Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Greensboro, North Carolina
Piper Aircraft; Vero Beach, Florida
Aviation Accident Preliminary Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
https://registry.faa.gov/N2FB
Accident Number: ERA20FA002
Date & Time: 10/04/2019, 2033 EDT
Registration: N2FB
Aircraft: PIPER PA28
Injuries: 2 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal
On October 4, 2019, about 2033 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-180, N2FB, was destroyed following a collision with terrain at Asheboro, North Carolina. The private pilot and a student pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to the pilot and was operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Night, visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated at Knoxville Downtown Island Airport (DKX), Knoxville, Tennessee about 1830 and was destined for Asheboro Regional Airport (HBI), Asheboro, North Carolina.
Earlier in the day, the accident pilot flew as a passenger in N2FB to DKX to purchase another PA-28. Once the transaction was completed, one of the passengers, who was a rated pilot, flew the newly acquired airplane to HBI. The accident pilot and the student pilot-rated passenger departed DKX about 30 minutes later; the accident pilot was seated in the left seat. The seller of the PA-28 reported that the accident pilot, prior to departure, made a remark about being tired, and that his passenger needed to be "on his game."
The pilot of the purchased PA-28 arrived at HBI and waited for the arrival of N2FB. He heard the pilot call in on the airport common traffic advisory frequency and announce his intentions to overfly the field from west to east and enter a left downwind for runway 21. He observed the airplane overfly the field from west to east and appear to turn left and disappear behind some trees. He also reported that dark, night conditions prevailed. After the airplane did not arrive, a search was initiated.
Preliminary radar data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed that a 1200 transponder coded radar target correlated to be the accident airplane arrived overhead HBI about 2029 from the west to the east before turning southbound (right). The airplane made a right 360° turn about 2 miles south of runway 3 before resuming a southwesterly heading. The last target was at 2032:55 over the area of the crash site. Witnesses reported that the airplane circled over the local high school where a football game was in progress. The airplane then entered a steep, nose down descent and the engine continued to run at high speed during the descent.
The airplane crashed in a wooded area about 2 miles south-southeast of HBI. The initial point of impact was an 80-foot-tall oak tree, and a large section of the right wing remained lodged near the top of the tree. The main wreckage was located about 75 ft east of the initial impact point. The wings and fuselage were highly fragmented. There was no fire. The engine was separated from the airframe during ground impact. Flight control continuity was confirmed from the cockpit area to the flight control surfaces.
The accident pilot, who owned the airplane, held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single engine land. His pilot logbook was recovered from the wreckage. A review of his flight time revealed that he had logged a total of 4.6 hours of night time, and no logged night time since 2008. His most recent flight review was completed on January 6, 2016. His most recent FAA medical certificate was issued in June of 2015.
The pilot of the purchased airplane, who also flew N2FB to DKX earlier that day, reported that the vacuum pump on N2FB was not operational and the vacuum instruments were not reliable. The accident pilot was aware of the vacuum problem but did not voice any concerns about flying at night with the condition.
The wreckage was retained for further examination.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: PIPER
Registration: N2FB
Model/Series: PA28 180
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: Night/Dark
Observation Facility, Elevation: KHBI, 673 ft msl
Observation Time: 2035 EDT
Distance from Accident Site: 2 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 27°C / 20°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Scattered / 8500 ft agl
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 4 knots / , 70°
Lowest Ceiling:
Visibility: 10 Miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.07 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Knoxville, TN (DKX)
Destination: Asheboro, NC (HBI)
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 2 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 35.615278, -79.882222
Those who may have information that might be relevant to the National Transportation Safety Board investigation may contact them by email eyewitnessreport@ntsb.gov, and any friends and family who want to contact investigators about the accident should email assistance@ntsb.gov.
ASHEBORO — Bryan Andrew Manzer, 61, of Asheboro died suddenly in a plane accident on Friday, Oct. 4, 2019, in Asheboro, N.C.
Bryan was born on Dec. 8, 1957, in Geneva, N.Y. He has been a resident of Asheboro since 2015. He was a graduate of Midlakes High School, Phelps, N.Y.
Bryan attended U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado for three years. He worked in Upstate New York as a master electrician and he was a lifetime member of several chapters of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).
