Timothy Gerard Scannevin
January 19, 1947 ~ June 13, 2018 (age 71)
Aviation Accident Final Report - National Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board traveled to the scene of this accident.
Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Textron Aviation; Wichita, Kansas
Continental Motors Inc; Mobile, Alabama
Honeywell; Olathe, Kansas
FAA/FSDO; Kansas City, Missouri
Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board:
Location: Springfield Township, New Jersey
Accident Number: ERA18FA167
Date & Time: June 13, 2018, 09:07 Local
Registration: N218BL
Aircraft: RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT COMPANY 58
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Defining Event: Loss of control in flight
Injuries: 2 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Positioning
Analysis
The private pilot, who was not instrument current, and a passenger departed on an instrument flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions. After takeoff, the pilot did not climb to the clearance altitude of 2,000 ft mean sea level (msl), instead leveled off about 500 ft msl. The pilot then began a second climb to a maximum altitude of 1,400 ft, then leveled off, followed by a steep right descending turn to about the base of the clouds about 400 ft. The airplane then began a climb to 1,700 ft msl while the airspeed decreased. While flying in a right bank near the published wings-level, 1-g stall speed, the airplane likely exceeded its critical angle of attack, stalled, and entered a descent. A witness reported hearing a loud engine sound from the low-flying airplane, and last observed the airplane in a slight left bank, although the airplane impacted the ground in a nose and right-wing low attitude.
Examination of the flight controls, engines, engine systems, and propellers revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction. While postaccident acceptance testing of autopilot components revealed minor out-of-tolerance conditions, the conditions noted would not have adversely affected proper operation. Although the presence of moisture in the static system could not be ruled out because the static system was destroyed, it is unlikely that was an issue because the ADS-B data for pressure altitude and geometric altitude calculated by the GPS revealed no gross difference.
The restricted visibility, maneuvering during the transition from takeoff to cruise flight, and the pilot's lack of instrument proficiency provided conditions conducive to the development of spatial disorientation. The airplane's altitude and track variations were inconsistent with its takeoff and departure clearance and the high velocity impact are consistent with the known effects of spatial disorientation. Therefore, it is likely that the pilot became spatially disoriented while flying in instrument meteorological conditions and lost control of the airplane. Contributing to the loss of control was the pilot's lack of recent instrument experience.
Probable Cause and Findings
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
A loss of control due to spatial disorientation while climbing after departure in instrument meteorological conditions. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of recent instrument experience.
Findings
Personnel issues Spatial disorientation - Pilot
Aircraft (general) - Not attained/maintained
Personnel issues Aircraft control - Pilot
Environmental issues Low ceiling - Effect on operation
Personnel issues Recent instrument experience - Pilot
Factual Information
History of Flight
Enroute-climb to cruise Loss of control in flight (Defining event)
Uncontrolled descent Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)
On June 13, 2018, about 0907 eastern daylight time, a Beech 58, N218BL, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Springfield Township, New Jersey. The private pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight.
The purpose of the flight was to pick up a patient and their spouse for a volunteer medical transport flight from Barnstable Municipal Airport-Boardman/Polando Field (HYA), Hyannis, Massachusetts, to Northeast Philadelphia Airport, (PNE), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
According to a transcript of communications with the United States Air Force (USAF) McGuire Field (Joint Base McGuire Dix Lakehurst) Airport (WRI) radar approach control, about 0858, an occupant onboard the accident airplane contacted clearance delivery and was issued an amended instrument flight rules (IFR) clearance to HYA, which included the requirement to climb and maintain 2,000 ft after takeoff from South Jersey Regional Airport (VAY), Mount Holly, New Jersey. (It could not be determined if the pilot or the pilot-rated passenger was operating the radios.) At 0859:43, the controller asked if the flight was ready to depart, and an occupant responded that they were. About 0900, a military aircraft about 12 nautical miles east-northeast of VAY reported that the cloud bases were about 300 ft, then about 30 seconds later, reported being on top of the first cloud layer about 2,500 ft mean sea level (msl).
The flight was released for departure about 0901, and at 0903:48, VAY security video captured the airplane departing from runway 8. ADS-B data captured the airplane beginning at 0903:56 as the airplane climbed through 150 ft msl. The flight proceeded about runway heading while climbing about 105 knots (best rate of climb), then turned left onto a north-northeasterly heading, climbing to about 500 ft msl. The climb stopped about 0904:24, and the airplane descended and began accelerating. About 0904:32, while flying on a north-northeasterly heading, an occupant advised the controller that the flight was, "…through five hundred for two thousand"; ADS-B data depicted the airplane at 465 ft msl at this time.
The flight continued on the north-northeasterly heading until about 0904:56, then turned to the right and proceeded on a northeasterly heading. Although the early portion of the observed ground track was consistent with the departure instructions, the altitude profile was not. At 0905:10, a second climb was initiated, and according to the transcript, at 0905:21, while flying about 1,100 ft msl, the controller asked the pilot what the ceiling base was, and an occupant asked the controller to repeat the question. The controller immediately repeated "say bases," but the occupants did not reply. At 0905:55, the airplane leveled at 1,400 ft msl, contrary to the departure instructions, and about 5 seconds later, the controller asked the pilot to state flight conditions at departure and the reply was "IFR." The airplane at that time was in a level climb attitude, about 150 knots, in a 10° right bank. During the next 20 seconds, the airplane began a right descending turn with the bank angle increasing to greater than 80°. At 0906:25, at an altitude below 500 ft msl, the controller broadcast the call sign of the airplane. The transmission from the airplane was not clear, but sounded like "copy." There were no further transmissions from the airplane despite repeated attempts by the controller.
At 0906:27, the airplane entered a steep climb to a maximum altitude of 1,700 ft at 0906:35. Its airspeed decelerated during the climb and approached the published wings-level, 1-g stall speed of 84 knots. At that time, the airplane was in a right bank of 30°; the pitch attitude lowered abruptly and the airplane rolled into a 60° left bank, followed by a right bank. The last unvalidated ADS-B data target was located about 300 ft south-southwest of the accident site. At 0907:14, the controller broadcast that radar contact with the accident airplane had been lost.
A witness who was outside about 800 ft south of the accident site heard the airplane coming toward him from the east. He could not see the airplane but recalled the sound to be very loud. The airplane sound circled behind him, and he stated that the sound decreased for about 12 to 15 seconds and returned from the northwest. He stated that his first visual sighting of the airplane was to the north. He recalled the airplane flying away from him with the left wing a few degrees lower than the right wing. He indicated that the airplane was close to the tops of the trees while the engines were making a very loud constant sound. He heard the airplane impact, describing it as a "thud." He then drove to the accident site to render assistance. He indicated that as the airplane flew overhead, he did not see any smoke.
Another witness who was outside with a co-worker about 1,450 ft south of the accident site reported a low cloud ceiling and gentle breeze around the time of the accident. About 0900, she heard an airplane that was flying "exceptionally low." It sounded as if the airplane made one pass over her location, consistent with turning around. She did not see the first pass but could tell the airplane was directly above their position. She looked at her co-worker and then ran to a nearby fence line. As they were heading to the fence, they could see the airplane make a pass over the site and turn toward the northern fence. The airplane turned, flew over the tree line, and came "…down at an awful angle like it was trying to land, but the angle was too steep." She then heard two "thumps," like the airplane hit trees and then crashed into the ground.
Pilot Information
Certificate: Private
Age: 69, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine land; Multi-engine land
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s):
None Restraint Used: Lap only
Instrument Rating(s):
Airplane Second Pilot Present: Yes
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: Yes
Medical Certification: Class 2 With waivers/limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: August 11, 2016
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: October 7, 2017
Flight Time: 2508.1 hours (Total, all aircraft), 25.2 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 8.6 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft)
Pilot-rated passenger Information
Certificate: Private
Age: 71, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine land; Single-engine sea
Seat Occupied: Right
Other Aircraft Rating(s): Glider
Restraint Used: None
Instrument Rating(s): None
Second Pilot Present: Yes
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: Yes
Medical Certification: Class 3 None
Last FAA Medical Exam: October 7, 2010
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent:
Flight Time: 2111 hours (Total, all aircraft)
The pilot's most recent flight review and instrument proficiency check (IPC) were performed in the accident airplane on October 7, 2017.
