Saturday, July 21, 2018

Loss of Engine Power (Partial): de Havilland DH.112 Venom FB54, N747J; fatal accident occurred July 20, 2018 near Sheboygan County Memorial Airport (KSBM), Wisconsin

Marty Tibbitts




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; Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Ultimate Aviation; Ogden, Utah

Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board:


Location: Sheboygan, Wisconsin 
Accident Number: WPR18FA200
Date & Time: July 20, 2018, 16:04 Local
Registration: N747J
Aircraft: De Havilland DH112 VENOM 
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Defining Event: Loss of engine power (partial) 
Injuries: 1 Fatal, 2 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

Analysis

The pilot was conducting a formation training flight consisting of two airplanes; the accident airplane was in the No. 2 position. The airplane took off about 8 seconds behind the lead (No. 1 position) airplane. Witnesses described the airplane's takeoff as sluggish and indicated that the airplane's wings rocked back and forth shortly after lifting off. The witnesses' testimony was consistent with one witness' video recording, which showed the airplane climbing away from the runway and making a shallow left turn. As the airplane passed the witness' position, the engine sound decreased and rapidly increased. The airplane reached an altitude of about 200 ft above the ground before descending and impacting a farm structure. Another video captured the airplane descending in a slightly nose-up and wings-level attitude before impact. The flaps and landing gear both appeared retracted in that video.

No preimpact anomalies with the airframe and engine were found that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. Signatures consistent with circumferential rub marks within the turbine were identified. Although the rate of rotation at the time of impact could not be determined, the retraction of the landing gear at a normal rate showed that the engine was likely producing some power at that time.

One of the witnesses to the accident was a pilot with experience in the accident make and model. He described the engine powering the airplane as "high airflow and thrust" and indicated that the engine could experience a compressor stall when operating at a high angle of attack and a high-power setting. He also stated that the airplane could get into a low energy state if an engine failure occurred and that the airplane would normally accelerate "very quickly" if it leveled off at 200 ft.

The witness accounts of the accident airplane's wings rocking back and forth were consistent with the airplane encountering the wake turbulence of the lead airplane. Wake turbulence can disrupt airflow to the engine of a trailing airplane. The final seconds of the witness' video showed the pilot controlling the airplane during the climb to 200 ft, after which the airplane began descending. Thus, the wake turbulence from the lead airplane likely disrupted airflow to the engine and caused a compressor stall and a partial loss of engine power, which resulted in the airplane's inability to continue to climb.

Toxicology testing identified sedating medications in the pilot's specimens, but the levels of the medications at the time of the crash were well below the levels that would have caused significant effects. Therefore, it is unlikely that impairing effects of these medications contributed to this accident.

Probable Cause and Findings

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The airplane's encounter with wake turbulence from the lead airplane in the formation flight, which resulted in a compressor stall and the airplane's subsequent inability to climb.

Findings

Environmental issues Wake turbulence - Effect on equipment
Aircraft (general) - Capability exceeded
Aircraft Climb rate - Attain/maintain not possible
Aircraft Altitude - Attain/maintain not possible

Factual Information

History of Flight

Prior to flight Miscellaneous/other
Initial climb Aircraft wake turb encounter
Initial climb Loss of engine power (partial) (Defining event)
Initial climb Attempted remediation/recovery
Uncontrolled descent Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)

On July 20, 2018, about 1604 central daylight time, a De Havilland DH112 Venom airplane, N747J, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The private pilot was fatally injured, and two people in the impacted structure were seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot was conducting a formation training flight that consisted of two airplanes; the accident airplane was in the No. 2 position and was to be staggered behind and to the right of the lead (No. 1 position) airplane. During the flight briefing, the pilot was instructed to take off 10 seconds after the lead airplane. The airplanes departed from Sheboygan County Memorial Airport (SBM), Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin.