Bryan obtained his private pilot’s license in New York in 2009. Flying and owning this own plane were his greatest passions.
Bryan is survived by fiancee of 20 years, Kathleen A. Corcoran of Asheboro; brother, Forrest (Woody) and Jane Manzer of Buchanan, N.Y.; sisters, Judy and Jamie Ridley of Asheboro and Joyce (Victor) French of Waterloo, N.Y.; and many beloved nieces and nephews.
Bryan was preceded in death by parents, Albert and Jean Manzer of Geneva, N.Y.; brother, Bruce Manzer of Canandaigua, N.Y.; and sister, Jan Davis of Canandaigua, N.Y.
Memorial services will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 16, at 11:30 a.m. at the NC Aviation Museum, Asheboro, and in New York at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to NC Aviation Museum and Randolph County SPCA in Asheboro, N.C.
https://www.courier-tribune.com
Steven Neil Lewis
March 28th, 1989 ~ October 4th, 2019 (Age 30)
Steven Neil Lewis, 30, of Hollow Tree Drive, Liberty, died Saturday, October 5, 2019.
Memorial services, 6 p.m., Tuesday, October 15, 2019, at Loflin Funeral Home Chapel, Ramseur. Officiating, Rev. Craig Asbill.
Steven was a native of Guilford County, a lifetime resident of Liberty, and was a 2007 graduate of Eastern Randolph High School. He was employed with Stones River Electric. Steven was a licensed pilot and he loved flying.
Steven was a kind, tenderhearted, loving young man who was well respected and loved by everyone. He was preceded in death by sister, Michelle Pulliam, maternal grandparents, Warren and Marceline Stewart, aunt, Brenda Baker. Survivors: parents, Steve and Bonnie Stewart Lewis, of Liberty, sisters, Dawn Goode and husband, Robert, of Liberty, Christina Pulliam, of Gibsonville, paternal grandparents, Roy Lewis and wife, Joy, of McLeansville, paternal grandmother, Ruby Kemp, of Asheboro, longtime girlfriend, Christine Layton, of Greensboro, nieces, Michaela Williamson, Madison Goode, Ellie Lewis, nephews, Rodney Williamson, Dakota Pulliam, Hunter Goode.
Visitation, 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, Loflin Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Ramseur and other times at the home of Dawn and Robbie Goode, 2382 Ramseur Julian Rd., Liberty. Condolences may be made online at www.loflinfuneralservice.com. Arrangements by Loflin Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Ramseur.
Authorities found Bryan Andrew Manzer, 61, of Asheboro, and Steven Neil Lewis, 30, of Liberty, on Saturday at the crash site near Cedar Rock Mountain Rd., according to press release issued Sunday.
Manzer and Lewis were reportedly flying back to Asheboro from Tennessee.
The Asheboro Regional Airport reported the plane as missing on Friday night, and the search went through the night and into Saturday morning.
Authorities say they did not get a mayday call over the radio before the crash.
The wreckage of a single-engine four-seater, Piper PA-28 Cherokee was found off of Cedar Rock Mountain Road.
The airplane took off from Knoxville Downtown Island Airport in Tennessee Friday.
Witnesses at the Asheboro Regional Airport saw the plane around 8:30 p.m. on Friday when the aircraft flew past the runway while on landing approach, the release says.
It continued past the tree line and out of sight. Radar had the plane near the Asheboro Bypass and Cannon Heights Drive.
Asheboro police responded to the airport at 10:08 p.m. then contacted the sheriff's office to assume command of the search.
FAA, Highway Patrol and Ash-Rand Rescue assisted in the Friday night search.
At 2:40 a.m. on Saturday, authorities discontinued the search due to "darkness of night and rain", according to the release.
The search resumed at 4:26 a.m. when Civil Air Patrol authorities received cell phone coordinates in a wooded area near SW Randolph High School.
Overall, around 60 officials helped in the search for the plane which was found two and a half miles south of the Asheboro Regional Airport.
The plane was found in a densely wooded area about 1,500 feet from the cell phone ping that gave authorities the coordinates.
A fire official says the plane looks like it hit several trees during the descent and crash.
The FAA says they are still investigating to find the cause of the crash.
