Sunday, November 08, 2020

Piper PA-32-300 Cherokee Six, N33DW: Accident occurred November 08, 2020 near Pickaway County Memorial Airport (KCYO), Circleville, Ohio

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 Entity: 
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Columbus, Ohio

KLO Aviation LLC


Location: Circleville, OH 
Accident Number: CEN21LA049
Date & Time: November 8, 2020, 14:30 Local 
Registration: N33DW
Aircraft: Piper PA32 
Injuries: 1 None
Flight Conducted Under:

On November 8, 2020, about 1430 Eastern Standard Time, a Piper PA-32-300 airplane, N33DW, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Circleville, Ohio. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

According to initial information obtained by the responding Federal Aviation Administration inspector, the airplane experienced a loss of engine power shortly after takeoff. Due to the low altitude during the loss of engine power, the pilot performed a forced landing straight ahead and came to rest in a field.

A visual inspection of the airplane found fuel in both fuel tanks and substantial damage to both wing spars.

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Piper 
Registration: N33DW
Model/Series: PA32 300 
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: KRZT
Observation Time:
Distance from Accident Site:
Temperature/Dew Point: 25°C /5°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: / ,
Lowest Ceiling: 
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.3 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed:
Departure Point: Circleville, OH 
Destination: Circleville, OH

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 None 
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries:
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries:
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1
None Latitude, Longitude: 39.524079,-82.981683 (est)

PICKAWAY, Ohio – Dispatch is reporting a minor accident after a plane crashed in the field by the airport.
 
According to the report the airport is requesting a squad after a pilot crashed his plane in a field in the area around the airport on a minor emergency landing.

The pilot is claiming that the engine went out during takeoff and had to emergency land it in the field. He is not injured.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin: You might see or hear F-16 fighter jets the next two weeks

MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin (CBS 58) --- You might see or hear F-16 fighter jets the next two weeks - but don't fret!

The 115th Fighter Wing of the Wisconsin Air National Guard will be conducting evening training flights Monday, November 9th through Thursday, November 12th, as well as Monday, November 16th through Thursday, November 19th.

Officials say area residents may see or hear the jets taking off or landing around 10 p.m.

Training flights normally take place during daylight hours, but officials say pilots and maintenance personnel are required to conduct nighttime operations as part of their overall readiness.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs, pilots will follow flight paths designed to minimize noise to area residents. 

Cessna R172K Hawk XP, N1444V: Fatal accident occurred November 08, 2020 in Arch Cape, Clatsop County, Oregon

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 Entity: 
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Portland, Oregon


Location: Arch Cape, OR
Accident Number: WPR21LA061
Date & Time: November 8, 2020, 16:11 Local
Registration: N1444V
Aircraft: Cessna 172 
Injuries: 1 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Cessna
Registration: N1444V
Model/Series: 172 K 
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No
Operator: 
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Operator Designator Code:

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site:
Condition of Light:
Observation Facility, Elevation:
Observation Time: 16:30 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 
Temperature/Dew Point:
Lowest Cloud Condition: 
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: / ,
Lowest Ceiling:
Visibility:
Altimeter Setting:
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Tillamook, OR (TMK) 
Destination:

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal 
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries:
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal 
Latitude, Longitude: 45.767319,-123.98501 (est)

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.

The United States Coast Guard on Sunday morning suspended the search for a man who piloted a single-engine plane that reportedly crashed in the ocean late Saturday afternoon west of Cape Falcon.

Officials said the man took off from an airport near Tillamook before the crash.

Coast Guard boat and helicopter crews were searching for the man and debris overnight and again at daybreak and did not find the man or any debris.


TILLAMOOK, Oregon – The United States Coast Guard has suspended the search for a man who crashed a single-engine plane off the Oregon coast near Cape Falcon on Saturday.

On Saturday, coast guard crews located the aircraft and some debris after the plane reportedly crashed west of the cape, which is near the border of Tillamook and Clatsop counties.

A USCG helicopter and boat crew from the Tillamook Bay station went out searching in the area.

On Sunday, officials said they suspended their search for the pilot.