Review of video provided by a witness showed that the accident airplane departed about 8 seconds after the lead airplane. About 6 seconds after the accident airplane lifted off, the left wing rocked downward then up, followed by the right wing rocking downward then up as the airplane returned to wings level. The accident airplane continued to climb at an angle away from the runway and the witness' position on an airport ramp. As the airplane passed the witness' position, the engine sound decreased and then rapidly increased. The video ended about 19 seconds after the airplane lifted off from the runway. The video showed that the accident airplane's flaps were extended throughout the 19-second video and that the landing gear was retracting during the last few seconds of the video. The witness stated that he stopped recording because the airplane "was a little sluggish as it climbed out, but it seemed to be ok" and that he started recording again after he heard someone state that the airplane was not climbing; the witness then saw that the airplane "sank out of sight behind some trees."

Other witnesses observed the takeoff and departure. According to one of these witnesses, the airplane climbed to about 200 ft above ground level (agl) and then started to descend. This witness reported a quartering headwind at takeoff from the left to right side of the runway. Another witness, who was a Venom airplane pilot, indicated that the gear was retracting at a normal rate. None of the witnesses recalled hearing any unusual sounds from the airplane during takeoff, but one witness commented that he could not hear the accident airplane well because of noise from running airplane engines on the airport ramp. Three of these witnesses stated that the accident airplane appeared to have encountered the wake turbulence of the lead airplane.

An additional witness traveling east on a road near the departure end of the runway captured cell phone video of the final 5 seconds of flight. The airplane is first seen heading away from the witness' position; at that time, the airplane was descending from an altitude of about 75 ft agl and was in a bank of about 25° to the left. The airplane then rolled to a wings-level attitude and continued to descend in a slightly nose-up attitude before impact. The landing gear and flaps appeared retracted in this video. The airplane impacted flat vegetated terrain, slid through a farm structure, and continued about 175 ft before coming to a stop.

Pilot Information

Certificate: Private 
Age: 50, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine land; Single-engine sea; Multi-engine land
Seat Occupied: Single
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None 
Restraint Used:
Instrument Rating(s): Airplane
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): None 
Toxicology Performed: Yes
Medical Certification: Class 2 Without waivers/limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: April 16, 2018
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent:
Flight Time:

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: De Havilland
Registration: N747J
Model/Series: DH112 VENOM FB54
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 1957
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Experimental (Special)
Serial Number: J1747
Landing Gear Type: Retractable - Tricycle
Seats: 1
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 
Certified Max Gross Wt.:
Time Since Last Inspection: 
Engines: 1 Turbo jet
Airframe Total Time: 
Engine Manufacturer: De Havilland
ELT: 
Engine Model/Series: Ghost
Registered Owner: 
Rated Power: 5000 Lbs thrust
Operator: 
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None

The DH112 Venom airplane was designed as a post-World War II-era fighter jet. The witness who had experience flying Venom airplanes stated that the airplane was equipped with a split flap system and that the flaps were used more to provide drag than lift. The flap selector had three positions: up, ½, and full, and takeoffs were normally made with flaps ½ or up. The landing gear was powered by a hydraulic pump driven by the engine, so the landing gear could not retract if the engine were not rotating. The Venom airplane pilot described the engine powering the airplane as "high airflow and thrust" and indicated that Venom airplanes could experience flameouts or compressor stalls when operating at high angles of attack and high-power settings. He stated that the Venom airplane had "excess power" and that the only ways for the airplane to be in a low energy state would be an engine flameout, engine failure, or engine shutdown. He added that the airplane would normally accelerate "very quickly" after takeoff if it leveled off at 200 ft.

