corporate pilot and the flight was business related.

“This aircraft does have a device that records parameters of the flight,” Lemishko said. “We hope to retrieve it, download and analyze the data.”

UPDATE@5 p.m.:
The pilot’s actions doesn’t appear to be an issue in the fatal plane crash at the Greene County airport Tuesday night, according to Senior NTSB investigator, Alex Lemishko. The federal agency said in a briefing Wednesday afternoon their investigation will take several days.

UPDATE@4:23 p.m.:
Peter Knudson, a National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson, said the agency is sending an investigator from its regional office in Texas to start the investigation in to the crash. The investigator is expected to be in the area for up to three days.

Knudson said he doesn’t have much information about the pilot or his level of experience. But that will be part of the investigation. They will also look at his medical records, licenses, pilot ratings, frequency of flight experience, what he did in the last 72 hours before the crash, the plane’s maintenance history and the like. In addition, they will look at the weather at the time of the crash, radar. A preliminary results of the investigation could be released in about three weeks and the final report will be complete in about a year.

UPDATE@12:47 p.m.:
A soldier who served with Lansford in Afghanistan and asked not to be identified said: “He was a good officer that worked hard and solved problems for his unit throughout his time in Afghanistan. He was a problem solver and dedicated to doing his best everyday. He was a pleasure to work with but was clear that he always wanted to get back to flying. He died doing what he loved.”

UPDATE @ 11:55 a.m. (Jan. 27):
The pilot killed in a fatal plane crash in Greene County last night was an Ohio Army National Guard veteran who had served in Afghanistan and worked at a Springfield flight school.

Joel Lansford worked about a year for Tim Epperhart, owner of the Middletown Regional Flight Training Institute in Middletown, who also runs a flight training school at the Springfield airport.

Epperhart called the 33-year-old pilot a “good guy and a great pilot”.

“When you lose a co-worker, a friend, it’s never a good thing,” Epperhart said after learning of the news of Lansford’s death. “This is a sad event. He will be missed.”

UPDATE @ 10:50 a.m. (Jan. 27):
Troopers have identified the pilot, and sole occupant, of the plane that crashed at Lewis A. Jackson Regional Airport in Greene County as Joel W. Lansford, 33, of Fairborn.

The crash was reported at 5:57 p.m. Jan. 26, according to troopers.

INITIAL REPORT:
One person was killed Tuesday after a single-engine airplane crashed short of the runway at the Greene County-Lewis A. Jackson Regional Airport.
Peter Knudson, National Transportation Safety Board officer of public affairs, said the crash occurred about 6 p.m. The name and age of the pilot have not been released.

The airport remains closed until further notice.

The NTSB is leading the investigation to determine what caused the pilot to lose control of the aircraft that crashed into an embankment while on approach to land at the airport, said agency spokesman Peter Knudson late Tuesday.

The name of pilot, who was the lone occupant, has not released. The airplane was a fixed wing Cirrus SR22T and owned by Weaver Aircraft LLC, of Carmel, Ind., according to the The Federal Aviation Administration registry. Representatives from the company could not be reached for comment last night.

Rachel Ross, a Dayton resident, said she was on U.S. 35 headed toward Xenia in a vehicle her boyfriend was driving when they saw the plane try to turn and then head straight into the ground.

“It was coming across the trees, above the trees,” said Ross. “I’ve never seen a plane try to turn that fast. It happened very fast.”

Karen Kowalewsky, of New Vienna and who works in Fairborn, said she was driving onto U.S. 35 near the split, right past North Valley and Trebein roads, when she spotted the airplane in distress.

“I was driving home by the airport and looked up and saw this single engine plane looking right back at me in my windshield,” Kowalewsky said. “It looked like the plane was trying to make a left turn, but it was pointed down in a bad attitude, and my first thought was, ‘He wasn’t going to make it. I saw him in my windshield maybe 20-30 feet above my car.”

She said she “looked right at the plane. It was close enough to see the engine. The plane was pointed down and sideways. The left wing was down and the right wing was up.”

She said the plane was flying at a very dangerous angle. “You can’t recover from this. I knew he was going to go down. He had enough control to miss the road. I was hoping he would only brush the trees,” she said.

- Story, video and photo gallery: http://www.whio.com




XENIA, Ohio (WDTN) – The pilot who was killed in a plane crash at the Lewis A. Jackson Regional Airport in Greene County has been identified as Joel Lansford from Greene County. 
 