Story and video ➤ https://myfox8.com
***UPDATE October 6, 2019***
The pilot and passenger of the missing plane, which was located off Cedar Rock Mtn. Rd. on the morning of October 5, 2019, have been identified as Bryan Andrew Manzer, 61, of Dawson Miller Rd., Asheboro and Steven Neil Lewis, 30, of Hollow Tree Dr., Liberty.
It was reported that Mr. Manzer and Mr. Lewis were returning from Tennessee.
Please respect the privacy of these families as they mourn the tragic loss of their loved ones.
The NC Hwy Patrol helicopters returned to the air this morning around the Airport area and located the plane off of Cedar Rock Mtn. Rd. and directed ground units to the scene. The pilot and passenger were deceased. The National Transportation Safety Board has been contacted and are enroute with an extended time of arrival. They should begin their investigation this afternoon. The next of kin have not been notified, therefore, names have not been released.
On October 4, 2019, at 10:08 pm, Asheboro Police Department was dispatched to the Asheboro Regional Airport reference an overdue aircraft. Upon taking the report, Asheboro Police Department contacted the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office to assume the investigation. Authorities and witnesses at the airport reported that a plane, containing the pilot and one passenger, coming in from Tennessee flew over the runway at 8:30 pm, to make his landing approach. Witnesses reported that the plane flew past the tree line out of sight and did not return. Federal Aviation Administration authorities were contacted and reported that radar last logged the plane in an area between the new Asheboro Bypass and Cannon Heights Drive. Ash-Rand Rescue was contacted to assist the Sheriff’s Office with ground search efforts. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol was also contacted for an aerial search of the area by helicopter. However, all efforts were fruitless and the search was discontinued at 2:40 am, due to darkness of night and rain. At 4:26 am, additional information was received from Air Force Coordination efforts with additional cell phone coordinates lastly noted in a wooded area in close proximity to Southwestern Randolph High School. Search efforts were resumed by Ash-Rand Rescue and the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office and are continuing at this time.
North Carolina State Emergency Management, Asheboro City Civil Engineering, Airport Authorities, Civil Air Patrol and Randolph County Emergency Management are participating continued search efforts.
The names of the pilot and passenger are not being released at this time, as family has not yet been located.
Randolph County Sheriff's Office
ASHEBORO — Local law enforcement and rescue personnel ended a search for a missing plane that began Friday night and continued into Saturday morning after the downed aircraft was found. Both the pilot and the lone passenger in the plane were found dead.
Randolph County Sheriff Greg Seabolt and Capt. Matthew Hunt with Ash-Rand Rescue held a press conference at the Asheboro Municipal Airport around 11:30 a.m. Saturday after the victims and wreckage were located at 9:35 a.m.
The pilot and passenger have not yet been identified. The sheriff’s office is waiting until family members of the two victims have been notified before they release names, but Seabolt did share that both victims were Randolph County residents.
Hunt detailed the timeline of events and search efforts that were conducted by multiple agencies.
“Last night, at approximately 8:30, an airplane was approaching Asheboro Municipal Airport,” Hunt said.
The aircraft, which had departed from Knoxville, TN, around 6:30 p.m., reportedly circled and identified that it was prepared to make a landing. After that, the plane went missing.
According to an initial press release about the incident, witnesses reported that the plane flew past the tree line out of sight and did not return. Federal Aviation Administration authorities were contacted and reported that radar last logged the plane in an area between the new Asheboro Bypass and Cannon Heights Drive.
“Search crews have worked all throughout the night. We had a few high probability areas that were brought to us, either by the FAA or the U.S. Air Force for areas to search,” Hunt said.
Hunt stated that, for the most part, search efforts continued throughout the night.
“This morning, with the assistance of many, many agencies — especially the State Highway Patrol and North Carolina Emergency Management, ourselves and the sheriff’s department — a wreckage site was found with no survivors,” he said.
The wreckage site was reportedly located around 2 1/2 miles from the airport facility, in the area of Cedar Rock Mountain Road in Asheboro. The scene was blocked off Saturday as the investigation was ongoing.
“The National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating the scene and hopefully we can learn a little bit more from them about what actually happened last night,” Hunt said.
The aircraft was located with assistance from the NC Highway Patrol’s helicopter.
