Sunday, October 31, 2021

Antonov An-2T, N857PF: Accident occurred October 14, 2021 near Alta Mesa Airpark (3CN7), Wilton, Sacramento County, California

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; Fresno, California


Location: Wilton, California 
Accident Number: WPR22LA015
Date and Time: October 14, 2021, 16:00 Local
Registration: N857PF
Aircraft: WSK-MIELEC AN-2TD
Injuries: 2 Serious, 2 Minor
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

On October 14, 2021 at 1600 Pacific daylight time, a WSK Mielec AN-2TD, N857PF, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Wilton, California. The pilot and one passenger sustained serious injuries and the other two passengers sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot stated that he configured the airplane for takeoff and had flaps down and the elevator trim was neutral. The departure started normally and after becoming airborne, the airplane controls were not responding to his inputs as expected. The airplane continued to pitch up in a nose-high attitude and he was unable to push the control yoke forward which he described as feeling like he was “stretching” cables with forward pressure. The pilot set the electric trim to full nose-down and it made no effect. With the airplane’s pitch uncontrollable, he saw an open area and elected to make a rapid maneuver toward the area. He added full left rudder and aileron and the airplane banked left. The airplane descended into trees and after coming to a stop, a fire erupted. The back door would not open due the deformation of the airframe and they broke a front window. The pilot and passengers all climbed out the window and the airplane continued to burn.

There were two witnesses located at the airport that took videos of the airplane departing. One video showed the airplane just prior to the takeoff roll. The tailwheel is positioned backward and as the airplane starts the roll, the tailwheel swivel and the airplane moves to the right of the runway.

The airplane then veered to the left of the runway and became airborne shortly thereafter. In the approximate 10 seconds that followed, the airplane pitched up at an increasingly higher and higher angle-of-attack. The airplane then made a sharp left turn and goes behind the tress as it descends.




Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: WSK-MIELEC
Registration: N857PF
Model/Series: AN-2TD 
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built:
Operator: On file
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: KSAC,25 ft msl 
Observation Time: 15:53 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 15 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 25°C /-3°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear 
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 11 knots / , 330°
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.04 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Wilton, CA 
Destination: Reno, NV

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Serious 
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 1 Serious, 2 Minor
Aircraft Fire: On-ground
Ground Injuries:
Aircraft Explosion: Unknown
Total Injuries: 2 Serious, 2 Minor
Latitude, Longitude: 38.38192,-121.22357




Four family members injured in a fiery plane crash in Wilton on Oct. 14 are expected to make a good recovery, according to reports from family members and friends. A dog didn’t survive.

The crash was reported at 4:18 p.m. near the corner of Alta Mesa and Blake roads. The plane took off from the Alta Mesa Airpark runway when it came down in the front yard of an Alta Mesa Road home and caught fire. The occupants who crawled out of the wreckage were helped by a passerby with a fire extinguisher. He and others tended to the injured until first responders arrived.

Wilton Fire District Chief Jeff Cookson said it was a miracle that anyone survived the crash.

“The pilot did a great job avoiding homes and power lines when he went down,” he said. “This could have been so much worse.”

A CBS 13 report identified the survivors as pilot Oren Breedlove, his pregnant wife, and two nephews, ages 13 and 17.

Breedlove was most seriously injured – he was crawling through flames when the first passerby, Steven Scharf, sprayed him with the fire extinguisher. The others also were burned.

One of Breedlove’s pilot friends contacted Scharf over Facebook the following day and reported everyone was going to survive and would be all right. Although the wife was four months pregnant, the baby will be okay. Surgery on Breedlove’s leg also had gone well, Scharf was told.

When the River Valley Times checked Breedlove’s condition at UC Davis on Oct. 17, a supervisor said he in fair condition.

Scharf was told Breedlove was very well-known in the aviation field. An online search showed that he is a managing partner in a Sacramento helicopter firm and conducts check point exams for students seeking pilot licenses. Scharf heard someone say that Breedlove probably trained the Reach air ambulance pilot who transported him to UC Davis.

Scharf, who works for Hedman Water Well Services, was driving on Alta Mesa Road on his way to a service call when he saw the airplane take off. But he realized it didn’t look right. Trees blocked his view as he slowed down. Then he “was literally side by side with plane” as it came through the pasture and crashed. He didn’t see anyone but he heard screaming.

