Monday, July 24, 2017

Southwest Airlines Donates Turbofan Engine To Georgia Northwestern Technical College

Drew Ware (left) of Cave Spring and Lawrence Peters (right) of Austell work on the CFM56-3B1 high-bypass turbofan engine that was donated to Georgia Northwestern Technical College by Southwest Airlines.



Southwest Airlines donated a CFM56-3B1 high-bypass turbofan aircraft engine worth approximately $100,000 to Georgia Northwestern Technical College’s Aviation Training Center to provide students with advanced training in troubleshooting, repairing, and maintaining industry-grade aviation equipment.

"The donation of the turbofan engine will further GNTC’s ability to prepare students for a career in the fields of Aviation Maintenance Technology or Avionics Maintenance Technology," officials said.

“This is our first turbofan engine, a majority of our planes have reciprocating or piston engines,” said Jon Byrd, director of the Aviation Maintenance Technology program at GNTC. “There are so many different systems that we teach that are on this one engine so we can show students how it all goes together instead of, what we have had up until now, was individual components.”

The Aviation Training Center is located at the Richard B. Russell Regional Airport in Rome about 10 miles from the Floyd County Campus of GNTC.

According to Mr. Byrd, having this turbofan engine will also help to better prepare students to work for the major airlines upon graduation.

“All of the major airliners have planes with high-bypass turbofan engines on them,” said Mr. Byrd. “So this particular engine, which happens to be a pretty popular model, is used on many different airplanes.”

The Aviation Training Center is approximately 30,744 square feet with five classrooms and eight labs for Aviation Maintenance Technology and Avionics Maintenance Technology. The Center includes a large airframe lab, powerplant lab, five additional Federal Aviation Administration Curriculum labs, and a technical library/reference lab.

http://www.chattanoogan.com

Sonex, N695VW: Incident occurred July 24, 2017 near Gwinnett County Airport (KLZU), Lawrenceville, Georgia

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Atlanta, Georgia

http://registry.faa.gov/N695VW

Aircraft force landed on a highway.

Date: 24-JUL-17
Time: 16:32:00Z
Regis#: N695VW
Aircraft Make: SONEX
Aircraft Model: SONEX
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: NONE
Activity: UNKNOWN
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
City: LAWRENCEVILLE
State: GEORGIA


 Pilot Fred Meyer


Channel 2's Tyisha Fernandes and Pilot Fred Meyer


The Reich Stuff: Aircraft covered in Nazi symbols and swastika makes forced landing in Gwinnett County, Georgia.







GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - A small plane landed on Highway 316 in Gwinnett County on Monday.

The Gwinnett County Police Department tweeted a photo of the aircraft near Harbins Road.

Authorities said the plane landed safely. It was pulled into the median, waiting for FAA response.

Drivers in the area could see delays.

The FAA said the plane was a Sonex experimental, amateur-built aircraft and it made the emergency landing around 12:45 p.m. 

The aircraft was about three miles from the Gwinnett County Airport when it made the landing and only the pilot was onboard.

Channel 2's Tyisha Fernandes said the pilot was OK as he walked her through his decision to make an emergency landing along the highway.

Pilot Fred Meyer said that when the engine failed, the plane kept gliding so he just steered it to land right on the median in Dacula.

Meyer told Fernandes that he gives God all the credit.

“The engine just quit, it just stopped,” said Meyer, who likes to take the plane out for a nice flight over Gwinnett County often. 

Meyer doesn’t own the plane, but said he built the engine and takes care of the maintenance.

When he took off from Brisco Field in Lawrenceville on Monday, Meyer said he was doing aerobatics and that everything was fine, but then he heard the engine go out.

“I pulled up in a vertical and the engine just stopped. It just stopped just like that,” Meyer said, adding that he was thinking "oops" when it happened.

“You just fall back on your training at that point in time,” Meyer said. “You really think about the circumstance. You think about your training and what to do.”

Fernandes found a swastika insignia on the wing of the plane and asked Meyer about it.

"A lot of people like to paint these small airplanes up top (to) look like the war birds," he said. "They’re more for fun (than) anything else… with the fake bullet holes and everything.”

Meyer said it wasn’t the first time a plane engine has failed on him, claiming he did the same thing in Gwinnett County 15 years ago.

The FAA is investigating what made the engine fail. 

http://www.wsbtv.com




A small airplane landed on Ga. 316 in Gwinnett County on Monday afternoon, police said.

The plane is registered to a Buford man, FAA records show. It appears to be designed to look like a Messerschmitt BF 109, a plane used by Nazi Germany in World War II. The design includes a swastika on the plane’s tail.

The aircraft landed safely just before 1 p.m. and there were no injuries reported, according to Gwinnett County police. The plane landed on the highway near Harbins Road, the same intersection where an accident involving a milk truck spill snarled traffic earlier this month. 

Fred Meyer, who was piloting the plane, was the only person on board. He does not own the aircraft but built the engine and helps take care of the maintenance, he told Channel 2 Action News.

“The engine just quit, it just died,” Meyer told Channel 2. “You just sort of fall back on your training at that point in time. You don't think of the circumstances, you just think of your training.”

The landing took place about three miles east of the Gwinnett County Airport at 12:45 p.m. After the landing near Dacula, the plane was pulled into the median.

The plane was described by a Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman as a “Sonex experimental, amateur-built aircraft.” Sonex is a company that sells kits that allow people to build their own airplanes.

Meyer told Channel 2 the Nazi design was “just for fun.”

“A lot of people like to paint these planes up like old warbirds,” Meyer said. 

http://www.ajc.com






GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - A small plane has landed on Highway 316 in Gwinnett County Monday.

The Gwinnett County police department tweeted photos of the aircraft near Harbins Road.

