Monday, December 06, 2021

Robinson R22 Beta, N7116L: Accident occurred December 03, 2021 in Hachita, Grant County, New Mexico







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; Albuquerque, New Mexico

Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board:

TCWH Inc


Location: Hachita, New Mexico
Accident Number: WPR22LA059
Date and Time: December 3, 2021, 17:00 UTC
Registration: N7116L
Aircraft: ROBINSON HELICOPTER R22 BETA 
Injuries: 1 Minor
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Aerial observation

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: ROBINSON HELICOPTER 
Registration: N7116L
Model/Series: R22 BETA 
Aircraft Category: Helicopter
Amateur Built:
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 Minor 
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A 
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries:
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Minor 
Latitude, Longitude: 31.515928,108.458039

Piper PA-28R-201, N17FV: Accident occurred December 03, 2021 at Lancaster Airport (KLNS), Pennsylvania

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Aircraft landed gear up. 

Aero-Tech Services Inc


Date: 03-DEC-21
Time: 18:49:00Z
Regis#: N17FV
Aircraft Make: PIPER
Aircraft Model: PA28R
Event Type: ACCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: SUBSTANTIAL
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
Operation: 91
City: LANCASTER
State: PENNSYLVANIA

Globe GC-1B Swift, N7824S: Accident occurred December 04, 2021 at Marlboro County Jetport - H E Avent Field Airport (KBBP), Bennettsville, South 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; Columbia, South Carolina


Location: Bennettsville, South Carolina
Accident Number: ERA22LA081
Date and Time: December 4, 2021, 13:20 UTC
Registration: N7824S
Aircraft: Globe GC-1B
Injuries: 1 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Globe 
Registration: N7824S
Model/Series: GC-1B
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: KBBP,148 ft msl
Observation Time: 13:15 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 8 Nautical Miles 
Temperature/Dew Point: 20°C /9°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: / ,
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.06 inches Hg 
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Bennettsville, SC 
Destination: Bennettsville, SC

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Serious
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: 
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Serious 
Latitude, Longitude: 34.7353,-79.6686 (est)

Cessna 140, N4984E: Accident occurred December 03, 2021 at San Marcos Regional Airport (KHYI), Caldwell County, Texas

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; San Antonio, Texas

Aircraft was taxiing for departure and tipped forward on nose. 


Date: 03-DEC-21
Time: 21:12:00Z
Regis#: N4984E
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: 140
Event Type: ACCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: SUBSTANTIAL
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: TAXI (TXI)
Operation: 91
City: SAN MARCOS
State: TEXAS

Cozy Mark IV, N540DA: Incident occurred December 03, 2021 at Ogden-Hinckley Airport (KOGD), Weber County, Utah

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Salt Lake City, Utah

Aircraft landed gear up.  


Date: 03-DEC-21
Time: 19:08:00Z
Regis#: N540DA
Aircraft Make: AIRCRAFT SPRUCE AND SPECIALTY
Aircraft Model: COZY MARK IV
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: MINOR
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
Operation: 91
City: ODGEN
State: UTAH

Cessna 172S, N2100S: Accident occurred December 03, 2021 near Warrenton-Fauquier Airport (KHWY), Warrenton, Fauquier County, 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 Entity: 
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Washington, District of Columbia

Bietsch Aviation LLC


Location: Midland, Virginia
Accident Number: ERA22LA084
Date and Time: December 3, 2021, 11:15 Local
Registration: N2100S
Aircraft: Cessna 172S 
Injuries: 2 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Instructional

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Cessna
Registration: N2100S
Model/Series: 172S
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: KHWY,338 ft msl
Observation Time: 11:15 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 0 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 14°C /-4°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: 
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 4 knots / , 270°
Lowest Ceiling: Overcast / 10000 ft AGL
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.05 inches Hg 
Type of Flight Plan Filed:
Departure Point:
Destination:

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 2 None 
Aircraft Damage: Unknown
Passenger Injuries: 
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries:
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 None
Latitude, Longitude: 38.58669,-77.711039 (est)

Cessna 152, N225CP: Incident occurred December 05, 2021 in Moses Lake, Grant County, Washington

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

Aircraft struck a bird. 

