Analysis
The private pilot and passenger were departing on a cross-country flight. Shortly after takeoff, the engine experienced a partial loss of power and the airplane would not climb. The pilot chose to perform a forced landing to a road, during which the airplane impacted a building, then the ground; a postimpact fire ensued.
The airplane was operated by a flying club. On two separate occasions before the accident, two different pilots experienced a loss of engine power in the accident airplane. About 1 month before the accident, a pilot experienced a partial loss of engine power shortly after takeoff; he subsequently landed the airplane on the remaining runway. Following that incident, a maintenance inspection revealed no anomalies. Maintenance personnel flushed both right and left fuel tanks, installed new fuel cap seals, drained the carburetor fuel bowl, cleaned and inspected the fuel filter, and flushed the fuel lines. A subsequent test run of the engine revealed no anomalies. Another pilot reported that, about 2 weeks before the accident, while in cruise flight at 8,000 ft, the engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot was able to restart the engine at an altitude of 3,000 ft and uneventfully performed a precautionary landing. A subsequent maintenance inspection did not reveal any anomalies.
Postaccident examination of the engine did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions. Continuity of the crankshaft and camshaft were observed during manual rotation of the engine and the interiors of each cylinder revealed no anomalies. However, postimpact fire damage precluded a thorough examination of the ignition, fuel, and induction systems, and the reason for the partial loss of engine power could not be determined based on the available information.
Probable Cause and Findings
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
A partial loss of engine power during initial climb for reasons that could not be determined because extensive fire damage precluded thorough examination of the engine and its associated systems.
Findings
Not determined
Not determined - Unknown/Not determined (Cause)
Marc David Scott
Marc David Scott, 37, of Cape Coral, Florida, passed away June 24, 2017 in Fort Myers, Florida. Marc was a loving young man who lived life to the fullest and leaves a great void in our lives. As many know, Marc never met a stranger. He made you smile as he entered the room. He found joy in each day, whether soaring above the clouds, sailing across blue waters or finding solace in the mountains. Life was an adventure cut too short.
The National Transportation Safety Board traveled to the scene of this accident.
Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Tampa, Florida
Piper Aircraft Co.; Vero Beach, Florida
Lycoming; Atlanta, Georgia
Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
http://registry.faa.gov/N199PA
Daniel P. Boggs, Investigator In Charge (IIC), National Transportation Safety Board.
Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board
Location: Fort Myers, FL
Accident Number: ERA17FA210
Date & Time: 06/24/2017, 0748 EDT
Registration: N199PA
Aircraft: PIPER PA28
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Defining Event: Loss of engine power (total)
Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On June 24, 2017, about 0748 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA28-181, N199PA, impacted a building and terrain during a forced landing shortly after takeoff from Page Field Airport (FMY), Fort Myers, Florida. The private pilot sustained serious injuries and the pilot-rated passenger was fatally injured; the airplane was destroyed by a postimpact fire. The airplane was operated by Fort Myers Flying Club in accordance with the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the personal flight, which was destined for Marion County Airport, Dunnellon, Florida.
The pilot stated that he conducted a normal preflight inspection of the airplane and observed no anomalies. He sampled fuel from both of the fuel tanks twice and found no water or debris. The engine start was normal with all instruments in the normal operating range, and he observed similar indications during the engine run-up. After starting the takeoff roll, he verified the engine power output, which was 2,450 rpm. The airplane lifted off the runway at 65 knots, and the pilot pitched the airplane to 5° nose up, with a goal of 80 knots airspeed. At 75 knots, he felt a loss of engine power and the indicated engine rpm started to decrease. He switched fuel tanks and applied carburetor heat, but the engine continued to lose power. The pilot decided to make a forced landing on a nearby road. He turned right to line up with the road, but the wing contacted a tree and the airplane collided with the side of a building before impacting the ground.
