Friday, May 10, 2019

Piper PA-32R-300 Cherokee Lance, N7721C: Accident occurred November 11, 2019 in Goodnews Bay, Alaska -and- Incident occurred May 08, 2019 in Eek, Alaska

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Anchorage, Alaska

November 11, 2019:  Aircraft crashed into the Goodnews Bay after departure.


https://registry.faa.gov/N7721C

Date: 11-NOV-19
Time: 04:00:00Z
Regis#: N7721C
Aircraft Make: PIPER
Aircraft Model: PA-32R
Event Type: ACCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: SUBSTANTIAL
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: TAKEOFF (TOF)
Operation: 91
City: GOODNEWS
State: ALASKA

A six-seater Piper Lance operated by regional airline Yute Commuter Service crashed in Goodnews Bay on the evening of November 10th. Station Manager Andrew Flagg said that the pilot was the only one in the plane and escaped without injuries. Flagg declined to give any more details until the investigation into the crash concludes.


Original article can be found here ➤ https://www.kyuk.org

May 08, 2019:  Aircraft tipped forward and sustained prop strike.

Date: 08-MAY-19
Time: 20:21:00Z
Regis#: N7721C
Aircraft Make: PIPER
Aircraft Model: PA 32R 300
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: MINOR
Activity: ON DEMAND
Flight Phase: TAXI (TXI)
Operation: 135
City: EEK
State: ALASKA

Piper PA-28-161, N532DM: Incident occurred March 01, 2020 at Williston Municipal Airport (X60), Levy County, Florida -and- Incident occurred May 06, 2019 at Merritt Island Airport (KCOI), Brevard County, Florida

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Tampa, Florida 

March 01, 2020:  Aircraft was attempting to turn around on a taxiway and struck a hangar.

Skyblue Aviation Cr Inc

https://registry.faa.gov/N532DM

Date: 01-MAR-20
Time: 14:00:00Z
Regis#: N532DM
Aircraft Make: PIPER
Aircraft Model: PA28
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: TAXI (TXI)
Operation: 91
City: WILLISTON
State: FLORIDA

May 06, 2019:   Lost directional control, prop strike and struck two (2) taxi lights.

Date: 06-MAY-19
Time: 06:50:00Z
Regis#: N532DM
Aircraft Make: PIPER
Aircraft Model: PA28 161
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: MINOR
Activity: INSTRUCTION
Flight Phase: TAKEOFF (TOF)
Operation: 91
City: MERRITT ISLAND
State: FLORIDA

Bell 206B, N331MH: Incident occurred May 09, 2019 - Fisher Island, Miami-Dade County, Florida

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; South Florida

Made emergency landing at a golf course.


Miami Helicopter Inc


https://registry.faa.gov/N331MH


Date: 09-MAY-19
Time: 21:30:00Z
Regis#: N331MH
Aircraft Make: BELL
Aircraft Model: 206B
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: NONE
Activity: SIGHT SEEING
Flight Phase: EMERGENCY DESCENT (EMG)
Aircraft Operator: MIAMI HELICOPTERS
City: FISHER ISLAND
State: FLORIDA




MIAMI BEACH, Florida  (WSVN) - Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews responded to the Fisher Island golf course after a helicopter made an emergency landing there.

MDFR crews were called to the scene just before 5:30 p.m., Thursday.

Officials said the pilot was the only person on board the helicopter at the time of the landing.

The pilot could be seen walking around the course after the aircraft landed.

No injuries were reported.

Rescue crews checked out the pilot on the scene as a precaution.

Story and video ➤ https://wsvn.com

Cessna 172S Skyhawk SP, N567DD: Incident occurred May 09, 2019 at Daytona Beach International Airport (KDAB), Volusia County, Florida -and- Incident occurred February 19, 2017 at Flagler Executive Airport (KFIN), Palm Coast, Florida

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Orlando, Florida 

May 09, 2019: Veered off the runway, hit a runway light.