According to Seabolt, the helicopter was brought out to search during the night, but did not have any luck in the dark. Early Saturday morning, a member of the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office who is familiar with the area was placed in the helicopter to assist in locating the plane.
“We called them back out this morning around 7 a.m. I think we located the plane approximately five minutes after they got into the air,” Seabolt said.
The area where it was located was described as a wooded area on private property. Once the aircraft was spotted, Seabolt said that he was on the scene within minutes. Residents in a house located about a four-minute walk from the crash site did not report hearing the plane crash.
The U.S. Air Force provided assistance by tracing one of the victim’s cell phones to its last known operating location, giving rescuers a direction of travel to pursue, which Seabolt noted was crucial in their search.
“This area of Randolph County is tremendously wooded,” he said. “You’ve got Uwharrie National forest nearby. It would have been very difficult for us to locate the area it went down without the information (the Air Force) provided us.”
The wreckage site did not indicate that the plane caught fire after impact.
“No fire was involved. The plane was in one area,” Seabolt said. “It was very much annihilated. It was in an area of 25-30 yards.”
The plane, which was a four-seat, single propeller Cherokee aircraft, essentially broke apart upon impact, according to Hunt.
It was the first plane crash in Randolph County in many years. Hunt estimated that is has been about 15 years since local officials had dealt with anything similar.
“This one was kind of unique,” he said. “If it hadn’t been for another flight landing in front of them, we may have never known this plane crashed. No indicators were ever acknowledged as far as safety equipment or any type of locator beacon.”
At this time, they are not sure what caused the plane to crash, but the investigation remains ongoing.
“What we’re going to do is wait on NTSB to arrive from Atlanta,” Seabolt said.
The sheriff’s office will maintain the scene until those agents arrive. “They will then take over the investigation and we’ll be an assist agency with them.”
According to Hunt, the search efforts conducted included about 60 individuals from various agencies working together.
“We had representatives from Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, Asheboro Police, Ash-Rand Rescue. This morning we called in several more resources, including NC Emergency Management, three local fire departments — Westside Fire and Rescue, Ulah and Asheboro City — for their assistance, and also the Civil Air Patrol.”
Private citizens were not involved in the search, which was initially staged at Southwestern Randolph High School, but Seabolt noted that many county citizens contacted him, asking what they could do to help.
“Prayers need to go up for the families. Any time someone loses their life in as tragic an accident as this, it’s sad,” Seabolt said. “You really want to reach out and want to comfort the family and just pray — pray for the families.”
Story and video ➤ https://www.courier-tribune.com
ASHEBORO, North Carolina — UPDATE: According to the Randolph County Sheriff's Office, the pilot and passenger of the missing plane have been identified as Bryan Andrew Manzer, 61, of Asheboro and Steven Neil Lewis, 30, of Liberty.
A plane crashed into a wooded area in Asheboro Friday night, prompting an overnight search that led authorities to find the wrecked plane with the pilot and passenger dead.
The Randolph County Sheriff's Office confirmed there were no survivors in a press conference on Saturday afternoon, just hours after search crews located the plane's wreckage on private property off Cedar Rock Mountain Road.
”No fire was involved. The plane was in one area. It was very much annihilated," said Randolph County Sheriff Gregory Seabolt.
Witnesses told WFMY News 2 the plane made loud popping sounds, gave off smoke, and flew very low to the tree line.
At a nearby football game at Southwest Randolph High School, people watched in shock as the plane circled low before spiraling down toward the trees.
"There were a few people who realized what had went on, they kind of all just sat there, and they gasped, they weren't really sure what to think," Jessica Bostic, who saw the plane go down, told WFMY News 2.
The single-propeller plane departed Knoxville, TN at about 6:30 p.m. Friday night on its way to Asheboro, NC, Ash-Rand Rescue Captain Matthew Hunt.
The passenger and pilot were both residents of Randolph County.
"At approximately 8:30, the airplane was approaching Asheboro Municipal Airport. It circled and identified that it was prepared to make a landing. After that time, the plane went missing," said Hunt.
Once the plane was determined to be missing, a search effort mounted at around 10 p.m. to try and find the small plane in the area around the airport-- much of which is rural and forested.