After grabbing his fire extinguisher and running across the street, Scharf saw the teens getting out and the woman against the fence. He asked her how many, and she said four.

“They were looking at the plane and yelling for ‘Oren’”.

Then he saw Breedlove crawling through the flames with a broken leg. Scharf doused the flames with his extinguisher and directed him to roll down the hill to get as far away as possible. Massive flames engulfed the plane moments later.

Scharf focused on the pilot as he was in the worst condition. More people stopped to help. At one point, Scharf retrieved his ice chest from his truck and as he came back used his camera to video capture the burning plane. Scharf estimated that the first fire truck didn’t arrive for 10 to 15 minutes.

Scharf doesn’t remember what he was thinking after he jumped out of his truck except, “I was there to make sure nobody was dying.”

WFD Capt. Edward Dwyer was the incident commander. As he and Engine 81 were leaving the station for an aircraft down report, they could see a black plume of smoke and heard a second dispatch of a vegetation fire. Knowing WFD didn’t have enough foam to put out a commercial transport aircraft fire, he asked that five engines with foam capacity be dispatched and requested a red flag vegetation response.

Dwyer sized up the situation upon arrival. To the left were the injured patients, three along the road and the most seriously injured on the other side of the fence. In the center was the burning aircraft, and to the right was a small working grass fire. He directed two firefighters to initiate a fire attack, and the third to care for patients, who were already being helped by about 20 bystanders.

“To see citizens providing that kind of care - it is just an incredible sight,” Dwyer said. “And a much-appreciated sight.”

Despite the seeming chaos, it was a static incident.

“Although it wasn’t going to get worse, we needed a large volume of personnel to affect resolution of the incident,” he said.

That meant Dwyer was constantly on radio or meeting face-to-face to make assignments as a multitude of engines and command officers responded from the Herald, Cosumnes, and Sacramento Metropolitan fire agencies.

Dwyer canceled the red flag response, and Herald Fire Protection District quickly extinguished the vegetation fire. WFD water tender 84 arrived equipped with a new monitor that produces a large volume of foam and water. A Cosumnes fire engine also used foam to prevent any flare-up from the plane. Firefighters later built dykes to keep hazardous materials from reaching the road.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the accident.




WILTON, California  — More details are coming in on what happened shortly after a plane crash-landed in Wilton.

Neighbors tell KCRA 3 the pilot and the pregnant woman on board are a family and local to the area. Two boys were also on the aircraft.

"This huge plume of smoke came up and I knew something horrible had happened," said 21-year-old Virginia Rose, who grew up in the area. "It was terrifying in the moment because seeing people fly out here my whole life, I’ve never had anything like this happen."

Rose immediately called 911 and stayed on scene to make sure the family got safely to the hospital.

"Two of them were still on fire when they came out of the aircraft," she said. "It's definitely an image that's going to stick with me for a while."

It turns out the airplane involved in the crash, an AN-2, is incredibly rare. The historic planes were built for hauling freight in the Soviet Union after World War 2.

"If you don't have the proper training and you just hop into something like this, you could get into trouble," said Alan Casner, owner of Ride in the Past, a vintage airplane repair shop.

The crashed plane was one of under a dozen registered AN-2s in the entire United States.

"It's a flying truck," Casner said. "They are very stout. The fact those people got out of the airplane, says a lot to the construction of the airplane."

Casner said the AN-2 is a sizable plane, with a 60-foot-wingspan, 1,000 horsepower and the ability to carry over 5,000 pounds.

"Hopefully the person flying it got the instructions necessary or the learning to fly the thing," Casner said.

Neighbors expressed well-wishes to the survivors of the violent crash. All of the victims are expected to survive.

"I hope you guys recover quickly," Rose said. "I'm sorry this had to happen to you guys. I'm so glad you're going to be OK."

KCRA 3 reached out to the FAA and the NTSB for more on what could have caused this crash. Representatives said they are still investigating.






WILTON, California – Four people have suffered major injuries after their plane crashed in the Sacramento County town of Wilton.

The incident happened in the area of Alta Mesa and Blake roads, east of Elk Grove. The plane was reportedly a small cargo plane. Four people—a man, a pregnant woman and two teens—were badly injured in the crash. They were initially said to be in critical condition but are all expected to recover, according to the Sacramento Metro Fire Department.