A member of the flying club reported that he had experienced a loss of engine power in the accident airplane about 1 month before the accident when he was going to make a short flight to Orlando. During the initial climb after takeoff, about 100 ft above ground level, the engine experienced a partial loss of power. The pilot quickly reduced engine power further and landed straight-ahead on the remaining runway. The pilot taxied the airplane to a local maintenance facility, where maintenance personnel flushed the right and left fuel tanks, installed new fuel cap seals, drained the carburetor fuel bowl, cleaned and inspected the fuel filter, and flushed the fuel lines. They conducted a test run of the engine and found no anomalies. About 1 week later, another pilot was flying the accident airplane in cruise flight at 8,000 ft when the engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot was maneuvering the airplane to land at a local airport when, at 3,000 ft, the engine regained power. The pilot decided to make a precautionary landing at the closest airport and have a local maintenance inspect the airplane. The maintenance facility took fuel samples and stated they were blue and clear of debris. The intake tube was unobstructed, and the engine performed satisfactorily during ground test runs.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. He held an FAA third-class medical certificate issued January 5, 2017. At the time of the medical examination, the pilot reported 523 total hours of flight experience. The pilot reported a total flight experience of 535 hours at the time of the accident, of which 155 hours were in the accident airplane make and model. The pilot had flown 13 and 2.7 hours during the 90-day and 30-day periods preceding the accident, respectively.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
The four-seat, low-wing airplane was manufactured in 1999. It was powered by a Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180-horsepower engine, equipped with a two-blade Sensenich propeller.
According to the airplane logbook, the last annual inspection was performed on June 20, 2017. At that time, the airplane had accumulated a total time of 1,847.1 hours on both the airframe and engine.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
The 0753 recorded weather at FMY included wind from 100° at 4 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, and a clear sky.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
The airplane came to rest against a building across the street from the airport. The airframe was examined at the accident site, and all major components were accounted for at the scene. The engine compartment, cockpit, cabin area, empennage and the majority of both wings were consumed by post-crash fire. Flight control cable continuity was confirmed from the cockpit area to the flight control surfaces. The two-blade propeller fractured off the engine and was located in the ceiling of the building. One blade exhibited "S" bending; the other blade was fractured in several pieces. The starter ring gear, starter ring gear support, cowling, and windshield pieces were located inside the building.
The engine was moved to a hangar at FMY for further examination. The rear-mounted engine accessories were damaged in the postcrash fire. The engine initially could not be rotated by hand due to impact damage to the No. 2 cylinder. The cylinders were removed, and the crankshaft was rotated by hand. Continuity of the crankshaft to the rear accessory gears and to the camshaft was confirmed. Continuity to the valvetrain was confirmed by visual examination. The interiors of the cylinders exhibited no anomalies. The magnetos and carburetor were fire damaged and could not be inspected.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
An autopsy was performed on the pilot-rated passenger by the Office of the Medical Examiner, Fort Myers, Florida. The report listed the cause of death as blunt force trauma.
Forensic toxicology was performed on specimens from the pilot-rated passenger by the FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The results were negative for drugs and carbon monoxide.
Pilot Information
Certificate: Private
Age: 55, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used: 3-point
Instrument Rating(s): Airplane
Second Pilot Present: Yes
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 3 With Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 01/05/2017
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent:
Flight Time: 555 hours (Total, all aircraft), 158 hours (Total, this make and model), 509 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft), 32 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 3 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft), 0 hours (Last 24 hours, all aircraft)
Pilot-Rated Passenger Information
Certificate: Private
Age: 37, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Right
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used: 3-point
Instrument Rating(s): None
Second Pilot Present: Yes
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: Yes
Medical Certification: Class 3 Unknown
Last FAA Medical Exam: 02/04/2016
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent:
Flight Time: (Estimated) 115 hours (Total, all aircraft), 9999 hours (Total, this make and model)
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Manufacturer: PIPER
Registration: N199PA
Model/Series: PA28 181
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 1999
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: 2843218
Landing Gear Type: Tricycle
Seats: 4
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 06/20/2017, 100 Hour