The Ohio State Highway Patrol sent a release Wednesday morning that confirmed the identity.

The statement said the pilot and sole occupant, 33-year-old Joel W. Lansford was pronounced deceased at the scene of the crash by the Greene County Coroners Office.

Lansford was described as a great pilot and flight instructor who has a strong faith. He used to work at the Springfield location of the Middletown Regional Flight Training Institute (MRFTI) as an instructor. The owner, Tim Epperhart, tells 2 NEWS Lansford flew a lot and was well liked around the airport. Epperhart says he was a good person. He said, “when someone loses a person like Joel, it’s a loss for us all.”

According to a missionary donation site, Joel Lansford trained to be a missionary helicopter pilot for a trip to Papua New Guinea, a few years ago.

The National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating the cause of the crash.

A NTSB investigator is expected to arrive on scene and begin the investigation late Wednesday afternoon. Tuesday, Peter Knudson with the NTSB Office of Public Affairs told us the plane was a Cirrus SR-22 that crashed while on approach to land airport. According to the FAA registry, the plane is owned by Weaver Aircraft LLC out of Carmel, Indiana.

It could take up to two weeks for a preliminary crash report to be released.

Story and video:  http://wdtn.com









History of plane crashes at the Greene County airport 

XENIA — With Tuesday night’s fatal plane crash in Xenia, that brings the unofficial count to seven crashes since 1998 at or near the Greene County-Lewis A. Jackson Regional Airport.

Some of the planes went down because of pilot error, and others fell from the sky due to mechanical problems.

The pilot, Joel W. Lansford, 33, of Fairborn, was alone aboard the Cirrus SR-22 when it reportedly crashed into a hillside about 6 p.m. Tuesday. Lansford died in the crash.

The crash is under investigation.

The other six crashes were:


March 27, 1998: Xenia native Wayne Cozad’s jet-powered airplane went down in a wooded area shortly after taking off. Cozad and a Minnesota man were killed. The Federal Aviation Administration determined the aircraft was flying too low while performing aerobatics.

Aug. 1, 2001: Paul W. Frank, of Riverside, and Air Force Maj. Charles P. Brothers, of Beavercreek, died after a twin-engine plane crashed in a cornfield in New Jasper Twp., Greene County.

May 5, 2007: A Beavercreek man survived a hard landing. Investigators said the landing gear on his single-engine plane did not engage and the aircraft came to a skidding stop.

June 11, 2012: Roger Flowers died not far from the airport when his experimental aircraft fell out of the sky. The veteran Navy pilot was killed on impact.
Oct. 9, 2013: Federal investigators questioned a pilot and passenger from Alabama after their plane’s landing gear collapsed during touchdown. No injuries were reported.

Oct. 19, 2014: A plane veered off the runway. Investigators said the pilot caught the wing tip on a light and then a hill before the Cessna spun around and came back down. The pilot went to the hospital for treatment.

Aug. 14, 2015: Troopers blamed pilot error for a crash landing. They said the pilot failed to put the landing gear down. The pilot was not injured.

Story, video and photo gallery:  http://www.daytondailynews.com


Stuart Bothwell, an air safety investigator with Beechcraft in Wichita, Kan., photographs Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2001, the wreckage of a twin-engine plane that crashed Tuesday in a cornfield in New Jasper Twp., Greene County, Ohio. Paul W. Frank of Riverside, Ohio, and Air Force Maj. Charles P. Brothers of Beavercreek, Ohio, died in the accident.


 
The wreckage of a twin-engine plane sits Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2001, in a New Jasper Twp., Greene County, Ohio, cornfield where it crashed Tuesday morning. Paul W. Frank of Riverside, Ohio, and Air Force Maj. Charles P. Brothers of Beavercreek, Ohio, died in the accident.

Two men perished in this small jet crash in Greene County, Ohio, April 29, 1998, shortly after leaving the Greene County Airport. The Casa Saeta jet that crashed is a twin engine training jet piloted by Wayne Cozad. The crash occurred near Lower Bellbrook Road and the bikeway in Xenia Township.

Roger Flower, 73, of Bellbrook, died June 9, 2012, when an “experimental aircraft” he built himself crashed south of Xenia, according to authorities. Flower flew out of the Lewis A. Jackson Regional Airport in Greene County, and the plane crashed about 100 yards from a house at 1856 State Route 380.