Bell 206A JetRanger, N123NC: Accident occurred November 08, 2020 in Raleigh, North Carolina

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 Entity: 
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Greensboro, North Carolina


Location: Raleigh, NC 
Accident Number: ERA21LA040
Date & Time: November 8, 2020, 14:45 Local
Registration: N123NC
Aircraft: Bell 206 
Injuries: 1 None
Flight Conducted Under:

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Bell 
Registration: N123NC
Model/Series: 206 A
Aircraft Category: Helicopter
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: KRDU,416 ft msl
Observation Time: 13:51 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 12 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 25°C /16°C
Lowest Cloud Condition:
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 8 knots / , 130°
Lowest Ceiling:
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.33 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed:
Departure Point: Raleigh, NC (3NC2) 
Destination: Raleigh, NC

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 None
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: 
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 None 
Latitude, Longitude: 35.732111,-78.628722 (est
 



RALEIGH, North Carolina (WNCN) — A North Carolina State Highway Patrol helicopter crashed Sunday afternoon in Wake County, officials said.

No injuries were reported in the crash, which happened just after 2 p.m. near the intersection of Garner Road and East Tryon Road, according to North Carolina State Highway Patrol Master Trooper Chris Knox.

The North Carolina State Highway Patrol helicopter facility is in the area where the crash happened.

There is no word on how the crash happened. Tryon Road is closed at Hammond Road because of the crash.

In photos from the scene, the damaged rotorcraft could be seen in the middle of a street. One photo showed the main rotors were destroyed and the tail section was twisted. The landing skids were bent upward and tail rotor was also bent and destroyed.

In 2018, a North Carolina State Highway Patrol helicopter crashed because the helicopter was still clamped to one side of the transporter used to take it to the heliport, according to a report from the National Transportation Safety Board.

The Bell OH-58A, N303HP, operated by highway patrol, crashed upon takeoff on June 19 and suffered substantial damage, the report shows.

The pilot “moved the helicopter from the hangar to the helipad using an electric/hydraulic transporter attached to the helicopter skids,” the report says. While preparing the helicopter for flight, the pilot unhooked the transporter clamp from the left skid. It was at that point the passenger asked the pilot about removing the controls from the co-pilot’s side of the aircraft, according to the report.

Lake Tapps, Pierce County, Washington


PIERCE COUNTY, Washington – The search for a reported plane crash in Lake Tapps was cancelled after the Sheriff's Office determined the plane flew low over the water but did not crash.

Dive Teams with the Pierce County Sheriff's Office searched Lake Tapps for reports of the crash Sunday morning.

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office says a witness called 911 to report a small plane going into the water by the north end of Tapps Island approximately 200 yards from the shoreline but several witness on scene said the plane flew low over the water but did not crash.

Beechcraft J35 Bonanza N617Q and Beechcraft M35 Bonanza, N338Z: Fatal accident occurred November 06, 2020 near Gillespie County Airport (T82), Fredericksburg, Texas

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; San Antonio, Texas 
Textron Aviation; Wichita, Kansas  



Location: Fredericksburg, TX
Accident Number: CEN21FA043
Date & Time: November 6, 2020, 16:38 Local
Registration: N617Q (A1); N338Z (A2)
Aircraft: Beech J35 (A1); Beech M35 (A2) 
Injuries: 1 Fatal (A1); 2 Minor (A2)
Flight Conducted Under:

On November 6, 2020, about 1638 central standard time, a Beech J35 airplane, N617Q, and a Beech M35 airplane, N338Z, were involved in a mid-air collision near Fredericksburg, Texas. The Beech J35 was destroyed, and the Beech M35 sustained substantial damage. The Beech J35 pilot sustained fatal injuries, and the Beech M35 pilot and pilot-rated observer sustained minor injuries. The airplanes were operated as Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flights.

According to the N338Z pilot and observer, the accident flight was a four-airplane formation flight that planned to practice formation operations in an area north of the Gillespie County Airport (T82), Fredericksburg, Texas. The airplanes were designated as A1 (N617Q; pilot and flight leader), A2 (N338Z; pilot and accompanied by an observer), A3, and A4. The flight was the third flight of the day for the A2 pilot.

The A1 and A2 airplanes departed T82’s runway 14 together and A3 and A4 followed their takeoff. Shortly after takeoff, the flight leader gave the signal to retract the landing gear and began a right turn. For an unknown reason, A2’s landing gear would not retract. At that time, either A3 or A4 notified the group via radio that A2’s landing gear was extended. A3 and A4 then rejoined to the left of A1 on the outside of the turning circle. A2 then moved to the “route” position (about 3 to 4 airplane widths away from A1) to troubleshoot the landing gear problem. While in the route position, A2 notified A1 the landing gear would not retract and thought it was in the down and locked position.