Agencies that contributed to the search included the Randolph County Sheriff's Office, Asheboro Police Department, multiple fire departments, the FAA, the U.S. Air Force, N.C. State Highway Patrol, Civil Air Patrol, Ash-Rand Rescue, and N.C. Emergency Management. More than 60 people assisted with the search in total.
Rain and darkness made the overnight search difficult. FAA authorities were also contacted and reported the radar last logged the plane in an area between the new Asheboro Bypass and Cannon Heights Drive.
Around 4:26 a.m. Saturday, the sheriff's office received information from an Air Force Coordination the tracked a cell phone signal to a wooded area near Southwestern Randolph High School. Personnel with the Ash--Rand Rescue and the sheriff's office then resumed the search.
The plane's crash site was finally located just after 7 a.m. Saturday morning, just minutes after a N.C. State Highway Patrol helicopter took off for another round of searches.
The plane's crash site was in a forested area near someone's home off Cedar Rock Mountain Road in Asheboro. That area is rural, with rocky roads and dense trees. It's 2.5 miles from the airport where the pilot had tried to land the plane.
The pilot and passenger were both found dead, and the Randolph County Sheriff's Office is leading the death investigation.
The sheriff's office hasn't released the identities of the two people killed in the crash.
The National Transportation and Safety Board arrived in Asheboro from Atlanta on Saturday afternoon, according to an NTSB spokesperson.
The National Transportation Safety Board investigation steps will include documenting the wreckage, taking measurement and photos, reviewing the engine and plane pieces, examining the ground for scars, damage to trees, and collecting devices for examination in Washington, a spokesperson said.
The National Transportation Safety Board investigator will spend 3-5 days on the ground at the crash site in Asheboro, before returning to complete the initial report, which will be made public within two weeks of the crash on October 4th, the National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson said.
Story and video ➤ https://www.wfmynews2.com
Bryan Manzer, 61, of Dawson Miller Road, Asheboro and Steven Lewis, 30, of Hollow Tree Drive, Liberty were returning from Tennessee in the plane, according to deputies.
The National Transportation Safety Board began its investigation on the crash Saturday afternoon and the Randolph County Sheriff's Office is continuing the death investigation, according to deputies.
The plane went missing Friday night, according to deputies.
The Asheboro Police Department was called to Asheboro Regional Airport at about 10:08 Friday night in reference to the aircraft, officers said.
Police then handed the investigation over to the Randolph County Sheriff's Office for further investigation.
The plane, coming from Tennessee with one pilot and one passenger, flew past the runway and tree line, out of sight and did not return, according to airport officials and witnesses.
Radar logged the plane in an area between the new Asheboro Bypass and Cannon Heights Drive, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol searched the area by helicopter, but had to call off the search at about 2:40 Saturday morning because of the darkness and rain.
Cell phone coordinates at about 4:26 Saturday morning show a signal location in a wooded area near Southwestern Randolph High School, according to deputies.
An incident command center was set up at Asheboro Regional Airport and search operations happened at Southwestern Randolph High School, according to the Randolph County Sheriff's Department.
North Carolina State Emergency Management, Asheboro City Civil Engineering, Airport Authorities, Civil Air Patrol and Randolph County Emergency Management helped with the search efforts.
Story and video ➤ https://www.wxii12.com
REST IN PEACE - The flags are at half-staff today at the Asheboro Regional Airport. Bryan Andrew Manzer, 61, of Asheboro, and Steven Neil Lewis, 30, of Liberty, were killed in a plane crash near the airport.ASHEBORO — The National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary report on the airplane crash that claimed the lives of two Randolph County residents on Oct. 4.
Both the pilot and the lone passenger in the plane were found dead Saturday, Oct. 5, following a search for the aircraft.
The victims were identified as Bryan Andrew Manzer, 61, of Dawson Miller Road, Asheboro, and Steven Neil Lewis, 30, of Hollow Tree Drive, Liberty.
Manzer and Lewis were reportedly returning from a trip to Tennessee, in which another aircraft was purchased. The pilot of the newly purchased aircraft, who piloted Manzer’s plane earlier in the day, arrived at the Asheboro Municipal Airport and waited for Manzer and Lewis to arrive.
