CHEYENNE, Wyoming – An EDI Express Turbine Express 2000 RG experimentally amateur built airplane crashed at around 8 a.m. Monday into a storage unit on Crook Avenue, near Nationway.
The crash appeared to have caused a relatively small blaze that was extinguished within about half an hour. Besides the pilot, there were no other fatalities.
The pilot of the aircraft was its sole occupant. The person, who authorities did not identify by name, has died, according to an update the Cheyenne Police Department distributed by email at around 1 p.m.
The individual was an adult male, CPD spokesperson Alex Farkas said by phone Monday afternoon. "No further injuries have been reported," according to the police department's news release.
The airplane had taken off from Cheyenne Regional Airport and was headed to Texas, according to National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson Jennifer Gabris. "An NTSB investigator arrived on scene this afternoon," Gabris wrote in an email to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.
The county coroner's office has received the body of the pilot, Coroner Rebecca Reid said in a brief phone interview. She said that it might take a few days to get a positive identification. Once that occurs, the coroner's office will notify that individual's family, she told the WTE.
First responders from multiple agencies had been on the scene, authorities had said earlier Monday. By early afternoon, CPD personnel had remained there only to direct traffic, Farkas said. "We are no longer documenting what’s happening at the scene. It's been turned over" to federal authorities, she said by phone.
Cheyenne Fire Rescue had worked to extinguish the blaze at Cheyenne Storage, 616 Crook Ave. At around the time of the crash, CFR had sent six fire engines to the location, and they were able to contain the fire at around 8:30 a.m., authorities said.
Some 30 firefighters went to the location "during the initial incident, but currently two (investigative and commander) fire personnel are here," Andrew Dykshorn, CFR's division chief of operations, wrote in an email to the WTE at around 2:30 p.m. "There is one storage unit that was involved in the incident."
Initially at the time of the crash-landing, "there was a full police response to the crash, everyone who was on shift responded (10-12 officers) for traffic control and investigation," police spokeswoman Farkas wrote to the WTE. "Some officers from the previous shift remained on the clock to cover other calls for service in town."
Cheyenne Storage
When the plane crashed, Cheyenne Storage was closed to customers, a co-owner said by phone Monday afternoon; she would not provide her name.
As she spoke with the WTE, she said that another co-owner was speaking with a representative of the NTSB. At the time of the crash, the co-owner was at the business, although he did not see the incident, the fellow co-owner recounted.
"No one here was hurt, just the pilot," the business owner said by phone. She said that the storage facility's office, from where she was speaking, was not damaged.
Part of Nationway remained closed. "They were starting to clear things up" in the early afternoon, Farkas said. "Definitely sometime today, the road should be open again; hoping (for) this evening." Residents were being asked to remain away from the area so as not to interfere with first responders.
As the CPD's early-afternoon news release said, "the scene is still active and has now been turned over to the National [Transportation] Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration."
Federal investigation
Both the FAA and the NTSB "will investigate" what happened, an FAA spokesperson wrote in an email to the WTE.
"The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and provide additional updates," the FAA spokesperson added in his email. The NTSB has a regional office in Denver, according to the agency's website.
In approximately 15 business days, the NTSB will release a preliminary report on the crash, spokesperson Gabris said by phone.
The initial report will contain all of the factual information that is known about the incident, Gabris said. A final report, with an analysis and suggesting a probable cause of the crash, would typically be released within a year or two, the spokeswoman estimated.
Part of the NTSB's "investigation will be to request radar data, weather information, maintenance records and the pilot’s medical records. NTSB investigators will look at the human, machine and environment as the outline of the investigation," Gabris wrote in her later email.
In addition to CFR, CPD and the Laramie County coroner's office, Wyoming Air National Guard Fire, the Cheyenne-Laramie County Emergency Management Agency and the Laramie County Fire Authority were described as being among "the partnering agencies assisting with the initial investigation."
Clarification: An earlier online version of this report said that the NTSB could release its initial report around June 15. Given the agency expects to issue the document in about 15 business, not calendar, days, the actual date of release would be later in June. This reference has been removed from an updated version of this article.
CHEYENNE, Wyoming — The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration have taken over the scene of a plane crash that killed one person this morning, officials said.
The Cheyenne Police Department and Cheyenne Fire Rescue responded at around 8 a.m. today to 616 Crook Ave., where an experimental aircraft crashed into Cheyenne Storage, the department said in a news release.
According to the Experimental Aircraft Association, amateur-built aircraft built by individuals and licensed by the FAA receive the experimental designation.