A1 acknowledged A2’s landing gear issue and cleared airplanes A3 and A4 to proceed to the practice area and maneuver as a two-airplane flight. A1 stated he would follow A2 back to T82, and A3 and A4 separated from the formation to the left and headed towards the practice area.  A1 directed A2 to take the lead and return to T82, and A2 acknowledged. A2 made a slight right turn away from A1 and leveled out on downwind for runway 14. A1 was about 3 to 4 airplane wingspans left (to the west) of A2.

At this time, A1 now became A2, and A2 became A1 per procedures due to the position of the airplanes for the remaining portion of the flight. Just prior to briefing the approach and landing plan, the pilot and observer (now A1) heard a loud “bang/wham” and the airplane violently shook. The airplane immediately pitched down, and the left wing dropped. A1’s engine sound went quiet which confused the pilot on what happened, as engine oil began to accumulate on the windscreen. The pilot reported that he and the observer were unsure of the damage to the airplane and constantly maintained cockpit resource management during the emergency descent. The pilot identified an off-airport landing area and was concerned about keeping the wings level and flying the airplane.

The pilot executed a forced landing to a grassy and small tree area. During the landing, the airplane impacted small trees, skidded, and came to rest upright. The pilot and observer exited the airplane, and rescue personnel arrived shortly thereafter.

Numerous witnesses reported observing or hearing the midair collision. According to the witnesses, after the collision, one airplane (N617Q) descended very rapidly towards the terrain and one airplane (N338Z) was headed in a westerly direction. Witnesses lost sight of N617Q behind trees and observed a fireball and smoke.

The N617Q accident site was located about 2.5 miles northwest T82, and 1.1 miles east of N338Z. N617Q sustained a postimpact fire and was destroyed.

The N338Z accident site was located about 3.6 miles northwest of T82, and 1.1 miles west of N617Q. N338Z sustained substantial damage to its left forward fuselage, and the left and right wings. Damage consistent with propeller impact marks was noted on N338Z’s left forward engine cowling, forward engine cylinders, and nose landing gear tire. N338Z’s three-bladed propeller assembly had separated from the engine crankshaft and has not been located.

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information (A1)

Aircraft Make: Beech
Registration: N617Q
Model/Series: J35
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No
Operator: 
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Operator Designator Code:

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information (A2)

Aircraft Make: Beech 
Registration: N338Z
Model/Series: M35 
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No
Operator:
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Operator Designator Code:

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: VM
C Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KT82,1695 ft msl 
Observation Time: 16:35 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 2 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 23°C /12°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: 
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 7 knots / , 150°
Lowest Ceiling:
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.06 inches Hg 
Type of Flight Plan Filed:
Departure Point: 
Destination:

Wreckage and Impact Information (A1)

Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal 
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries:
Aircraft Fire: On-ground
Ground Injuries: 
Aircraft Explosion: On-ground
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 30.248886,-98.944509 (est)

Wreckage and Impact Information (A2)

Crew Injuries: 1 Minor 
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 1 Minor
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries:
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 Minor
Latitude, Longitude: 30.248886,-98.944509 (est)

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.


A 73-year-old Fredericksburg pilot and military veteran was killed last week while practicing formation flying in preparation for a Veterans Day event, according to various sources.

Jim "Flagman" Averett, who flew for the U.S. Air Force and then Delta Airlines before retiring, lost his life on Nov. 6 in a midair collision. 

A Texas-based formation flying team expressed its condolences in a November 7th social media post.

“It's with heavy hearts that Falcon Flight announces the loss of one of our own — Jim "Flagman" Averett,” states the post by Falcon Flying Formation Team. “Flagman was well known throughout the formation community in both the RV and Bonanza circles. His skill, easy-going demeanor and most importantly his smile were always on display. Our most deepest sympathies are with Jim's family during this difficult time.”

According to the FAA, Averett was piloting a Bonanza J35, which was destroyed. The other plane, which sustained substantial damage and crash-landed in a pasture following the collision, was a Beechcraft M35 Bonanza. Averett was the sole occupant of the Beechcraft J35 Bonanza, and there were two people in the other plane, according to the FAA. 