Between November 17, 2012, and the last logged flight on June 1, 2018, he recorded about 4.0 hours simulated instrument experience. He recorded three instrument approaches and 1.0 hour of actual instrument flight time in the 6 months before the accident.
Further review of the pilot's logbooks revealed that, prior to his last recorded actual instrument flight on June 1, his previous logged actual instrument flight occurred on November 27, 2017. He logged 1.0 hour in actual instrument conditions in the accident airplane, but he did not log any instrument approaches. His next previous instrument experience occurred the same day as the IPC. He logged 1.0 hour actual instrument flight in the accident airplane, but no instrument approaches.
According to the flight instructor who performed the pilot's last flight review and IPC, the flight duration for the flight review was about 1.8 hours, and the flight duration for the IPC was about 1.7 hours. Both flights, and about 8.0 hours of ground instruction, were conducted through Bonanza/Baron Pilot Training Inc. The instructor also stated that the pilot executed eight instrument approaches and holding procedures, but did not perform "partial panel," or procedures for the loss of primary flight instruments, contrary to IPC guidance published by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The instructor described the pilot as competent.
The pilot's relatives reported that he was in excellent health and exercised daily. They also reported that he was a "by the book" pilot.
According to documents provided by Angel Flight East, since November 19, 2013, the pilot had been assigned 18 flights, of which one was cancelled due to a mechanical reason, and one was canceled due to weather.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT COMPANY
Registration: N218BL
Model/Series: 58 UNDESIGNATED
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 1996
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: TH-1780
Landing Gear Type: Retractable - Tricycle
Seats: 6
Date/Type of Last Inspection: February 3, 2018 Annual
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 5500 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection:
Engines: 2 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 2044.1 Hrs as of last inspection
Engine Manufacturer: Continental Motors, Inc.
ELT: C91A installed
Engine Model/Series: IO-550-C
Registered Owner:
Rated Power: 300 Horsepower
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
The airplane was equipped with a Bendix/King KFC-200 three-axis autopilot flight control system. The autopilot system installation included an autopilot annunciator panel. Following the accident, the annunciator panel was sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory for examination, which revealed that only the bulb filament for HDG (heading) was stretched.
The airplane's static system provided static air for the rate-of-climb indicator, altimeter, and airspeed indicator. Static air was taken from two static ports, one located on each side of the aft fuselage. The installed emergency static air valve was designed to provide a source of emergency static air from the cockpit, and also to drain the static air plumbing, which was required to be drained as part of the preflight inspection. Review of the maintenance records revealed that a transponder test and the altimeter, pitot-static and altitude system reporting system checks were last performed on August 16, 2016.
Further review of the maintenance records revealed that the airplane's most recent annual inspection was completed on February 3, 2018, at an airplane total time of 2,044.1 hours. The engines and propellers were inspected on that same date in accordance with a 100-hour inspection. On that date, both engines and propellers had accrued 392.1 hours and 731.7 hours, respectively, since major overhaul. The last entry in the aircraft maintenance records dated June 1, 2018, reflected the hour meter reading was 2,059.0.
The airplane was equipped with a Garmin GNS-530W GPS unit, which was sent to the NTSB Vehicle Recorder's Laboratory to obtain non-volatile memory. A portion of the unit would not power up; therefore, no data were recovered.
The airplane was fueled on June 12, 2018, at VAY, with 36.0 gallons of 100 low lead fuel. According to the person who fueled the airplane, he filled the fuel tanks to the tabs; this would have resulted in 166 gallons of usable fuel.
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Instrument (IMC)
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: VAY,53 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site: 6 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 09:01 Local
Direction from Accident Site: 220°
Lowest Cloud Condition:
Visibility:
Lowest Ceiling: Overcast / 400 ft AGL
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 3 knots /
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual: / Unknown
Wind Direction: 180°
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual: / Unknown
Altimeter Setting: 29.98 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 19°C / 19°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: Moderate - None - Mist
Departure Point: Mount Holly, NJ (VAY)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: IFR
Destination: Hyannis, MA (HYA)
Type of Clearance: IFR
Departure Time: 09:04 Local Type of Airspace:
The pilot obtained an Outlook Briefing from ForeFlight.com at 1745 the night before the accident and filed an IFR flight plan at that time. The briefing indicated that no adverse weather advisories were current at the time and that clear skies and visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed from New Jersey through the Hyannis, Massachusetts, area. The Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF) for PNE included in that briefing expected marginal visual flight rules (MVFR) conditions with an overcast cloud ceiling at 1,200 ft above ground level (agl) during the morning. There were no other records of the pilot receiving any updated weather information from ForeFlight before departing on the accident flight.
A search of the FAA contract Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS) provider Leidos indicated no contact from the pilot for any weather briefing data.
The National Weather Service (NWS) northeast section of the Surface Analysis Chart for 0800 on the day of the accident depicted a low-pressure system over Canada associated with an occluded frontal system, with a warm front extending east-southeast from the system across New York into northern New Jersey. The accident site was located south of the warm front and in the warm air sector of the front. The weather depiction chart station models immediately surrounding the accident site depicted IFR conditions due to low ceilings and visibility restricted in fog or mist.
The station models surrounding the accident site depicted light southerly winds of about 5 knots, obscured to overcast clouds with visibility restricted in fog or mist, temperatures in the mid-60°F with dew point temperature spreads of 2°F or less. Multiple stations to the west and northwest of the accident site reported light to moderate rain.
A weather observation from VAY at 0854, about 4 minutes before the airplane contacted clearance delivery, reported calm wind, visibility 2 1/2 miles in mist, overcast ceiling at 500 ft agl, temperature and dew point each 19°C, altimeter 30.00 inches of mercury.
The bases of the clouds were at 378 ft agl, with saturated conditions (100% relative humidity) to 6,000 feet and clouds above 10,000 ft. The precipitable water content was 1.89 inches. A sounding indicated a stable atmosphere that was supportive of nimbostratus type clouds capable of producing drizzle or light rain and fog.
The TAF for WRI issued at 0600 on the accident date, valid until 1200 UTC on June 14th, forecast wind from 200° at 9 knots, with visibility about 5 miles in light rain showers, overcast clouds at 1,500 ft agl, with an altimeter setting of 30.00 inches of mercury.
The only advisory applicable for the accident site at the time of the accident was AIRMET Sierra for IFR conditions AIRMET Sierra update 2, issued 0741, expected ceilings below 1,000 ft and visibility less than 3 statute miles with mist, conditions ending between 0800 and 1100.
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 40.026111,-74.755554
The initial impact occurred in a field about 6.5 nautical miles and 040° from the approximate center point of runway 08/26 at VAY. Ground scars and wreckage debris was noted on both sides of an adjacent road.
The initial impact point was identified as a depression with a green-colored glass lens embedded in the ground. A ground scar oriented on a magnetic heading of 055° was continuous from the wingtip for 70 ft. Aerial imagery of the accident site revealed that the estimated right bank angle at impact was about 30°. Based on the known distance between the wingtip and the right engine (13 ft), and the measured distance between the wingtip and right engine ground scar locations (33 ft), the estimated descent angle was calculated to be about 20°.
The outboard portion of the right stabilizer was noted in the ground along the scar. Pieces of battery box and VHF antenna were located along the ground scar. The left propeller, with two attached propeller blades, was partially buried in the ground. Also located along the ground scar were the pitot tube, pieces of carpeting, cabin roof, and pieces of fuel bladder tank with access panel.
