Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Kansas City, Missouri
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/N622DP
Accident Number: CEN18FA186
Date & Time: 05/22/2018, 0930 CDT
Registration: N622DP
Aircraft: James Donald Baker Zenith
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Defining Event: Loss of control in flight
Injuries: 1 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On May 22, 2018, about 0930 central daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Zenith 601, N622DP, collided with trees and impacted terrain after takeoff from Bolivar Municipal Airport (M17), Bolivar, Missouri. The private pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was owned by the pilot who operated it under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions were reported, and no flight plan had been filed. The local personal flight originated about 0925.
According to one witness, the airplane was flying "low above the trees," and the nose "going up and down about 50 feet above the trees." The witness reported that the engine wasn't "making any strange noises [and had a] steady tone."
The accident site was located about 0.75 mile south of M17 between the 16th and 18th holes at the Silo Ridge Golf and Country Club.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
The 87-year-old pilot held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating. He held a BasicMed certificate. The pilot reported having about 1,662 hours of flight experience of which about 507 hours were in the Zenith 601. The pilot also held three repairman experimental aircraft builder certificates.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
The airplane was constructed by the pilot from a kit and was issued a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certificate of airworthiness on June 21, 2007. It was powered by a Continental C85-12 engine, serial number 26363-6-12, rated at 85 horsepower, driving a Sensenich 2-blade, fixed pitch, wooden propeller, model number 68X54R. The Hobbs meter on the instrument panel indicated 506.5 hours.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
At 0930, the reported weather at the Springfield-Branson National Airport (SGF), Springfield, Missouri, located about 21 miles south of the accident site, was wind, calm, visibility, 85 miles, ceiling, 400 feet broken; temperature, 22°C., dew point, 21°C., and altimeter setting, 30.08 inches of mercury.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
Examination of the accident site revealed evidence consistent with the airplane striking the tops of trees on a magnetic heading of about 140°, descending in a nose-down attitude, and impacting terrain. The horizontal stabilizer was twisted 180° and displayed evidence of tree strikes. The leading edge of the right wing displayed numerous indentations consistent with tree strikes. A tree branch was embedded in the right main landing gear wheel pant. Broken tree branches lay scattered on the ground around the airplane. Flight control continuity was confirmed, and the shattered wooden propeller displayed evidence consistent with rotation at impact.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
An autopsy of the pilot was not performed. The pilot's death certificate listed the cause of death as blunt force trauma. FAA's Bioaeronautical Science Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, performed toxicology testing, and no ethanol or drugs were detected. Cyanide and carbon monoxide testing were no performed.
Pilot Information
Certificate: Private
Age: 87, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used: 3-point
Instrument Rating(s): None
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: Yes
Medical Certification: BasicMed
Last FAA Medical Exam: 05/03/2017
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent:
Flight Time: 1662 hours (Total, all aircraft), 507 hours (Total, this make and model)
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: James Donald Baker
Registration: N622DP
Model/Series: Zenith 601
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 2007
Amateur Built: Yes
Airworthiness Certificate: Experimental Light Sport
Serial Number: 6-3960-B
Landing Gear Type: Tricycle
Seats: 2
Date/Type of Last Inspection: Condition
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 1200 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection:
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 506 Hours
Engine Manufacturer: Continental
ELT:
Engine Model/Series: C85-12
Registered Owner: On file
Rated Power: 85 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: SGF, 1268 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site: 22 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 0930 CDT
Direction from Accident Site: 180°
Lowest Cloud Condition:
Visibility: 85 Miles
Lowest Ceiling: Broken / 400 ft agl
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: Calm /
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual: None / None
Wind Direction:
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual: N/A / N/A
Altimeter Setting: 30.08 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 22°C / 21°C
Precipitation and Obscuration:
Departure Point: Bolivar, MO (M17)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: Bolivar, MO (M17)
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time: 0925 CDT
Type of Airspace: Class G
Airport Information
Airport: Bolivar Municipal (M17)
Runway Surface Type: Asphalt
Airport Elevation: 1092 ft
Runway Surface Condition: Dry
Runway Used: 18
IFR Approach: None
Runway Length/Width: 4000 ft / 75 ft
VFR Approach/Landing: None
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 37.610000, 93.410000 (est)
James Donald Baker
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James Donald Baker was born, November 7th, 1930, and died May 22, 2018. There will be a Visitation for Mr. Baker, Friday, May 25, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. at Bolivar First Baptist Church, Bolivar, Missouri. He is survived by his wife, Dr. Pat Baker.
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James Donald Baker was born, November 7th, 1930, and died May 22, 2018. There will be a Visitation for Mr. Baker, Friday, May 25, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. at Bolivar First Baptist Church, Bolivar, Missouri. He is survived by his wife, Dr. Pat Baker.