One of the first people to witness the crash stopped their truck, got out a fire extinguisher, and helped the passengers to safety.

Steve Scharf jumped into action with a fire extinguisher to find the four survivors badly burned.

Scharf says the two teenagers and a pregnant woman were already out of the plane. He saw the man trying to escape.

“And then the guy that was life-flighted. I saw him like army-crawling out of the flames because his leg was broken,” Scharf said. “So I stopped him and had him just roll away, and sprayed him with my fire extinguisher.”

Scharf added, “The only thing that was going through my head is I wanted these people to be safe, and I wanted them to be alive, and I couldn’t sleep tonight if I watched a man burn right in front of me.”

CBS13 obtained cell phone video showing the small plane take off from a Wilton airstrip then fall out of frame before crashing beyond a roofline. You can hear the plane hitting trees

An FAA spokesperson says they currently don’t know the make or model of the plane. The NTSB and FAA will be investigating what happened.

The Sacramento Metro Fire Department Captain Parker Wilbourn says one victim was life-flighted out of the crash scene.

Three others were taken by ground ambulance with minor to moderate injuries with burns on their hands and arms.

Cessna 177 Cardinal, N29615: Accident occurred October 30, 2021 near Parker County Airport (KWEA), Weatherford, 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 did not travel to the scene of this accident. 

Additional Participating Entity: 
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Irving, Texas

Location: Weatherford, Texas
Accident Number: CEN22LA036
Date and Time: October 30, 2021, 19:10 Local
Registration: N29615
Aircraft: Cessna 177
Injuries: 5 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

On October 30, 2021, about 1910 central daylight time, a Cessna 177 airplane, N29615, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Weatherford, Texas. The pilot and four passengers were not injured. The flight was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

According to a statement provided by the pilot, he was on short final to runway 17 at the Parker County Airport (KWEA), Weatherford, Texas. During the descent to land, the pilot added carburetor heat and “cleared” the engine several times by momentarily adding and reducing power. The pilot added a “slight amount” of power and the engine did not respond to his power input. He firewalled the throttle, mixture, propeller, and carburetor heat controls. The pilot was unable to restore engine power and prepared for a forced landing. While maneuvering to land on the road, the airplane collided with power lines and terrain. The airplane came to rest inverted. The right wing, fuselage, and firewall sustained substantial damage.

The airplane was retained for further examination.

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Cessna 
Registration: N29615
Model/Series: 177
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built:
Operator: On file 
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: KNFW,608 ft msl 
Observation Time: 18:52 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 
Temperature/Dew Point: 20°C /4°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 4 knots / , 130°
Lowest Ceiling: None 
Visibility:
Altimeter Setting: 29.88 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Guthrie, OK (GOK)
Destination: Weatherford, TX

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 None 
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 4 None 
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: 
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 5 None
Latitude, Longitude: 32.746158,-97.682257 (est)

Carroll William Joye: South Carolina pilot honored for 50 years of safe flying

Carroll William Joye, center, who received the Federal Aviation Administration's Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award for 50 years of flying experience Tuesday, October 26, 2021, poses with family in Orangeburg, South Carolina.  From left, are Joye's son-in-law, Bruce Cramer; daughter Margie Joye Cramer; granddaughter Rachel Cramer; daughter Connie Joye; Carroll Joye; wife Beverly Joye; and son Randy Joye.



ORANGEBURG, South Carolina  — U.S. Air Force veteran Carroll William Joye of Orangeburg loves to fly.

“I think it’s the greatest thing in the world that I ever did, other than give my life to God,” the 82-year-old said.

Joye has been doing what he loves for a long time.

He celebrated his 50th anniversary of flying on July 18.

The feat was recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration on October 26.

The agency presented Joye with the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award. The award is presented to those who have 50 years or more of practicing and promoting safe aircraft flight. Joye has about 30,000 hours of flight time.

“It means a whole lot to me,” Joye said of the honor. “It means I have gone 50 years and have not had a serious incident or accident. It is a big thing.”

FAA South Carolina Flight Standards District Office officials, including South Carolina FAA Safety Team Program Manager Lanny Cline, presented Joye with the award virtually through Zoom.