The right propeller, with all three blades attached, was located past the end of the ground scar, and a single propeller blade from the left propeller was noted near the three-bladed propeller location.Airplane debris was strewn across the road. Examination of the road following recovery and clean-up revealed no evidence of scrape marks from the airplane.
Fuel blight was noted in the field adjacent to the ground scar and among the leaves of the trees.
The cockpit, cabin, and wings were heavily fragmented; the wing spars of both wings were fractured at each wing root. There was no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction of any of the structural components. Both engines were separated and both propellers separated from each engine. There was no evidence of pre- or postimpact fire on any of the observed components. All primary flight control surfaces and secondary flight control surfaces for pitch and yaw, and a portion (hinge) for roll remained attached or were recovered. The elevator and aileron primary flight control cables for the cockpit section were not located among the wreckage. Examination of the remaining flight control cables revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction. Although both flap actuators were separated from their respective flaps, they remained attached to their drive cables. The left and right flap actuators were each in the flaps-retracted position; the landing gear gearbox also depicted the landing gear in the retracted position.
The left static port located at fuselage station (FS) 178 and water level (WL) 100 was clear and the Polyflo tube remained attached by a clamp at the port. The Poly-flo tube was continuous and clamped to a "T" fitting located at FS 188 and WL 122. All clamps at the left static port, "T" fitting, and on the right pneumatic line were tight. The fuselage in the area of the right static port was deformed. Examination of the right static port located at FS 178 and WL 100 revealed dirt in 1 of the 3 holes. The Poly-flo tube was separated from the port, but the tube still had a clamp around it. The Poly-flo tube was continuous and clamped to a "T" fitting located at FS 188 and WL 122. The "T" fitting located at FS 188 and WL 122 had all three tubes connected by clamps. The single Poly-flo tube going forward was cut about FS 170. No identifiable Poly-flo tube forward of FS 170 was located. The emergency airspeed static source panel and placard were located, but the valve was not located among the recovered debris. Examination of the shroud revealed no obvious impact mark or impression to determine the valve handle position at impact.
The throttle quadrant was separated from the airplane. The left and right throttle levers were loose. The left throttle was full aft and the right throttle was 1/4 forward from the full aft position. The left and right propeller controls were tight and were full forward. The left mixture control was mid-travel and was loose, while the right mixture control was full forward and tight. The elevator trim was 13 units airplane nose-up.
Examination of the secondary flight control actuators revealed the following:
Left Elevator – Extended 1.2 inches; 10° trailing edge tab down (airplane nose up)
Right Elevator – Extended 1.2 inches; 10° trailing edge tab down (airplane nose up)
Rudder – Extended 4.1 inches; about 5° trailing edge tab left (airplane nose right)
Aileron – Extended 1.2 inches; 7° trailing edge tab up (right roll)
The autopilot computer was recovered from the nose compartment. The yaw, pitch, and pitch trim servos all remained secured to structure, and the bridle cables of all were around the capstans, which turned freely. The roll servo capstan was impact damaged. The electrical connections were secured. The components were retained for examination at the manufacturer's facility with FAA oversight.
None of the observed/recovered pieces of windscreen displayed evidence of bird remains.
Examination of the rotor and rotor housing from the pilot's attitude indicator revealed that the rotor housing was in place and free to move. The rotor housing cap exhibited a 270° circumferential scoring from its adjacent bushing. Very slight scoring was noted on the rotor, while a single score line of complete circumference (consistent with manufacturing) was noted on the interior of the rotor housing. There were no obvious impact impressions on the plate. The rotor bearings rotated freely with no drag noted.
Examination of a separated rotor and rotor housing from an attitude indicator revealed no obvious scoring of the rotor, but slight scoring of the rotor housing.
Examination of both engines revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction to the power section, lubrication, exhaust, air induction, fuel injection, or ignition systems. The engine-driven vacuum pump of the left engine was separated and was not recovered. The engine-driven vacuum pump for the right engine displayed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction.
The left propeller blades were marked A-C. Propeller blade A remained attached to the hub and was twisted toward low pitch at the tip. Propeller blade B also remained attached to hub and displayed leading edge gouging and twisting toward low pitch. Propeller blade C was separated from the hub and its counterweight was separated. The blade exhibited leading edge twisting toward low pitch and
displayed deep gouges.
All three blades remained attached to the right propeller hub. The blades were marked 1-3 as identified by their stamped position. Blade 1 was bent aft near the root, twisted toward low pitch, and displayed deep gouges in the leading edge. Blade 2 was bent forward, the counterweight was separated, and the blade was twisted toward low pitch. Blade 3 was also twisted toward low pitch.
Autopilot System Components
Examination and/or operational testing of the autopilot system components was performed at the manufacturer's facility with FAA oversight. According to the report from the manufacturer with a concurring statement from the FAA inspector, impact damage to the flight computer precluded testing as a unit; however, the lateral, pitch, and altitude boards were inserted into an exemplar unit for testing. Although complete testing could not be performed because the automated tester was inoperative, numerous acceptance tests were manually performed and there were no out-of-tolerance conditions detected. The accident adapter board was then installed in an exemplar autopilot computer, which was installed in an engineering harness for functional testing along with the accident servos. All components were functionally tested with minor out-of-tolerance conditions noted for some components.
Additional Information
Instrument Experience
14 CFR Part 61.57(c) states that a pilot may not act as pilot-in-command under instrument flight rules or weather conditions less than the minimums prescribed for visual flight rules unless within the 6 calendar months preceding the month of the flight, that person performed and logged at least 6 instrument approaches, holding procedures and tasks, and intercepting and tracking courses through the use of navigational electronic systems. The regulation further indicates that a person who has failed to meet the instrument experience requirements of this section for more than 6 calendar months may reestablish instrument currency only by completing an instrument proficiency check.
Mission
According to paperwork provided by Angel Flight East, the patient appointment was scheduled for the afternoon of June 14, and comments from the patient entered into the system by the mission coordinator indicated that the flight could take place, "After 12 noon on 6/13 or can fly morning of 6/14."
Static System Errors
According to the FAA Instrument Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-15B), a blockage of the static system can affect, in part, the altimeter. Trapped static pressure causes the altimeter to "freeze" at the altitude where the blockage occurred.
ADS-B Information
According to FAA's frequently asked questions about ADS-B, it reports two types of altitudes:
barometric and geometric. Barometric, or pressure altitude, is the altitude displayed on the aircraft's altimeter, while geometric altitude is calculated by GPS satellites as the height of the aircraft above the earth ellipsoid. The two altitudes are not the same, but having both allows for applications that require one or the other as an altitude source and provides a means of verifying correct pressure altitude reporting from aircraft.
Review of recorded ADS-B data associated with the accident flight (167 targets), revealed that with the exception of 2 targets at 0906:46.188 and 0906:47.141, the average calculated geometric altitude was about 46 ft less than the reported pressure altitude, with the calculated geometric altitude being no greater than 150 ft less than the reported pressure altitude. According to the NTSB's Aerial Imagery Report, the 2 targets identified above were deemed invalid, and were noted immediately before impact. Further review of the data associated with pressure altitude and geometric altitude revealed changes in the reported values for pressure altitude corresponded to changes in calculated geometric altitude.
Spatial Disorientation
According to the FAA's General Aviation Safety Enhancement Fact Sheet on Spatial Disorientation, pilots flying under both instrument and visual flight rules are subject to spatial disorientation and optical illusions that may cause a loss of aircraft control. Sight, supported by other senses, allows a pilot to maintain orientation while flying. However, when visibility is restricted (i.e., no visual reference to the horizon or surface detected) the body's supporting senses can conflict with what is seen. When this spatial disorientation occurs, sensory conflicts and optical illusions often make it difficult for a pilot to tell which way is up.
