The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.
Additional Participating Entity:
ST. AUGUSTINE, Florida – Three people were injured Monday morning when a single-engine plane crashed into a marsh about 30 feet away from a runway at Northeast Florida Regional Airport, authorities said.
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Orlando, Florida
Florida Aviation Career Training Inc
Location: AUGUSTINE, Florida
Accident Number: ERA21LA361
Date and Time: September 13, 2021, 11:10 Local
Registration: N5246M
Aircraft: Beech C24R
Injuries: 3 Minor
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Instructional
On September 13, 2021, about 1110 eastern daylight time, a Beechcraft C24R, N5246M, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at Northeast Florida Regional Airport (SGJ), St Augustine, Florida. The two flight instructors and pilot rated passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight.
According to the flight instructors, who were both employed by a flight school, they were getting “checked out” in the airplane. After conducting a preflight inspection, they taxied to the runway, then performed an engine run up; all systems and engine performance appeared normal. The flight instructor occupying the right seat attempted a short field takeoff from runway 13, which was about 8,000 ft long. After applying full power while holding the brakes, all engine indications were in the green and he commenced the takeoff roll. The airplane was airborne after a ground roll of about 2,000 ft, but as it climbed to about 150 ft above ground level, the airplane experienced a loss of engine power and “wouldn’t hold altitude or airspeed.” The flight instructor in the left seat took the controls and landed on the remaining runway; however, the airplane struck the approach lighting system, nosed over, and came to rest inverted in a marsh.
Initial examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the fuselage and both wings sustained substantial damage.
The airplane was recovered for further examination.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: Beech
Registration: N5246M
Model/Series: C24R
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built:
Operator:
Operating Certificate(s) Held: Pilot school (141)
Operator Designator Code:
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: VMC
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: SGJ,10 ft msl
Observation Time: 10:56 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 0 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 28°C /23°C
Lowest Cloud Condition:
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 8 knots / , 50°
Lowest Ceiling: Broken / 1500 ft AGL
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.21 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: AUGUSTINE, FL
Destination: AUGUSTINE, FL
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 2 Minor
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 1 Minor
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries:
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 3 Minor
Latitude, Longitude: 29.959252,-81.339732 (est)
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the Beechcraft C24R Sierra crashed into the marsh and flipped over while the pilot was trying to take off from the airport located just north of St. Augustine on U.S. Highway 1 about 10:10 a.m.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the airplane “failed to gain enough altitude for takeoff.”
James Langford told News4Jax he was outside his house when he heard a plane trying to rev and then a plop.
“I listen to the planes land and take off all the time. I knew this one didn’t make it,” he said. “I ran downstairs, came out here, and sure enough a plane in the marsh.”
Langford said he saw a man standing in the marsh grass next to the plane.
“I noticed that he was talking to somebody in the plane, so I knew there was somebody in the plane besides him,” Langford said. “They didn’t seem to be getting out. I knew it was more serious.”
The FAA said three people were on board. According to FHP, the pilot, a 67-year-old Ponte Vedra Beach man, was seriously injured, while the passengers — a 22-year-old West Palm Beach woman and a 23-year-old man from Holliston, Massachusetts — suffered minor injuries.
St. Johns County Fire Rescue was among the agencies that responded to the scene. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating. The FAA said the NTSB will be in charge of the investigation.
The flight school that owns the plane declined to comment, saying it’s waiting on the results of the investigation.
According to News4Jax records, this was the third incident involving a plane at that airport this summer. A Cessna 152 crashed and burned on a runway on June 29. The FAA said a flight instructor and passenger aboard both died.
On July 17, a small plane was damaged when its landing gear collapsed. No one was hurt in that incident.
If that thing ended up a few more feet in any direction that likely would have been a drowning death crash of all three.
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