Tuesday, August 13, 2019

North American T-28A Trojan, N9862C: Fatal accident occurred August 09, 2019 near Ontario Municipal Airport (KONO), Malheur County, Oregon

Anders "Andy" Rogers Frostenson 
April 17th, 1972 ~ August 9th, 2019 (age 47)


This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

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

Additional Participating Entity: 
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Boise, Idaho 

https://registry.faa.gov/N9862C

Location: Ontario, OR 
Accident Number: WPR19FA215
Date & Time: 08/09/2019, 1620 MDT
Registration: N9862C
Aircraft: North American T28A
Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal 

On August 9, 2019, about 1620 mountain daylight time, a North American T28A airplane, N9862C, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near the Ontario Municipal Airport (ONO), Ontario, Oregon. The commercial pilot was fatally injured, and the pilot rated passenger sustained serious injuries. The airplane was registered to a private individual and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight, which originated from ONO about 1600.

The passenger reported that they departed with the intention of conducting a few low passes down the runway with the landing gear in the up and down position. During the third pass, as the pilot initiated a climbing left turn to downwind leg for runway 33, the engine lost power. The passenger stated that the pilot initiated a forced landing into a field. Subsequently, the airplane landed hard and came to rest upright in an open field.

Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane impacted an open field about 0.8 nm northwest of the airport. The debris path was about 77 ft in length oriented on a magnetic heading of about 266°. All major structural components were located within the debris path. The wreckage was recovered to a secure location for further examination. 

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information


Aircraft Make: North American
Registration: N9862C
Model/Series: T28A
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No 
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None 

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KONO, 2193 ft msl
Observation Time: 2153 UTC
Distance from Accident Site: 1 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 33°C / 11°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 5 knots / , 170°
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility: 10 Miles
Altimeter Setting: 29.84 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Ontario, OR (ONO)
Destination: Ontario, OR (ONO)

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 1 Serious
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Serious
Latitude, Longitude: 44.025833, -117.028333

Those who may have information that might be relevant to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation may contact them by email witness@ntsb.gov, and any friends and family who want to contact investigators about the accident should email assistance@ntsb.gov. You can also call the NTSB Response Operations Center at 844-373-9922 or 202-314-6290.



Anders “Andy” Rogers Frostenson, 47, of Fairfield, Idaho, died August 9, 2019 of injuries sustained in an accident, while test flying a North American T-28A Trojan.

Andy was born April 17, 1972 in Twin Falls, Idaho to Jack and Linda (Rogers) Frostenson of Fairfield.  He grew up on the family farm with two brothers and from the beginning was a constant and creative inventor and explorer.  At the age of 13 he was featured in National Geographic’s Kid’s Magazine with a wind-powered rock polisher he had invented.

Andy accepted Jesus as his Savior when he was 8 years old and faithfully followed Christ throughout his life.

Active in 4-H all his school years, he won many awards and specialized in the 4-H Geology projects.  He became the Idaho State 4-H President during his senior year of high school.  A strong athlete, he was a member of the basketball, football and track teams at Camas County High School and graduated in 1990.

Andy attended Montana Technical College in Butte, Montana and then continued his education at Montana State University in Bozeman, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Geology, specializing in Meteoritics.

In 1991, while in college, he received his private pilot’s license, and flying became an enduring love in his life.  He even contended enthusiastically for the Sikorsky man-powered helicopter prize.

He married his childhood sweetheart – Bobi Jo Pridmore in Fairfield, Idaho on March 27, 1999 and they returned after college to make Fairfield their home.  On November 22, 2003 a daughter – Bria Bleu, was born to Andy and Bobi and became the devoted center of their life.  Andy’s first choice with any free time was to spend it with them.

Prior to becoming and Agricultural Pilot, Andy had a varied career ranging from a custom hay stacking business with his brother – Aric, to working for his father-in-law – Rod Pridmore in Timberline Trash, to owning his own antique lumber business.  He also had the opportunity to work for Every Tribe Entertainment Company designing and building specialized camera systems for a jungle canopy “Bub” rail they used in Panama, during the filming of the movie, End of the Spear.  After Andy’s systems were put into action, he and his brother – Jamon, became the Key Rigging Grips for the movie.

In 2007 he obtained his commercial pilot’s license and trained in Louisiana at Flying Tiger Aviation and earned his aerial application endorsement.  Throughout his 12-year career as an Ag Pilot, he worked for Red Barron Ag Service, KenSpray, Crop Jet Aviation, Emrich Aerial Spraying and Farmers Aerial Applications.  He enjoyed working in the ag aviation community, and made many friends there over the years.

Besides flying, Andy had numerous and wide-ranging interests.  Those who had a chance to observe him knew he was “stronger than an ox”, could fix anything broken, and had a curiosity and wide knowledge about everything in the world around him.  He was an expert skier, enjoyed traveling, finding treasures, and always researched anything that interested him.  Family and friends alike benefitted from his kind heart and everyone enjoyed his dry sense of humor.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents – Bob and Gladys Frostenson and Lester and Kathryn Rogers.

He will be forever missed by: his wife – Bobi Jo; his daughter – Bria Bleu; his parents – Jack and Linda Frostenson; his brothers – Aric (Michelle) Frostenson and Jamon (Annie) Frostenson; his father and mother-in-law – Rod and Sally Pridmore; his sister-and brother-in-laws – Todd and Darci Gill, Steve and Jessi Webb, Chris and Angie Pickering and many aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews.

A viewing/visitation will be held on Thursday, August 15, 2019 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at Demaray Funeral Service - Gooding Chapel.