Contributing to these phenomena are the various types of sensory stimuli: visual, vestibular (organs of equilibrium located in the inner ear), and proprioceptive (receptors located in the skin, muscles, tendons and joints). Changes in linear acceleration, angular acceleration, and gravity are detected by the vestibular system and the proprioceptive receptors, and then compared in the brain with visual information. In a flight environment, these stimuli can vary in magnitude, direction, and frequency, resulting in a sensory mismatch that can produce illusions and lead to spatial disorientation.
Medical and Pathological Information
Postmortem examination of the pilot was performed by the Burlington County Medical Examiner's Office, Westampton, New Jersey. The cause of death reported as "multiple injuries."
Forensic toxicology of specimens of the pilot was performed by the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory and also by NMS Labs, located in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania.
According to FAA's toxicology report, cyanide testing was not performed, and the results were negative for carbon monoxide, volatiles, and tested drugs. According to the report by NMS Labs, there were no positive findings reported for any drugs tested.
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Location: Springfield Township, NJ
Accident Number: ERA18FA167
Date & Time: 06/13/2018, 0908 EDT
Registration: N218BL
Aircraft: RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT COMPANY 58
Injuries: 2 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Positioning
On June 13, 2018, about 0908 eastern daylight time, a Beech 58, N218BL, impacted a field near Springfield Township, New Jersey. The private pilot and pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed by impact forces. The airplane was privately owned and operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. Day instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the positioning flight, which originated from South Jersey Regional Airport (VAY), Mount Holly, New Jersey, about 0904, and was destined for Barnstable Municipal Airport-Boardman/Polando Field (HYA), Hyannis, MA.
According to preliminary air traffic control (ATC) voice and radar information provided by the Federal Aviation Administration, about 0858, the pilot contacted McGuire Field (Joint Base McGuire Dix Lakehurst) Airport (WRI) Clearance Delivery and was issued an IFR clearance to HYA. At about 0901, ATC released the flight for departure, and about 0904, the pilot reported airborne on WRI Departure Control frequency (radar data indicated 200 ft mean sea level [msl] climbing northeast bound). At about 0905, the airplane was radar identified (radar data indicated 600 ft msl climbing northeast bound). At about 0906, ATC attempted to contact the pilot but there was no response. The radar data indicated the airplane proceeded on a northeasterly direction and climbed to 1,300 ft msl, then began a right descending turn. Between 0906:04 and 0906:28 radar data indicated a loss of altitude from 1,300 ft msl to 500 ft msl. During this time ATC issued a low altitude alert, with no response. There were two more radar returns, one at 0906:33 indicating 1,000 ft msl and the last one at 0906:38 indicating 1,600 ft msl. At about 0907, ATC announced radar contact was lost.
A witness who was located outside about 800 ft south of the accident site reported hearing the airplane coming toward him from the east. He could not see the airplane but recalled the sound to be very loud. The airplane sound circled behind him, again, he could only hear it. He stated the sound got less for about 12-15 seconds and returned from the northwest. He stated that his first visual sighting of the airplane was to the north, He recalled the airplane flying away from him with the left wing a few degrees lower than the right wing. Using his fingers to measure, he stated the airplane was about 2 inches above the tops of the trees while the engines were making a very loud constant sound. He heard the airplane crash describing it as a "thud" and went to his vehicle then drove to the accident site to render assistance. He indicated in writing that as the airplane flew overhead, he did not see any smoke.
Examination of the accident site revealed the airplane impacted in a field west of Springfield Jacksonville Road; the energy path was oriented on a magnetic heading of 055°. Wreckage was located in the field west of the road, in treelines on both sides of the road, on the road, and also east of the road. The airplane which was heavily fragmented was recovered for further examination of the airframe, engines, and propellers.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Manufacturer: RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT COMPANY
Registration: N218BL
Model/Series: 58 UNDESIGNATED
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No
Operator: WINNER ROBERT A
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Instrument Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: VAY, 53 ft msl
Observation Time: 0901 EDT
Distance from Accident Site: 6 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 19°C / 19°C
Lowest Cloud Condition:
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 3 knots, 180°
Lowest Ceiling: Overcast / 400 ft agl
Visibility:
Altimeter Setting: 29.99 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: IFR
Departure Point: Mount Holly, NJ (VAY)
Destination: Hyannis, MA (HYA)
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 40.026111, -74.755556
Close to a month after the June 13 crash, all that’s really known is that Robert Winner and Timothy Scannevin were departing on a flight planned from South Jersey Regional Airport in Lumberton to a municipal airport in Hyannis, Massachusetts, where the pair planned to pick up a patient for Angel Flights East.
Three minutes.
That’s all it took for what was expected to be an easy 90-minute flight by two experienced pilots on a volunteer medical transport mission to go from routine to tragic.
What happened during those fateful three minutes is still a mystery and may remain one forever.
Close to a month after the June 13 crash, all that’s really known is that Robert Winner and Timothy Scannevin were departing on a flight planned from South Jersey Regional Airport in Lumberton to a municipal airport in Hyannis, Massachusetts, where the pair planned to pick up a patient for Angel Flights East, a nonprofit group that uses volunteer pilots to provide free medical transport for patients in need.
Something went wrong shortly after takeoff, but a preliminary report by investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board makes no conclusions as to a cause, and the evidence the report details offers no easy conclusions.
According to the report, which was released by the NTSB last month, there were no distress calls from the plane, and 911 calls after the crash also gave no obvious indication of a mechanical failure before the aircraft went down in a field in rural Springfield.
Winner, 69, of Evesham, and Scannevin, 71, of Southampton, were killed in the crash, which New Jersey State Police officials said caused the plane to virtually “disintegrate” upon impact.
The debris from the wreckage has been collected, and investigators have said every piece would be examined for signs of mechanical failure or any clues to what might have happened.
The preliminary findings from the NTSB indicated the plane made a rapid descent shortly after takeoff, but witnesses saw no smoke coming from the aircraft before the crash, although they reported the engine was making a constant and loud noise.
Winner was the owner and pilot of the Hawker Beechcraft 58 Baron that filed the flight plan from South Jersey Regional to Barnstable Municipal Airport-Boardman/Polando Field in Hyannis for the patient pickup.
Winner’s son, Jeff, said his father began flying in 1992, when he was still a dairy farmer in Moorestown. He later sold the 68-acre farm off Centerton and Hartford roads to the county, which turned the site into an agricultural center, and began flying more frequently. He started volunteering for Angel Flights in 2005 and flew upward of 75 to 100 missions over 13 years, according to his son, who said his father kept a detailed logbook of every flight for the nonprofit.
Scannevin frequently accompanied Winner on the flights and was an experienced pilot who had his own plane at South Jersey Regional, according to published reports.
The NTSB report indicated that the pair received clearance for a flight path north by Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst at 8:58 a.m. and that they took off at 9:04, signaling by radio that they were airborne at an altitude of about 200 feet and climbing. It would be their final radio transmission.
At 9:05 a.m., radar indicated the plane was 600 feet above the ground and headed northeast. A minute later, an air-traffic controller attempted to contact the pilot but received no response.
Radar data indicated the plane continued northeast and climbed to 1,300 feet when it began to make a right descending turn just after 9:06. During the next 24 seconds, the plane would rapidly descend from 1,300 to 500 feet, prompting the air-traffic controller to issue a low-altitude alert, again with no response from Winner or Scannevin.
Seconds later, another radar return showed the plane was back at 1,000 feet. A final return at 38 seconds after 9:06, showed it had climbed to 1,600 feet. Twenty-two seconds later, the air-traffic controller signaled that he’d lost contact.
Garrett Andrew Rodriguez-Maribona was coming home from a doctor’s appointment when he noticed a large “shadow” cross Smithville-Jacksonville Road. The 27-year-old Eastampton resident recalled driving in a “huge wall of smoke” before seeing what he believed was an explosion in nearby woods.
He called 911 and told the dispatcher “something blew up on the side of the road.”
