Friday, November 01, 2019

Grumman OV-1D Mohawk, N10VD: Fatal accident occurred November 01, 2019 at Witham Field Airport (KSUA), Stuart, Martin County, Florida

Dr. Joseph Masessa


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 Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Miramar, Florida 
Honeywell; Phoenix, Arizona 


Location: Stuart, FL
Accident Number: ERA20FA027
Date & Time: 11/01/2019, 1310 EDT
Registration: N10VD
Aircraft: GRUMMAN OV-1
Injuries: 1 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Air Race/Show

On November 1, 2019, about 1310 eastern daylight time, a Grumman OV-1D, N10VD, registered to MD Aviation Limited, impacted near the approach end of runway 30 at Witham Field (SUA), Stuart, Florida. The airline transport pilot was fatally injured and the airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a postcrash fire. The airplane was being operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as an airshow demonstration flight at the 2019 Audi Stuart Airshow. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the local flight that originated about 1307.

The pilot was scheduled to perform a 12-minute routine that day. Personnel interviewed by NTSB reported differing number of passes performed after takeoff.

The person who was acting as crew-chief, and whom had accrued about 880 hours in the same make and model airplane during military conflict, reported that the pilot informed him and another individual before departure that no acrobatic maneuvers were to be performed due to the ceiling and wind conditions. The crew-chief stated that the pilot's, "…only reason to fly was to visually locate the acrobatic box so he would be ready [for] the show on Saturday. His intent was to make a slow speed low pass followed by a high speed low pass and a normal landing to a full stop." The crew-chief observed the pilot perform a check of all flight controls, flaps, and speed brakes while taxiing to takeoff adding all appeared to move and work normally. He reported that from his vantage point on the last pass when turning from base leg of the airport traffic pattern onto final leg of the airport traffic pattern, it appeared the bank angle exceeded 90°. The airplane then did a rapid right roll to an inverted position, and the nose dropped to what appeared to be 45° nose down followed by impact and fireball. He added that he did not see the speed brakes deploy or the landing gear extend.

An airshow performer who was about 2,150 ft north-northwest of the accident site reported that after departure from runway 30, the airplane began to climb, followed by a "dog leg" to the left followed by a right turn to enter the aerobatic box. The airplane then descended or dove in, and when near the approach end of runway 30, began to climb. He then diverted his attention, and when he looked back, the airplane was near the approach end of runway 30, facing approximately down runway 34, "overbanked" about 100° to the right. He then saw the airplane in a nose low attitude pulling, which continued until he lost sight. He added that the engines sounded like they were at full power. He heard the impact and then saw smoke.

Another witness, who was also an operations inspector with the Federal Aviation Administration, and who was standing near show center (about 3,770 ft northwest of the accident site) reported seeing the airplane flying inverted in a nose level attitude heading in a southeasterly direction. She looked to another inspector briefly, then observed the airplane in a 45° nose-down attitude "spiralling" to the right, providing a view of the upper part of the airplane. She did not see the impact, nor did she see any smoke trailing the airplane, or see components of the airplane separate. She thought the airplane was accelerating (consistent with power) or at least maintaining a constant rate during the descent, indicating to her that it was not decelerating.

A pilot-rated witness who was 15 ft above ground level on the Air Boss stand, which was located about 3,700 ft northwest of the accident site, reported hearing the pilot announce on the radio he would do a "low show"; the pilot sounded calm during that transmission. At that time the ceiling was ragged and moving to scattered at 1,600 ft. The pilot was setting up for his last pass and flew parallel to the runway 12 showline. The pilot then initiated a climb at the west end of the field achieving about 15° of pitch, which he held for a few seconds, then the pitch increased to 35°. At that time the witness saw blue sky behind the airplane. The blue sky remained, then while at 1,000 to 1,300 ft above ground level (agl), he noted a "crisp" right roll to 135° of bank which was stabilized. The airplane continued the brisk pull as it approached 180° of bank; the speed increased and the turn radius decreased. After completing 170° of heading change, while at 500 feet agl, the witness did not notice any wing rock or longitudinal change. The engines sounded fine to him. He did not see any attempt to unload the wings. During the last 200 ft of descent, the rotation rate increased slightly.