“Our heartfelt congratulations,” Cline said.

A letter was read from South Carolina FAA District Office Manager Randy DeBerry congratulating Joye for the award.

“Your professionalism as an airman has contributed to the safety of our national airspace system and has enabled safe air travel by many Americans for more than half a century,” DeBerry wrote. “Congratulations on a very successful aviation career.”

The letter came with a lapel pin, a certified FAA Blue Ribbon package with Joye’s airman records/achievements and an award certificate.

Joye’s recognition will be posted on the electronic roll of honor online at the FAA Safety website.

Joye viewed the award presentation at the Orangeburg Municipal Airport, where he was once manager. He was surrounded by his family during the presentation.

During the award presentation Joye recalled his first solo flight out of Madrid, Spain, now over 50 years ago.

“I could not get my right leg to stay on the rudder pedals because it was bouncing up and down the whole time,” Joye said. “I was just nervous until my instructor got back into the aircraft with me. Then it stopped. Everything was good.”

His instructor’s name was Barb Snowden, who was the manager of the Torrejon Air Base aeroclub.

“He took me on and taught me flying,” Joye said. “I will forever be grateful to him.”

Joye said he just loves the idea of being in the air.

“I have had a chance to fly pretty good-sized jet airplanes and the very smallest of airplanes,” he said.

Joye always enjoys the challenge of flight.

“You are responsible for getting people in the back from one place to another safely,” Joye said. And the weather can make flying tricky.

“It is good to be 40,000 and 50,000 feet up in the air,” Joye said. “I can’t really describe it.”

Throughout his flying career, Joye has enjoyed flying “small airplanes as much or almost as much as I do flying one of those big jets.”

When asked if he still flies, Joye said, “Oh yeah!”

“A friend of mine owns a twin engine airplane and I get a chance to fly with him sometimes,” he said. “I just fly and if I have to sit in right seat, I do. I just like to be there.”

“Mr. Aviation,” is how his wife Beverly describes him. “He would rather fly than eat when he is hungry. If you mention airplanes, he is all for it.”

She called the recognition “awesome.”

“A lot of pilots don’t reach 50 years and hang with it. He is still hanging in there. This is a major honor for him. This man loves to fly,” she said.

Joye is originally from Orangeburg but has lived throughout the area, including Branchville, Bamberg and Rowesville.

Joye’s love for flying started after he entered the United States Air Force in 1957.

While in the Air Force stationed over in Spain, he learned to fly and later became a flight instructor.

He served in the U.S. Air Force for 22 years.

During his stint, he worked as an aircraft mechanic during the Vietnam War. He went to Arizona after Vietnam, working on F-100s and F-104s.

From there, Joye went to Ohio and helped develop the C-119 and C-130 gunships.

After retiring from the Air Force as a senior master sergeant, he started teaching as an automotive mechanic instructor. He later worked as a corporate pilot and flight instructor, which he still does.

Joye decided to become a flight instructor so he could earn money while continuing to enjoy flying.

“I never had any desire to go to work for the airlines,” Joye said. “I still enjoy teaching.”

Joye also worked for Belk Hudson for a time, flying a Piper Navajo.

He recalled getting into the plane in Florida with Mr. Hudson and wondering about a certain switch on the plane’s panel.

“It did not seem to belong in the airplane,” Joye said. “We could not find it in the POH (pilot’s operating handbook). We were talking about that thing and Mr. Hudson’s mike was shorted out.”

“The controller down there was listening to everything we said,” Joye continued. “He broke in and said, ‘You guys ought to learn to fly that airplane and learn about all the equipment it has before you get up in there.’ That was comical.”

Joye has been recognized for his flying experience before.

In the fall of 1995, nominated by former student Raymond S. Graule, Joye was named “Certified Flight Instructor of the Year” by the FAA.

In 2003, Joye was inducted into the South Carolina Aviation Hall of Fame by the South Carolina Aviation Association.

Joye has two daughters, two sons and two stepsons; 14 grandchildren; and several great-grandchildren. He attends Cope Baptist Church.