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 2550 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection: 5 Hours
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 1847.1 Hours as of last inspection
Engine Manufacturer: LYCOMING
ELT: Installed, not activated
Engine Model/Series: O&VO-360 SER
Registered Owner: CUB CLUB INC DBA
Rated Power: 180 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: FMY, 18 ft msl
Observation Time: 1153 UTC
Distance from Accident Site: 1 Nautical Miles
Direction from Accident Site: 311°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Temperature/Dew Point: 26°C / 26°C
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility: 10 Miles
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 4 knots, 100°
Visibility (RVR):
Altimeter Setting: 30.04 inches Hg
Visibility (RVV):
Precipitation and Obscuration:
Departure Point: Fort Myers, FL (FMY)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: IFR
Destination: DUNNELLON, FL (X35)
Type of Clearance: IFR
Departure Time: 0745 EDT
Type of Airspace: Class D
Airport Information
Airport: PAGE FIELD (FMY)
Runway Surface Type: Asphalt
Airport Elevation: 17 ft
Runway Surface Condition: Dry
Runway Used: 13
IFR Approach: None
Runway Length/Width: 4912 ft / 150 ft
VFR Approach/Landing: Forced Landing
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Serious
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Fire: On-Ground
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Serious
Latitude, Longitude: 26.578611, -81.852778 (est)
NTSB Identification: ERA17FA210
14 CFR Part 91: General AviationAccident occurred Saturday, June 24, 2017 in Fort Myers, FL
Aircraft: PIPER PA 28-181, registration: N199PA
Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Serious.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators 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 June 24, 2017, about 0748 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA28-181, N199PA, impacted a building and terrain during takeoff from Page Field Airport (FMY), Fort Myers, Florida. The pilot incurred serious injuries and the pilot-rated passenger was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the flight to Marion County Airport (X35), Dunnellon, Florida. The personal flight was conducted in accordance with the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
According to the pilot, he conducted a normal preflight inspection of the airplane and noted no anomalies. He sampled fuel from the fuel tanks twice and found no water or debris. The engine start was normal with all instruments in the normal operating range, and he observed similar indications during the engine run-up. He further stated that he started his takeoff roll and verified the engine RPM was reaching 2,450. He lifted off the ground at 65 knots and pitched the airplane to 5 degrees nose up, with a goal of 80 knots. At 75 knots, he felt a loss of engine power and the RPMs started to decrease. He switched fuel tanks and applied carb heat, but the engine continued to lose power. The pilot decided to make an emergency landing on a nearby street. He turned to the right to line up with the street but the wing contacted a tree and then hit the side of a building.
The airplane came to rest against a building across the street from the airport. The airframe wreckage was examined at the accident site, and all major components were accounted for at the scene. The engine compartment, cockpit, cabin area, empennage and the majority of both wings were consumed by post-crash fire. Flight control cable continuity was confirmed from the cockpit area to the flight control surfaces. The two-bladed propeller fractured off the engine and was located in the ceiling of the building. One blade exhibited "S" bending and the other blade was fractured in several pieces. The starter ring gear, starter ring gear support, cowling and windshield pieces were located in the building.
According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. He held an FAA third-class medical certificate, issued January 5, 2017. At the time of the medical examination, the pilot reported 523 total hours of flight experience.
The four seat, low-wing airplane, was manufactured in 1999. It was powered by a Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180-horsepower engine, equipped with a two-blade Sensenich propeller.
The engine and airframe were retained for further investigation.
Marc Scott and Anthony Greco
FORT MYERS, Fla. The group of pilots whose president flew the plane that crashed into a daycare Saturday is stopping further flights until inspections are performed.
Fort Myers Flying Club President Anthony Greco Jr. was injured and his passenger was killed when the plane crashed into the daycare at Chico’s corporate headquarters on Metro Parkway.
Accudata Vice President of Sales Marc Scott, 37, was identified as the passenger Monday by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
Certified aircraft mechanics will perform the inspections, which are on top of the annual inspections the planes have already undergone, Fort Myers Flying Club Vice President Mike Jackson said.
The move is a precaution designed to ensure the club’s pilots of the safety of the planes, Jackson said. The club hopes the inspections are completed in a week.
Greco managed to get away just minutes before the plane burst into flames. Following the crash, he was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital with serious injuries, but was not listed as a patient Sunday.
A Piper PA-28-181 Archer III aircraft crashed into the structure — which sustained significant damage– around 8 a.m. Saturday following takeoff from Page Field, officials said.