Recordings from Rodriguez-Maribona’s call and others that morning were obtained by the Burlington County Times through Open Public Records Act requests.
“Something blew up,” he said, after the dispatcher asked for his location and what he saw. “It’s off in the woods, but there’s metal everywhere. ... There’s a huge thing of smoke.”
After being transferred to another dispatcher on the fire desk, he was told a transformer likely blew.
“Keep everybody out of the area; it’s probably a transformer. ... We’ll have someone out there to check it out,” the dispatcher said.
Moments later, Rodriguez-Maribona called 911 again, explaining that more people had stopped at the explosion scene and believed a plane had crashed.
“I talked to another person, and he said he heard what sounded like plane and then an explosion,” Rodriguez-Maribona said. “I’m starting to see what looks like parts of a cockpit.”
“Can you see anybody in it?” the dispatcher asked.
“There’s debris everywhere. There’s wheels and stuff; it’s definitely a plane. ... I’m realizing it’s a plane now. It’s (expletive) up. I don’t think no one’s alive. I see the seats, but I don’t see anybody.”
For the next few minutes, he tried to direct the dispatcher to the location, explaining that much of the wreckage was about 50 yards into the woods and could be seen from the road.
He then told the dispatcher that a body had been located underneath a portion of the plane.
Another 911 call to Central Communications came from an unidentified woman, who said she heard the sound of a plane “in trouble” and then a “boom.”
“To me, it didn’t sound like a boom big enough for that incident, but then I couldn’t hear the plane no more,” she said, before telling the dispatcher her location near Monmouth and Smithville roads. She repeated again that she believed the plane might have been in trouble.
“I used to fly in a small plane; that’s why it caught my attention,” she said. “I did not see it. ... It’s so cloudy. ... There’s a lot of woods here, so I don’t know how far above it was. But I didn’t see it in the sky. I heard the boom and I no longer heard the plane.”
At least one witness did see the plane flying low near trees before the crash, according to the NTSB’s preliminary report.
The witness was not identified in the report but told investigators he was about 800 feet from the crash scene and saw the plane coming toward him from the east. He said that the sound from the engine was very loud, and that the plane circled behind him and was last seen traveling north just above the trees. He said he did not see any smoke but heard a loud “thud” when the plane crashed.
Reports from the scene revealed the plane initially crashed in a field west of Springfield-Jacksonville Road, then crossed through trees on both sides of the road before coming to a rest in the woods on the east side.
NTSB investigators described the wreckage as “heavily fragmented” but said parts of the frame, engines and propellers were recovered.
“Our role as investigators is to see if there was anything wrong (with the plane) pre-impact,” said Tim Monville, the agency’s senior air safety investigator, during a briefing the day after the crash.
Monville said a suspected cause of the crash would not be revealed until after the investigation is concluded and a final report is issued. That’s not likely to occur for another year to 18 months, he said.
There’s also the possibility that the board will be unable to determine a cause. Jeff Winner believes that may be the most likely outcome.
“They may or may not find something. To find what went wrong is difficult, especially in the condition the plane was in,” he said. “There’s more of a likelihood that we will never know.”
http://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com
Timothy Gerard Scannevin
JANUARY 19, 1947 ~ JUNE 13, 2018 (AGE 71)
TIMOTHY GERARD SCANNEVIN of Southampton, NJ, passed away suddenly on Wednesday, June 13th, 2018. He was 71 yrs. of age. Born in Brooklyn, NY, he is the son of the late Arthur Frederick Scannevin and the late Mildred Martha (Carrier) Scannevin. Retired from Munich Re-insurance Company in Princeton, NY, Tim held his Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Science in Education from State University of NY in Stoneybrook-Plattsburgh, NY. He was a veteran of the US Air Force and was a private pilot with his ratings in single engine, glider and sea planes. He is the Beloved Husband of Leigh Martin of Southampton, NJ and the brother of the late Kevin Arthur Scannevin, Derrick “Rick” Scannevin and his wife Lynne of Brewster, MA and the late Scott Scannevin. He is also survived by his four nieces and nephews, Sarah, Sean, Carley and Eric Scannevin. Funeral services will be private and at the convenience of the family. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the BRADLEY & STOW FUNERAL HOME, Medford, NJ. In lieu of other expressions of sympathy the family requests memorial donations to Angel Flight East, 1501 Narcissa Road, Blue Bell PA, 19422.
https://www.bradleystow.com
Robert A. Winner passed on June 13, 2018 at the age of 69, doing what he loved - flying and helping others.
Bob worked hard and played hard. After 54 years on the farm, he enjoyed retirement doing the things he loved most - skiing in Vermont, fishing in Costa Rica, traveling to Broadway in NYC, enjoying the beach in Long Beach Island, traveling to new places with Sue, and working on home fix-it projects with Amy and Jeff. He had a tight knit circle of friends at the South Jersey Regional Airport - self-named “The Trunk Monkeys” and they’d fly together most weeks to a landing strip somewhere close for a burger and “trip around the block.” He lived every day with zest and love and truly to the fullest.
He loved to help others - whether it was picking someone up in the middle of the night from the airport, re-drywalling a basement, flying a friend to visit a loved one, or installing sliding trash cans in the kitchen - and at the end of every perfectly executed project, he’d exclaim “that’s the berries!”.
The life of a dairy farmer is intense. He spent the majority of his life running a business that constantly threw curve balls. Bob rarely got more than a few hours of sleep at a time, between midnight barn checks, 4:00 AM milkings, and surprise calf deliveries. But he somehow made it in for dinner with the family almost every night, and even when pipes had frozen or critical machinery was broken, he was there with his family for Christmas morning and birthday dinners.
Even with a full plate on the farm, he also was in a leadership role in the local, then national cooperative that kept so many of the country’s dairy farms in business. In the early 70’s he was part of the Atlantic Dairy Council’s Young Cooperative Program from the day he graduated from college and took a place alongside his father, Maurice “Speedy” Winner running Pleasant Acres Dairy Farm. He was the president of the Dairy Council, starting in 1988, and later served on the Board of Directors for Land O Lakes cooperative and later their Foundation from 1997 - 2004. Bob retired from farming in 2002 and sold the farm to Burlington County under farmland preservation. It now is the Burlington County Agricultural Center.
Anyone who knew Bob can attest to his integrity, honesty, compassion, kindness, and grit. Please help keep his memory alive by following his example and lending a helping hand when you can.
Bob is survived by is wife of 47 years, Susan (nee Ziehler), daughter Amy Winner, son Jeffrey Winner and his wife Maureen, brother Wayne Winner and sister Nancy Brooks. He was the beloved grandfather to Desmond, Owen and Jack Winner.
A memorial service will be held 11:00 AM Monday June 18th 2018 at the First Presbyterian Church, 101 Bridgeboro Road in Moorestown, NJ. Interment Private.
Please no Flowers. If you’d like to make a donation, please consider Memorial Gifts may be sent in Memory of Robert Winner to:
Angel Flight East, 1501 Narcissa Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422; www.angelflighteast.org
GiGi’s Playhouse Down Syndrome Achievement Center, 720 Saw Mill River Road, Ardsley, NY 10502; www.gigisplayhouse.org/westchester/
Please help us remember Bob by gathering stories about him at: www.lewisfuneralhomemoorestown.com
Accident Number: ERA18FA167
Date & Time: 06/13/2018, 0908 EDT
Registration: N218BL
Aircraft: RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT COMPANY 58
Injuries: 2 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Positioning
On June 13, 2018, about 0908 eastern daylight time, a Beech 58, N218BL, impacted a field near Springfield Township, New Jersey. The private pilot and pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed by impact forces. The airplane was privately owned and operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. Day instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the positioning flight, which originated from South Jersey Regional Airport (VAY), Mount Holly, New Jersey, about 0904, and was destined for Barnstable Municipal Airport-Boardman/Polando Field (HYA), Hyannis, MA.