Air America Flight Center LLC

https://registry.faa.gov/N567DD

Date: 09-MAY-19
Time: 21:49:00Z
Regis#: N567DD
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: 172S
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: INSTRUCTION
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
Operation: 91
City: DAYTONA BEACH
State: FLORIDA

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Orlando, Florida

February 19, 2017: Aircraft on taxi, went off taxiway and struck lights.

Date: 19-FEB-17
Time: 18:48:00Z
Regis#: N567DD
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: C172
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: UNKNOWN
Flight Phase: TAXI (TXI)
City: PALM COAST
State: FLORIDA

McDonnell Douglas MD-88, N977DL: Accident occurred April 04, 2019 at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (KATL), Atlanta, Georgia

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Atlanta, Georgia

Flight 1276: On taxi to gate struck a baggage truck.

Delta Air Lines Inc

https://registry.faa.gov/N977DL

Date: 04-APR-19
Time: 20:15:00Z
Regis#: N977DL
Aircraft Make: MCDONNELL DOUGLAS
Aircraft Model: MD88
Event Type: ACCIDENT
Highest Injury: UNKNOWN
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: COMMERCIAL
Flight Phase: TAXI (TXI)
Operation: 121
Aircraft Operator: DELTA AIRLINES
Flight Number: 1276
City: ATLANTA
State: GEORGIA

Loss of Control on Ground: Piper PA-20 Pacer, N7046K, accident occurred May 06, 2019 at Canandaigua Airport (KIUA), Ontario County, New York










Aviation Accident Final Report - National Transportation Safety Board 

Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Rochester, New York

Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board:


Location: Canandaigua, NY
Accident Number: GAA19CA293
Date & Time: 05/06/2019, 0740 EDT
Registration: N7046K
Aircraft: Piper PA 20
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Loss of control on ground
Injuries: 1 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal 

Analysis

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, during landing, the left wing raised and the airplane "violently turned left." The pilot attempted to recover, but the airplane ground looped and nosed over.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, right wing lift strut, and rudder.

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Probable Cause and Findings

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing, which resulted in a ground loop.

Findings

Aircraft Directional control - Not attained/maintained
Personnel issues Aircraft control - Pilot

Factual Information

History of Flight

Landing Loss of control on ground (Defining event)
Landing Attempted remediation/recovery
Landing Nose over/nose down

Pilot Information

Certificate: Private
Age: 68, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): Helicopter
Restraint Used: Unknown
Instrument Rating(s): None
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 3 With Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 07/24/2017
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: 03/11/2018
Flight Time:   (Estimated) 1091 hours (Total, all aircraft), 5 hours (Total, this make and model), 1083 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft), 9 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 5 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft), 0.8 hours (Last 24 hours, all aircraft) 

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Piper
Registration: N7046K
Model/Series: PA 20 Undesignated
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 1950
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: 20-154
Landing Gear Type: Tailwheel
Seats: 4
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 05/16/2018, Annual
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 1950 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection:
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 2758 Hours as of last inspection
Engine Manufacturer: Lycoming
ELT: Installed, not activated
Engine Model/Series: O-290 SERIES
Registered Owner: Stone, Jessica M.
Rated Power:
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: KROC, 555 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site: 20 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 1154 UTC
Direction from Accident Site: 309°
Lowest Cloud Condition:
Visibility:  10 Miles
Lowest Ceiling: Broken / 18000 ft agl
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 3 knots /
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual: None / None
Wind Direction: 230°
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual: N/A / N/A
Altimeter Setting: 29.97 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 11°C / 7°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: Niagara Falls, NY (NY49)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: Canandaigua, NY (IUA)
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time: 0700 EDT
Type of Airspace: Class G

Airport Information

Airport: CANANDAIGUA (IUA)
Runway Surface Type: Asphalt
Airport Elevation: 813 ft
Runway Surface Condition: Dry
Runway Used: 31
IFR Approach: None
Runway Length/Width: 5500 ft / 100 ft
VFR Approach/Landing: Full Stop; Traffic Pattern

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 None
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 None
Latitude, Longitude:  42.910000, -77.330000 (est)

Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub, N9627P: Incident occurred May 09, 2019 at Burke Lakefront Airport (KBKL), Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Cleveland, Ohio

Nosed over.