Federal Aviation Administration Plan To Shift Weather Observations At Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport (KICT) Raises Safety Concerns

Meteorologists work at the National Weather Service office just west of Wichita's airport. They rely on data gathered by on-the-ground weather observers.



Federal aviation officials are expected in Wichita next week to review their plan for changing the way weather observations are done at the airport.

Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport and 56 other mid-size airports are on the FAA’s target list for transferring weather observations from certified weather professionals on the ground to air traffic controllers. KMUW’s Deborah Shaar reports on what’s at stake.

Once an hour, Joe Rosner leaves his desk in a Federal Aviation Administration building and walks about 100 yards to a small field on the east side of the Eisenhower airport complex. It’s the only place where he can see the horizon and have an uninterrupted view of the sky.

A field near the airport where weather observers go to gather data.


On this day, with mostly clear skies and some wind, Rosner doesn’t have to check on visibility or make a determination about precipitation. On bad weather days, he has to identify whether it’s sleet, freezing rain or snow. Sometimes it’s not enough to see the weather: He actually has to feel it, on the surface--with his hands.

Precise judgments matter when it comes to weather observations, because the data Rosner collects feeds into the weather forecasts for the airport, pilots and the National Weather Service.

"We’re making determinations on whether the airport is closed, whether they are getting any kind of stuff," Rosner says. "When we take the visibility down to a quarter mile, that pretty much shuts this place down."

Joe Rosner works as a senior weather observer in the Wichita airport Contract Weather Observers program.


Rosner is the senior weather observer in the Contract Weather Observer program at Eisenhower. The FAA contracts with outside companies to provide professionally trained and certified weather observers, including the six who staff the office near Wichita's airport.

Many contract weather observer are meteorologists or have specialized military weather training. For many years, the National Weather Service was responsible for the training, oversight, certification and facility inspection for the Limited Aviation Weather Reporting Stations (LAWRS) and the Contract Weather Observers. But in October 2013, the FAA removed the NWS from the process and took over those duties.

"Basically it is a 24/7 operation and we’re here all the time. Weather never sleeps, especially operational weather," Rosner says.

An Automated Surface Observation System, or ASOS, gathers real-time weather data--such as the temperature, wind speed and barometric pressure--through its sensor near the airport’s main runway. It’s the weather observers’ job to augment this system and make sure the data is accurate before it’s sent out.

According to the FAA’s 2005 policies for surface weather observations: “Certified observers are responsible for the completeness and accuracy of the weather observation. Automated weather observing systems are, by design, viewing a smaller area than a human observer. Therefore, the observer is responsible for providing additional information that covers a larger area, when operationally significant. The certified observers also serve as the backup in the event of an automated sensor failure.”

An Automated Surface Observation System, or “ASOS," gathers real-time weather data, but Rosner says he and other contract weather observers are constantly correcting the data.



Rosner says they constantly correct the system because the automated sensors don’t catch everything.

"There’s a lot of times when you can have lower clouds moving in from the north that it won’t see, but it would be keeping a ceiling," he says. "So that’s a lot of the stuff that we do. We put clouds in there that it’s not picking up and stuff. It does not pick up lightning and it does not pick up freezing rain."

After decades of serving Wichita’s airport, the Contract Weather Observer program here could end if a plan by the FAA moves forward. The agency is considering eliminating the weather observers and instead, training air traffic controllers to monitor the skies. The control tower would become a Limited Weather Reporting Station (LAWRS) that would rely on the automated system and tower weather observations.

Victor White, director of the Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport.


Eisenhower Airport director Victor White says the local aviation community is concerned about the plan.

"I’ve heard from a number of folks already about this proposal and there’s a serious concern on the part of controllers, as well as aircraft operators and even the airlines, that they are afraid that the automation that is out there is not going to be nearly as accurate as what they are receiving right now," White says.

When the weather deteriorates, the current trained observers are busy making surface checks more than once an hour to stay on top of conditions that change in seconds. Bad weather also makes it a busy time in the tower as controllers focus on directing air traffic in unfavorable conditions.

White says the FAA’s plan to make the air traffic controllers responsible for weather functions could create a safety issue in more ways than one.

"One, by taking the controllers away from their radios, away from the tower, that presents the separation-of-aircraft concern, and secondly, these folks are new to the weather observation function," he says. "And no matter how much training they get, they might not do as good a job as the folks who have been doing it for years and years as trained weather observers."