Airport security video depicted the final portion of the flight. A review of the provided video revealed that immediately before impact, the airplane was in about a 60° nose low and right wing low attitude. The video depicted the bottom and left side views of the airplane. The landing gear and left speedbrake were retracted, and all three vertical stabilizers were visible. The positions of the left aileron, left elevator, and rudder flight control surfaces could not be accurately determined.

The airplane impacted onto the Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS) at the approach end of runway 30. The wreckage was recovered for further examination.

At 1312, a surface weather observation taken at SUA reported wind 360° at 10 knots with gusts to 16 knots, 7 miles visibility, scattered clouds 1,300 feet, broken clouds 1,500 feet, temperature 28°C, dew point 23°C, and an altimeter setting 30.08 inches of mercury.

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information


Aircraft Make: GRUMMAN
Registration: N10VD
Model/Series: OV-1 D
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: SUA, 16 ft msl
Observation Time: 1312 EDT
Distance from Accident Site:
Temperature/Dew Point: 28°C / 23°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Scattered / 1300 ft agl
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 10 knots / 16 knots, 360°
Lowest Ceiling: Broken / 1500 ft agl
Visibility:  7 Miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.08 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Stuart, FL (SUA)
Destination: Stuart, FL (SUA)

Wreckage and Impact Information


Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: On-Ground
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: On-Ground
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 27.176111, -80.212500 

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. 


Dr. Joseph Masessa

STUART — Dr. Joseph Masessa was identified as the pilot who died during a fiery plane crash Friday afternoon.

Masessa, was the only one pilot scheduled to fly a Grumman OV-1D Mohawk during the show.

Since the Stuart Air Show started 30 years ago, this is the first plane crash the event has seen, officials said. 

"He will always be remembered as we move forward in future endeavors," a post from the Stuart Air Show said. 

On Saturday, all Stuart Air Show events were canceled because of weather. The Stuart Air Show will return to its scheduled program on Sunday. Officials with the show were unable to be reached Saturday despite numerous attempts.

Sheriff William Snyder of the Martin County Sheriff's Office said Masessa had performed at the air show in previous years and was from South Florida. Snyder said at a press conference Friday Masessa was an experienced pilot.

"The sheriff's office and all of us here are extremely saddened by this," Snyder said. "This is part of the air show, this airplane was here and getting ready for the air show."

Fire Rescue officials said they were staged at the airport and immediately responded when the plane crashed. Officials said nothing could have been done to save Masessa.

“It was in its practice routine and it went nose down into the runway,” said Chris Kammel, bureau chief of Martin County Fire Rescue EMS. 

Witnesses outside the airport reported seeing black smoke after the crash. The plane was fully engulfed in flames, Snyder said.  

"Joe was a beloved performer of the air show, a local Floridian and will forever be family," a Twitter post by the Stuart Air Show said. 

Story and video ➤ https://www.tcpalm.com

Joseph M. Masessa, M.D. was a Diplomate of American Board of Dermatology as well as trained in MOHS Skin Cancer Surgery, Reconstructive Surgery, and General & Cosmetic Dermatology. 


A crew works to add the names of missing Vietnam War soldiers onto Joseph Masessa's Grumman OV-1D Mohawk plane.

A dermatologist from New Jersey died after his plane crashed Friday as he prepared for an air show in Florida, officials for the event confirmed.

Joseph Masessa specialized in skin cancer, surgery and cosmetic dermatology in five North Jersey Dermatology Center locations: Rockaway, Parsippany, Clifton, Newfoundland and Kearny. He is also listed as a doctor for the Dermatology Center of Florida.

The Martin County Sheriff’s Office in Florida said a Grumman OV-1 Mohawk was set to take part in the Stuart Airshow this weekend but crashed on a runway extension at Whitman Field around 1 p.m. Friday. The airshow listed Masessa as the person who would fly the Mohawk in its lineup.

“Joe was a beloved performer of the air show, a local Floridian, and will forever be family,” the Audi Stuart Air Show in Florida wrote in a statement.

A friend who worked on Masessa’s crew around 2014 said the doctor lived and worked in New Jersey and would come to Florida to perform in airshows. He was unsure if Masessa had been living in Florida at the time of the crash.

“He was an incredible pilot," said Brandon Walker, who lives in Georgia. "He’d take his shirt off his back for you.”