Drake Aerial Enterprises LLC
doing business as
Air America Aerial Ads

https://registry.faa.gov/N9627P

Date: 09-MAY-19
Time: 15:40:00Z
Regis#: N9627P
Aircraft Make: PIPER
Aircraft Model: PA 18 150
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: UNKNOWN
Flight Phase: TAXI (TXI)
Operation: 91
City: CLEVELAND
State: OHIO

Hawker Hunter Mk 58, N343AX: Accident occurred May 09, 2019 at Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport (KPHF), Virginia

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 did not travel to the scene of this accident.

Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Richmond, Virginia

Airborne Tactical Advantage


Location: Newport News, VA 
Accident Number: ERA19LA169
Date & Time: May 9, 2019, 10:15 Local 
Registration: N343AX
Aircraft: Hawker Siddeley HUNTER 
Injuries: 1 None 
Flight Conducted Under: Public aircraft

On May 9, 2019, at 1015 eastern daylight time, a Hawker Siddeley Hunter MK-58, N343AX, was substantially damaged during a runway excursion at Newport News-Williamsburg International (PHF), Newport News, Virginia. The airline transport pilot was not injured. The airplane was registered to Hunter Aviation International, Inc. and operated by Airborne Tactical Advantage (ATAC) under contract with the U.S. Navy as a public aircraft. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the local instructional flight that departed about 0930.

An ATAC flight instructor reported that the purpose of the flight was initial training for the recently hired airline transport pilot. The mission briefing, preflight inspection, takeoff, and en route phases of the flight were unremarkable. The flight instructor was observing the flight and providing the pilot verbal instructions from another MK-58, which was being flown in formation with the accident airplane. The pilot then returned to PHF to practice touch-and-go landings.

According to the pilot, following the third touch-and -go landing, the landing gear was retracted; however, the right main landing gear indicated unsafe. After consultation with the flight instructor, the pilot again attempted to lower the landing gear and then observed the normal "three down and locked" indication. As the pilot turned onto the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, he noticed a hydraulic warning light. The flight instructor also noticed fluid streaming from the right side of the airplane. Shortly thereafter, the pilot noted low hydraulic pressure and decided that he would conduct a no-flap landing, utilizing the remaining hydraulic pressure to boost the flight controls.

On final approach, the hydraulic pressure decayed to the point that the elevator and then the ailerons were no longer hydraulically boosted. The pilot trimmed the stick forces out and the airplane touched down at approximately 180 knots indicated airspeed and about 1500-2000 ft from the runway threshold. Immediately upon touchdown, the right main landing gear collapsed and the pilot deployed the brake chute. The pilot then applied full left rudder and squeezed the brake handle in an attempt to keep the airplane on the runway surface. The airplane veered off the right side of the runway and came to a complete stop.

Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the right main landing gear strut was broken in two parts. The right main landing gear was removed for further examination.

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Hawker Siddeley
Registration: N343AX
Model/Series: HUNTER MK58 
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No
Operator:
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Operator Designator Code:

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: VMC
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: phf, 42 ft msl
Observation Time: 10:54 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 0 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 25°C /17°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Few / 30 ft AGL
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 8 knots / , 170°
Lowest Ceiling: None 
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.17 inches Hg 
Type of Flight Plan Filed: IFR
Departure Point: Newport News, VA (PHF)
Destination: Newport News, VA (PHF)

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 None 
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A 
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 None
Latitude, Longitude: 37.131942,-76.493057 (est)



James McCabe was working near the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport Thursday morning as fighter jets were conducting maneuvers on the airstrip.

McCabe — a forester for Newport News Waterworks — was “counting trees” near Harwoods Mill Reservoir as part of the agency’s forest management plan. The jets, he said, were doing staggered “touch-and-goes” — landing and taking off without coming to a full stop.

“One would fly high and not land, and the lower one would come down and touch, and then take off again,” he said.

McCabe took some pictures as they conducted the maneuvers, “and didn’t think much of it.” The operations stopped a bit later on.