Authorities said the plane landed safely. It was pulled into the median, waiting for Federal Aviation Administration response.

Drivers in the area could see delays.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it was a Sonex experimental, amateur-built aircraft and it made the emergency landing around 12:45 p.m.

The aircraft was about three miles from the Gwinnett County Airport when it made the landing.

Only the pilot was onboard.

http://www.wgauradio.com

Aircraft used to fight Spring Glade Fire could cost $100K



Two days after the Spring Glade Fire scorched more than 300 acres west of Loveland, investigators said hot metal on a malfunctioning mower sparked the blaze. 

Neighbors told the Coloradoan over the weekend that a contractor was mowing a field on private property when a fire sparked and quickly grew out of control amid hot, dry and windy conditions.

Investigators on Monday confirmed that was likely the fire's origin.

It took three aircraft, some 41,000 gallons of water and dozens of emergency personnel to get the blaze under control Saturday and Sunday.

Loveland Fire Rescue Authority, Poudre Fire Authority and the Larimer County Sheriff's Office all responded to the fire, which was fully contained as of Monday evening. 

"Typically, we send resources to help out the fire department in the initial stages ... especially if we know it has the potential to go big," Larimer County Sheriff's Office Emergency Operations Director Justin Whitesell said.

Whitesell also said the sheriff's office has an agreement to assist local fire agencies with fires west of Larimer County Road 29, which is east of Carter Lake, because the large open spaces have a greater potential for wildfires. The department has a dedicated team of emergency responders who can assist on fires, search and rescue and water rescue effort in addition to small fire trucks specially designed to wind up narrow mountain roads.

This agreement also allows the sheriff's office to help bear some of the financial burden incurred in these situations. 

The three aircraft — two planes and one helicopter — used to help contain the quickly moving Spring Glade Fire could end up costing about $100,000, Whitesell said. That figure pays for about 30 drops of flame retardant by the planes and about 5 hours of helicopter time.

"We can help with resources and can fill those gaps where fire departments might not have enough overhead resources," Whitesell said. 

On Saturday, dozens of law enforcement officers were out in the field digging lines, mopping up hot spots in the burn area and going door-to-door to notify residents of evacuations.

"It's certainly a community effort from emergency services," Loveland Fire Rescue Authority spokesman Scott Pringle said. "There's a really long list of different agencies that were involved in this from the scene, even behind the scenes. It was a team effort that involved, all told, probably hundreds of different people from dozens of agencies." 

That community response can be especially helpful during stretches with a flurry of simultaneous fires.

In addition to the Spring Glade Fire, lightning sparked a small blaze Sunday near Carter Lake that burned an estimated 1-5 acres. A 15-acre fire near Carpenter and Timberline roads also kept crews busy Sunday; the cause of that fire is still under investigation.

Larimer County is not in a drought, though the northwest portion of the county is considered abnormally dry, according to the U.S. drought monitor.  

Several weeks ago, Larimer County commissioners implemented summertime fire ban, barring open fire, smoking in the open, using fireworks, and welding in unincorporated Larimer County through at least Aug. 22. 

Violators could receive a $100 fine for a first offense, $250 fine for a second offense within 60 days and a $500 fine for each additional offense within 60 days of the first.

"The fire danger itself has been pretty high for most of the past few weeks, with dry conditions and dry temperatures," Pringle said, adding that he wants people to be diligent about anything that could cause a fire. "You add the wind, and that really increases the fire danger."

http://www.coloradoan.com

Government warned against closing airstrips: Local pilots are concerned that a proposal to close five Yukon airstrips will lead to an erosion of aviation safety in the territory

A Yukon Aviation System Review was conducted by design and consultancy firm Stantec.

It recommends closing the Minto, Pine Lake, Braeburn, Chapman and Twin Creeks airstrips, primarily because they see “negligible activity.”

“This is aggressive and may not be popular but provides essential investments to the airports/aerodromes that require attention while removing the risk, liability and oversight to the airstrips that are not a part of a real aviation system,” reads a May 23, 2017 draft of the review obtained by the Star.

The report was put together for the Department of Highways and Public Works’ aviation branch. It also suggests selling off the airstrips as an alternative to closing them.

George Balmer, a local private pilot with a commercial licence, strongly disagrees with the report’s determinations.

He said these airstrips are used by wildfire fighters, emergency services, exploration companies, outfitting camps and more.

Craig Unterschute is president of Whitehorse-based commercial charter company Great River Air.

Though they might not see much traffic, Unterschute said, the five airstrips provide a key safety net to Yukon pilots and passengers, especially during periods of rapidly changing weather.

“Weather reporting is very few and far between in the territory, so there’s huge gaps that you really don’t know what’s going on with the weather until you go,” he told the Star Friday.

“You can get 20 miles out of Whitehorse, 10 miles out of Whitehorse, and not be able to get in because of the weather.

“So what do you do? You go turn around and you go sit in Braeburn for a few hours and have a coffee and a doughnut.”

This wouldn’t be an option if the strip at Braeburn, about 95 kilometres north of Whitehorse, closed.

Pilots also use the airstrips as refuelling spots, said Unterschute, who also tracks caribou on the Yukon’s north slope for the Department of Environment.

If not for the assurance provided by small airstrips scattered around the territory, there would be many days Unterschute wouldn’t risk flying. Knowing there are several places to land or refuel is the deciding factor.

Balmer disputes the notion that the costs of maintaining the five airstrips outweigh the benefits of keeping them in service.

Allan Nixon, the government’s assistant deputy minister of transportation, said in an interview this morning he couldn’t say offhand exactly how much it would cost to continue maintaining the five airstrips in question.

“It’s not going to be a huge sum,” he said. “It would vary from year to year.”

The government hasn’t decided yet whether it will close the airstrips, said Nixon.