According to preliminary air traffic control (ATC) voice and radar information provided by the Federal Aviation Administration, about 0858, the pilot contacted McGuire Field (Joint Base McGuire Dix Lakehurst) Airport (WRI) Clearance Delivery and was issued an IFR clearance to HYA. At about 0901, ATC released the flight for departure, and about 0904, the pilot reported airborne on WRI Departure Control frequency (radar data indicated 200 ft mean sea level [msl] climbing northeast bound). At about 0905, the airplane was radar identified (radar data indicated 600 ft msl climbing northeast bound). At about 0906, ATC attempted to contact the pilot but there was no response. The radar data indicated the airplane proceeded on a northeasterly direction and climbed to 1,300 ft msl, then began a right descending turn. Between 0906:04 and 0906:28 radar data indicated a loss of altitude from 1,300 ft msl to 500 ft msl. During this time ATC issued a low altitude alert, with no response. There were two more radar returns, one at 0906:33 indicating 1,000 ft msl and the last one at 0906:38 indicating 1,600 ft msl. At about 0907, ATC announced radar contact was lost.
A witness who was located outside about 800 ft south of the accident site reported hearing the airplane coming toward him from the east. He could not see the airplane but recalled the sound to be very loud. The airplane sound circled behind him, again, he could only hear it. He stated the sound got less for about 12-15 seconds and returned from the northwest. He stated that his first visual sighting of the airplane was to the north, He recalled the airplane flying away from him with the left wing a few degrees lower than the right wing. Using his fingers to measure, he stated the airplane was about 2 inches above the tops of the trees while the engines were making a very loud constant sound. He heard the airplane crash describing it as a "thud" and went to his vehicle then drove to the accident site to render assistance. He indicated in writing that as the airplane flew overhead, he did not see any smoke.
Examination of the accident site revealed the airplane impacted in a field west of Springfield Jacksonville Road; the energy path was oriented on a magnetic heading of 055°. Wreckage was located in the field west of the road, in treelines on both sides of the road, on the road, and also east of the road. The airplane which was heavily fragmented was recovered for further examination of the airframe, engines, and propellers.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Manufacturer: RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT COMPANY
Registration: N218BL
Model/Series: 58 UNDESIGNATED
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No
Operator: WINNER ROBERT A
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Instrument Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: VAY, 53 ft msl
Observation Time: 0901 EDT
Distance from Accident Site: 6 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 19°C / 19°C
Lowest Cloud Condition:
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 3 knots, 180°
Lowest Ceiling: Overcast / 400 ft agl
Visibility:
Altimeter Setting: 29.99 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: IFR
Departure Point: Mount Holly, NJ (VAY)
Destination: Hyannis, MA (HYA)
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 40.026111, -74.755556
Close to a month after the June 13 crash, all that’s really known is that Robert Winner and Timothy Scannevin were departing on a flight planned from South Jersey Regional Airport in Lumberton to a municipal airport in Hyannis, Massachusetts, where the pair planned to pick up a patient for Angel Flights East.
Three minutes.
That’s all it took for what was expected to be an easy 90-minute flight by two experienced pilots on a volunteer medical transport mission to go from routine to tragic.
What happened during those fateful three minutes is still a mystery and may remain one forever.
Close to a month after the June 13 crash, all that’s really known is that Robert Winner and Timothy Scannevin were departing on a flight planned from South Jersey Regional Airport in Lumberton to a municipal airport in Hyannis, Massachusetts, where the pair planned to pick up a patient for Angel Flights East, a nonprofit group that uses volunteer pilots to provide free medical transport for patients in need.
Something went wrong shortly after takeoff, but a preliminary report by investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board makes no conclusions as to a cause, and the evidence the report details offers no easy conclusions.
According to the report, which was released by the NTSB last month, there were no distress calls from the plane, and 911 calls after the crash also gave no obvious indication of a mechanical failure before the aircraft went down in a field in rural Springfield.
Winner, 69, of Evesham, and Scannevin, 71, of Southampton, were killed in the crash, which New Jersey State Police officials said caused the plane to virtually “disintegrate” upon impact.
The debris from the wreckage has been collected, and investigators have said every piece would be examined for signs of mechanical failure or any clues to what might have happened.
The preliminary findings from the NTSB indicated the plane made a rapid descent shortly after takeoff, but witnesses saw no smoke coming from the aircraft before the crash, although they reported the engine was making a constant and loud noise.
Winner was the owner and pilot of the Hawker Beechcraft 58 Baron that filed the flight plan from South Jersey Regional to Barnstable Municipal Airport-Boardman/Polando Field in Hyannis for the patient pickup.
Winner’s son, Jeff, said his father began flying in 1992, when he was still a dairy farmer in Moorestown. He later sold the 68-acre farm off Centerton and Hartford roads to the county, which turned the site into an agricultural center, and began flying more frequently. He started volunteering for Angel Flights in 2005 and flew upward of 75 to 100 missions over 13 years, according to his son, who said his father kept a detailed logbook of every flight for the nonprofit.
Scannevin frequently accompanied Winner on the flights and was an experienced pilot who had his own plane at South Jersey Regional, according to published reports.
The NTSB report indicated that the pair received clearance for a flight path north by Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst at 8:58 a.m. and that they took off at 9:04, signaling by radio that they were airborne at an altitude of about 200 feet and climbing. It would be their final radio transmission.
At 9:05 a.m., radar indicated the plane was 600 feet above the ground and headed northeast. A minute later, an air-traffic controller attempted to contact the pilot but received no response.
Radar data indicated the plane continued northeast and climbed to 1,300 feet when it began to make a right descending turn just after 9:06. During the next 24 seconds, the plane would rapidly descend from 1,300 to 500 feet, prompting the air-traffic controller to issue a low-altitude alert, again with no response from Winner or Scannevin.
Seconds later, another radar return showed the plane was back at 1,000 feet. A final return at 38 seconds after 9:06, showed it had climbed to 1,600 feet. Twenty-two seconds later, the air-traffic controller signaled that he’d lost contact.
Garrett Andrew Rodriguez-Maribona was coming home from a doctor’s appointment when he noticed a large “shadow” cross Smithville-Jacksonville Road. The 27-year-old Eastampton resident recalled driving in a “huge wall of smoke” before seeing what he believed was an explosion in nearby woods.
He called 911 and told the dispatcher “something blew up on the side of the road.”
Recordings from Rodriguez-Maribona’s call and others that morning were obtained by the Burlington County Times through Open Public Records Act requests.
“Something blew up,” he said, after the dispatcher asked for his location and what he saw. “It’s off in the woods, but there’s metal everywhere. ... There’s a huge thing of smoke.”
After being transferred to another dispatcher on the fire desk, he was told a transformer likely blew.
“Keep everybody out of the area; it’s probably a transformer. ... We’ll have someone out there to check it out,” the dispatcher said.
Moments later, Rodriguez-Maribona called 911 again, explaining that more people had stopped at the explosion scene and believed a plane had crashed.
“I talked to another person, and he said he heard what sounded like plane and then an explosion,” Rodriguez-Maribona said. “I’m starting to see what looks like parts of a cockpit.”
“Can you see anybody in it?” the dispatcher asked.
“There’s debris everywhere. There’s wheels and stuff; it’s definitely a plane. ... I’m realizing it’s a plane now. It’s (expletive) up. I don’t think no one’s alive. I see the seats, but I don’t see anybody.”
For the next few minutes, he tried to direct the dispatcher to the location, explaining that much of the wreckage was about 50 yards into the woods and could be seen from the road.
He then told the dispatcher that a body had been located underneath a portion of the plane.
Another 911 call to Central Communications came from an unidentified woman, who said she heard the sound of a plane “in trouble” and then a “boom.”
“To me, it didn’t sound like a boom big enough for that incident, but then I couldn’t hear the plane no more,” she said, before telling the dispatcher her location near Monmouth and Smithville roads. She repeated again that she believed the plane might have been in trouble.