The day care center remained closed Monday, though Chico’s headquarters was open. Parents reliant on child care are able to work from home until further notice.
No one was inside the daycare at the time of the plane crash.
The National Transportation Security Board removed portions of the wreckage to be taken to a salvage facility in Jacksonville. The comprehensive investigation is expected to take between 10 to 14 days.
http://www.winknews.com
The rest of the campus at the company’s headquarters will be open, spokeswoman Jessica Wells said. The day care center was closed at the time of the crash, which killed a passenger and seriously injured the pilot.
The remains of the downed plane were removed Sunday morning from the roof of the day care on 11215 Metro Parkway.
The Piper PA-28-181 Archer III aircraft crashed around 8 a.m. Saturday following takeoff from Page Field, officials said.
Pilot Anthony Greco, president of the Fort Myers Flying Club, managed to get out of the plane moments before it burst into flames. He was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital with serious injuries.
WINK News reporter Jessica Alpern uploaded video and went live via Facebook as the remnants of the plane were taken away.
The remnants of the plane will move to an aircraft salvage facility near Jacksonville, according to officials.
The facility was empty at the time of the crash, but the structure suffered significant damage.
The pilot, Anthony Greco Jr., president of the Fort Myers Flying Club, managed to exit the plane before it burst into flames. Greco suffered serious injuries and was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital.
The National Transportation Safety Board will conduct a further investigation once the remains of the plane are removed.
“Planes are a lot safer than cars, and pilots are very well trained,” said Dan Boggs, a National Transportation Safety Board Investigator. I’ve been a pilot for 22 years and you go through a lot of training.”
Following removal, it will take approximately 10 to 14 days to conduct a comprehensive investigation, according to officials.
The circumstances leading up to the incident and identity of the person killed in the wreck were unclear.
http://www.winknews.com
Investigators hauled off the wreckage of a private plane Sunday that crashed shortly after takeoff from Page Field on Saturday. One passenger was killed in the crash.
And a group of Lee County and Cape Coral construction industry groups said that one of their members, Anthony Greco of ACRA Electric, was the pilot of the crashed plane.
Investigators were at the site of the crash Sunday, clambering onto the roof of the daycare center on the campus of Chico's FAS, just off Metro Parkway.
A National Transportation Safety Board member identified as an aircraft safety inspector and another person were seen on the awning and then on the building's main roof around noon as the wreckage was being loaded on a truck. Investigators took the wreckage to a storage space at the airport early Sunday.
At the center of the investigation is why the small airplane faltered on takeoff Saturday and then slammed into the building, leaving one person dead and Greco seriously injured.
Greco was able to scramble out before it exploded into flames, officials said. The passenger did not make it out. The daycare center was unoccupied.
Dan Boggs, lead investigator from the NTSB, said the plane wreckage would be examined in Fort Myers for a day or two.
"Once were done examining it we'll take it to an airplane salvage facility in the northern part of the state," Boggs said.
He said, however, that if something is uncovered in the examination, the plane could be kept here longer.
Next up for the investigation, Boggs said, will his preliminary report in 10 to 14 days.
Boggs would not confirm an identity of the pilot or the passenger but several business associations in Cape Coral issued a statement saying that Greco, two-time president of the Cape Coral Construction Industry Association, a city resident and vice president of ACRA Electric, was in good condition.
Bill Johnson Jr, executive vice president and CEO of the CCCIA, said his organization and the Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce, Cape Coral Council for Progress and Lee County Building Industry Association issued a statement to members Saturday about Greco and the crash.
"Anthony is in the hospital and his passenger passed in the accident. Please keep them and their families in your thoughts and prayers," the release said.
http://www.news-press.com
A Piper PA-28-181 Archer III aircraft crashed around 8 a.m. Saturday into Chico’s Daycare on 11215 Metro Parkway following take off from Page Field, officials said.
WINK News reporter Jessica Alpern uploaded video of crews removing the aircraft from the roof of the building.
The facility was empty at the time of the crash, but the structure suffered significant damage.
The pilot, Anthony Greco Jr., president of the Fort Myers Flying Club, managed to exit the plane before it burst into flames. Greco suffered serious injuries and was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital.