The recommendations are “not written in stone,” he added. “They’re meant to start a conversation.”

The Canadian Owners and Pilot’s Association (COPA) expressed its worries about the “degradation of aviation infrastructure throughout Yukon as it applies to smaller airstrips” in a May 26 letter to Richard Mostyn, the minister of Highways and Public Works.

These airstrips support recreational and commercial, charter flying, and are important to the Yukon’s economic development, writes Yukon chapter president Rick Nielsen.

Cabinet spokespeople said Mostyn was not available for an interview before this afternoon’s press deadline.

Stantec’s review is meant to assess spending in the Yukon’s aviation system and prioritize infrastructure investments that meet the territory’s current and future needs, provide for economic development opportunities, and comply with regulations.

But Balmer said no private pilots were consulted during as part of Stantec’s review.

The draft seen by the Star does not note who was consulted.

Unterschute said Stantec made one attempt to reach out to him, but that his numerous calls in return went unanswered.

The government intends on consulting with “stakeholders,” including COPA, before making a final call on future aviation infrastructure investments, said Nixon.

According to the review, 14 airports and airstrips were visited last February, and the remaining 13 were assessed “via existing site plans and aerial mapping.

The Whitehorse and Dawson City airports were not included in the review.

Unterschute pointed out that February is not an ideal time to do a surface analysis of airstrips, as it’s difficult to see the effects of rainwater, for example.

If the assessment was done only in the summertime, than officials wouldn’t have a sense of conditions in the winter, said Nixon.

The timing of the review was “reasonable” for the government’s purposes, he said.

“There’s a lot of very good information in this report,” said Nixon, of the 75-page document.

The report cost $211,000.

“(It has) stuff we didn’t have before that could help us chart a path forward.”

http://www.whitehorsestar.com

Hangar users object to East Rockhill Township conditions on Pennridge Airport (KCKZ) plans for additional hangars

EAST ROCKHILL >> For the fifth month in a row, Pennridge Airport’s plans to build additional hangars were a big part of the East Rockhill Township Board of Supervisors July 18 meeting, but there still isn’t a clear flight path.

A conditional use hearing for the plans was held in March, April and May. In June, the board gave its decision, approving the conditional use request if 29 conditions were met. At the same June 20 meeting, the airport’s attorney said the conditions — including ones that would restrict take-off and landing times by the hangar tenants to between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. in most cases and ones that would not allow the runway to ever be extended or any more hangars to be added in the future — were too restrictive and “make the construction of these hangars not a practical endeavor.”

A copy of the full conditional use adjudication is available on the township’s website, www.eastrockhilltownship.org.

At the July 18 meeting, the board heard from supporters of the airport’s plans.

“I don’t believe that you folks understand the good Pennridge does for the community,” Norman Clemmer, owner of Clemmer Moving & Storage in Hilltown and a tenant in one of the existing hangars, told the board.

That includes Angel Flight and other transports for medical care, including organ transplants, he said.

“My company contributes roughly $5 million a year directly into the local economy,” Clemmer said. “I can attribute at least a million dollars of that revenue to my airplane.”

Having a plane helps make the business more competitive, he said.

“The rules that you imposed on Pennridge Airport would make me either move my airplane to another airport that has a hangar or sell it,” Clemmer said.

In order to travel to places such as Chicago, he might have to leave the night before to be within the new conditions, he said.

“Right now I can just leave at 5 in the morning if I have to,” Clemmer said.

Perkasie resident Bob Miracle said he is a pilot with two hangars at the airport.

“There is a lot of good going on out of that airport,” Miracle said, listing things including Angel Flight, Santa Claus’ annual arrival at the airport, local business and job events, the skydiving business and aircraft maintenance shop.

Most of the airport is open space and will remain that under the airport’s plans, he said.

“It’s a lot better in my opinion than being filled with houses, bringing all the traffic and everything else and the extra noise that comes with that,” Miracle said.

“The people involved very much want it to stay an airport and that’s very important,” Miracle said, but added, “They’re business people and they have a limited amount of time and plans and if it’s not gonna be an airport, it’s gonna be something else. It’s just that simple.”

One of the issues raised by neighbors during the conditional use hearing was noise, especially during early morning takeoffs by jets.

Average noise levels at the airport are low, Miracle said. Planes glide in for a landing and when a plane takes off, the noise is only for a short time, he said.

“It’s a very rural airport, very quiet overall,” Miracle said.

Bill Edmonds, an owner of B&G Manufacturing in Hatfield, called Pennridge Airport “a phenomenal asset.”

“It’s a very safe and efficient airport to operate out of and that’s why we keep our aircraft there,” said Edmonds, who grew up in Hilltown and attended Pennridge School District.

“It’s a big attraction for us and for other businesses that would want to move into this area,” Edmonds said of the airport.

“Profitable companies want to have their people mobile,” he said. “They want to have an aircraft and have access to it.”

His advice to the board is to work with the airport, he said.

“It can provide huge flow-down benefits in terms of jobs, in terms of tax base, in terms of open space,” Edmonds said. It brings in tax revenue without adding to the number of students in the schools or requiring much other services, he said.

Grant Johnson, who has an aircraft and hangar at the airport, said general aviation is on the decline in the United States.

Now a Doylestown resident, Johnson said he got some of his flight training at Pennridge Airport and in the past lived near the airport and worked there. In the 1970s, it was busier than it now is, he said.

“The current airport management is merely trying to get the airport to break even,” Johnson said.

Those opposed to the plans should take into account what might happen if the airport were sold because it could not expand the buildings and add income, he said.

There is more noise from a neighboring gun club than from the airport, he said.

“There are a large number of residents around the airport that are in support of it and we can organize and become politically active if necessary to support the airport,” Johnson said.