When they didn’t, the search began.
According to the NTSB’s report, the pilot, Manzer, had not logged more than a few hours of nighttime flying in his pilot logbook and had not logged any nighttime flying since 2008.
Several years had passed since his last flight review and medical certification.
Investigators also learned the plane’s vacuum pump was not operational and vacuum instruments were not reliable. Most small aircraft rely on instruments powered by vacuum produced by an engine-driven air pump.
Following is the entirety of the NTSB preliminary report:
On Oct. 4, 2019, about 2033 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-180, N2FB, was destroyed following a collision with terrain at Asheboro, North Carolina. The private pilot and a student pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to the pilot and was operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Night, visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated at Knoxville Downtown Island Airport (DKX), Knoxville, Tennessee about 1830 and was destined for Asheboro Regional Airport (HBI), Asheboro, North Carolina.
Earlier in the day, the accident pilot flew as a passenger in N2FB to DKX to purchase another PA-28. Once the transaction was completed, one of the passengers, who was a rated pilot, flew the newly acquired airplane to HBI. The accident pilot and the student pilot-rated passenger departed DKX about 30 minutes later; the accident pilot was seated in the left seat. The seller of the PA-28 reported that the accident pilot, prior to departure, made a remark about being tired, and that his passenger needed to be “on his game.”
The pilot of the purchased PA-28 arrived at HBI and waited for the arrival of N2FB. He heard the pilot call in on the airport common traffic advisory frequency and announce his intentions to overfly the field from west to east and enter a left downwind for runway 21. He observed the airplane overfly the field from west to east and appear to turn left and disappear behind some trees. He also reported that dark, night conditions prevailed. After the airplane did not arrive, a search was initiated.
Preliminary radar data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed that a 1200 transponder coded radar target correlated to be the accident airplane arrived overhead HBI about 2029 from the west to the east before turning southbound (right). The airplane made a right 360° turn about 2 miles south of runway 3 before resuming a southwesterly heading. The last target was at 2032:55 over the area of the crash site. Witnesses reported that the airplane circled over the local high school where a football game was in progress. The airplane then entered a steep, nose down descent and the engine continued to run at high speed during the descent.
The airplane crashed in a wooded area about 2 miles south-southeast of HBI. The initial point of impact was an 80-foot-tall oak tree, and a large section of the right wing remained lodged near the top of the tree. The main wreckage was located about 75 feet east of the initial impact point. The wings and fuselage were highly fragmented. There was no fire. The engine was separated from the airframe during ground impact. Flight control continuity was confirmed from the cockpit area to the flight control surfaces.
The accident pilot, who owned the airplane, held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single engine land. His pilot logbook was recovered from the wreckage. A review of his flight time revealed that he had logged a total of 4.6 hours of night time, and no logged night time since 2008. His most recent flight review was completed on January 6, 2016. His most recent FAA medical certificate was issued in June of 2015.
The pilot of the purchased airplane, who also flew N2FB to DKX earlier that day, reported that the vacuum pump on N2FB was not operational and the vacuum instruments were not reliable. The accident pilot was aware of the vacuum problem but did not voice any concerns about flying at night with the condition. The wreckage was retained for further examination.
https://www.courier-tribune.com
Rescuers searched the central North Carolina county overnight but did not find the wreckage of the plane until the next morning, the sheriff’s office said. The pilot and passenger both died in the crash.
Bryan Andrew Manzer, 61, of Asheboro and Steven Neil Lewis, 30, of Liberty were on their way back from Tennessee when the small plane crashed, according to the sheriff’s office.
“Authorities and witnesses at the airport reported that a plane, containing the pilot and one passenger, coming in from Tennessee flew over the runway at 8:30 pm, to make his landing approach. Witnesses reported that the plane flew past the tree line out of sight and did not return,” the sheriff’s office said.
State and local authorities searched until about 2:30 a.m. Saturday before rain and the dark night shut down the efforts, the sheriff’s office said. They started searching again about two hours later with new information from the Air Force and data from the victims’ cellphones.
Rescuers found the plane near Southwestern Randolph High School, according to the sheriff. The National Transportation Safety Board went to the site over the weekend to investigate the crash.
Original article ➤ https://www.charlotteobserver.com
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