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: Visual (VMC) 
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KSBM, 746 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site: 1 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 20:53 Local 
Direction from Accident Site: 305°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Few / 1700 ft AGL
Visibility 10 miles
Lowest Ceiling: Broken / 5500 ft AGL
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 9 knots / 
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual: None / None
Wind Direction: 130° 
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual: N/A / N/A
Altimeter Setting: 29.63 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 24°C / 20°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: Sheboygan, WI (SBM) 
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: Sheboygan, WI (SBM) 
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time: 16:02 Local
Type of Airspace: Class G

Airport Information

Airport: SHEBOYGAN COUNTY MEMORIAL SBM
Runway Surface Type: Asphalt
Airport Elevation: 755 ft msl
Runway Surface Condition: Soft; Vegetation
Runway Used: 13 IFR 
Approach: None Runway
Length/Width: 5002 ft / 75 ft 
VFR Approach/Landing: None

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal 
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries:
Aircraft Fire: On-ground
Ground Injuries: 2 Serious 
Aircraft Explosion: On-ground
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal, 2 Serious
Latitude, Longitude: 43.760833,-87.834999(est)

The airplane came to rest amongst several farm buildings; the debris path was 200 ft in length and 40 ft wide. Postimpact fire consumed a large portion of the fuselage. The entire airplane was located at the accident site.

The engine remained attached to the fuselage. The compressor blades displayed some impact damage from about the five to the nine o'clock positions. No signs of foreign object damage were observed, and no evidence of catastrophic engine failure was noted.

Further examination of the engine showed that the part of the airplane around the tailpipe was still in place. The exterior of the airplane skin was burned and blistered, but the burn pattern was not linear, and there was no burn damage to the interior of the skin. The compressor impeller and turbine disk could not be rotated. The bifurcated inlet at the front of the engine was thermally destroyed. The front bearing could be rotated, but there was some resistance during rotation.

The compressor impeller was intact. Of the 19 impeller vanes, 8 consecutive vanes were missing portions coincident with where the compressor shroud was burned away. Four consecutive impeller vanes had circumferential rubbing on the leading edges with metal displaced opposite the direction of rotation.

The turbine vanes were in place and displayed no damage or thermal distress, and no metal spray was on the airfoils. The tailpipe was in place on the rear of the turbine case with no evidence of thermal distress. The tailcone was in place in the tailpipe, and the forward edge of the tailcone had three areas of circumferential rubbing with heat discoloration. One of these areas also had material transfer. The diameter of the forward edge of the tailcone corresponded to about a 90° arc of turbine blades that had about a 0.5-inch wide circumferential rub on the trailing edge.

No preimpact anomalies with the airframe and engine were found that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.

Additional Information

Compressor Stall

According to aviationglossary.com

A Compressor Stall in a gas turbine engine is a condition in an axial-flow compressor in which one or more stages of rotor blades fail to pass air smoothly to the succeeding stages. A stall condition is caused by a pressure ratio that is incompatible with the engine rpm. Compressor stall will be indicated by a rise
in exhaust temperature or rpm fluctuation, and if allowed to continue, may result in flameout and physical damage to the engine.

The resource indicates that the typical causes of compressor stalls are the following:

Excessive fuel flow caused by abrupt engine acceleration when the axial velocity (speed) is reduced by increased pressure in the combustion chamber due to the added combustion and the resultant rotational speed increase;

Operation of the engine outside of its RPM design parameters affecting the rotational speed of the compressor blade;

Turbulent or distorted / disrupted airflow to the engine inlet reducing the axial velocity;

Damage to either the compressor or turbine blades;

Low fuel flow due to abrupt engine deceleration causing a decreased back pressure.

The resource also indicates that compressor stalls can be transient and intermittent and provides the following information:

Indications of a transient/intermittent stall are usually an intermittent "bang" as backfire and flow reversal take place. If the stall develops and becomes steady, strong vibration and a loud roar may develop from the continuous flow reversal. Often, the flight deck gauges do not show a mild or transient stall, but they do indicate a developed stall. Typical instrument indications include fluctuations in rpm and an increase in exhaust gas temperature.