There are no plans to extend the runway and the additional hangars will not mean that larger planes will be coming to the airport, he said. The hangars will house planes that are now kept outside at the airport, he said.

Recent laws mandate that business planes have to meet new quieter noise standards, he said.

“Small business aircraft of the type we’re talking about just don’t create that much noise, and they don’t fly continuously,” Johnson said. “They only pass over a residence for a short period of time.”

Jean Curry, the airport’s manager and an East Rockhill resident, said she’s disappointed in the township board for the conditions placed on the airport’s plans.

Board Chairman David Nyman is also a Pennridge Chamber of Commerce board member, she noted.

“You’re supposed to be pro-business and it seems every time anybody in this township that has a business and wants to expand, you guys do a real big number on them,” Curry said, telling the three board members she will never again vote for any of them.

The airport on Ridge Road currently has three hangar buildings with a combined 14 units, according to information given during the conditional use hearing. The new plans would add two hangar buildings with a combined nine units, with the new hangars located near the existing ones and replacing outdoor airplane tie-downs, the airport said. There are currently about 40 airplanes at the airport, three of which are jets, the airport said.

In a separate move, the airport is also planning to add a business park. Part of the airport property is in East Rockhill and part in Perkasie. The initial business park buildings will be in Perkasie, with others later being built in East Rockhill, airport representatives have said. Concerns have been raised in East Rockhill and West Rockhill about traffic from the business park.

http://www.montgomerynews.com

Czech Sport PiperSport, N35EP: Fatal accident occurred June 21, 2015 near Topsail Airpark (01NC), Holly Ridge, North Carolina

Dillard Martin Powell of Cary was killed June 21, 2015 while flying his plane near Topsail Island. Powell, a World War II veteran and lawyer, was 89. 

Dillard Martin Powell served in World War II, fighting in the Battle of the Bulge and serving in the division that crippled German forces by uniting with the Red Army on the Elbe River. Powell manned anti-tank guns and earned numerous accolades, including two Bronze Stars. 
COURTESY OF POWELL FAMILY



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

Additional Participating Entities:

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Greensboro, North Carolina
Air Accidents Investigation Institute
Czech Sport Aircraft

Aviation Accident Final Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf


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


Aviation Accident Data Summary - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf


http://registry.faa.gov/N35EP




NTSB Identification: ERA15FA245

14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, June 21, 2015 in Holly Ridge, NC
Probable Cause Approval Date: 07/12/2017
Aircraft: CZECH SPORT AIRCRAFT AS PIPER SPORT, registration: N35EP
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.


Earlier on the day of the accident, a condition inspection of the light-sport airplane had been completed, and the purpose of the flight was to relocate the airplane to its home base airport. About 1500, the pilot’s wife dropped the pilot off at the airport. The temperature was in the “upper 90s,” and, since the airplane was equipped with a clear cockpit canopy, it would have been hot inside of the airplane. According to the pilot’s wife, it was the pilot’s habit to leave the canopy up when it was hot until he was ready to depart.


About 1530, the pilot called his wife from the airplane before he took off and advised her that it would take him 15 minutes to fly to the home base airport and that he would wait for her to pick him up in the air-conditioned office of the fixed-base operator (FBO) at the field. However, when she arrived at the FBO, he was not there. A search was initiated, and the airplane wreckage was found in a wooded area about 1.1 miles west of the departure airport. Recorded data downloaded from a portable GPS unit that was onboard the airplane revealed that the airplane was airborne about 1 minute before reaching a peak GPS altitude of 309 ft and a derived groundspeed of 104 knots. This was the final recorded position.


Examination of the accident site and wreckage revealed that the airplane struck trees in a steep, nose-low attitude and that the pilot was ejected from the cockpit. Examination of the damage to the canopy, the cockpit sill, and the canopy locking mechanism indicated that the canopy was not closed and locked when the airplane impacted the trees. This most likely occurred due to the pilot delaying closing of the canopy due to the high temperature (as was his habit) and then forgetting to lock it. Although the airplane’s Pilot’s Operating Handbook advised that the canopy could not be closed in flight and that there would be no change of flight characteristics with the canopy open, it is likely that the pilot was attempting to close the canopy in flight and lost control of the airplane, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent into the trees.

The pilot’s four-point harness was intact and attached to its attachment fittings; however, the center buckle assembly was found unlatched. This may have been the result of the pilot forgetting to buckle the harness, or he may have unlatched it so he could reach the canopy sill and/or the latching mechanism in an attempt to close the canopy in flight. Other indicators that the pilot may have been in a hurry to get airborne due to the high temperature included his failure to arm the emergency locator transmitter, which was found in the “off” position, and to remove the ballistic recovery system activation handle safety pin with its “REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT” flag, which was found in place.


The pilot’s autopsy revealed that his heart was mildly enlarged, and his coronary arteries were significantly narrowed by atherosclerotic plaques. Microscopic evaluation of heart tissue also demonstrated mild interstitial fibrosis. Toxicological testing revealed medications that were consistent with the pilot’s heart disease. Although the pilot’s heart disease put him at risk for physical symptoms, such as chest pain, shortness of breath, or a heart rhythm that could not produce enough blood pressure to stay awake, neither the heart disease nor his medications would have impaired his judgment or increased his risk of becoming distracted by the canopy issue. Thus, the pilot’s medical conditions and medications most likely did not contribute to the cause of this accident.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:

The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control after the cockpit canopy opened during initial climb. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to securely lock the canopy before takeoff.




HISTORY OF FLIGHT


On June 21, 2015, about 1532 eastern daylight time, a Czech Sport Aircraft Piper Sport, N35EP, was substantially damaged when it impacted trees and terrain after a loss of control during climb after departing from Topsail Airpark (01NC), Holly Ridge, North Carolina. The private pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight, which was destined for the Albert J. Ellis Airport (OAJ), Jacksonville, North Carolina.