“I used to fly in a small plane; that’s why it caught my attention,” she said. “I did not see it. ... It’s so cloudy. ... There’s a lot of woods here, so I don’t know how far above it was. But I didn’t see it in the sky. I heard the boom and I no longer heard the plane.”
At least one witness did see the plane flying low near trees before the crash, according to the NTSB’s preliminary report.
The witness was not identified in the report but told investigators he was about 800 feet from the crash scene and saw the plane coming toward him from the east. He said that the sound from the engine was very loud, and that the plane circled behind him and was last seen traveling north just above the trees. He said he did not see any smoke but heard a loud “thud” when the plane crashed.
Reports from the scene revealed the plane initially crashed in a field west of Springfield-Jacksonville Road, then crossed through trees on both sides of the road before coming to a rest in the woods on the east side.
NTSB investigators described the wreckage as “heavily fragmented” but said parts of the frame, engines and propellers were recovered.
“Our role as investigators is to see if there was anything wrong (with the plane) pre-impact,” said Tim Monville, the agency’s senior air safety investigator, during a briefing the day after the crash.
Monville said a suspected cause of the crash would not be revealed until after the investigation is concluded and a final report is issued. That’s not likely to occur for another year to 18 months, he said.
There’s also the possibility that the board will be unable to determine a cause. Jeff Winner believes that may be the most likely outcome.
“They may or may not find something. To find what went wrong is difficult, especially in the condition the plane was in,” he said. “There’s more of a likelihood that we will never know.”
http://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com
Tim Scannevin (left) holding one of the many Angel Flight transports. The family traveling with the baby took the photo on May 27, 2016. Bob Winner (right) stands next to Scannevin with his Hawker Beechcraft 58 Baron behind them.
Timothy Gerard Scannevin
JANUARY 19, 1947 ~ JUNE 13, 2018 (AGE 71)
TIMOTHY GERARD SCANNEVIN of Southampton, NJ, passed away suddenly on Wednesday, June 13th, 2018. He was 71 yrs. of age. Born in Brooklyn, NY, he is the son of the late Arthur Frederick Scannevin and the late Mildred Martha (Carrier) Scannevin. Retired from Munich Re-insurance Company in Princeton, NY, Tim held his Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Science in Education from State University of NY in Stoneybrook-Plattsburgh, NY. He was a veteran of the US Air Force and was a private pilot with his ratings in single engine, glider and sea planes. He is the Beloved Husband of Leigh Martin of Southampton, NJ and the brother of the late Kevin Arthur Scannevin, Derrick “Rick” Scannevin and his wife Lynne of Brewster, MA and the late Scott Scannevin. He is also survived by his four nieces and nephews, Sarah, Sean, Carley and Eric Scannevin. Funeral services will be private and at the convenience of the family. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the BRADLEY & STOW FUNERAL HOME, Medford, NJ. In lieu of other expressions of sympathy the family requests memorial donations to Angel Flight East, 1501 Narcissa Road, Blue Bell PA, 19422.
https://www.bradleystow.com
Robert A. Winner
Robert A. Winner passed on June 13, 2018 at the age of 69, doing what he loved - flying and helping others.
Bob worked hard and played hard. After 54 years on the farm, he enjoyed retirement doing the things he loved most - skiing in Vermont, fishing in Costa Rica, traveling to Broadway in NYC, enjoying the beach in Long Beach Island, traveling to new places with Sue, and working on home fix-it projects with Amy and Jeff. He had a tight knit circle of friends at the South Jersey Regional Airport - self-named “The Trunk Monkeys” and they’d fly together most weeks to a landing strip somewhere close for a burger and “trip around the block.” He lived every day with zest and love and truly to the fullest.
He loved to help others - whether it was picking someone up in the middle of the night from the airport, re-drywalling a basement, flying a friend to visit a loved one, or installing sliding trash cans in the kitchen - and at the end of every perfectly executed project, he’d exclaim “that’s the berries!”.
The life of a dairy farmer is intense. He spent the majority of his life running a business that constantly threw curve balls. Bob rarely got more than a few hours of sleep at a time, between midnight barn checks, 4:00 AM milkings, and surprise calf deliveries. But he somehow made it in for dinner with the family almost every night, and even when pipes had frozen or critical machinery was broken, he was there with his family for Christmas morning and birthday dinners.
Even with a full plate on the farm, he also was in a leadership role in the local, then national cooperative that kept so many of the country’s dairy farms in business. In the early 70’s he was part of the Atlantic Dairy Council’s Young Cooperative Program from the day he graduated from college and took a place alongside his father, Maurice “Speedy” Winner running Pleasant Acres Dairy Farm. He was the president of the Dairy Council, starting in 1988, and later served on the Board of Directors for Land O Lakes cooperative and later their Foundation from 1997 - 2004. Bob retired from farming in 2002 and sold the farm to Burlington County under farmland preservation. It now is the Burlington County Agricultural Center.
Anyone who knew Bob can attest to his integrity, honesty, compassion, kindness, and grit. Please help keep his memory alive by following his example and lending a helping hand when you can.
Bob is survived by is wife of 47 years, Susan (nee Ziehler), daughter Amy Winner, son Jeffrey Winner and his wife Maureen, brother Wayne Winner and sister Nancy Brooks. He was the beloved grandfather to Desmond, Owen and Jack Winner.
A memorial service will be held 11:00 AM Monday June 18th 2018 at the First Presbyterian Church, 101 Bridgeboro Road in Moorestown, NJ. Interment Private.
Please no Flowers. If you’d like to make a donation, please consider Memorial Gifts may be sent in Memory of Robert Winner to:
Angel Flight East, 1501 Narcissa Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422; www.angelflighteast.org
GiGi’s Playhouse Down Syndrome Achievement Center, 720 Saw Mill River Road, Ardsley, NY 10502; www.gigisplayhouse.org/westchester/
Please help us remember Bob by gathering stories about him at: www.lewisfuneralhomemoorestown.com
Bob Winner on his former dairy farm in Moorestown, New Jersey.
Even when the steady life of endless chores still framed his days, Robert Winner knew dairy farming might not last and pondered the future.
“I may find something else to do with the rest of my life,” Winner told the Inquirer in 2001.
In September 2013, Winner, 69, found that something else in Angel Flights, a nonprofit that helps transport medical patients in need of care. Winner was embarking on an Angel Flight around 9 a.m. Wednesday, authorities said, when the plane he owned went down along Smithville-Jacksonville Road near Oxmead Road in rural Springfield Township, Burlington County.
The twin-engine, six-seat Beechcraft Baron 58 plowed through a field and across a roadway before tearing into a stand of trees, officials and witnesses said. Winner, of Evesham, and fellow passenger Timothy Scannevin of Southampton were killed.
Winner died just 11 miles from the family farm in Moorestown where he labored for decades.
“He would wake up at 3:30 in the morning and work until it was dark so he could have a nice retirement,” Winner’s son, Jeff, said Thursday. “It’s a damn shame.”
Lt. Ted Schafer, a New Jersey State Police spokesperson, said Winner and Scannevin, 71, were en route to Hyannis, Mass., to pick up a patient. The crash occurred just after takeoff and according to Maj. Brian Polite of the state police, the plane “disintegrated.”
Federal records show that Winner owned the plane and was a pilot. Scannevin was also a pilot and plane owner. It is not known who was at the controls when the plane crashed.
Jeff Winner said his father and Scannevin were friends and often flew together: “This is something that they did together. I didn’t know him well myself, but he’s obviously got the same heart as my father.”
Scannevin’s wife, Leigh Martin, said her husband “loved to fly. There’s not much else to say.”
“He was the love of my life and just the best person in the world,” she said, noting they had been together for about 40 years and had been married for the last 14 years.