Wake Turbulence

The National Transportation Safety Board's report on the September 8, 1994, accident involving USAir flight 427 near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (NTSB/AAR-99/01), provided the following description of a wake vortex, which is also known as wake turbulence:

A counterrotating airmass trailing from an airplane's wingtips. The strength of the vortex is governed by the weight, speed, and shape of the wing of the generating aircraft; the greatest strength occurs when the wings of the generating aircraft are producing the most lift; that is, when the aircraft is heavy, in a clean configuration, and at a slow airspeed.

Medical and Pathological Information

The Sheboygan County Medical Examiner's Office, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, performed an autopsy on the pilot. His cause of death was multiple injuries.

Toxicology testing performed by the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, Forensic Toxicology Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin, identified diazepam (10 ng/ml) and nordiazepam (11 ng/ml) in the pilot's blood specimens.

Toxicology testing performed at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory detected carbon monoxide in the pilot's blood specimens. No ethanol was detected. In addition, loratadine was identified in the pilot's blood specimens; dextromethorphan and zolpidem were identified in the pilot's blood and urine specimens; and oxazepam, temazepam, and dextrorphan were identified in the pilot's urine specimens.

Diazepam (commonly marketed with the name valium) is a long-acting sedating benzodiazepine available by prescription as a schedule IV-controlled substance. It is generally used to treat anxiety and muscle cramping. The lowest amount of diazepam thought to cause psychoactive effects is 100 ng/ml. Nordiazepam, oxazepam, and temazepam are metabolites of diazepam. Zolpidem is a short-acting prescription sleep aid that is considered impairing. Both diazepam and zolpidem carry warnings about driving and operating machinery. Dextromethorphan is an over-the-counter cough suppressant that is not sedating or impairing at usual doses. Dextrorphan is a metabolite of dextromethorphan. Loratadine is an over the counter nonsedating antihistamine that is commonly marketed at Claritin and is not considered to be impairing.

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Location: Sheboygan, WI
Accident Number: WPR18FA200
Date & Time: 07/20/2018, 1604 CDT
Registration: N747J
Aircraft: De Havilland DH112 VENOM
Injuries: 1 Fatal, 2 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal 

On July 20, 2018, about 1604 central daylight time, a De Havilland DH112 Venom airplane, N747J, impacted a structure shortly after takeoff near Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The pilot was fatally injured. Two people in the structure sustained serious injuries. The airplane was destroyed during a post impact fire. The airplane was registered to World Heritage Air Museum and operated by the pilot as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal formation training flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed about the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed. The flight was originating at the time.

The airplane departed SBM as part of a formation training flight; the accident airplane was in the number two position and staggered to the right of the lead airplane. Review of video provided by a witness showed the lead airplane depart, followed by the accident airplane about 8 seconds later. About 6 seconds after the accident airplane lifted off, the left wing rocked downward then upward.

Multiple witnesses reported that the airplane appeared to be sluggish and not climbing. The airplane climbed to about 200 ft above ground level (agl), then started a descent. The airplane impacted flat vegetated terrain, slid through the structure and continued another about 175 ft before coming to a stop. The airplane came to rest on a magnetic heading of 140°; the debris path was 200 ft by 40 ft. The entire airplane was located at the accident site.

The wreckage was transported to a secure facility for further examination.

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: De Havilland
Registration: N747J
Model/Series: DH112 VENOM FB54
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No
Operator: World Heritage Air Museum
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None 

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KSBM, 746 ft msl
Observation Time: 2053 UTC
Distance from Accident Site: 1 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 24°C / 20°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Few / 1700 ft agl
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 9 knots / , 130°
Lowest Ceiling: Broken / 5500 ft agl
Visibility:  10 Miles
Altimeter Setting: 29.64 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Sheboygan, WI (SBM)
Destination:  Sheboygan, WI (SBM) 

Wreckage and Impact Information


Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: On-Ground
Ground Injuries: 2 Serious
Aircraft Explosion: On-Ground
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal, 2 Serious
Latitude, Longitude:  43.760833, -87.835000 (est)

Jack Vanover, an air safety investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, speaks at a press conference at the Aviation Heritage Center in Sheboygan Falls on July 21st.