Airports proposed for weather transition:

If air traffic controllers take over weather duties, all observations will be done from the tower. An August 2015 FAA order and a 2013 Memorandum of Understanding between the FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association state that observations can only be taken within the tower cab and employees are not required to go outside to conduct a LAWRS observation.

The National Weather Service office on the west side of the airport stopped doing personal observations years ago and relies on the around-the-clock data provided by the contract weather observers. The weather service uses that surface information to formulate forecasts and predict weather patterns. The office then sends the information out to its partners such as the airport, aviation community, county agencies and the media.




Brad Ketcham, the lead forecaster at National Weather Service office in Wichita, says the ground observers are crucial to the airport’s operation.

"We also talk to the airport authority. They call us before winter events or when we’re expecting onset of freezing precipitation because they’ve told us before they go to clean the runways or de-ice on the runways. Timing is very critical because of the amount of money it costs to do that," he says.

Ketcham says Wichita and south-central Kansas are in a prime location for things to come together for severe weather--often suddenly. With 12 meteorologists, his office is the one of the busiest in the country for issuing severe weather warnings for everything from thunderstorms to tornadoes to winter storms.

"The winter months are very challenging forecast-wise because it can be humbling to forecast winter weather," Ketcham says. "All it takes is just a couple of degrees of temperatures and you either have 8 inches of snow or you have an inch of ice."

The mix of air traffic around Eisenhower airport is intense. There are commercial airliners, small private planes, aircraft manufacturers who do flight testing and military aircraft.

Airport director Victor White says the diversity of planes and speeds creates a challenging environment for air traffic controllers. He hopes when the FAA convenes its safety review panel next week, officials will consider the local situation and concerns.

"...What we’re hoping happens is that there will be enough opposition from the airlines and other aircraft operators here that the FAA looks at this and says, 'You know, this is not a really good idea for Wichita,'" White says.  

The FAA declined an interview but did issue a written statement that says air traffic controllers are currently providing weather reporting services at at least 390 airports, and the agency is evaluating whether to transition 57 other airports.

The agency says no decisions have been made at any facilities about the Contract Weather Observer program. But local observer Joe Rosner thinks the plan is a done deal--and is worried beyond losing his job.

"I don’t think that ASOS is more precise than a human being taking observations. There’s no way," he says. "It can’t see what I can see. I can see clouds on the horizon and there’s no way ASOS can see it."

The current contract for the weather observers including Rosner runs through October. 

Story and photo gallery:  http://kmuw.org

Cessna 210 Centurion, N7316E, Acampo Flying Club: Accident occurred January 25, 2016 at Lodi Airport (1O3), San Joaquin County, California

FAA Flight Standards District Office:  FAA Oakland FSDO-27

http://registry.faa.gov/N7316E

NTSB Identification: WPR16LA061
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, January 25, 2016 in Lodi, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 08/16/2016
Aircraft: CESSNA 210, registration: N7316E
Injuries: 2 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, following an uneventful local personal flight, he entered the airport traffic pattern, and he then landed the airplane slightly beyond the runway numbers at 75 mph. He let the airplane “coast” down the remainder of the runway, and as it crossed the runway threshold, he applied brakes with the airplane about 15 to 20 mph to prepare to initiate a right turn. Shortly after, the airplane broke traction and skidded in a straight line. Despite the pilot’s attempts to stop the airplane, it impacted an airport perimeter fence about 495 ft beyond the runway threshold, traveled across a ditch and adjacent frontage road, impacted a second fence, and then came to rest upright. The pilot stated that the asphalt was damp with scattered puddles. A pilot-rated witness, who was located at the airport adjacent to the runway reported that he observed the airplane on downwind and that, as the airplane neared the approach end of the runway, it made a steep right turn toward the runway. The witness said that the airplane appeared to be traveling too fast over the runway and that it touched down around the area where the two runways intersected. The witness further stated that the airplane seemed to be under braking immediately after touchdown but that it continued off the runway. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of any preexisting mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Examination of the runway revealed skid marks extending from the departure end of the runway threshold to the airport perimeter fence. Both the left and right tires exhibited signatures consistent with skidding.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's failure to attain a proper touchdown point, which led to a runway excursion.

On January 25, 2016, about 1930 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 210F, N7316E, was substantially damaged during a runway overrun at the Lodi Airport (1O3), Lodi, California. The airplane was registered to a private individual, and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The private pilot and passenger were not injured. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight, which originated from 1O3 about 1900.