“I thought they were taking a break for lunch or something like that,” he said.

But when he saw the news Friday morning about the hard landing at the airport — that a jet skidded off one runway and across a second runway during an emergency landing — McCabe looked again at his camera roll.

“Now it all makes sense,” McCabe said. “It’s kind of hard to fly out of the grass.”

He found several pictures on his camera — moments before the emergency landing — showing the jet with only two of its three wheels down. The other wheel was still tucked under the plane’s right wing.

The registration number on the plane in McCabe’s pictures matched the number on the plane in the grass. The time stamp on the photos also match up, though they are an hour off because McCabe hadn’t adjusted his camera for daylight saving time.

Airport Executive Director Mike Giardino told the Daily Press Thursday that the jet’s pilot declared an emergency before it landed on one of the airport’s two runways at about 10:16 a.m. The jet went off that runway, crossed into an infield area, then skidded across a second runway, too.

The plane came to rest in a grassy area between a taxiway and the second runway, Giardino said. The airport’s fire department responded, but the pilot got out of the plane “on his own” and was not injured.

Airport operations were closed from 10:20 a.m. until just before noon.

One runway reopened at 11:54 a.m., while the second runway reopened at about 2:30 p.m., after debris was removed from the site. Some commercial flights were delayed, and private “general aviation” planes also couldn’t take off or land during that time.

The jet, an MK-58 Hawker Hunter, is owned and operated by Airborne Tactical Advantage (ATAC) — a Newport News-based defense contractor that helps train military pilots and is a division of Textron.

The jets typically play the enemy in training, to include air-to-air combat scenarios. The Hunter, first developed in the 1950s and later upgraded, is a single-seat fighter made by Hawker Aircraft in the United Kingdom and was flown by the British Royal Air Force.

The incident has been reported to the National Transportation Safety Board, Giardino said.

David Dober, ATAC's chief of staff, declined to talk about the training the pilots were doing before the emergency landing. He also would not identify the pilot or speculate on what happened during the incident. “We certainly don’t comment on active investigations, and we’re fully cooperating with the NTSB,” he said.

Terry Williams, an NTSB spokesman in Washington, D.C., said the case is being investigated, with no determination on cause. “We are still very early stages of gathering information,” he said.

Andrew Walton, director of safety at the Liberty University School of Aeronautics, said the pictures McCabe took of the fighter jet before landing “are consistent with a landing gear problem” — most likely caused by “some sort of mechanical failure.”

“Having these photographs is very useful to the investigators who will be looking at this,” Walton said. “You normally have pictures of the aftermath of the emergency” and statements from the pilots, air traffic controllers and others. But seeing the actual position of the three wheels before landing is “very helpful evidence,” he said.

Such photographs “are not unheard of, but not common either,” Walton said.

The wheels on aircraft are controlled by one mechanism, he said.

“There’s one handle or one switch that controls the position,” Walton said. “You’re either selecting them ‘all up’ or ‘all down.’ It’s not like a window on your car where you roll them up or down independently … For whatever reason, one of the three (wheels) did not come down.”

For a pilot to land the plane in such a situation, “You want to land on the (rear) wheel that’s down and keep the other side in the air as long as possible as you decelerate,” Walton said. “Then you have to be prepared for a hard swerve” once the other side touches down.

“You will tend to skid off in the direction of that missing wheel,” he said. “It’s almost impossible — it probably is impossible — to keep the plane on the runway … It takes a lot of skill to safely put the airplane on the ground and maximize the probability that the pilot will walk away.”

But experienced pilots are trained for such scenarios, Walton said, and the probability for survival is high. “Airports are designed to have lots of flat space around the runways, to allow a plane that’s lost directional control to safely decelerate. That’s why you don’t see trees growing in between the runways.”


https://www.dailypress.com



NEWPORT NEWS, Virginia — An Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC) jet went off the runway during an emergency landing at Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport on Thursday morning.

An airport official said around 10 a.m. the jet called in with "mechanical issues" and the pilot was forced to land.

The aircraft went into a grassy area.