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident.

Averett also used to race cars, and had been serving on the board of the Sports Car Club of America just prior to his death, “in addition to being a fixture at SCCA events in the Southwest Division,” according to an article on scca.com. As a driver, he earned Southwest Division Championships in Formula Vee in 1983, 1984, 1986 and 1987, according to the article.

“SCCA extends its deepest sympathies to Jim’s wife Madeline, daughter Amanda and their extended family,” states the article. 



A possible mid-air plane collision led to the death of one pilot in Fredericksburg on Friday, November 6th, according to Gillespie County Airport Manager Tony Lombardi.

According to various sources, Jim "Flagman" Averett, 73, who flew for the U.S. Air Force and Delta Airlines, lost his life in the collision. 

The crash occurred over a property on Hayden Ranch Road and Tivydale Road during an annual formation training. During a flight, one of the aircrafts had a gear issue.

“The procedures are to break the mishap aircraft out and send another one to be a helper,” Lombardi said. “One was supposed to be in a trail position, kind of overseeing the other airplane. Then somehow, but nobody knows, they collided.”

The pilot of one of the planes was able to conduct a safe emergency landing.

Planes involved, according to a Twitter post from the National Transportation Safety Board newsroom, were a Bonanza M35 and a Bonanza J35.

The crash is being investigated by the NTSB. 

Cessna 180H, N926LL: Accident occurred September 30, 2020 at Tok Junction Airport (PFTO), Alaska

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.


Location: Tok, AK
Accident Number: ANC20LA100
Date & Time: September 30, 2020, 19:15 Local
Registration: N926LL
Aircraft: Cessna 180 Injuries: 1 None
Flight Conducted Under:

On September 30, 2020, about 1940 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna 180H airplane, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident at Tok Junction Airport, Tok, Alaska. The commercial pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

According to the pilot, she was landing her tailwheel-equipped airplane on an asphalt surfaced runway. After a normal touchdown in the three-point attitude, the airplane drifted to the left and right of the runway centerline but was corrected each time with the light application of the appropriate rudder pedal. As the airplane decelerated and rudder effectiveness diminished, the airplane veered abruptly to the right and left rudder was applied but was unsuccessful in controlling the airplane. The airplane exited the runway and the left main gear separated from the gear box resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage.

An initial examination of the airplane revealed that the tailwheel rotated freely to the right but would not rotate to the left. A detailed examination of the tailwheel is pending.

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Cessna
Registration: N926LL
Model/Series: 180 H 
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: PAOR,1713 ft msl
Observation Time: 18:53 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 34 Nautical Miles 
Temperature/Dew Point: 6°C /-1°C
Lowest Cloud Condition:
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 3 knots / , 330°
Lowest Ceiling: 
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 29.67 inches Hg 
Type of Flight Plan Filed:
Departure Point: Willow, AK (PAUO)
Destination: Tok, AK

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 None 
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: 
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 None 
Latitude, Longitude: 63.329514,-142.95368

Dr. Gaede drops in, Part 1

Part 1 of a three-part story of a single-engine airplane crash more than a half-century ago.

Dr. Elmer Gaede relaxes at home a few weeks after his airplane crash. His facial hair and glasses hide much of his scarring.
 (Photo courtesy of the Gaede Collection)


 
Author’s note: This is Part One of a three-part story of a single-engine airplane crash more than a half-century ago.

• By Clark Fair, Peninsula Clarion

Although it was just Aug. 2, 1967, 16-year-old Jack Foster was already dreaming of winter when a sound from above diverted his attention. What he saw next jolted him from his snowy reverie.

Foster was out in the yard at his parents’ home on Forest Lane between Soldotna and Sterling, working on his snowmobile — a heavy, single-ski, double-track Ski-Doo Alpine — when the sound of a single-engine airplane prompted him to peer upward and investigate. He saw a blue-and-white aircraft flying slowly, only a few hundred feet over the exposed flats behind the Foster house, and just crossing over the small airstrip owned by neighbors Dan France and Dave Thomas.

As it is today, the sight then of a small plane overhead was common, and this plane would have garnered little further attention from Foster if — quite suddenly — the plane’s engine had not died.