Masessa owned a home in Franklin Lakes, according to property records.

The Martin County Sheriff’s Office is working with the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration to investigate the crash. The FAA did not respond to a request for comment Saturday and no one from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office was available to comment.

The doctor loved the Mohawk plane, which was built for battle and first used in the Vietnam War. He even had the names of missing soldiers from that war added onto the fuselage.

Walker told NJ Advance Media that the plane was the world’s "first flying monument.”

“This was our thank you to these men and women, our way to say that they are not forgotten,” said Walker, who helped add the names onto the plane’s exterior.

Masessa was a member of the OV-1 Mohawk Association. One member remembered Masessa as a “prolific airshow artist” and mourned him on the group’s website.

“This is a huge tragedy for the OV-1 Mohawk community,” Bill McNease wrote.


Original article can be found here ➤ https://www.nj.com

Joseph Masessa, far left, stands with others in the pilot community.

STUART, Florida — Karl Robinson was playing a quick round of golf Friday afternoon when he saw it: a plane, part of the Stuart Air Show, drop out of the sky.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Robinson said. “You see this stuff on TV or movies or on internet videos or something, but it was pretty shocking to see that. I’ve never seen anything like that in my life.”

Robinson was golfing on the Martin County Golf Course, which is adjacent to the Witham Field, where the show was taking place.

He was in his golf cart, driving from one hole to the next when he saw the crash.

Robinson drove the cart to the fence that separates the course from the airport and got as close as he could.

He quickly realized there was nothing anyone could do.

“The fire was put out real quickly,” he said. “And you’re looking around for the plane and the parts and the pieces, and there was really not much to see.

“You’re going up to the scene expecting to see all this wreckage, and it was just little pieces of metal. There was nothing there.”

Investigators said the pilot was the only one on board the plane and was killed.

“It was very startling and surreal. You’re seeing something that your mind is not believing,” Robinson said. “It was shocking. It was a tough thing to witness. I’ll never forget it.”

The pilot’s identity has not yet been released.

The National Transportation Safety Board will conduct the investigation into the cause of the crash.

Story and video ➤ https://www.wpbf.com


Dr. Joseph Masessa


















STUART – One person is dead after a plane associated with this weekend’s Stuart Air Show crashed Friday afternoon.

The sole victim was the male pilot who performed at this air show previously, said Sheriff William Snyder of the Martin County Sheriff's Office. Identity of the person killed was not released, pending notification of next of kin. 

The Stuart Air Show opening day nighttime air show and dirty flight suit party were canceled Friday because of the crash. Air Show officials are hoping to reschedule the events for after Saturday's air show. The rest of of the weekend's events will resume as planned, Air Show officials said in a statement. 

This was the first fatality at the Stuart Air Show in its 30-year history, officials said. 

The crash happened about 1:10 p.m. at Witham Field airport, on runway 30 near the Martin County Golf Course. The airport has been closed since the crash, Snyder said about 3:30 p.m. 

Air Show officials have not determined whether the show will open at its scheduled 5 p.m. start time, but cannot open until the airport reopens. 

“It was in its practice routine and it went nose down into the runway,” said Chris Kammel, bureau chief of Martin County Fire Rescue EMS. 

Fire Rescue personnel staged at the airport for the air show witnessed the crash. They immediately responded and extinguished the flames quickly, he said. 

Witnesses outside the airport reported seeing black smoke after the crash. The plane was fully engulfed in flames, Snyder said.  

"There was nothing that could have been done” to save the pilot because of the damage, said Kevin Herdon, Martin County Fire Rescue deputy fire chief. 

Snyder said the plane was a Grumman Mohawk military plane.

Peggy Mooney, 67, afternoon manager for the Martin County Golf Course, said she saw the smoke. The golf course is just east of the airport.

“I didn’t know what was going on,” she said. ”We were afraid it was the air (show) because they’ve been flying around.”

Students at J.D. Parker Elementary in Stuart were at the airport earlier in the day on a field trip, but had already left before the crash, Martin County School District spokeswoman Jennifer DeShazo said.

The scene was turned over to the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.  

Officials have not decided whether the Stuart Air Show will go on as scheduled.