Columbia Pacific Aviation Inc


Date: 05-DEC-21
Time: 00:30:00Z
Regis#: N225CP
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: 152
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: MINOR
Activity: INSTRUCTION
Flight Phase: EN ROUTE (ENR)
Operation: 91
City: MOSES LAKE
State: WASHINGTON

Piper PA-31-350 Navajo (Panther conversion), N64BR: Fatal accident occurred December 05, 2021 near Rogue Valley International Medford Airport (KMFR), Jackson 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 traveled to the scene of this accident. 

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


Location: Medford, Oregon
Accident Number: WPR22FA055
Date and Time: December 5, 2021, 16:52 Local 
Registration: N64BR
Aircraft: Piper PA-31-350
Injuries: 2 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

On December 05, 2021, at 1652, a Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain airplane, N64BR, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident in Medford, Oregon. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot and passenger made a flight on November 24, from the airplane’s home airport in Fallon, Nevada to Medford. After landing, the pilot noticed the airplane was leaking a large amount of fuel from the right wing-root. The pilot arranged to make the necessary repairs with a fixed based operator (FBO) at the airport and drove a rental car back home to Nevada. On December 4, a mechanic at the FBO notified the pilot that the maintenance to the airplane was completed. The pilot responded that he would plan to get the airport about 1430 the following day (on the day of the accident). The pilot and passenger drove to Medford arriving about 1600.

The radio communication times could not be confirmed for accuracy for the purposes of the preliminary report. The pilot received an instrument flight rules (IFR) clearance and was issued the BRUTE7 departure procedure with the LANKS transition. During the exchange of the clearance instructions, the pilot requested the controller read back the departure procedure and transition phonetically. The pilot’s family and a business associate stated this was very normal for the pilot and he would often have people clarify names and instructions. The published BRUTE SEVEN Standard Instrument Departure (SID) with a takeoff from runway 14 consisted of a “climbing right turn direct MEF [Medford] NDB [nondirectional beacon],” and continue to the BRUTE intersection on a bearing of 066°.

After receiving the clearance, the controller informed the pilot the overcast layer base was at 200 ft above ground level (agl) the tops of the layer was at 2,500 ft. After the airplane departed the pilot made a radio communication to the controller asking “will you be calling my turn for the BRUTE7?” The controller replied that he would not be calling his turn and that the pilot should fly the departure as published making a climbing right turn to overfly the approach end of runway 14 before proceeding to the BRUTE intersection (see Figure 1 below). The pilot acknowledged the communication, which was his last transmission. Several seconds later, the controller stated that he was receiving a low-altitude alert that the airplane’s altitude was showing 1,700 ft. He made several attempts to reach the pilot with no response.

The radar and automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) information disclosed that the airplane arrived in the run-up area for runway 14 about 1643 and then continued onto the runway about 6 minutes thereafter. The airplane departed about 1649:30 and after crossing over the south end of the runway, it climbed to about 1,550 ft mean sea level, equivalent to 200 ft agl (see Figure 2 below). The airplane then began a gradual right turn and climbed to 1,950 ft maintaining an airspeed between 120-130 kts. As the airplane turn continued to the north the altitude momentarily decreased to 1,650 ft (about 350 ft agl) with the airspeed increasing to 160 kts. Thereafter, the airplane then increased the bank angle and made a 360-degree turn initially climbing to 2,050 ft. At the completion of the turn, the airplane descended to 1,350 ft, consistent with it maneuvering below the cloud layer. The airspeed increased to about 160 kts and several seconds later, the airplane climbed to 2,250 ft with the derived airspeed showing below 15 kts. Six seconds later was the last radar return, located about 990 ft north-northwest of the accident site. 

Video footage was obtained from several fixed security cameras on buildings around the accident site. A review of the footage revealed that the airplane descended below the cloud layer and then climbed back up. About 16 seconds thereafter, the airplane is seen descending in a near vertical attitude (see Figure 3 below). The airplane’s position and strobe light appeared to be illuminated throughout the video. The preliminary review of the recorded audio from the camera footage revealed that there were sound components at frequencies that correspond to the normal operating speed range of the airplane engines.