The runway was closed temporarily, and a couple of flights were canceled due to the closure, the airport official said.

No one was injured.

Officials said the jet had one pilot and is usually contracted out by the military. The jet involved in Thursday's incident had been contracted by the Navy.

According to ATAC's website, the company is "the world’s largest outsourced civilian, tactical airborne training organization ... For the last 20 years, ATAC has trained Navy, Marine, Air Force and Army air-crews, ship-crews and combat controllers in the air-to-ship, air-to-air and air-to-ground arenas."

The incident is being investigated.

Story and video ➤ https://www.13newsnow.com

Cessna TR182 Turbo Skylane RG, N4829R: Incident occurred May 09, 2019 at Walla Walla Regional Airport (KALW), Washington

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Spokane, Washington

Gear collapsed.

Harbee Air LLC

https://registry.faa.gov/N4829R

Date: 09-MAY-19
Time: 19:42:00Z
Regis#: N4829R
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: TR182
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: MINOR
Activity: UNKNOWN
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
Operation: 91
City: WALLA WALLA
State: WASHINGTON

Mooney M20J 201, N111JP: Fatal accident occurred May 08, 2019 near Moose Lake Carlton County (KMZH), Minnesota

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; Minneapolis, Minnesota


Location: Moose Lake, MN
Accident Number: CEN19FA139
Date & Time: 05/08/2019, 1630 CDT
Registration: N111JP
Aircraft: Mooney M20J
Injuries: 1 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Business 

On May 8, 2019, about 1630 central daylight time, a Mooney M20J airplane, N111JP, crashed into Moose Horn River northwest of the Moose Lake Carlton County Airport (KMZH), Moose Lake, Minnesota. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was owned by Club Cherokee, Inc., and operated by a private individual under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) flight plan had been filed for the flight. The business flight was originating at the time of the accident and was en route to Crystal Airport (KMIC), Minneapolis, Minnesota.

FAA records indicate that the pilot obtained a weather briefing from flight service station at 1548. According to colleagues of the pilot, he departed the hospital about 1600, and drove to the airport about 7 minutes away. The pilot was issued an instrument clearance and a clearance void time of 1635. When the pilot did not check in with air traffic control, a search for the airplane and the pilot was initiated. Local law enforcement and fire/rescue personnel located the wreckage of the airplane about 1/4 mile to the northwest of the airport, in the river, the next morning.

The airplane came to rest near the west bank of the river in about 2 to 4 ft of water. The engine and propeller were embedded in the mud and silt on the bank of the river and the tail was extended into the air.

The closes official weather observation station was KMXH located just east of the accident site. The routine aviation weather observation for KMZH issued at 1615 reported wind 040° at 11 knots, gusting to 16 knots, visibility 2.5 miles with light snow, sky condition overcast clouds at 800 ft, temperature 1° Celsius (C), dewpoint temperature 0° C, altimeter 30.03 inches of Mercury. The observation issued at 1635 reported wind 030° at 11 knots, gusting to 18 knots, visibility 1.25 miles with light snow, sky condition overcast clouds at 600 ft, temperature 0° C, dewpoint temperature 0° C, altimeter 30.01 inches of Mercury. The observation issued at 1655 wind 040° at 10 knots, gusting to 15 knots, visibility 1 mile with light snow, sky condition over cast clouds at 600 ft, temperature 0° C, dewpoint temperature 0° C, altimeter 30.00 inches of Mercury.

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Mooney
Registration: N111JP
Model/Series: M20J No Series
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: Instrument Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KMZH, 1076 ft msl
Observation Time: 1635 CDT
Distance from Accident Site: 1 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 0°C / 0°C
Lowest Cloud Condition:
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 11 knots / 18 knots, 30°
Lowest Ceiling: Overcast / 600 ft agl
Visibility:  1.25 Miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.01 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: IFR
Departure Point: Moose Lake, MN (KMZH)
Destination: Minneapolis, MN (KMIC)

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 46.423333, -92.805556

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. Thomas J. Stillwell

Thomas Stillwell was an active pilot, Navy vet and doctor who flew around the region to see and treat patients.