Story and video ➤ https://www.tcpalm.com

















STUART, Florida — The Martin County Sheriff's Office says one person died when a plane crashed at the Stuart Air Show on Friday afternoon.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board said they're investigating the crash of a Grumman OV-1 Mohawk.

The FAA said the Mohawk, with only the pilot aboard, crashed on the approach end of Runway 1 at Witham Field, located at 2011 SE Airport Rd., around 1:15 p.m.

Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said the victim is an adult male. It's unclear what caused the plane to go down.

"Fire Rescue personnel were already on the scene and had extinguished the flames which, by all appearances, had fully engulfed the airplane," said Sheriff Snyder at a news conference on Friday afternoon.

Officials said Witham Field is currently closed until further notice, meaning no aviation activity, until local and federal investigators complete their investigation.

The Stuart Air Show, which was was supposed to start at 5 p.m. Friday, has been canceled for Friday night.

"There will be no aeronautical activity for the Friday night Air Show tonight," said George Stokus, the assistant Martin County administrator. "It does appear, based on weather and the incidents that were involved right now, that the fireworks as well as the Dirty Flight Suit Party will not be occurring today."

Officials at the Stuart Air Show released this statement:

"Due to an unfortunate incident today, the Audi Stuart Air Show's night time air show and TD Bank Dirty Flight Suit Party have been cancelled for this evening, Friday, November 1, 2019. We are working to reschedule this event for after tomorrow's airshow, Saturday, November 2, 2019. At this time, the remainder of the weekend's event will resume as planned. If you purchased a Friday General Admission ticket, those tickets will be honored on Saturday or Sunday. If you have a ticket for TD Bank's Dirty Flight Suit Party, stay tuned to our social media channels and your email, as we will be providing updates as soon as we can.

f you purchased a Friday General Admission ticket, those tickets will be honored on Saturday or Sunday. If you have a ticket for TD Bank's Dirty Flight Suit Party, stay tuned to our social media channels and your email, as we will be providing updates as soon as we can. Thank you for your understanding."

A photo posted to social media by MCSO shows the aircraft on the grass at Witham Field with its wings smashed and metal debris scattered around it.

A separate photo from the area shows a cloud of thick, black smoke rising into the sky.

"I saw a gray bomber fly down, and literally within seconds, it just kind of caught my breath because he flew so far down that I thought, there is no way they could have pulled up," said Natalie Evans, a witness. "It just kind of shocked me, stunned me. I didn’t hear a crash and I waited just a little bit and I saw smoke. That part was very upsetting."

According to the Stuart Air Show website, a Grumman OV-1 Mohawk is scheduled to perform at the event.

A Grumman OV-1 Mohawk is a "twin-engine turboprop armed military observation and attack aircraft, designed for battlefield surveillance and light strike capabilities and was intended to operate from short, unimproved runways in support of United States Army maneuver forces," according to the Stuart Air Show's website.

Sheriff Snyder said this type of aircraft was in production from 1959 to 1970.

"To the best of our knowledge, this is the first plane crash the Air Show has ever had," said Sheriff Snyder.

The Stuart Air Show tweeted on Friday they've "had an incident involving one of our aircraft. All local and federal agencies are on site and investigating so that we may ensure the safety of our airshow before we continue."

Story and video ➤ https://www.wptv.com



Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Orlando

February 17, 2017: Aircraft on landing, gear collapsed. 

Date: 17-FEB-17
Time: 02:45:00Z
Regis#: N10VD
Aircraft Make: GRUMMAN
Aircraft Model: OV-1
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: MINOR
Activity: UNKNOWN
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
City: JACKSONVILLE
State: FLORIDA

30 comments:

  1. That thing went straight in without even any type of recovery attempt, pitch or roll. Medical event? Complete hydraulic failure? I have no idea if this aircraft's flight controls can even be manipulated or not with zero hydraulic operation. Any former Mohawk drivers out there who can shed light on this? Otherwise, we'll just have to wait on the preliminary for a clue and the final report a couple years from now for the cause(s). RIP to the pilot and prayers to his family and friends.

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  2. The video is not that clear and a bit distorted but considering the unique profile off the plane it looks to me he is flying inverted and pulling ''up'' which means into the ground at the last moment...…
    Condolences to his family and RIP to the pilot ...