The Detroit News' ace federal law enforcement reporter, Robert Snell, drops another bombshell behind the paper's paywall Thursday: The story of Marty Tibbitts, a popular and respected Grosse Pointe Park businessman who led a secret life as financier of an international cocaine-smuggling ring. 

Snell and co-author Christine Ferretti lay out the details of a criminal complaint, six years in the making, that reveals:

The case is filled with secret underwater gadgets, double lives and an alleged Metro Detroit connection to an innovative drug ring. The drug ring and Tibbitts were developing a submarine designed to store cocaine and attach itself via magnets to the hull of cargo ships crisscrossing the Atlantic Ocean,according to the DEA.

Tibbitts' death in a fiery plane crash in July 2018 allegedly forced co-conspirators to search for a new financier in Ecuador, Dubai and the United Arab Emirates, and it caused the drug ring to abandon the submarine plans. They allegedly struggled as investigators seized several large shipments of drugs, including 753 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a banana cargo ship in the Netherlands.

The allegations clash with public details about the life of Tibbitts, a private pilot who founded the World Heritage Aviation Museum. He projected a dashing profile, posting social media videos and photos from the cockpit of vintage planes and lived in a sprawling mansion once owned by Alto Reed, saxophonist for Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band.

Tibbitts is not named in the complaint, but references to "Marty," his hometown and death correspond with Tibbitts' life, and the paper has confirmed his identity. The story features a photo of the magnetic smuggling device, called an underwater parasitic drone, capable of being tracked via GPS and detaching itself from the vessel before it arrived in port to await retrieval offshore.  

The aforementioned mansion went on the market in November, at a price tag of $6.4 million. Tibbitts' widow, Belinda, could not be reached for comment. 


Rachel Kroeplien standing near a combine head that was partially melted by burning aviation fuel. Sadly, the pilot was killed, two employees were injured, numerous calves died or were injured, one calf barn was destroyed and three other buildings were damaged. The Kroeplien family is working to determine the best course of action moving forward.


























SHEBOYGAN COUNTY -- The Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Office says the pilot killed in a plane crash in Sheboygan Falls is 50-year-old Martin Tibbitts of Grosse Pointe, Michigan. Tibbitts had just taken off from the Sheboygan County Memorial Airport when he went down and hit a farm building on Friday, July 20.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation into the crash with help from the FAA. Officials were on scene Saturday, July 21 and will continue to be there through the weekend, and possibly early next week.

Just hours into the Aviation Heritage Center of Wisconsin's 11th annual Air Clinic, Pilot Martin "Marty" Tibbitts encountered trouble in the air soon after takeoff. His vintage, single-engine, military-style plane went down just a half-mile from the airport. Tibbitts was killed on impact.

The crash has left fellow Warbird flyers devastated and puzzled.

"These planes, every year, have to be inspected," said Paul Walter, former president of the Aviation Heritage Center of Wisconsin.

The crash happened at Fly By Acres Farm, injuring two people -- one seriously -- and killing several animals.

"There were workers in there feeding cattle or calves in the building where the plane came through and were hit by the airplane," said Sheboygan Falls Fire Chief Bob Kroeplien.

Several nearby buildings caught fire, producing a black cloud of smoke visible for miles away. First responders from all around the area battled the flames. Chief Bob Kroeplien, with the Sheboygan Falls Fire Department, the loss is personal.

"It's the farm I grew up on," Kroeplien said. "The farm happened to be my brother's farm."

Officials with the NTSB will look at the pilot’s training and flight track, the aircraft and weather to determine what happened and ensure it doesn't ever happen again.

"We don't know what caused this accident," said Air Safety Investigator Jack Vanover, with the NTSB.