The accident site was adjacent to the garage bays of an automobile dealership located about 2,800 ft west-southwest from the departure end of runway 14. A majority of the wreckage had been consumed by fire and sustained major crush deformation. Various items in the cockpit were not burned, including numerous paper sectionals and IFR charts of which there were several current departure procedure plates for the Medford Airport.

The Piper PA-31-350 Navajo (Panther conversion), airplane was manufactured in 1977 and was powered by two Lycoming TIO-540-J2B series engines driving two, four-bladed Q-Tip propellers. The airplane was equipped with a Garmin GNS 530W and an autopilot.

The pilot had previously owned a PA-31-350 and purchased the accident airplane in 2013. According to his electronic logbooks he had amassed about 1,500 hours in a PA-31-350 of which 280 hours was in actual instrument meteorological conditions. The logbooks indicated that the pilot had departed from Medford in August 2018 and 2019 by way of the JACKSON1 and EAGLE6 departure procedures, respectively.

Investigators compiled a comparison of ADS-B data from two airplanes that departed before the accident airplane (at 1507 and 1556) and two that departed after (1734 and 1813). A comparison of flight tracks from the three airplanes that departed runway 14 revealed that all began the right turn after the accident flight (see Figure 4 below).






Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Piper
Registration: N64BR
Model/Series: PA-31-350 
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: IMC
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KMFR, 1313 ft msl 
Observation Time: 16:55 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 1 Nautical Miles 
Temperature/Dew Point: 4°C /4°C
Lowest Cloud Condition:
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: / ,
Lowest Ceiling: Overcast / 200 ft AGL
Visibility:
Altimeter Setting: 30.39 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: IFR
Departure Point: Medford, OR
Destination: Fallon, NV (FLX)

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal 
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: 1 Fatal 
Aircraft Fire: On-ground
Ground Injuries: 
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 42.36066,-122.87706 

Those who may have information that might be relevant to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation may contact them by email witness@ntsb.gov, and any friends and family who want to contact investigators about the accident should email assistance@ntsb.gov. You can also call the NTSB Response Operations Center at 844-373-9922 or 202-314-6290.


NTSB senior aircraft accident investigator Zoë Keliher
~


MEDFORD, Oregon — The charred remnants of a plane that crashed into the Airport Chevrolet dealership lot on Sunday were hauled away Wednesday by investigators from the federal National Transportation Safety Board, the next stage in an investigation aimed at discovering what went wrong.

Two people died when the aircraft, a Piper PA-31-350 "Navajo Chieftain" twin-propeller plane, crashed into the dealership lot Sunday evening — producing an explosion and fire that also destroyed several cars parked in the lot and damaged Airport Chevrolet's Service wing.

NewsWatch 12 learned Wednesday that customer vehicles awaiting pick up after being serviced were among the wreckage.

The pilot and a single passenger killed in the crash were identified Monday as 69-year-old Donald Harbert Sefton and 67-year-old Valerie Jean Serpa, both of Fallon, Nevada, a small city located east of Reno and Carson City. The aircraft was registered to Sefton.

Officials from the NTSB and FAA arrived in Medford on Monday afternoon to take control of the inquest from local authorities. NTSB senior aircraft accident investigator Zoe Keliher said that the two bodies were recovered by the medical examiner soon after their arrival.

The team spent Tuesday working through the remains of the aircraft and documenting ground scars from the impact it caused on the surface of the dealership parking lot, Keliher said — working to salvage any possible clues from components that weren't obliterated by the explosion and flames.

As of Tuesday, NTSB was still in the "fact-finding phase," which means that we're documenting everything at the scene and trying to determine what could produce meaningful data. When they do find something of interest, it is taken off-site for analysis.

With the debris cataloged, the agency began hauling it away on Wednesday morning — loading pieces, much of it charred beyond recognition, into a trailer so that it can be transported up to the Seattle area for the next stage of the investigation.