Dr. Thomas J. Stillwell 


Dr. Thomas J. Stillwell 

The pilot of a small plane that crashed shortly after takeoff in Moose Lake on Wednesday was a Navy veteran, a former combat surgeon and a urologist who incorporated his lifelong love of flying into his medical work.

Thomas Stillwell of Plymouth, 65, was killed when the Mooney M20J four-seat aircraft he was flying crashed into the Moose Horn River as he was heading back to the Twin Cities. He was a physician at Minnesota Urology at the time of his death.


"The part of his practice he loved the most was traveling to clinics in outstate Minnesota and practicing urology in rural communities, and bringing his healing and his talents to folks who might otherwise not have access to such specialized care," said his daughter Kate Stillwell, who lives in California. He is also survived by his wife, Virginia, three other adult children and six grandchildren.


Stillwell is originally from Kohler, Wis., but served for years in the Navy, including service on the Iraq-Kuwait border during the first Gulf War, where he was a surgeon in a field hospital.


After leaving the service, he moved to Minnesota with his family in 1991 to work in a private practice, and start flight training.


Stillwell had been working in Moose Lake and filed a flight plan for his return trip to Crystal on Wednesday. The plane he flew belonged to Club Cherokee, a flying club at the airport. Club officials described him as a "long-standing and highly respected member."


When Stillwell failed to return home, the Federal Aviation Administration alerted local authorities, and searchers with the Carlton County Sheriff's Office located the plane in the river near the Moose Lake airport Thursday morning.


The FAA and the NTSB are investigating the crash and haven't offered any initial indication of what happened. A winter storm was moving through the region at the time.


Stillwell's daughter, Kate, said he was a seasoned and meticulous pilot, and had logged more than 2,000 hours of flight time. She said he made a practice of flying to clinics in Moose Lake, Mora, Onamia and Grantsburg, Wis., to see patients and perform surgery. She said he was flying as much as 12 days a month to care for his patients, many of them fellow veterans, which she said he particularly appreciated.


He also had a tradition of arranging get-togethers for veterans, particularly from World War II, from around the state to share their experiences.


"He would organize pilots to pick up veterans and fly them to a destination to have a reunion, to get to know each other and talk about the experiences they had and the services they provided. And to talk about airplanes," she said.


Funeral arrangements are pending.


Original article can be found here ➤ https://www.mprnews.org



MOOSE LAKE, Minnesota  — Search teams have located a missing single engine plane that took off from Moose Lake Wednesday night and failed to arrive at its destination in Crystal.

The plane was found Thursday morning in a river approximately half a mile west of Carlton County airport. The Carlton County Sheriff’s Office says a body pulled from the crashed aircraft is confirmed to be Dr. Thomas Stillwell, 65, of Plymouth. The body was found at 7 a.m. in the Moosehorn River.

Authorities say Stillwell has flown in and out of the airport before, and it is believed he was doing business at Mercy Hospital in Moose Lake before the crash occurred Wednesday afternoon. An internet search shows a Dr. Thomas Stillwell as a member of Minnesota Urology, who is associated both with North Memorial and Fairview Health Systems. 

Dispatchers in Carlton and Pine Counties were contacted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) around 8 p.m. informing them of a plane that was overdue. The flight plan said the pilot was set to leave the Moose Lake-Carlton County Airport at 4:30 with a scheduled landing in Crystal at 5:15 p.m.

Deputies in both Carlton and Pine Counties checked the airports in Cloquet, Moose Lake and Hinkley and were unable to locate the missing plane or its pilot. They also learned the aircraft was never picked up on radar at either the Duluth or Minneapolis Airport towers. 

Poor weather conditions prohibited an air search, so crews began a land search in the area around the Moose Lake Airport. At this point, no reports have been made from citizens regarding a downed aircraft.

The plane is a Mooney M20J 201.