According to his wife, on the day of the accident, the pilot went to the airport to check on the airplane after they had lunch together. When he arrived at the airport, he met with the mechanic who was completing the condition inspection on the airplane, paid him for his services, and received a receipt. The pilot then went home but planned to return later and fly the airplane back to OAJ where it was based.


About 1500, the pilot's wife dropped him off at the airport. The temperature was in the "upper 90s;" the humidity was high, and there was little or no breeze. According to the pilot's wife, due to the airplane's "clear roof" (canopy), it would get hot inside of the airplane, and it was her husband's habit to leave the canopy up when it was hot until he was ready to depart.


The pilot's wife reported that he called her from the airplane before he took off at 1524 and advised her that it would take 45 minutes for her to reach OAJ, and he would be there in 15 minutes. He also advised her that he would meet her in the air-conditioned office of the fixed base operator (FBO) at OAJ. However, when she arrived at the FBO, he was not there.


At 1711, one of the two mechanics who had performed the condition inspection on the airplane received a call from the owner of 01NC who said that he had received a telephone call from the pilot's wife and that the pilot had not arrived at OAJ. The mechanic determined that the airplane was not at 01NC. After not finding the airplane around the area adjacent to the airport, the mechanic called 911. A search for the airplane by federal, state, and local authorities was initiated. About 2130, the wreckage of the airplane was discovered in a wooded area about 1.1 miles west of 01NC.


PERSONNEL INFORMATION


According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on July 24, 2013. He reported on that date that he had accrued 1,850 total hours of flight experience.





AIRCRAFT INFORMATION


The light-sport airplane was a single-engine, low-wing monoplane of conventional metal construction. It was equipped with a fixed-tricycle undercarriage with a castering nose wheel, and was powered by a 100-horsepower, Rotax 912 ULS engine, driving a three-bladed Woodcomp ground-adjustable propeller.


The fuselage consisted of a semi-monocoque structure. The cockpit frame and canopy frame were constructed of carbon fiber. The canopy was made of Plexiglass. It was hinged at the front and was equipped with a sliding window on each side.


The fuselage also contained a ballistic recovery system (BRS) with a parachute to be deployed in case of emergency. The BRS consisted of a rocket-deploying container that was located just forward of the cockpit in the nose section of the fuselage. A cable ran from this container to an activation handle just to the right of the pilot's seat on the instrument panel. Once the activation handle had been pulled, the rocket would exit the fuselage and accelerate away from the airplane. After the parachute was completely extracted and exposed to the relative wind, it would begin to inflate, generating drag forces to decelerate the airplane. When the parachute had fully deployed, the airplane would descend at a rate of about 1,000 to 1,500 ft per minute.


According to FAA and maintenance records, the airplane was manufactured in 2010. Its most recent condition inspection was completed on the day of the accident. At the time of the inspection, the airplane had accrued 74.7 total hours of operation.


According to one of the two mechanics who performed the condition inspection, on June 19, 2015, the pilot flew the airplane to 01NC on a ferry permit. The ferry permit was required because the pilot had been sick and could not fly the airplane somewhere to have the condition inspection performed when it was due.


On June 20, 2015, the two mechanics began the condition inspection. On that date, the pilot advised the mechanics that he had accidently "put oil" into the coolant fill port on top of the engine because he thought the oil level was low. The mechanics flushed the cooling system and added new coolant. The mechanics also noticed that the bushings holding the radiator onto the engine were cracked and replaced them.


The pilot told the mechanics that the engine oil had been changed 23 hours earlier and that the oil should not be changed. The mechanics then discovered that the spark plugs needed cleaning, but, after advising the pilot of the cost of new spark plugs, the pilot had them install new plugs instead of cleaning the old ones.


According to the mechanic, on the day of the accident, as part of the inspection, to the mechanics opened all the inspection panels on the airplane, closed them, and the airplane was returned to service about 1400. The mechanics then locked up the hangar and went home.


METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION


At 1556, the recorded weather at the New River Marine Corps Air Station (NCA), Jacksonville, North Carolina, located 16 nautical miles northeast of the accident site, included: wind 230° at 6 knots, 10 miles visibility, scattered clouds at 5,000 ft, temperature 34°C, dew point 22°C, and an altimeter setting of 29.94 inches of mercury.


AIRPORT INFORMATION


01NC was an uncontrolled, privately-owned airport, located 2 miles southwest of Holly Ridge, North Carolina. 


The field elevation was 65 ft above mean sea level. The airport had two runways oriented in a 18/36 and 3/21 configuration. Runway 21 was turf covered, in good condition, and measured 3,200 ft long and 75 ft wide.


FLIGHT RECORDERS


The airplane was equipped with a Garmin GPSMAP 696 portable multifunction display that was mounted in a recess in the instrument panel. The unit consisted of a GPS receiver with a 7-inch diagonal high resolution liquid crystal display.


The unit could store data including, date, time, latitude, longitude, and altitude information for multiple flights in non-volatile memory (NVM).


Data recovered from the unit included track logs from June 5, 2011, through June 21, 2015. The last track log corresponded to the accident flight and contained data from 1525:57 to 1531:35.


According to the data, the airplane began its takeoff roll on runway 21 at 1530:19 and became airborne about 1530:38. The airplane continued to climb while turning to the west until about 1 minute after the takeoff, and, at 15:31:35, the airplane reached a GPS altitude of 309 ft and a derived groundspeed of 104 knots. This was the final recorded position.





WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION


Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane struck trees in a steep, nose-low attitude, and the pilot was ejected from the cockpit. The airplane then fell nose first to the forest floor below, impacted in a 90° nose-down attitude, nosed over, and came to rest inverted.