In a written statement to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), the pilot reported that after performing a local flight, which included a touch-and-go landing at a nearby airport, he returned to 1O3. He entered the airport traffic pattern on a right downwind for runway 8. The pilot stated that the airplane touched down just east of the numbers at 75 miles per hour, and that he let the airplane "coast" down the remainder of the runway. During the landing roll, he retracted the flaps, and as the airplane crossed the departure end of the runway threshold and entered the area of the displaced threshold, he applied the brakes at an estimated ground speed of 15 to 20 miles per hour in order to start a turn toward the fuel pumps. The pilot stated that the asphalt was damp with scattered puddles, and shortly after applying the brakes, the airplane broke traction and skidded in a straight line. Despite the pilot's attempts to stop the airplane, it impacted an airport perimeter fence about 495 feet beyond the runway threshold, and traveled across a ditch and adjacent frontage road before impacting a second fence as it came to rest upright.

A pilot rated witness, who was located at his hangar east of the runway 8 and runway 12 intersection, reported that he observed an airplane fly south of runway 8, traveling in a westerly direction at an altitude of about 500 feet above ground level. He stated that as the airplane neared the approach end of runway 8, it made a steep right turn towards the runway. The witness said that he continued to watch the airplane, which seemed to be traveling too fast over the runway, and observed it touch down around the area of the runway 8 and runway 12 intersection. The witness further stated that the airplane seemed to be under braking immediately after touch down and that it continued off the runway, through an airport perimeter fence, across a ditch, a frontage road, and then struck a second fence before it came to a stop.

Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the left horizontal stabilizer was structurally damaged. The inspector reported that skid marks were observed extending from the departure end of the runway 8 threshold to the airport perimeter fence.

1O3 features two runways, runway 8/26, a 3,735 foot-long and 42-foot wide asphalt runway, and runway 12/30, a 2,073-foot long and 26-foot wide asphalt runway. Runway 8 has a displaced threshold of about 555 feet, and the runway 26 threshold is displaced about 495 feet, which equates to about 2,685 feet of runway between both thresholds. Both displaced thresholds are composed of asphalt. The intersection for both runways is located about 1,415 feet from the runway 8 threshold to the runway 12 centerline.

Examination of the airplane by the NTSB IIC on February 16, 2016, revealed that both the left and right brakes were intact and undamaged. When actuated, both brakes functioned normally. The right main landing gear tire exhibited an area that was smooth in appearance, flat, with no visible areas of tread present. The left main landing gear exhibited an area of wear that had a significantly lower tread depth. No evidence of any preexisting mechanical malfunction that would have precluded normal operation was observed.

NTSB Identification: WPR16LA061 
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, January 25, 2016 in Lodi, CA
Aircraft: CESSNA 210, registration: N7316E
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.

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 January 25, 2016, about 1930 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 210, N7316E, was substantially damaged during a runway overrun at the Lodi Airport (1O3), Lodi, California. The airplane was registered to a private individual and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The private pilot and passenger were not injured. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight which originated from 1O3 about 1900.

The pilot reported that after performing a local flight, which included a touch and go landing at a nearby airport, he returned to 1O3 with intent of conducting a full stop landing. Following a normal landing on runway 8, he let the airplane continue to roll out to the end of the runway. As the airplane approached the runway threshold, the pilot applied brakes at an estimated ground speed of about 15 to 20 miles per hour and immediately felt like the airplane was skidding or losing traction. The pilot opined that it was possible that the brakes were locked up and that he applied normal pressure to the rudder pedals in order to actuate the brakes. Despite the pilot's attempts to stop the airplane, it impacted an airport perimeter fence about 495 feet beyond the runway threshold.

Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the left horizontal stabilizer was structurally damaged.




A small aircraft crashed through a safety fence before coming to a stop in a ditch on Monday evening at the Lodi Airport. 


According to an official at the scene, the pilot of a Cessna 210 Centurion said his brakes locked up on him as he was landing at the airport. 


The plane continued east toward the Highway 99 frontage road, busting through a fence before coming to a stop in the ditch just feet away from the southbound shoulder of the highway.


The official said that the pilot was not injured in the crash.




LODI — A small plane crash landed near the Lodi Airport on Monday night.

The pilot said his brakes locked up near the runway, causing the plane to crash through a safety fence and land in a ditch just feet from Highway 99.

The pilot was not injured in the crash landing.

Story and photo gallery:  http://fox40.com