Cessna R172K Hawk XP, N1082V: Accident occurred October 31, 2021 in Rexburg, Madison County, Idaho

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; Salt Lake City

Ravalli Aviation LLC 


Location: Rexburg, Idaho
Accident Number: WPR22LA025
Date and Time: October 31, 2021, 11:50 Local 
Registration: N1082V
Aircraft: Cessna R172K
Injuries: 1 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

On October 31, 2021, about 1150 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172K, N1082V, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Rexburg, Idaho. The student pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

According to the student pilot, he was conducting his first multi-leg solo cross-country flight. He departed the Ravalli County Airport (HRF), Hamilton, Montana, with a full-stop landing at Alpine Airport (46U), Alpine, Wyoming, followed by a flight to his planned destination of Rexburg-Madison County Airport (RXE), Rexburg, Idaho. During the last leg of the flight, the pilot entered the traffic
pattern for runway 35 at RXE, and while on the final approach leg, about 400 ft above ground level, and in a landing configuration, the pilot increased the throttle slightly and the engine lost all power. Despite his actions, he was unable to restart the engine. The pilot force landed on a road, where soon after touchdown, the airplane struck a pole with the right wing.

The airplane came to rest upright and remained intact except for the outboard section of the right wing, which separated near the wing strut. The pilot exited the airplane without injury.

The airplane was recovered to a secure facility for further examination.

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Cessna 
Registration: N1082V
Model/Series: R172K
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built:
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: KRXE,4862 ft msl
Observation Time: 11:53 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 0 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 10°C /0°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: 
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 10 knots / , 50°
Lowest Ceiling: Broken / 12000 ft AGL 
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.04 inches Hg 
Type of Flight Plan Filed:
Departure Point: 
Destination:

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: 43.824079,-111.80785





A single-engine airplane made an emergency landing in Rexburg around noon on Sunday after it experienced engine failure.

The engine failure caused the plane to land on Pioneer Road where a wing hit a light pole, said Rexburg Assistant Police Chief Gary Hagen.

“(The plane) came to rest by the canal on Main Street. There were no injuries,” he said.

The police department hasn’t released the name of the pilot or where he was from. That information will be made available via the National Transportation Safety Board.

This is the second plane crash the Upper Valley has experienced in four days. On Wednesday a similar airplane crashed in Newdale. All the passengers in that crash survived and were taken to area hospitals.







REXBURG — A small plane made an emergency landing near the Rexburg Madison County Airport around noon Sunday.

The plane landed at the intersection of Pioneer Road and Lodgepole Street – less than a mile from the airport. Witnesses say the pilot of the single-engine aircraft appeared to be fine and was speaking with emergency responders.

“The pilot had engine failure and was trying to land on Pioneer Road,” Rexburg Assistant Police Chief Gary Hagen tells EastIdahoNews.com. “He had oncoming traffic so banked it, hit a wing on one of the light poles and came to a stop before the canal on Main Street. The pilot is fine and nobody else was injured.”

Rexburg Police, Madison County Sheriff deputies and the Madison Fire Department responded to the scene. The plane was towed away from the area around 12:50 p.m.

Piper PA-24-250 Comanche, N7796P: Incident occurred October 30, 2021 at Houston Executive Airport (KTME), Waller County, Texas

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Houston, Texas

Aircraft landed gear up.


Date: 30-OCT-21
Time: 21:58:00Z
Regis#: N7796P
Aircraft Make: PIPER
Aircraft Model: PA24
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
Operation: 91
City: HOUSTON
State: TEXAS




WALLER COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- A small plane skidded onto an airport runway west of Houston Saturday, and the pilot was able to walk away, authorities said.

Emergency crews were dispatched to an initial report of the plane crashing around 5 p.m. at Houston Executive Airport near Brookshire.

The aircraft attempting a landing at the facility when the landing gear failed.

The pilot was the only person on board the four-seater aircraft and was not injured, according to Texas Dept. of Public Safety Sgt. Stephen Woodard.

The crash was the second aviation incident in the Houston area on Saturday, and the second incident to happen at the airport this month.

Earlier in the day near La Porte, a small single-engine airplane had to make an emergency landing after a mechanical failure.

The aircraft struck utility lines as it landed.

The FAA and Texas DPS were investigating, and the pilot involved was not hurt.

A plane with 21 people attempting takeoff on October 19 crashed just beyond the Houston Executive Airport's fence line.

All of the occupants were able to escape the aircraft. The plane was destroyed by fire after the crash. The NTSB continues to investigate the cause.