Numerous areas of crush and compression damage to the fuselage and wings were noted, and there was evidence of fuel staining on the leading edges of the wings. There was no evidence of any inflight structural failure, inflight fire, or inflight explosion.


Examination of the cockpit canopy revealed that it was detached from its mounting location and was lying underneath the aft portion of the inverted fuselage. The majority of its clear bubble was broken into multiple pieces; however, the pieces were not scattered around the accident site but were collocated with the canopy frame. One of the canopy lift struts was missing and was not recovered. The damage patterns observed on the canopy frame and cockpit sill did not match and could not be correlated with each other. The canopy latching mechanism hooks were found to be partially retracted, the canopy locking mechanism and activation handle were in the "OPEN" position, and the slots in the canopy frame that the hooks engaged when the canopy was closed and locked showed no evidence of tear-out.


Both wing fuel tank caps were closed, both wing locker doors were closed and secured, all the inspection panels were closed and secured, and the pitot tube was clear and free of debris. The wing flaps were in the up position, and flight control continuity was established from the ailerons, elevator, and rudder to the control stick and rudder pedals in the cockpit. The aileron, elevator, and rudder trims, were about neutral.


The pilot's four-point harness was intact and attached to its attachment fittings; however, the center buckle assembly was unlatched. The emergency locator transmitter had not been armed, and the ballistic recovery system activation handle safety pin with its "REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT" flag was still in place.


The master switch, strobes switch, landing light switch, and electric fuel pump switch were all in the on position. The magneto switch was in the both position; the throttle was in the full throttle position; and the choke lever was in the off position. The fuel selector was in the right tank position. The carburetor heat control was in the off position.


Examination of the propeller speed reduction unit (PSRU) revealed that it was impact damaged, and the case had been breached. Examination of the propeller, the PSRU propeller gear assembly, and the PSRU overload clutch, revealed evidence of rotation. Smearing was evident on the metal faces of the overload clutch. The propeller drive shaft was also sheared, displayed a 45° conical break at the shear face, and showed evidence of torsional rotation.


Examination of the engine revealed that it was impact damaged; both carburetors had separated from their mounting locations, and the float bowls had separated from the carburetors. Portions of the air intake system, exhaust system, and the ignition harnesses had separated from their mounting positions.


MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION


The pilot was an 89-year-old male, who, as of his last FAA medical exam, was 68 inches tall and weighed 187 pounds. The pilot had first applied for a medical certificate in 2004 and reported to the FAA a medical history that included coronary artery disease treated with a stent in 2002 and coronary artery bypass grafting in 2004. In addition, he had hypertension and a history of a period of atrial fibrillation. After additional detailed information was reviewed, the pilot received a special issuance third-class medical certificate in 2005 with the limitation that it was valid for 1 year.


The pilot continued to renew his special issuance medical certificate annually, providing detailed information requested by the FAA. He developed recurrent atrial fibrillation in 2008 when an atrial clot was also diagnosed. He was treated with rate control medication and blood thinners. With a few periods of being deferred because he needed to get better control of his rate or degree of blood thinning, the pilot generally continued to receive special issuance third-class medical certificates. At the time of his last exam, he reported using warfarin (a blood thinner), diltiazem (a blood pressure medicine also used to control the heart rate in patients with atrial fibrillation), and febuxostat (a medication to prevent attacks of gout) and received a special issuance third-class medical certificate limited by a requirement for corrective lenses and marked, "not valid for any class after 07/31/2014." At the time of the accident, the pilot was flying an airplane that met the definition of a light sport aircraft; thus, he was required only to hold a valid driver's license.


According to the autopsy performed by the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Division of Forensic Pathology, the pilot's cause of death was multiple extreme injuries due to aircraft crash, and the manner of death was accident. The evaluation of natural disease was limited. The heart was described as "mildly enlarged" and weighed 430 grams (average for a 185-pound man is 358 grams with a range of 271-473 grams). The coronary arteries were significantly narrowed by atherosclerotic plaques including 80% stenosis of the left main and left anterior descending, 90% stenosis of the first diagonal, 70% stenosis of the circumflex, and 30% of the right coronary, which was fed by a patent coronary artery bypass graft. The septum was 1.5 centimeters thick (average is 1.3 centimeters). Microscopic evaluation of heart tissue demonstrated mild interstitial fibrosis.


The FAA's Bioaeronautical Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, performed toxicology testing, but it and was limited by the absence of available blood. The evaluation for volatiles identified 79 mg/hg of ethanol in muscle and 19 mg/hg in liver as well as N-butanol and N-propanol in muscle. Ethanol may be ingested in beer, wine, and liquor but may also be produced by microbial action after death. The alcohols N-butanol and N-propanol are only produced by microbial action after death. In addition, atenolol, verapamil, its metabolite norverapamil, and warfarin were detected in liver, and verapamil and warfarin were detected in muscle. Atenolol and verapamil are prescription medications used to treat hypertension and control the heart rate in atrial fibrillation. Warfarin is a blood thinner used to prevent clot formation and resulting strokes in patients in atrial fibrillation. None of these medications are impairing.


TESTS AND RESEARCH


The airplane manufacturer's published Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH) for the airplane stated that "Before engine starting," the canopy should be "clean, closed, and locked" and that the pilot should "tighten" the safety harness. The POH also stated that "Before takeoff," the cockpit canopy should be "closed and locked," recommended to "manually check by pushing the canopy upwards," and again stated to "tighten" the safety harness.


Review of Section 7 (Description of Airplane and Systems) in the POH revealed guidance regarding the canopy that stated, "make sure that the canopy is latched and mechanism is securely locked into position on both sides before operating the aircraft." Section 7 also provided guidance regarding the safety harness that stated, "adjust the buckle to a central position on the body."