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  3. Stall/spin: no. Catastrophic failure: no. Major hydraulic failure: possible. In-flight medical emergency: possible. Suicide: possible. R.I.P.

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    Replies
    1. I KNEW DR JOE AND FLEW WITH HIM... SUICIDE NO.

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  4. Possible he misjudged the pull out on his routine.

    The concrete where he hit is pulverized ... at first I thought it was EMAS.

    RIP

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  5. Seems like I’m not the only one who appears he hit inverted. Didn’t seem to be any attempt at all to change the flight path. I’m thinking medical problem too.

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  6. Another well-educated multifaceted human being gone.
    Rest in peace.
    Condolences to family and friends who loved him dearly.

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  7. Elevator or control system failure. Someone with this much experience... No way I'd back seat this to say pilot error. Something happened, and he had no control.

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  8. No type of mechanical failure at all. The only failure was done by the pilot, sadly. According to several high time pilots who were familiar with the airplane and pilot, and were at the airport and witnessed the accident, all said the aircraft had entered a stall as it was recovering from a rolling maneuver while practicing for the airshow. RIP to the pilot, and prayers for his family. All it takes is one tiny misjudgement while fairly low, and there is no measurable altitude to recover! Sad!

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  9. What a shame, thanks for displaying your airplane over the years, Doc. Mistakes happen but at low altitude, there's not much room for error. Maybe an ejection seat would have helped but at low altitude and a steep attitude, an ejection may not have had time. Looks like it hit the EMAS off one end of runway 12/30.

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    Replies
    1. Ejection seat disabled by Army upon sale to private individuals. This Martin Baker seat can eject at zero altitude at takeoff speed on runway.

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  10. Several YouTube videos are listed below that show the Doc with his plane (cut/paste the exact text titles into YouTube search from each line below). Some of the videos have up close views of the Doc enjoying the flying and speaking about it all. Sad turn of events to lose him.
    Fly with the OV-1 Mohawk at Sun 'n Fun (360 Video)
    AirVenture pilot: Flying OV-1D is like sitting on end of very powerful broomstick
    Grumman OV-1D Mohawk Cockpit & Walkaround (N10VD)
    Mohawk Promo Video
    Mohawk 2017 Sizzle
    US Army OV-1 Mohawk Demo Flight | Selfridge Airshow 2017
    OV-1 Mohawk 2016 Cherry Point Air Show
    Grumman OV-1 Mohawk air show at Florida International Air Show.
    2016 Greenwood Lake Airshow - Grumman OV-1 Mohawk
    US ARMY Vietnam Era Triple Tail Attack Plane OV-1 Mohawk
    Cockpit View (Tristate Channel)
    Tail View (Tristate Channel)
    Take off (Tristate Channel)
    VIDEO TS x264 mpeg1video

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  11. open https://tinyurl.com/y69ypnlx to read page 24 from 'United States Army Aviation Digest' article "Speaking of the OV-1" concerning a web search for 'stall recovering from roll Mohawk'

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  12. Joe Masessa and I were good friends. I don't suspect suicide as he and I had significant future plans. He had airshow aerobatic certification and plenty of high G experience. I suspect a mechanical failure.

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  13. I was friends with Joe and no way this was suicide. I spoke with him weeks ago and we had plans too.

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  14. The video shows the OV-1D upside-down going into the runway at almost a 45 degree angle for quite a long time suggesting pilot was not oriented or worse had a black-out. This reveals a DESIGN FLAW: OV-1s should have had dual controls and alsways flow with the observer as an emergency pilot who in this case could have saved the plane and the doctor. Another lack is no Recovery Parachute (RP) that IS possible now for a large twin if not inverted.

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  15. Failure of elevator up control authority may be to blame. I understand the aircraft was not inverted and did not stall. It simply nosed over and impacted after an easy maneuver.

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  16. First comment was a question regarding hydraulics:

    The Hawk’s Hydraulic system operates the landing gear, flaps, speed brakes, nosewheel steering and windshield wipers. The only controls surfaces operated by hydraulics are the inboard ailerons, which only operate when the flaps are deployed. All other control and trim surfaces are mechanically actuated through control cables. Though the airplane only has a single hydraulic pump and accumulator, the airplane is quite flyable upon loss of hydraulic pressure. Gear can be manually extended and there is a blow-down bottle.