A funeral service will be held on Friday, August 16, 2019 at 11:00 am at the Camas County High School Gym in Fairfield.  Burial will follow at the Manard Cemetery near Fairfield.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorial contributions be made in Andy's name to the charity of choice.
  
https://www.demarayfuneralservice.com



ONTARIO — The sole passenger who was injured in a plane crash on Friday afternoon that killed the pilot is still in serious condition at Saint Alphonsus Medical Center-Ontario, according to a hospital spokesman.

Clifford Todd Smith, 57, was taken to the hospital for injuries that were not life threatening, but had suffered at least a broken leg, according to witnesses.

The pilot, Anders Frostneson, 47, of Fairfield, was also transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

What happened to cause the 1947 T-28 to crash is not known at this time, according to airport manager Dan Beaubien, who called the Federal Aviation Administration, so that the National Transportation Safety Board could begin its investigation.

“The jury is still out on the cause,” he said,” and it might be out for a while.

Beaubien was one of the last people to see the pilots before they flew out of the Ontario Municipal Airport that morning. He said Smith and Frostensen were both “excellent pilots,” who have been flying in and out of Ontario for quite some time. In fact, the two had participated in spraying water color from planes during the recent Airport Appreciation Day.

Beaubien said their plan that day was to take the antique aircraft out and put it “through the paces, making sure everything was okay.”

The crash happened about a mile northwest of Ontario’s Municipal Airport and the plane, a 1947 T28. And that is where the plane will remain until the FAA and NTSB complete their investigations.

“Everything stays put with a ribbon, so there are no alterations or changes,” Beaubien said.

The plane actually crashed into a pasture with cows, and the owner has since put up an electric fence for added protection, according to the airport manager.

After the plane is looked over, it then becomes an insurance issue, and those companies usually hire someone to come load it up and haul it away to deal with it.

Typically, when a plane crashes, the insurance owns it at that point, and decides whether the plane is salvageable.

“This one is fairly beyond repair,” Beaubien said.

However, he added that somebody may have an interest in at least restoring the aircraft, as it is a collectible, “like a 1960 Corvette,” due to its antique status, Beaubien said.

This particular model of plane was made for war pilots who were enlisting in the service.

“So they would use them to train to [eventually] fly bigger planes,” such as fighter aircraft in war, Beaubien said.

According to a timeline online by the T-28 Trojan Foundation, the first prototype of the T-28 was developed by North American Aviation in 1946 for the U.S. Navy to use as an advanced jet transition trainer for those servicemen who would fly warbirds in the Southeast Asia Conflict.

“The T-28 was unique in that it was one of just a few aircraft types that served all branches of the U.S. military and many foreign military,” reads information on the website. “After it’s retirement it continued to serve in many civilian uses and today is one of the most popular airshow aircraft performing worldwide.”

As there aren’t many of these “old warbirds” in existence, Beaubien said they often get picked up by aviation or history enthusiasts who refurbish them.

When it comes to rare aviation aircraft, overall, “most go to museums, because if you fly and crash one, that’s one less” in existence, he said.

“When something like this happens, it’s very unfortunate,” Beaubien said. However, reflecting back on the pilot’s death and passenger’s injuries, he added, “Planes are nothing next to people.”

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

14 comments:

  1. Looks quite survivable. Was he strapped in?

    RIP

    ReplyDelete
  2. Look close at the picture, the rear seat glareshield is bent downwards suggesting "something" smashed into it pretty hard. I should think a Trojan would be equipped with harnesses but something clearly was wrong here.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Amusing to read the amateurish, and frankly ridiculous - speculations on this board.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Well then, Joe Expert - since you've taken the time to tell everyone how amusing all their comments are on the discussions regarding numerous incidents on this blog, perhaps you could enlighten the hoi polloi with some serious, intelligent and illuminating narrative of your own - and "I'll wait to see what the NTSB report says" doesn't count. If you're so clever as to have come to a conclusion as to what's ridiculous and amateurish and what isn't, then you should have no problem setting everyone straight, eh ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was the rear seat pilot…. Yes the aircraft had three point harness and yes both pilots where strapped in!!!

      Delete
    2. To you people who have speculated. Yes the pilot was in the front. Both pilot and back seater where strapped in. Rear pilot who made the dent in the dash survived……

      Delete
  5. Just as I thought *crickets chirping*.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The plane looks kinda intact from what photos we see but the forces on the occupants ?? ........ I'll wait to see the end report from the NTSB.... My Prayers to the family....Why do I read about so many of these on Kathryns report and almost never on the National news, ......R.I.P. ... God Bless to the Family, a great loss for sure.

    ReplyDelete
  7. My old 28 had shoulder harness, maybe they didn't lock them..Part of my checklist for pilot and backseater.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Seat belts where Locked! In fact I pulled mine down even tighter before impact!!! Please stop speculating!

      Delete
  8. I thought a T-28 is flown from the front seat and the passenger sits in the back. The way the story reads the pilot was killed and was in the back seat? It sure does look like the top of the rear seat instrument panel was smashed with someones face or head. Sad and totally preventable. RIP PS I like the reply to "Mr. Joe Expert". This forum is for pilots to put their heads together and try to come up with a cause of the accident and hopefully learn from others mistakes to save one self.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pilot was in the front. How was what preventable?

      Delete
  9. What’s commonly known as G force factor

    ReplyDelete
  10. This plane was my Grandfather's at one time. He bought it from his friend, Tony Maples, who sold it to him when he moved to Hawaii in about 1959. This was the first time I've looked it up and sad to see what eventually became of this plane after he sold it around 1963 for $2000.

    ReplyDelete