BOLIVAR, MO - The man that crashed his plane on a golf course in Bolivar has died. We know that the plane was an experimental amateur built plane that took off from the Bolivar Airport that’s right down the road from the Silo Ridge Golf and Country Club.
On-lookers noticed the plane, flown by James Donald Baker, 87, was flying lower than other planes.
“And then when I saw it pitching back and forth I knew he was either having trouble with the plane or maybe something was wrong with him," says Shawn Hoffman, an employee at Silo Ridge.
Members of the airport told me that Baker flew weekly and was well known in the aviation community. Hoffman says the golf course has an agreement with the airport that planes must fly at a certain altitude. And they see about 40 planes a day flying over the course.
Right after the accident, Hoffman says golf club members that were on the course at the time rushed over to help.
"Two of the guys mobilized his head and called 911 and held his head," explains Hoffman. "The other guy was giving him CPR.”
Baker succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital about an hour after the crash.
Members of the aviation community told Fox 5 he was a great guy and that he had been working on the Zenair CH 601 Zodiac for a few years now.
Hoffman says, "When the plane went by it didn’t sound anything out of the ordinary. It wasn’t cutting out or missing. It just wasn’t gaining any altitude.”
The highway patrol was the first to respond to the scene. Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration will take over the investigation. Fox 5 will continue to follow this story as more information comes in.
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Polk County, Mo. - A plane crash in Polk County Tuesday has left one man dead.
At approximately 9:18 a.m., Troop D Headquarters received a report of a small aircraft that had crashed approximately three-quarters of a mile south of the Bolivar Municipal Airport.
Members of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, and surrounding emergency rescue personnel responded to the area and located a Zenair CH 601 Zodiac crashed in a wooded area on the Silo Ridge Golf Course.
The pilot of the aircraft was transported by ambulance to Citizens Memorial Hospital in Bolivar, where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at 10:38 a.m.
The pilot has been identified as James Donald Baker, 87, of Bolivar.
It is unknown at this time what led to the crash. Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration will be on scene today to conduct a complete investigation.
Story and video ➤ http://www.fox5krbk.com
SPRINGFIELD, Mo - Southwest Baptist University President Taylor released a statement sending his prayers to the family of the man who died in a plane crash Tuesday.
87-year-old, James Donald Baker, died of injuries suffered in a plane crash Tuesday morning near Bolivar, according to a Missouri Highway Patrol spokesman.
Trooper Jason Pace tells KOLR10 that James Donald Baker died at 10:38 a.m. at Citizens Memorial Hospital in Bolivar,
He was the pilot of a Zenair CH 601 Zodiac that crashed at 9:18 a.m. at Silo Ridge Golf Course three-quarters of a mile south of the Bolivar Municipal Airport.
Here is what President Taylor said in his statement to SBU faculty,
"Please keep the family of Dr. Don Baker in your prayers. Don was a retired faculty member and great supporter of the University who passed away Tuesday, May 22, from injuries sustained in a small-plane crash.
Don is the father-in-law of Mark Grabowski, director of safety and security, and grandfather of Jim Grabowski, development officer. His wife, Pat, is active in the University's Alumni Association and 50-Year Club, and many of their family members have attended SBU.
Don was a dear friend of mine and of the University. He gave so much to the University as an employee and has continued giving to the University in any way possible.
Don was a 1950 graduate of Southwest Baptist College and retired from SBU in 1996 after 20 years of teaching. He joined the SBU faculty as the director of in-service training and associate professor of Christian ministries in 1976. He also served as public relations director at SBU from 1957-1966.
Please keep Pat, Mark, Jim and the rest of the family in your prayers. We all will miss Don terribly, but we know that he has gone on to his heavenly home."
Original article can be found here ➤ http://www.ozarksfirst.com
An 87-year-old Bolivar man is dead after a Zenair CH 601 Zodiac crashed Tuesday morning at the Silo Ridge Golf Course near Bolivar, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Patrol Sgt. Jason Pace said the plane crashed about ¾ of a mile south of the Bolivar airport, hitting trees at the golf course. The incident occurred at about 9:18 a.m., Pace said.
Pace said the pilot, James Donald Baker, was transported to Citizens Memorial Hospital in Bolivar, where he was pronounced dead at 10:38 a.m. Baker was the only person aboard the airplane, Pace said.
Pace said the highway patrol, Polk County Sheriff's Office and other emergency rescue crews responded to the wreckage site, which has now been secured.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Pace said the Federal Aviation Authority was on its way to investigate the crash.
Story and video ➤ http://www.fox5krbk.com
Sounds like a heart attack, R.I.P.
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