The National Transportation Safety Board will conduct a further investigation once the remains of the plane are removed.
“Planes are a lot safer than cars, and pilots are very well trained,” said Dan Boggs, a National Transportation Safety Board Investigator. I’ve been a pilot for 22 years and you go through a lot of training.”
Following removal, it will take approximately 10 to 14 days to conduct a comprehensive investigation, according to officials. The circumstances leading up to the incident and identity of the person killed in the wreck were unclear.
http://www.winknews.com
Anthony Greco, a long-time Cape Coral resident and vice president of ACRA Electric, is in "good condition" following the crash of his single-engine Piper PA-28, according to an update from four professional organizations sent to members Saturday night.
"Anthony is in the hospital and his passenger passed in the accident. Please keep them and their families in your thoughts and prayers," the joint release from the Cape Coral Construction Industry Association, Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce, Cape Coral Council for Progress and Lee County Building Industry Association states.
The accident occurred at approximately 7:50 a.m. The plane apparently rapidly lost altitude and the crashed into Building 9 on the Chico's campus off Metro Parkway. The facility, a daycare, was empty and no one on the ground was hurt.
The name of the passenger has not yet been released.
"Anthony and the entire Greco family have been leaders in this community for over 25 years, and now it will be (our) turn to help them in their time of need," the organizations said.
"We as a collection of community partners that Anthony, the Greco Family and ACRA Electric have been a long-time part of, stand ready to assist the family in any way necessary."
http://www.cape-coral-daily-breeze.com
FORT MYERS, Fla. - A plane crashed into a building Saturday morning on the Chico's campus in Fort Myers, killing the passenger and seriously injuring the pilot.
It happened shortly before 8 a.m. along Metro Parkway.
The plane was taking off from Page Field when it crashed into Building 9 — a day care center — at Chico's.
NTSB spokesperson Dan Boggs says the pilot attempted to make an emergency landing on Metro before it crashed.
The plane was a Piper PA-28-181 Archer III that belonged the Fort Myers Flying Club.
Anthony Greco, president of the Fort Myers Flying Club, was piloting the plane, according to the Mike Jackson, the club's vice president.
Greco is listed in good condition at Lee Memorial, according to the hospital. Boggs says Greco was seen staggering down the sidewalk shortly after the crash.
The passenger, who hasn't been identified, was killed. The sheriff's office is handling the death investigation aspect of the crash.
"This is a horrible tragedy. We don't know why it occurred; we don't know why these things happen," Jackson said.
Jackson says both Greco and his passenger were experienced pilots. He says Greco became president of the flying club last year.
"He has been a member of the flying club for years and I consider him to be a very experienced pilot," he said of Greco.
Fort Myers Flying Club instructor Ed Fink says the Piper PA-28-181 Archer III that crashed has never had problems before and is inspected yearly.
"The airplane gets an annual inspection, and in addition to that, it gets a 50-hour inspection," he said.
Pilots are also required to have their license, training, and flight hours.
"I don't know how many hours of flight time either of our pilots had. I know that I would trust them with my life and so I consider them both to be excellent pilots," Jackson said.
Now the pilot community is coming together, mourning one of their own.
"When they (crashes) happen, all we can do is wrap our arms around one another and comfort one another," Jackson said.
Surveillance video from a nearby business shows the plane flip as it hits the building. It burst into flames shortly after hitting the ground.
"There was no one inside the daycare center so we are very relieved about that," said Victoria Moreland, Port Authority spokesperson.
Boggs says the on-site investigation should take two to three days, with the preliminary report expected to take up to two weeks. They're going to be looking into a number of records and working with the plane's manufacturer to figure out what went wrong.
The plane is expected to be removed from the scene Monday afternoon.
Pilot Ted Ehrlich, readying his own flight, radioed into air control immediately after the crash to tell them what he heard.
"I heard the engine failing and watched the takeoff, and it never climbed," he told them in audio obtained by NBC2 courtesy of Broadcastify.
Witness Richard Waltman works at nearby Sunrise Remodeling.