Tibbitts' brother, JC, shared the following statement:

“Our family is devastated by the loss of Marty. To say he was passionate about all things in his life - family, business and aviation would be to immensely understate the case. He died pursuing one of his passions. This past Tuesday before leaving for Wisconsin he showed us aerial photos of the formation he would be flying at Oshkosh. He was a highly skilled pilot who enjoyed the history and camaraderie that came with flying vintage military planes. Beyond his family, friends and business associates, many will miss this unique and special person.”

An event these pilots look forward to all year long is now marked by tragedy; one of their own killed pursuing their shared passion.

"They're your family members and of course whenever you lose a family member, it's a sombering[sp] event," said Walter.

The NTSB says a preliminary report will be released within the next week. It could take more than a year to determine probable cause of the crash.

As for the people injured, the male victim remains in serious condition while the female victim's condition has improved. Initial reports also indicated all 40-some calves in the barn died. The fire chief says that's not the case -- several calves survived and are being cared for at another facility.

Story and video ➤ https://fox6now.com

Marty Tibbitts of Grosse Pointe is shown with Greg Morris of Chicago in an August 19, 2015, photo at the World Heritage Air Museum at the Oakland County International Airport in Waterford. Tibbitts a pilot and co-founder of the museum, died Friday when a de Havilland DH.112 Venom FB54 aircraft he was piloting crashed shortly after take-off in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.


Martin J. Tibbitts was an entrepreneur but his passion was flying vintage military aircraft.

“I fell in love with Cold War jet aviation,” Tibbitts, who went by Marty, told the Free Press in 2015. 

Tibbitts was at the controls of one such plane, a de Havilland  DH112 Venom, on Friday when it crashed shortly after takeoff from Sheboygan County Memorial Airport in Wisconsin.

Tibbitts was killed when the plane struck a barn. Two farm workers also were injured. One of them was airlifted to a hospital. Between 40 and 50 cattle died in the ensuing fire, investigators said.

The cause of the crash remains unclear. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating, but it sometimes takes weeks or months to reach a conclusion.

Tibbitts, 50, of Grosse Pointe Park, was a co-founder of the World Heritage Air Museum, which owns eight vintage planes, including the one he was flying Friday.

"Marty was a joy," said Joe Walker, a long-time friend and business associate. "He was one of those visionaries in business, always had great vision, great ideas."

Tibbitts' day job was CEO of Clementine Lives Answering Service in Harper Woods and he also was active in the Young Presidents Organization, a professional group for executives.

Walker said Tibbitts had flown the plane to Wisconsin to take part in the EAA Airventure Oshkosh, an annual event billed as the "world's largest gathering of aviation enthusiasts." Tibbitts had attended the event for years.

The Sheboygan airport was hosting a vintage aircraft formation flying clinic ahead of the larger Oshkosh event, which begins Monday.

"He texted me on Wednesday to say that he'd just landed in Sheboygan," Walker said.

Tibbitts was taking the plane up Friday to fly in formation with two other military planes. He was first to take off with the other two right behind him.

The plane crashed just seconds after takeoff.

The plane was one of only a handful of de Havilland  DH112 Venoms in the world that was still flying, according to the museum website.

The plane is a British postwar single-engine jet flown by Switzerland until 1983 and imported into the U.S. in the 1990s. The Venom served as a single-seat fighter-bomber and two-seat night fighter. It first flew in 1949, and was designed to be a faster, more agile replacement to the Vampire, according to the museum

Tibbitts co-founded the museum telling the Free Press in 2015 that prices of used military jets have fallen as much as 90 percent in the last decade, in part because new regulations made it harder to get the special pilots’ licenses required.

But that made the hobby far more affordable, Tibbitts said. He had recently bought a plane for $75,000 “that had cost about 10 times that” a decade ago, he said.