A preliminary crash report from the NTSB is expected to be released within the next two weeks. But according to the NTSB's normal procedures during a crash investigation, the final report with a probable cause for the crash may not be determined for 12 to 18 months after it occurred.

According to flight logs, Sefton's plane originally left Fallon Municipal Airport on the morning of Wednesday, November 24 and arrived in Medford at noon that day. On Sunday, he departed the Medford airport at 4:50 p.m. and was supposed to arrive back in Fallon at 6:50 p.m., but crashed just minutes after takeoff.

Video provided to NewsWatch 12 from two sources shows that the plane ultimately descended rapidly and at a near-vertical angle before slamming into the Airport Chevy lot, creating a plume of smoke and then exploding into flame seconds later. But one of the videos also shows Sefton's plane prior to the crash apparently fighting to gain altitude — swooping down into the frame and pulling back up, remaining out of the frame for several long seconds, then reappearing in a terminal loop earthward.

In a recording of the air traffic control chatter, it's possible to hear the airport tower communicating with Sefton in the lead-up to the crash, giving him instructions on how to maneuver after takeoff. Then an alarm begins to sound.

"Low altitude alert, Navajo six-four Bravo Romeo, check your altitude immediately," the air traffic controller says. "That's altimeter at 3-0-3-9er, your altitude indicates 1,700 ... Navajo six-four Bravo Romeo, are you on top? Navajo six-four Bravo Romeo, how do you hear?"

Moments later, when the air traffic controller begins speaking again, his voice is charged with urgency as he calls for the Medford airport's rescue and firefighter team:

"Truck 80, Medford Tower, the aircraft appears to have crashed over by the Subaru Chevron [sic] dealer, approximately one mile from the airport due south."

There were no reports of injuries to anyone on the ground. It took several hours for fire crews from the Medford Fire Department and the Medford airport to extinguish flames from the gas-fueled fire.

Airport Chevrolet said on Monday morning that it had reopened its Sales Department, but its Service Department remained closed due to the damage caused by the crash and the adjacent investigation.

Automation Way, the street to the north of the dealership off Biddle Road, was back open as of Sunday night following the initial crash response. Medford Police announced Tuesday that Chevy Way, the street to the south that was closest to the crash, was back open for through traffic.

Donald Sefton
~


The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to release a preliminary report later this month on the initial cause of a fiery small plane crash that killed two Fallon residents after takeoff from a Medford, Oregon, airport.

Peter Knudson, public affairs officer for the NTSB in Washington, D.C., told the LVN on Monday it will take about two weeks for a preliminary report to determine cause of the December 5 crash that killed the pilot and plane owner Donald Sefton, 69, owner of Systems Consultants, and Valerie Serpa, 67, executive director of the Churchill Arts Council and the Oats Park Arts Center. The crash at the Airport Chevrolet lot occurred shortly after takeoff.

“December 19 is our goal for the preliminary report,” said Knudson, who spent several weeks in Churchill County a decade ago after a 2008 Peterbilt hauling two side-dump trailers failed to stop and rammed into an Amtrak passenger train. “It will detail facts and circumstances, and then a more detailed report will then dig down into other areas.”

Knudson said the final report could take six months.

One week ago, NTSB investigators took the wreckage of the Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain to its regional field office in Seattle. Knudson said inspectors will take information from the crash site and look at other records.

According to flight logs, Sefton’s plane left Fallon on November 24 and arrived in Medford at noon. He departed the Medford airport at 4:50 p.m., but the plane crashed minutes after takeoff.

KDRV-TV in Medford reported an NTSB senior aircraft accident investigator will work closely with different experts, while other investigators in Washington will examine radar data, video footage and audio recordings to understand the cause.

Investigator Zoe Keliher from the Seattle NTSB field office confirmed the plane had been in Medford for maintenance.

“Me, a representative from the engine manufacturer and from the airplane manufacturer — those are, respectively, Lycoming Engines and Piper Aircraft — will be convening up there and doing an entire aircraft examination layout … tearing down the engines and looking at all aspects of the airplane to see if there’s any mechanical anomalies that we could detect,” she said.