An investigation by multiple agencies determined the pilot, who was the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. No other injuries have been reported, police said.
Authorities have not released the identity of the pilot.
The storage facility caught fire as a result of the crash, and the fire department deployed six engines to fight it. The fire was contained at about 8:30 a.m.
The scene remains active, police said. It has been turned over to the NTSB and FAA.
Partnering agencies in the initial investigation included Cheyenne Fire Rescue, Cheyenne Police Department, Wyoming Air National Guard Fire, American Medical Response, Cheyenne/Laramie County Emergency Management Agency, Laramie County Coroner and Laramie County Fire Authority, police said.
The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.
Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Scottsdale, Arizona
Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board:
Location: Glendale, Arizona
Accident Number: WPR15LA179
Date and Time: May 29, 2015, 15:42 Local
Registration: N44508
Aircraft: BURR EXPRESS 2000 RG
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Landing gear collapse
Injuries: 2 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal
Analysis
The private pilot reported that, following a normal landing in the experimental amateur-built airplane, he applied beta thrust to decelerate the airplane and lightly applied the brakes. Suddenly, the left main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane swerved to the left. The airplane departed the runway surface and the left wing impacted a runway sign. Postaccident examination revealed that the left main landing gear actuator heim rod failed where the threads met the rod end; however, the rod was not made available for further examination, and the reason for the landing gear collapse could not be determined.
Probable Cause and Findings
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
A collapse of the left main landing gear for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.
Findings
Not determined (general) - Unknown/Not determined
Factual Information
On May 29, 2015, about 1542 mountain standard time, a Burr Express 2000 RG, N44508, experienced a landing gear collapse during the landing roll at Glendale Municipal Airport (GEU) in Glendale, Arizona. The private pilot and one passenger were uninjured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder and elevators. The airplane was registered to, and operated by, the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed from GEU at about 1500.
The pilot reported that he landed the airplane onto the runway normally. He applied beta thrust to decelerate the airplane and started to brake lightly. Suddenly, the left main landing gear collapsed and the airplane swerved to the left. The airplane departed the runway surface and the left wing impacted a runway sign. It traversed along the dirt when the right landing gear collapsed and the tail impacted the ground before sliding to a rest.
During a postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector it was revealed that the left main landing gear actuator heim rod failed where the threads meet the rod end. Given the location of the heim rod, the inspector was unable to view the fracture surface while the component was installed on the airplane. In addition, the inspector noted that the hydraulic line to the gear actuator was ripped.
The National Transportation Safety Board Investigator-in-charge attempted to obtain the heim rod for further examination, however, the pilot had already repaired the airplane and the part was no longer available.
History of Flight
Landing-landing roll Landing gear collapse (Defining event)
Landing-landing roll Runway excursion
Pilot Information
Certificate: Private
Age: 68, 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: No
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 3 With waivers/limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: November 22, 2013
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: February 1, 2008
Flight Time: (Estimated) 739 hours (Total, all aircraft), 40 hours (Total, this make and model), 600 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft), 1 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 1 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft)
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: BURR
Registration: N44508
Model/Series: EXPRESS 2000 RG NO SERIES
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 2008
Amateur Built: Yes
Airworthiness Certificate: Experimental (Special)
Serial Number: 0101RG
Landing Gear Type: Tricycle
Seats: 4
Date/Type of Last Inspection: May 26, 2015 Annual
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 3800 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection: 48 Hrs
Engines: 1 Turbo prop
Airframe Total Time: 48 Hrs as of last inspection
Engine Manufacturer: P & W Canada
ELT: Installed, not activated
Engine Model/Series: PT6A-20
Registered Owner:
Rated Power:
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Visual (VMC)
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: GEU,1071 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site: 0 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 15:45 Local
Direction from Accident Site:
Lowest Cloud Condition: Few / 10000 ft AGL
Visibility 20 miles
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 3 knots /
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual: / None
Wind Direction: 210°
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual: / N/A
Altimeter Setting: 29.82 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 38°C / -7°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: Glendale, AZ (GEU)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: Glendale, AZ (GEU)
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time: 15:00 Local
Type of Airspace:
Airport Information
Airport: Glendale Municipal Airport GEU
Runway Surface Type: Asphalt
Airport Elevation: 1071 ft msl
Runway Surface Condition: Dry
Runway Used: 19
IFR Approach: None
Runway Length/Width: 7150 ft / 100 ft
VFR Approach/Landing: Traffic pattern
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 None
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 1 None
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 None
Latitude, Longitude: 33.522777,-112.290557 (est)