    “Stoney”
    Hawk 017
    73rd M.I.

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    Replies
    1. MAJ P AND I FLEW WITHOUT HYDRALICS 30 NIBUTES IN NAM, BLEW THE GEAR DOWN AND LANDED.WE DID TAKE THE 10,000 FOOT RUNWAY INSTEAD OF OUR 1000 FOOT.

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  17. I'm going with pilot incapacitation on this one. RIP

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  18. this is not an F18, F22 or a Falcon. does anybody else ever remember any other geniuses doing aerobatics at airshows in one of these? who would actually see one of these and go wow I want to do aerobatic routines at airshows in this! I'm guessing the only reason he was even successful at getting these gigs was because no one else would even come up with this hair brained scheme. Also love the comments like "he was an experienced pilot". That depends, a 200 hour pilot might agree with that but someone with over 20,000 hours might not think that is a whole lot of experience. He obviously was NOT Bob Hoover though! Hoover did far more daring maneuvers in his aero commander and never even hurt himself. now THAT is what I'd call an experienced pilot. the few videos I saw of this guy doing his routines indicated quite a bit of unnecessary rudder resulting in uncoordinated flight. pretty good setup for a stall on the wing with the down aileron. at least he didn't hurt anybody else. Thank God he didn't have an "observer" in the plane so we had 2 dead instead of one! the pilot at least seemed to be smarter than most of the genius armchair quarterback posters on here!

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  19. Five doctors killed in a one month period:

    Grumman OV-1D Mohawk, Stuart FL, 2019-nov-01
    Cessna 414A, Linden NJ, 2019-oct-29
    PA-32R-301T, Paducah KY, 2019-oct-31
    PA-32-301, Morrisville NC, 2019-oct-20
    PA-23-250F, Gonzales LA, 2019-oct-13

    I know it's a statistical fluke but yikes!

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  20. From Oct 13 - Nov 1 = 19 days
    Casualty count ?
    Loss to family and friends!
    Loss of their skill sets!
    Loss of services to # patients!
    Loss of employment by # staff!
    Loss to the community!

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  21. From the astounding display of brilliance above: "this is not an F18, F22 or a Falcon. does anybody else ever remember any other geniuses doing aerobatics at airshows in one of these?"

    Actually, yes. The U.S. Navy and Air Force performs aerobatic displays in these aircraft at airshows all over the country. They have for many years. You may have heard of the Blue Angels, or perhaps the Thunderbirds? Raptor demonstration team? No?

    But, hey, your ill informed and condescending comment made you feel like a really cool, really smart guy for a few moments, so there's your upside, right? SMDH . . .

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  22. Wonder if the pilot had a video recorder operating during this accident.

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  23. To Anonymous : From the astounding display of brilliance above: "this is not an F18, F22 or a Falcon. does anybody else ever remember any other geniuses doing aerobatics at airshows in one of these?"

    Actually, yes. The U.S. Navy and Air Force performs aerobatic displays in these aircraft at airshows all over the country. They have for many years. You may have heard of the Blue Angels, or perhaps the Thunderbirds? Raptor demonstration team? No?

    But, hey, your ill informed and condescending comment made you feel like a really cool, really smart guy for a few moments, so there's your upside, right? SMDH . . .




    Does anybody else ever remember any other geniuses doing aerobatics at airshows in one of these?"............The guy is referring does anyone do airshows in the Mowhawk ?

    Read his text again , He is saying this airplane was not like the airshows done with
    F-18's.....F-22's......or even F-16 Falcons . Who elese ever did acro in airshows with
    the Mohawk ? This was not even close to the level of the great Bob Hoover flying twin
    engine airplanes .

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  24. You guys are all wrong. He entered too tight of a turn from base to final, tip stalled it and was immediately inverted, then he probably tried to save it by staying inverted and pushing forward on the controls instead of wasting precious time trying to roll out 180 degrees first. That's what I would have done if I ended up in that predicament. Mohawk probably flies like crap inverted though.

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  25. I was invited by Dr. Masassa or my son to fly on Friday for the check out flight for the Stuart Airshow. I declined for us both. Thank God. Not sure what happened, but man this is sad and what a loss of a great doctor and aviator.

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