Supplement 03 to the POH, issued September 2010, advised that, if a canopy inadvertently opened on an airplane, it would not be possible to close the canopy, but the airplane would be fully functional. The supplement indicated the following:


- During takeoff: the canopy would open about 2-inches.

- During climb and descent (with the airspeed at 60-75 knots): the canopy would stay open 2-3.2 inches.
- During horizontal flight (with airspeed at 60-80 knots): the canopy would stay open 2-3.2 inches.


The supplement advised that in all of the above-mentioned cases, there would be no flight problems, no vibrations, good aircraft control, and no change of flight characteristics. It recommended that, before takeoff, the pilot should "manually check the canopy is locked by pushing on the canopy upwards," and cautioned that, with the canopy open in flight, "do not perform any slipping."

NTSB Identification: ERA15FA245

14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, June 21, 2015 in Holly Ridge, NC
Aircraft: CZECH SPORT AIRCRAFT AS PIPER SPORT, registration: N35EP
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 June 21, 2015, at approximately 1530 eastern daylight time, a Czech Sport Aircraft, Piper Sport; N35EP, was substantially damaged when it impacted trees and terrain after a loss of control during climb, after departing from Topsail Airpark (01NC), Holly Ridge, North Carolina, The certificated private pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight, destined for Albert J. Ellis Airport (OAJ), Jacksonville, North Carolina.


According to the pilot's wife, on the day of the accident, the pilot attended church with her and then they went out to lunch. The pilot then dropped his wife off at their condominium and then he went to 01NC to check on his airplane. When he arrived at the airport, the mechanic was there who had finished the conditional inspection on the airplane. The pilot then paid him for his services and received a receipt.


The pilot then then decided to pick up his wife at their condominium and fly the airplane back to OAJ where he based it.


When the pilot and his wife returned later to 01NC, they found that the gate was closed so they could not drive up to the airplane. The pilot then walked to the airplane from the access road. This was 100 to 200 feet from the road. It was now around 1500 and the temperature was in the "upper 90s." The humidity was high, and there was little or no breeze at all, and with the "clear roof" (canopy) it would get hot inside of the airplane. The pilot then called his wife from the airplane before he took off at 1524 and advised her that would take her 45 minutes for her to reach OAJ and he would be there in 15 minutes. He also advised her that he would meet her in the air conditioned fixed base operator (FBO) at OAJ. However when she arrived at the FBO, he was not there.


According to a mechanic, on June 19, 2015, the airplane had been ferried to 01NC on a ferry permit, as the pilot had previously been sick and could not fly the airplane somewhere to have the conditional inspection performed when it was due.


On June 20, 2015, the mechanic along with another mechanic began the conditional inspection. On that date, the pilot advised the mechanics that he had accidently "put oil" into the coolant fill port on top of the engine because it looked low. The mechanic advised that the pilot was pretty upset about it. The mechanics then flushed the cooling system and added new coolant. The mechanics also noticed that the bushings holding the radiator on to the engine were cracked and broken and replaced them.


The pilot advised them that the engine oil had been changed only 23 hours earlier and that the oil should not be changed. The mechanics then discovered that the spark plugs needed cleaning but after advising the pilot of the cost of new spark plugs, the pilot had them install new plugs instead of cleaning the old ones.


The next day (day of the accident), the pilot arrived at the airport about 1030 and went home to get some rest, advising the mechanics that he would return about 1600. One of the mechanics advised him that they would leave the gate unlocked for him. At this time, the only thing still required to be done as part of the inspection was to open up all of the inspection panels on the airplane. This was accomplished, the inspection panels were then closed, and the airplane was returned to service at approximately 1400. The mechanics then locked up the hangar and went home.


At 1711, one of the mechanics received a call from the airport owner who advised that he had received a telephone call from the pilot's wife and that the pilot had not arrived at OAJ and that he was probably was still at 01NC. The airplane however was not at 01NC. After looking around the area adjacent to the airport for the airplane without result, the mechanic called 911. Downed airplane procedures were then initiated, and then about 1900, a search for the airplane by federal, state, and local authorities was initiated.


At approximately 2130, the wreckage of the airplane was discovered in a wooded area approximately 1.1 miles west of 01NC.


Examination of the accident site revealed the airplane had struck trees in a steep nose low attitude and the pilot had been ejected from the cockpit. The airplane then fell nose first to the forest floor below, impacted in a 90 degree nose down attitude, nosed over, and then came to rest inverted.


Examination of the wreckage revealed that the majority of the airplane's wreckage was present on-scene. Numerous areas of crush and compression damage and evidence of fuel staining on the leading edges of the wings were also present. There was no evidence of any inflight structural failure, inflight fire, or inflight explosion.


Both wing fuel tank fuel caps were closed, both wing locker doors were closed and secured, all of the inspection panels were closed and secured, and the Pitot tube was clear and free of debris


The wing flaps were in the up position, and flight control continuity was established from the ailerons, elevator, and rudder to the control stick and rudder pedals in the cockpit. The rudder trim was approximately neutral.


The magneto switch was in the both position, the throttle was in the full throttle position, and the choke lever was in the off position. The fuel selector was in the right tank position. The carburetor heat control was in the off position. The pilot's four point harness was intact and attached to its attachment fittings however; the center buckle assembly was unlatched. The emergency locator transmitter had not been armed, and the ballistic recovery system activation handle safety pin was still in place.


Examination of the propeller speed reduction unit (PSRU) revealed that it was impact damaged and the case had been breached. Examination of the propeller, the PSRU propeller gear assembly, and the PSRU overload clutch revealed evidence of rotation. Smearing was evident on the metal faces of the overload clutch. The propeller drive shaft was also sheared, displayed a 45 degree conical break at the shear face, and evidence of torsional rotation.