Two sources provided videos to KDRV television in Medford that show Sefton’s plane descending rapidly and at a near-vertical angle. The Medford Fire Department and personnel from the Medford airport extinguished the flames.

From takeoff to the accident, the plane was in the air for less than 3 minutes.
“What’s known is that Medford firefighters arrived on scene near Airport Chevrolet to find at least 20 vehicles that were fully involved,” Chief Eric Thompson told the Associated Press. “We know that the aircraft took off from the Medford airport, they had just filled up with fuel, they had 128 gallons of fuel on board and the incident occurred only a few minutes after they took off.”

KDRV also reported Keliher saying Sefton had left the plane in Medford for servicing and minor repairs to a fuel line before returning to Fallon. He and Serpa drove back to Medford on a nine-hour trip to fly back together. KDRV informed the LVN that December 5 was foggy with the cloud layer at about 200 to 300 feet off the ground.

Sefton, who moved to Fallon in the 1980s, is owner of System Consultants. According to its website, “This organization primarily operates in the Business Oriented Computer Software business / industry within the Business Services sector. This organization has been operating for approximately 42 years. Systems Consultants is estimated to generate $5.3 million in annual revenues, and employs approximately 60 people at this single location.”

Steve Endacott, who is the city of Fallon’s emergency management director, said he handled military projects at Systems Consultants until he left nine years ago. He said Sefton relocated from Southern California to Fallon because of the business-friendly climate.

“He got to know Fallon, bought a ranch or farm,” Endacott said. “He was involved with the Arts Council, and he was quite generous with donations to the community. He was very generous within the Fallon community, including sponsoring two scholarships every year for Churchill County High School graduates.”

Endacott began working on part-time military software projects in 1994 until his supervisor left.

“He started military software projects such as the ground training software for a fighter that was used in Desert Storm,” said Endacott, who ran the SCI Military Special Projects division. “The Stealth Fighter that Don designed the first simulator for was the F-117A, which was operating out of Tonopah Test Range at the time. That got him started with military project and was the catalyst for his move to Fallon and his work with Strike-U aboard NAS Fallon.”

During his time with Systems Consultants, Endacott said the company also worked with Strike U, the predecessor to the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center at Naval Air Station Fallon. Endacott said he was also involved with the unmanned aerial vehicle command testing center.

Endacott said other projects included helping the city of Fallon archive its records and providing hunting tags to other states’ wildlife departments.

“In addition to processing the big game draws for Nevada, Utah and other states, Systems Consultants created and led multiple tactics, training and technology programs involving Unmanned Aerial Systems (drones), weapons and tactical aircraft projects,” Endacott added.

An In Memoriam was posted on the Churchill Arts Council website:

“Valerie J. Serpa was the heart of the Churchill Arts Council and Oats Park Art Center. Founding the Council in 1986 with her late husband Kirk Robertson, Valerie served as the Council’s Executive Director from 1991-2021 while working tirelessly to create a permanent home for the Council in what would become the world-class Oats Park Art Center.

“A native Nevadan born and raised in Fallon, Valerie created a world of meaningful relationships by bringing individuals from all walks of life together through the Arts. Famous for her brilliant smile, sharp wit, and incredible generosity, Valerie touched countless lives.

“The Churchill Arts Council’s Board of Directors, volunteers, and members are dedicated to continuing Valerie’s mission of championing the Arts, while honoring her legacy and vision.”

Serpa earned a degree in Art History and Cultural Anthropology from the University of Nevada, Reno, and a Master’s Degree in Visual Culture from Antioch University. Her late husband, Kirk Robertson, who died on May 1, 2017, was also involved with the arts council.

Serpa was a board member from 1987-1989 and served as the board’s chair from 1989-1991. She became the council’s first executive director in 1991. According to her biographical information, “She oversees the day-to-day operations of all Council programs and activities including booking of the Council’s performing and visual arts season, publicity and promotion, artists-in-residence, scholarship and mini-grant programs, and is responsible for the development, coordination and fundraising for the Council’s programs.”