Martin said that once Scannevin retired from Munich Reinsurance in Princeton after 30 years in July 2009, he flew several times a week, weather permitting. He met Winner at South Jersey Regional Airport, where they both kept their planes, Martin said at her home in Southampton. “It’s a close-knit family of pilots.”
Beyond flying, Scannevin made frequent trips to the library where he pursued his other passion, reading. “He read everything,” Martin said with a chuckle. “He probably read a book every other day.”
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash.
Tim Monville, senior air safety investigator for the NTSB, said the investigation would take 12 to 18 months. “The goal of this investigation is to determine what happened, why, and how we can prevent it,” he said.
Three NTSB officials arrived Wednesday, Monville said, and were joined Thursday by Federal Aviation Admininstration officials, who join all NTSB investigations. Representatives of airframe and engine manufacturers, who are not always involved in NTSB investigations, also arrived to help determine whether there were pre-flight defects with the plane.
Monville said that the plane crashed in a field, went through trees and across the road, and came to a stop in another field. “Preliminary information tells us that the plane was airborne for about six minutes or less.” The pilot made no distress call, he said, and there was no evidence of a pre-crash fire.
The NTSB is just at the beginning stages of its investigation, Monville said, but they plan to remove the wreckage and reconstruct the plane to evaluate damage. “We will also be obtaining maintenance records, license records, and pilot training records to evaluate the experience of the pilot,” he added.
The plane took off at 9:04 a.m. A 911 call about the crash came in six minutes later. The plane was turning right before it was lost on the radar, Monville said.
According to FlightAware, a private service that tracks flights using radar and Federal Aviation Administration data, the plane took off from South Jersey Regional Airport in Lumberton, Burlington County, on Wednesday morning for a 92-minute flight to Barnstable Municipal Airport on Cape Cod.
Its flight plan called for the twin-propeller plane to hit a speed of 207 mph and an altitude of 7,000 feet. Instead, it was only airborne for slightly more than three minutes, reaching only 1,300 feet before crashing, FlightAware said.
Ellen Williams, executive director of Angel Flight East, confirmed that the two pilots were on a nonemergency mission to transport a patient in need of medical assistance far from home, free of charge.
She said Winner, one of about 400 Angel Flight pilots, had flown 16 missions since joining in September 2013. Volunteer pilots use their own aircraft and cover all expenses on each flight. Scannevin was not an Angel Flight pilot.
Winner, who got his pilot’s license in 2008, was approved to fly multi-engine aircraft and to fly at night using instruments. He last passed a medical check in August 2016, records show.
“The fact that this happened is just so shocking,” Jeff Winner said. “He was so meticulous about everything in life and his flying. He would spend so much time making sure that plane was ready to fly, and if there was a problem he always knew how to respond.”
Winner and his wife, Susan, sold the last 70 acres of the family dairy farm in Moorestown in 2005 so it could be preserved as open space. The sale headed off a plan by Toll Bros. to buy the land from the couple for a nine-building office park.
Winner’s family began farming the land in the county in 1949, the year of Robert Winner’s birth. Robert Winner wound down the operation, selling off his 170-head cow herd even before the land sale.
Now the county operates a farmers’ market at the site on Centerton Road and has put a commercial kitchen in the family’s old farmhouse.
“He and his wife were the two nicest people you would ever want to work with,” said Mary Pat Robbie, county director of resource conservation. “They would visit the farm now and then. It was always a pleasure to see them.”
Jeff Winner said his father found great satisfaction in flying Angel Flight missions.
“My dad chose to spend his time flying people to hospitals. He didn’t have anywhere to go yesterday. He just wanted to help someone,” Jeff Winner said. “He’s got a diary of everyone he’s taken to hospitals. He was so proud of that log. It made him really happy.”
Winner also was a member of the board of the Land O’Lakes agricultural cooperative from 1997 through 2004, and served on the Land O’Lakes Foundation.
Besides his wife of 47 years and son, Winner is survived by a daughter, Amy, and three grandchildren.
Martin said her husband earned his pilot’s license in the 1980s.
She recounted the morning that her husband died.
“I thought it was just another Angel Flight. He loved to do those with Bob,” she said. “We always kiss goodbye every time he leaves.”
She heard the news of the crash first from a friend who knew just basic information of the incident, but Martin says she knew it was the plane her husband was on. “Shock. Disbelief. Just numb,” she said. “The mind doesn’t work straight anymore.”
Original article can be found here ➤ http://www.philly.com
New Jersey State Police Major Brian Polite briefs reporters on the plane crash.
SPRINGFIELD TWP. - Two South Jersey men were killed when a twin-engine plane crashed Wednesday morning, officials confirmed.
Robert A. Winner, 69, of Marlton and his co-pilot Timothy Scannevin, 71, of Southampton, were identified as the victims, said Sgt. Lawrence Peele of the New Jersey State Police.
The National Transportation Safety Board is still on the scene investigating the crash. The agency has not yet said what led to the plane going down just after 9 a.m. Wednesday.
The pair had been flying a mission for Angel Flight, a volunteer medical transport service.
Ellen Williams, executive director of Angel Flight East, confirmed that Winner was on an Angel Flight mission. Scannevin was not the patient, she said.
Winner had flown for Angel Flight previously, and his last mission was in late April, Williams said.
An NTSB official on Thursday described Winner's scheduled flight as a positioning flight, essentially moving the aircraft from one airport to another to prepare for a second flight.
Winner was a longtime county farmer who sold his 88-acre property on Centerton Road in Moorestown and Mount Laurel to Burlington County for preservation in 2005 for $7.1 million. That farm is now the Burlington County Agricultural Center, where the weekly county farm market is held on Saturdays.
“He was one of the nicest people I ever knew,” said Mary Pat Robbie, the county director of resource conservation who was involved in the farm transaction.
“I know he used part of the proceeds to buy a new airplane and that he did a lot of traveling to exotic places,” she recalled.
She said it was a difficult decision for him to give up his farm. “But it was hard work, especially when the dairy cows were there.”
The twin-engine aircraft — a Hawker Beechcraft 58 Baron — took off from South Jersey Regional Airport in Lumberton about 9 a.m. and was bound for Hyannis, Massachusetts.
It crashed a few minutes later near the the 1100 block of Smithville-Jacksonville Road.
"Shortly after takeoff, there was an occurrence that caused the aircraft to crash, and that crash did take place on both sides of the road," New Jersey State Police said Wednesday. "There were a lot of trees in that area and there was some contact between the aircraft and the trees."
Witnesses described seeing smoke and shadows cross through a field and over the roadway before seeing the plane crash into a patch of woods.
Winner is the registered owner of the downed aircraft, according to federal databases.
The Beechcraft Baron took off from the Lumberton airport around 9:04 a.m., according to FlightAware, an aircraft tracking website.
That plane's flight path appears to have gone offline a few minutes into the flight near the area of the crash scene, according to FlightAware data.
The last recorded data point was a little after 9:07 a.m., just over three minutes after departure and just west of Smithville-Jacksonville Road. That plane descended from 1,300 feet to 400 feet in less than 90 seconds, with no further data points recorded.
FlightAware recorded nearly 10 flights in the plane since March 31, with the most recent occurring on June 1, with the aircraft returning to the Lumberton airport from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, following a 37-minute flight.
Scannevin is the registered owner of a Flight Design CTLS, a single-engine plane, according to federal databases.
That plane last recorded a flight on Saturday, leaving South Jersey Regional Airport and flying to an airport in Sussex before returning to Lumberton.
The airport management declined comment on the crash.
Kevin Gammage, an assistant manager, described Winner as a "great guy," adding that he did not know Scannevin.
Officials with the NTSB provided a media briefing Thursday afternoon to update on the investigation.
Senior Air Safety Investigator Tim Monville said no distress call was made prior to the crash.
Monville said a preliminary report will be prepared over the next week and a full report outlining the cause could take 18 months to complete.
The investigator said the plane was fragmented.
"We still have to analyze the wreckage further," he said.
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