Examination of the engine revealed that it was impact damaged, both carburetors had separated from their mounting locations and the float bowls had separated from the carburetors. Portions of the air intake system, exhaust system, and the ignition harnesses, had separated from their mounting positions.


Examination of the cockpit canopy revealed that it was detached from its mounting location and was lying underneath the aft portion of the inverted fuselage. The majority of its clear bubble was broken into multiple pieces however, they were not scattered around the accident site but were instead collocated with the canopy frame. One of the canopy lift struts was also missing, and the damage patterns observed on the canopy frame and cockpit sill did not match and could not be correlated with each other. The canopy latching mechanism hooks were also found to be partially retracted, the canopy latching mechanism and activation handle were in the "OPEN" position and the slots in the canopy frame that the hooks engaged when the canopy was closed showed no evidence of tear-outs.


The wreckage was retained by the NTSB for further examination.




Dillard Martin Powell 

Cary pilot killed in crash remembered for love of flying, service

As a boy in Ruffin, Dillard Martin Powell climbed atop a smokehouse on his family’s tobacco farm whenever he heard a plane approaching.

Powell loved planes. He loved them so much that he acquired his pilot’s license at 15. He tried on multiple occasions to join the Army Air Corps to fight in World War II. Too skinny to be a pilot, he was sent to the front lines in Europe. He even owned a flying service in his hometown.

His family members say they don’t think he ever let his pilot’s license lapse.

It was no surprise to them that Powell was in his single-engine plane above Topsail Island the afternoon of June 21, even at the age of 89.

That’s when Powell’s Czech Sport Aircraft SportCruiser crashed shortly after takeoff in Holly Ridge, killing him, and stunning many who admired the Cary lawyer for the way he lived an illustrious life as a WWII veteran and civic leader.

“He’s been a rich contributor all his life to his country and community,” said John Halada, a lawyer who got his start in the legal field years ago when Powell hired him straight out of law school. “He had a very full life and influenced a lot of people.”

An investigation into the crash is ongoing, his family says.

Powell, the youngest of eight children, was always a good kid, they said. His 18th birthday, the day he enlisted the Army, might have been the only time he ever disappointed his mother.

He quickly made her proud.

Powell arrived in Europe in 1944, fighting in the Battle of the Bulge and serving in the division that crippled German forces by uniting with the Red Army on the Elbe River. Powell manned anti-tank guns and earned numerous accolades, including two Bronze Stars.

But his time liberating the concentration camp in Buchenwald, Germany, might have been his longest-lasting memory.

“He said he saw things no 19-year-old should ever see,” said John Powell, Dillard’s 53-year-old son, a few days after his father had died.

Immersed in Cary

Dillard Powell enrolled at N.C. State University upon returning from war and married Anita Hall, who he stayed with for 62 years until she died in 2010.

He earned a degree in textile management before going to work at the Fieldcrest Mills plant near Ruffin. He worked there nearly 20 years before burning out.

“He said he didn’t want to be a corporate slave,” said Judy Wood, Powell’s 60-year-old daughter.

Powell moved his family back to the Triangle and got a job at N.C. State while he earned a law degree from UNC-Chapel Hill. Upon passing the bar at age 46, Powell opened what his family believes to be Cary’s first law practice.

He soon became entrenched in the Cary community and its core group of movers and shakers, including Ralph Ashworth, Jerry Miller, Dick Ladd, Jim Adcock, former Cary Mayor Koka Booth and others.

Powell served as president of the Cary Chamber of Commerce and the Cary Rotary Club. He also was on the founding board of the Cary Library and helped launch the Heart of Cary Association, an advocate group for businesses and residents in downtown Cary.

“We’ve lost a true Caryite that helped build the foundation of the chamber,” said Howard Johnson, president of the Cary Chamber of Commerce. “He was a true business guy.”

Powell often claimed he was months away from retiring, but never did. He practiced law up until his death, often wearing three-piece suits to Ashworth Drugs for a hot dog – with chili, slaw and onions – before going to court.

“I would ask him, ‘Aren’t you overdressed for Ashworth’s?’” his son recalled. “He’d say, ‘No, I have to go to court.’”

Ashworth described Powell as a serious, “no fuss” kind of guy.

“He was old Cary,” Ashworth said. “And he was all business, but he got things done and was helpful.”

A life of faith

Powell’s faith played an important role in his life, family members said. He was active in White Plains Methodist Church and often performed legal work pro bono for local church groups.

John Powell remembers walking by his parents’ bedroom as a child and seeing his dad on his knees, praying next to their bed. At the time, he didn’t quite understand the depth of his dad’s faith. But John now reflects on it with reverence.

“He would say he felt called to use his talents to give back,” John Powell said.

As Powell’s three adult children swapped stories in his living room on Wednesday, they reflected on how their dad used his skills to give back to them.

They remembered how as kids in Ruffin, they’d go flying with him and sit in his lap.

“He would wave the wings at our mom as we passed over the house,” said his oldest daughter, Marcia Pitts, 63, of Cary.

They remembered how, one winter, Powell tied the strings of their sled around his waist and lead them through the snow on skis. He had learned to ski in the Alps while part of the U.S. Occupation Forces.

He was good at showing appreciation for those he loved, including Peggy Valentine, whom he married last year.

From his condo at Topsail Island, Powell liked to use his binoculars to watch military helicopters fly down the beach. Sometimes, if he made eye contact with someone on the chopper, he’d salute them.

“And sometimes they’d salute back,” Pitts said.

At his funeral service Saturday, his friends will, too.

“He was an American patriot,” said Ladd, his longtime friend. “He was a good man. There was no one like him.”

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