The family said a service may be conducted in February, but plans are still being worked out.


Valerie Jean Serpa
~

Valerie Jean Serpa, beloved Aunt, Great Aunt, Sister, Stepmother, Mother-in-law, and dear friend to so many, died tragically in a small plane crash in Medford, Oregon on Sunday, December 5, 2021. The tremendous loss of this incredibly intelligent, beautiful woman with the most radiant smile is not easy to share; her loss will be deeply felt for some time.

Valerie, 67, was born and raised in bucolic Fallon, Nevada. As a Native Nevadan, she treasured Nevada, in particular its eclectic and lively rural towns. Her early years were spent helping on the family land where hay and cattle were part of the family business. She was adept at and enjoyed running the harobed in particular. Following high school graduation, she was able to purchase the Serpa family home, where her father was born. Over the years, she remodeled and renovated her home and surrounding property to honor the original architecture and to encapsulate a most outstanding collection of art, all the while maintaining the essence of a lived-in home. She continued helping with the family work as she continued her education, taking classes to expand her understanding of culture, history, and art. She earned a degree in Art History and Cultural Anthropology from the University of Nevada, Reno, and a graduate degree in Visual Culture from Antioch University.

Valerie’s passion for the arts led to her joining the Churchill Arts Council at its inception in 1986. Shortly after, she met and married the gentleman who was to become the love of her life, Kirk Thomas Robertson. Valerie and Kirk shared their vision for an arts community and helped to renovate Oats Park School into the Oats Park Arts Center complete with a performing arts theater, art and exhibit galleries, and a museum store, all available to their community and beyond. Valerie continued on with their shared passion of this work following Kirk’s death in 2017. She was instrumental in procuring funding for not only the renovations, but for the ongoing performances and exhibits. She was an arts leader, an author, and a great collaborator. We are committed to continuing to celebrate her life and incredible accomplishments by supporting her passion and dedicated work in the visual, performing, and literary arts through the Churchill Arts Council and Oats Park Art Center, both located in Fallon, Nevada, as we know this would bring her great joy.

One of her greatest pastimes was pouring over of the incredible collection of books she and Kirk had amassed: she recently renovated her library to enhance the collection. Her intelligence about works of art, articles on works of art, and culture was awe-inspiring. She loved poetry—particularly Kirk’s own published works. Kirk was the poet. Valerie was the poem.

Valerie loved to travel, and she and Kirk visited several countries, taking in art, cuisine, and beauty. She loved Italy and the versatility of the word prego, which could be used in a myriad of different ways for different meanings. She and Kirk often traveled to New York to visit friends and to take in performances of potential, always unique, performing artists to bring to Fallon during the performance season, a tradition that Valerie continued following the loss of Kirk. She had a trip to New York planned for January 2022.

A world-class cook, Valerie was well-known for her fabulous gatherings of family and friends, where guests shared food and lively discussions. The food she prepared with so much love and served with home-spun yet worldly flair, was unparalleled. Her flower and vegetable gardens sprang forth bounties of beauty. She and Kirk were well-known for their peppers and homemade salsas. Following the consumption of delectable cuisine creations and conversation, the evening would end with heartwarming fires. She was the perfect, welcoming and loving hostess. You always left wanting to return.

Valerie was also known for her kind and loving heart. This was often seen through social gatherings yet also through her love of animals. Visiting her home would yield sightings of cats, horses, donkeys, beloved chickens and their luxury chicken coup known as “Poulet Palais Chichas,” and there would definitely be several peacocks high in their tree or telephone pole perches.

Valerie loved her family and friends fiercely. She wanted nothing more than to bring family and friends together and to bring art into their lives. You knew her well if you spent time sharing a cup of her black, thick as mud, delicious coffee, which she always offered in her marvelous china but she herself drank from her favorite patterned bowl so that she could drink in the aroma and warm her hands. Her heart and soul were already warm and kept those who knew her warm too. Everyone who loved her prays to sit again at her table, wherever that might be. There will be wine, for sure, and laughter, and joy, and beauty.