“I heard it sputtering, and then the engine quit,” said Foster. The plane banked once and began nosing sharply toward the ground, then disappeared behind a line of trees. From hundreds of yards away, Foster heard it strike the ground with great force.

Although he feared the worst, he shifted into action. Grabbing a fire extinguisher from the garage, he raced for the driveway where he had parked his panel van that he had painted a metallic blue to cover its original Army green. In his haste, he turned the key too far —from the first OFF position, past ON, and into the second OFF position. When he pressed the floorboard starter with his foot, nothing happened.

Puzzled briefly, he realized the error, adjusted the key, cranked up the engine and headed down the gravel road toward the crash site. In less than two minutes, he was clambering over the berm left from an old homestead clearing as he lugged the extinguisher and shuffled through some low brush and scattered, snaggly trees. Quickly he approached the crumpled aircraft, the nose of which was angled into the soil.

The tail was bent to the left, and the left wing had suffered a deep gash about two-thirds of the way out from the fuselage. From the broken foliage, it appeared that the left wing had struck a tree, causing the aircraft to pirouette back in the direction from which it had come. Foster noted the plane’s registration number, N4605T, but failed to recognize it.

“I hollered in there, ‘Are you guys okay?’ And nobody answered me. That’s when I left the fire extinguisher there, and I took off and went and got Dave ’cause I knew that Dave had been in C.A.P. and probably knew a lot of first aid.”

Foster was referring to Dave Thomas, a local carpenter who at that moment was working about a half-mile away at the home of Calvin and Jane Fair. He and Elmer “Shorty” Harris were building the Fairs’ new home, so they could move out of the turquoise-and-white trailer they had had hauled all the way up the Alaska Highway to Soldotna in 1960.

Restarting his van, Foster lifted dust behind him as he raced to the Fair homestead. The time was just past 10:30 a.m.

About four hours earlier at the Soldotna airport, local physician, Dr. Elmer Gaede, fired up his blue-and-white Maule Rocket and prepared to take off for Seward, where he planned to attend the hospital staff meeting later that morning.

He and his medical partner, Dr. Paul Isaak, planned to arrive in separate planes for the meeting. They had been traveling separately for quite some time, according to Gaede passenger and Soldotna pharmacist Lee Bowman, who had come to Alaska with his wife Julie one year earlier to work for Toby Buckler in Soldotna Drug.

“They had flown together once to Seward and got into some really bad weather,” Bowman said, “and they decided it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to kill both of the doctors in town in one crash.”

The two doctors had formed a partnership in 1961, working on the second floor of Soldotna’s medical clinic, with Dr. Fair practicing dentistry on the first floor. Since the central Kenai Peninsula had no hospital, both physicians were considered members of the Seward hospital staff because of the frequent surgeries and other procedures they performed there.

Bowman was hunched in the front passenger seat of the four-place Maule. In one of the backseats sat Dane Parks, a good friend of Bowman’s who had recently moved to Alaska with his wife Betty. Neither Bowman nor Parks were on board for the staff meeting. They had been invited along by Gaede because both men were interested in a late-summer hunt and he wanted to show them “the easiest goat hunt in Alaska.”

Bowman and Parks had met while students at Ferris State College in Big Rapids, Michigan. The Bowmans lived one floor above the Parkses in married student housing, and the four of them became close friends. In fact, said Bowman, the Parkses “were really the impetus for us coming up here.”

Dane and Betty were studying to become teachers, and they had hoped to start their careers in Alaska. But after graduating, neither could find a decent position available, so they had decided to stay put in Michigan and postpone their plans for another year. Meanwhile, Lee and Julie were unexpectedly placed on the fast-track to the north country.

With Bowman about a semester away from graduating with his pharmacy degree, he eschewed a couple of low-paying offers he had received from Michigan pharmacies and began writing to the Alaska state pharmacy board to learn about positions available and how to qualify. When he received no response, he tried another tack: He wrote to his aunt, Leah O’Reagan, who was living in Soldotna at the time, and asked her to ask the local pharmacist how to reach the state board.

That pharmacist was Buckler, who was “vigorously” looking for a new employee. While one of the Michigan job offers had been for six-day work weeks and an annual salary of $6,800, Buckler offered to hire Bowman sight-unseen, to help defray his moving expenses, and to pay him $1,000 a month.