Still, flying a vintage fighter is far more demanding, physically and mentally, than piloting a propeller-driven plane, Tibbitts said.

“When you’re going as fast as we do, you don’t have much time to correct a mistake,” he said at the time.

Tibbitts is survived by his wife, Belinda; children Mason and Julia; and stepdaughter, Cameron. Funeral arrangements are pending, Walker said. 

Original article ➤ https://www.freep.com






SHEBOYGAN – Town of Sheboygan Falls Fire Chief Bob Kroeplien said Friday’s plane crash into a Sheboygan County farm struck particularly close to home—it happened to be the farm he grew up on.

The pilot, 50-year-old Martin J. Tibbitts, from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, was flying a DE Havlon DH112 Venom that crashed into a farm building shortly after taking off from the Sheboygan County airport.

The plane burst into flames after the crash, killing Tibbitts and injuring two farm workers, as well as killing or injuring about 40-50 cattle.

The farm is owned by the chief’s brother.

“Talking to my brother and sister-in-law, they want to send condolences to the pilot and his family and ask for prayers for the workers who were injured yesterday,” Kroeplien said at a press conference on Saturday at the Aviation Heritage Center in Sheboygan Falls.

Kroeplien said the farm workers were struck by the plane and debris while feeding cattle in a farm building. He couldn’t speak in depth on the extent of the workers’ injuries, but described them as severe.

He said the female worker is said to be “doing pretty decent,” but he did not have an update on the male worker. The workers have not been identified by officials pending notification of families and are not related to the Kroepliens.

Jack Vanover, an air safety investigator with The National Traffic Safety Board, is investigating the crash.

“Why are we here? We are here to gather the facts so we can attempt to determine probable cause so we can try to prevent this from happening ever again,” Vanover said at a press conference on Saturday.

Vanover said the investigation will look at multiple factors, including the pilot, the plane and the environment.

He said in five days the NTSB will issue a preliminary report with initial information; in six months to a year they will issue a factual with concrete information and facts; and in 12 to 18 months they will issue a probable cause, with the intention of “improving aviation safety.”

Officials said the community can help by limiting their use of County Highway O as the investigation continues.

Paul Walter, vice president of the board for the Aviation Heritage Center, said the support from the community since the incident has been a light in a difficult time.

“We’re really pleased, as a pilot and as a board member of the Aviation Heritage Center, with the support and understanding that we’re all getting from the people of Sheboygan,” he said. “As any community, we’ve lost one of our members, so that is a very sad thing. With time and the NTSB, we’re going to learn from this.”

The center is currently hosting a formation clinic ahead of EAA AirVenture. Walter said this is the first of any kind of incident to happen over the 11 years they’ve had the clinic and that it has a great safety record.

While the clinic will continue on Sunday and part of Monday, the center made the decision to “stand down” on Saturday.

“We decided to stand down and think about what we are doing, why we are here and put safety first,” Walter said.

Original article ➤ https://www.sheboyganpress.com

4 comments:

  1. Terrible, terrible accident. I'm sure that when you lose an engine in an airplane of this type on takeoff,it falls like a rock and even with an ejection seat not sure if it would be survivable at such a low altitude. That absolute worst time to lose an engine. I'm sure the pilot did all he could to steer clear of the farm but was unable. God give comfort to the pilot's family, the injured workers and all those calves that were injured or killed. Sad story.

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  2. I met Marty at a land auction and ended up buying some land from him. I just found out about this and wanted to say he was a great guy. Very sad to hear of his death.

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    Replies
    1. the prick was a conman and drug dealer got exactly what he deserved death sentence

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  3. Apparently not so great of a guy:

    Michigan CEO Led Double Life as Drug Lord With Plans for a Cocaine Submarine, Feds Say
    https://www.thedailybeast.com/michigan-ceo-marty-tibbitts-led-double-life-with-plans-for-a-cocaine-submarine-feds-say?ref=home

    ReplyDelete