"As I was leaving, I saw this plane going really low, and when he passed the trees, his wing clipped the trees, flipped over at the side of the building, did a somersault and landed in front and blew up," Waltman said.
"It was crazy. It was like did anybody survive? They didn't survive this. They didn't have no time. Because it was so bad that the plane was shredded when they landed and when I blew up it was like wow."
Matt Rutherford described the scene as "chaos."
"A whole bunch of chaos ... Everybody is trying to get to the plane," he said.
"I'm kind of surprised it doesn't happen more than that; they are always flying super low right over this anyway. It's just crazy."
Ashley DeRose saw the crash happen right in front of her.
"(It) was flying very low, I'd say about 20 or 25 feet above my car," she said.
"The top of the actual plane hit the top of the building, it did like a flip; a somersault, and then it hit the ground and set on fire."
She says she called 911 immediately as passersby scrambled to get to the victims, but were unable to.
A spokesperson for Bright Horizons, which operates the day care, says the day care will remained closed until they receive further information from Chico's.
The day care serves Chico's employees, many of them saying on our Facebook page they were thankful the day care was closed for the day.
Chico's is telling parents who use the day care that they can do what they need to for the time being, including work from home. The company is working on sending out an official email regarding the crash.
Statement from Chico's:
We are still assessing the situation and doing whatever we can to assist the sheriff's department and other authorities in the investigation.
Statement from FAA:
"A Piper PA 28 Cherokee Aircraft crashed during takeoff at Page Field today around 8 am. The National Transportation Safety Board will determine the probable cause of the accident. The FAA will investigate."
http://www.nbc-2.com
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, a Piper PA-28 was taking off from Page Field Airport in Fort Myers, just before 8 a.m., when something went wrong.
Surveillance video captured the moments before the aircraft crashed into the side of the building.
According to witnesses, the facility is located on the property of the global headquarters for the women’s clothing company Chico’s.
One witness who asked not to be identified saw the plane as it hurtled toward the ground. “I saw the plane flying real low, and his right wing clipped the trees, and when that happened, he lost control and landed on the side of the building and somersaulted in front and landed in front of the daycare for Chico’s and exploded about five seconds later,” he said.
A plume of smoke could be seen billowing into the air from a nearby street as first responders rushed to the scene.
“Ten, 15 seconds after it hit, it had exploded pretty loud and was engulfed in flames for a while,” said another witness. “It probably went off about two more times after that.”
There were two people on board the plane at the time of the crash.
According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, one person was killed in the crash, and one other person was taken to a local hospital.
The daycare building, which was empty on a Saturday and is maintained by Chico’s on its property, sustained extensive damage. Chunks of concrete are now missing from the top of the structure, and nearby awnings were torched.
Firefighters acted fast to put out the flames. “We were on scene within five minutes of the original call,” said South Trail Fire Department spokesperson Christie Knudsen.
The aircraft belongs to the Fort Myers Flying Club.
Chico’s officials informed employees they can work from home while the daycare remains closed.
The Federal Aviation Administration has been notified of the crash, as the NTSB continues to investigate.
http://wsvn.com
FORT MYERS, Fla. One person was killed after a plane crashed into Chico’s Daycare Saturday morning on Metro Parkway, the Lee County Sheriff”s Office said.
A Piper PA-28-181 aircraft crashed into the daycare center just before 8:00 a.m. at 11215 Metro Parkway during takeoff from Page Field, officials said.
The pilot managed to get out of the plane moments before the plane burst into flames.
“He was staggering down the sidewalk … he was out of the airplane,” said Dan Boggs, the National Transportation Safety Board’s lead investigator in the crash. “Before anybody could get around the corner, it burst into flames.”
The passenger was killed while the pilot was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital with serious injuries, Boggs said.
No one was inside of the daycare at the time of the crash, deputies said. The building sustained significant damage.
http://www.winknews.com
The impossible turn?
ReplyDeleteMy heart aches for all of the diseased family and friends. I flew out of Page Field many times while securing my pilot's license. I belong to the Cub Club. The planes were always inspected and safe. Anthony Greco was a seasoned pilot. I would consider him experienced and always safe.
ReplyDelete