The Bowmans did the math and realized quickly that they had only one obvious choice. They arrived in Alaska in 1966, a year ahead of the Parkses. Then in 1967, with Dane not slated to report to his new teaching job in Palmer until the end of August, he and Lee had decided on a hunt. After cooling their heels in Seward for a couple of hours, Gaede would fly them over the goat-friendly slopes of Cecil Rhode Mountain in Cooper Landing and show them an effective access point off Snug Harbor Road.

The morning flight to Seward was scenic but uneventful. While Gaede met with the rest of the hospital staff, Bowman and Parks wandered around town, visiting a local cannery and watching workers unload a shipment of fresh halibut. Bowman photographed the cannery workers and also snapped images of the city and Resurrection Bay.

When he finished his roll of film, he set the camera to REWIND and began cranking the film back into its canister. For some reason he still cannot fathom, he neglected to rewind the entire roll, leaving several exposed frames of film still stretched across the shutter and connected to the take-up reel inside the camera. It was an unfinished action he would later come to regret.

Gaede, meanwhile, had finished his meeting. The three men piled back into the plane, took off and headed through the pass toward Cooper Landing. After eyeballing the mountain for goats and examining the best approaches, Gaede turned the aircraft toward Soldotna, flying low down the Kenai River drainage and over the surrounding black-spruce flats to give his passengers a chance to spot more animals.

By the time they were 6 river miles upstream from the Soldotna airport and had flown past the Fair homestead — where Dave Thomas was helping Joe Norris from Soldotna Supply to unload some lumber — they were cruising serenely at about 500 feet and had already seen numerous moose, plus one brown bear in the Funny River.

A minute or so later, their plane was spotted by Jack Foster as he puttered on his snowmobile in his parents’ yard. Seconds after that, the engine of the Maule Rocket was dead and they were knifing swiftly earthward.

NEXT TIME: Part Two, impact.


Piper PA-22-135 Tri-Pacer, N3606A: Fatal accident occurred November 07, 2020 in Dunn Center, Dunn County, North Dakota

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 Entity: 
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Fargo, North Dakota

Location: Dunn Center, ND
Accident Number: CEN21LA044
Date & Time: November 7, 2020, 19:18 Local
Registration: N3606A
Aircraft: Piper PA-22-135
Injuries: 1 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

On November 8, 2020, about 1918 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-22-135, N3606A, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Dunn Center, North Dakota. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot had landed at a friend’s private airstrip for a visit. He told his friend that he was going to return to Fargo, North Dakota, but would first fly to Dickinson, North Dakota, “where the weather was better.” The friend pleaded with the pilot not to go, but the pilot departed anyway. The airplane struck a hill about eight miles southeast of Dunn Center.

The friend told the responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector that the pilot was nervous about the weather conditions and checked the weather every 30 minutes two hours before he departed. He offered the pilot his vehicle to take home, but the pilot declined. He further stated that he followed the airplane during take-off using his headlights to illuminate the runway. He lost the airplane lights in the overcast and fog within seconds after departure. He said he could hear the airplane in the overcast and it sounded like it was turning back toward the runway. He heard the airplane engine running at high RPM and then heard a loud “crack”. It was then he knew the airplane had crashed.

The wreckage was located on top of a hill about ¼ mile southwest of the airstrip. Ground scar analysis, impact signatures, and wreckage fragmentation patterns were consistent with the airplane impacting terrain in a near 90-degree bank angle with high forward velocity. Fragments of the right wing along with transfer evidence indicate the right wing tip impacted a fence post. This was the first point of impact. A large ground scar was found 30 ft from the right wing impact point. This ground scar was the consistent with the right side fuselage as evidenced by the remaining right wing material torn off at this impact location. The right landing gear was also located at this point. A third ground scar was located 50 ft beyond the second ground scar. At this point widening debris field continued with the remaining parts of the fuselage about 180 ft beyond the initial point of impact. The engine was located 260 ft beyond the initial point of impact. The firewall and engine mount could not be located. The empennage separated from the fuselage and the control surfaces were destroyed.

Low ceiling, light drizzle, thick fog, and night conditions prevailed. The pilot was not instrument rated, and the airplane was not instrument flight rules (IFR) equipped or certified.