A statement from Minnesota Urology:

The physicians and employees of Minnesota Urology were  devastated to learn early this morning that our colleague and  friend,  Dr.  Thomas  J.  Stillwell,  was  killed  late  yesterday  afternoon when piloting his plane from Moose Lake, MN back  to the Twin Cities.  Dr. Stillwell had just completed a regularly  scheduled day of patient care at the Mercy Hospital clinic,  where  he  provided  urologic  services  to  the  Moose  Lake  community two times per month. 

Dr. Stillwell’s practice was unique in that he focused mainly  on  providing  care  to  patients  in  rural  communities  that  otherwise did not have access to a urologic physician and  surgeon.  In addition to Moose Lake, Dr. Stillwell flew his  plane  to  Mora  MN,  Onamia,  MN,  and  Grantsburg,  WI  regularly for more than twenty years. 

“Tom was extremely dedicated to serving the rural communities of Minnesota and Western Wisconsin,”  noted Dr. Jeffry Twidwell, a fellow urologist who worked closely with Dr. Stillwell at Minnesota Urology.   “He was one of a kind.  In today’s world, how many specialty physicians dedicate their professional careers  to serving rural areas…and travel to them by piloting their own planes?  He was an incredibly generous  and caring individual.” 

Dr. Stillwell was a board‐certified urologist who received his medical degree from the Medical College of  Wisconsin in Milwaukee, and completed his residency at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.  Prior to beginning his  career at Minnesota Urology, Dr. Stillwell served as a surgeon with the U.S. Marines Mobile Surgical  Hospital in Kuwait during Desert Storm.  He has been named a Top Doctor in the Minneapolis/St. Paul  Magazine numerous years, including 2019.     

Dr. Stillwell was an outstanding physician, colleague and friend who will be deeply missed.  All of us at  Minnesota Urology extend our condolences to his family, who remain in our thoughts and prayers. 

Original article can be found here ➤  https://www.kare11.com


A Minnesota doctor was found dead in the wreckage of a private airplane Thursday morning south of Duluth, more than 12 hours after the flight failed to arrive at its destination in the Twin Cities.

The single-engine plane, bound for the Crystal Airport, was located in a river about 7 a.m. northwest of the runway of the Moose Lake Carlton County Airport following a search and rescue operation, the Sheriff’s Office said.

The pilot was identified as Thomas Stillwell, 65, of Plymouth. Stillwell, a well-known urologist associated with North Memorial and Fairview health systems, was recently named a Top Doctor by Mpls.St. Paul Magazine.

He was a Navy veteran who served as a surgical field medic in the Gulf War and had for decades flown to rural communities such as Sandstone, Moose Lake and Grantsburg, Wis., to treat patients.

“I love to fly,” he said in a 2016 interview with Minnesota Flyer. “I think being a pilot is part of your genetics. It’s somewhere deep in you that, once it gets tapped, it’s kind of hard to resist. You must feed this need. If you don’t, you’re not happy.”

Randy Ciche, head of maintenance at the Moose Lake airport, said the plane was routinely used by Stillwell to do medical outreach around the state.

Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board will work to determine the cause of the crash.

Weather in the area at the time was not ideal for flying, according to the National Weather Service. Rain was changing to heavy snow, dropping visibility to less than a mile, said meteorologist Chris O’Brien.

Sustained winds of 10 mph were gusting up to roughly 20 mph, O’Brien added.

The plane had a flight plan filed with a 4:30 p.m. departure Wednesday from the Moose Lake and a 5:15 p.m. arrival planned in Crystal, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

After the scheduled arrival time passed, the FAA contacted authorities in Carlton County and neighboring Pine County to the south.

That notification set off searches of airports in Cloquet, Moose Lake and Hinckley by sheriff’s deputies from Carlton and Pine counties.

Radar for major airports in Duluth and the Twin Cities failed to pick up the plane.

The 32-year-old Mooney M20J is registered with the FAA as being owned by the nonprofit Club Cherokee and has the Crystal Airport as its address.

“The Minnesota aviation community is a close-knit family, and any time there is an aircraft incident, we are all affected,” club manager Bruce Killam said in a statement Thursday afternoon. “The pilot … was a long-standing and highly regarded member of Club Cherokee.”

Original article can be found here ➤ http://www.startribune.com