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Piper 
Registration: N3606A
Model/Series: PA-22-135
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No
Operator: 
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Operator Designator Code:

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: 
Condition of Light:
Observation Facility, Elevation:
Observation Time:
Distance from Accident Site: 
Temperature/Dew Point:
Lowest Cloud Condition: 
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: / ,
Lowest Ceiling: 
Visibility:
Altimeter Setting:
Type of Flight Plan Filed:
Departure Point:
Destination:

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries:
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: 
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 47.227222,-102.51666 

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.


Christopher Hans
December 21, 1976 - November 07, 2020

Fargo Scheel’s lost its best customer when Christopher Russel Hans died suddenly in an airplane accident on Saturday, November 7th, 2020.

Chris was born on December 21st, 1976 to Jerome and Barbara (Bakkerud) Hans, rural Davenport, North Dakota.

Chris grew up on the family farm where he learned to aster the art of fixing things from following his Dad around all day. He attended and was confirmed at Canaan Moravian Church, Davenport ND.

He attended Kindred High School and graduated in 1995. He wasn’t much of an athlete but he did have the coolest car (so we’re told).

Chris graduated from WyoTech in Laramie, Wyoming. While living there he was an avid rock climber, hunter, fisher and snowmobiler.

In 1998, Chris became a Dad to his first daughter Rayne, that he loved from the start and always talked about her. In 2000, he returned to the family farm and worked for Glasow Farms on and off for the next several years, he couldn’t resist helping out at harvest time.

It was in September of 2000, he met the love of his life, Michelle. They were married on June 7, 2003 and lived in Wahpeton where they both worked at the Circle of Nations School.

In 2005, their daughter Rylee was born. Chris was an amazing Dad and she soon became a Daddy’s girl and had him wrapped around her finger, which was still true till his last day. Chris attended NDSCS, Wahpeton, ND and graduated in 2010 from NDSU with a degree in Civil Engineering.

He worked at Ulteig Engineers until joining Bolton and Menk, Inc., in June of 2019, where he was excited to be doing strictly aviation projects.

He will deeply missed by: his wife, Michelle (Fargo), daughters Rayne Benson (Laramie, WY), Rylee Hans (Fargo), his parents Jerome and Barbara (Bakkerud) Hans (Fargo), mother-in- law, Linda Bartnick (Wahpeton).

He was preceded in death by his infant son Drake (2013), father-in-law, James Bartnick, and paternal and maternal grandparents.

In lieu of flowers a donation can be given to the Fargo Air Museum (https://fargoairmuseum.org) in memory of Chris.


DUNN CENTER, North Dakota — A Fargo pilot was killed Saturday, November 7th, in an airplane crash in rural Dunn County, 8 miles southeast of Dunn Center.

The pilot, Christopher Russel Hans, 43, took off in the dark shortly before 7:30 p.m. MST from a private runway in a heavy fog and moments later crashed into the side of an adjacent hill. The pilot was declared dead at the scene and his identity is being withheld pending family notification.

Recovery and salvage operations are expected to continue throughout the day Sunday and this week as multiple agencies secure the scene.

Parts of the  Piper PA-22-135 Tri-Pacer will be examined by investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board to determine if the accident can be attributed to pilot error or aircraft performance.

Dunn Center is about 40 miles north of Dickinson.


Emergency responders with the North Dakota Highway Patrol, Dunn County Sheriff’s Office and Dunn County Fire and Rescue worked throughout the night Saturday at the scene of a fatal  Piper PA-22-135 Tri-Pacer crash in rural Dunn County, eight miles southeast of Dunn Center.

The pilot, an unidentified 43 year-old Fargo resident, took off in the dark from a private runway in a heavy fog and moments later collided into the side of an adjacent hill. The pilot was declared deceased at the scene due to injuries sustained in the crash and his identity is being withheld until notification of next of kin.

Recover and salvage operations are expected to continue throughout the day Sunday and into the early portion of the week as multiple agencies secure the scene while a full investigation into the matter is handled by the NDHP.

Investigators will collect portions of the four-place, strut braced, high-wing light aircraft that will be taken and examined by investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board to determine if the accident can be attributed to pilot error or aircraft performance.

This fatal airplane crash is the first in the state, according to the NTSB since a plane crash by Mandan in July 2020 killed 1.