Valerie was preceded in death by her husband Kirk Thomas Robertson, and by her parents Joe Serpa, Jr. and Joanne Serpa. She is survived by her brother, Joseph M. Serpa of Reno and niece Val MacFarlane and her husband Brandon and great nephews Jace and Coen of Sparks; sister Tina Doty and her husband Bobby, and nephews Daniel and Andrew of Fallon; sister Julie Serpa and niece Brooke Fitch of Reno; niece Amber Getto and her husband John and niece Mallory, nephew Caleb Casey and great nephew Emerson Casey, nephew Wyatt Getto and his wife Aleisa, and nephew Myles Getto of Fallon; and Kirk’s oldest son Cody WindRiver and his wife Shannon and their children Cienna, Mirabel, and Mobby of Fallon; and Kirk’s youngest son Jesse WindRiver and his wife Lindsey. She is also survived by her mother’s brothers and sisters and their families as well as numerous cousins and extended family.

A gathering of family and friends to celebrate the life of Valerie will be held February 13th at the Oats Park Arts Center in Fallon, Nevada - more information soon. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Churchill Arts Council in Fallon, Nevada; P O Box 2204 Fallon, NV 89407.


Friends of the victims in Sunday's fatal plane crash in Medford remember them as pillars of the local community in Fallon, Nevada, a small town with a population of just under 9,000.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has confirmed that 69-year-old Donald Harbert Sefton and 67-year-old Valerie Jean Serpa perished in the accident.

"It's terrible. It's really, it's really sad. it's really a loss for our community. Both Don and Val were amazing people who contributed so much to this community, and it's a terrible loss," said friend Rachel Dahl, who knew them both.

Dahl says Sefton moved to the Fallon area in the late 1980’s. He ran Systems Consultants, a computer software business, ever since.

"Don is a great guy. He ran his company and was very successful in the business world, a incredibly intelligent person, but he was really supportive of our small community and really loved our community," she said.

In 2015, Sefton started a scholarship fund for students through his company. That is how he met the Chairman of the Board of the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada, Kevin Melcher.

"I can tell you that he was a wonderful man and he will be greatly missed by a lot of people," Melcher said. "Despite what happened, I was thankful to hear that nobody in Medford on the ground got hurt."

Serpa grew up in Fallon and was heavily involved in the arts. She was the Executive Director of the Churchill Arts Council, which hosts a wide range of creative endeavors in the city.

"She built this organization and raised all the money to restore that building, which is now the most beautiful theater, art gallery, and meeting space," Dahl said. "She was just this beautiful, cultured, lovely woman who taught us all how to love and appreciate the arts."

Dahl says she is particularly close with Serpa's sister, and that Serpa was present at the city's Christmas tree lighting event last Friday as a member of the community.

"There's so many people who were very, very close to her, but what she was able to do with the community in embracing all of us and making us feel comfortable with what she was doing. She was magic that way," she said.

A memory Dahl points to that most exemplifies Sefton is the time she was looking to restore an old theater in Fallon. He was the first person she called.

"He wrote us a thousand dollar check right then. It was our very first contribution. He probably wouldn't want me to tell that, but he did that kind of stuff all the time and no one ever knew that he did that," she said.

The NTSB expects to have a preliminary report out on the cause of the accident within the next two weeks.





MEDFORD, Oregon — The charred remnants of a plane that crashed into the Airport Chevrolet dealership lot on Sunday were hauled away Wednesday by investigators from the federal National Transportation Safety Board, the next stage in an investigation aimed at discovering what went wrong.

Two people died when the Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain crashed into the dealership lot Sunday evening — producing an explosion and fire that also destroyed several cars parked in the lot and damaged Airport Chevrolet's Service wing.

NewsWatch 12 learned Wednesday that customer vehicles awaiting pickup after being serviced were among the wreckage.

The pilot and a single passenger killed in the crash were identified Monday as 69-year-old Donald Harbert Sefton and 67-year-old Valerie Jean Serpa, both of Fallon, Nevada, a small city located east of Reno and Carson City. The aircraft was registered to Sefton.

Officials from the NTSB and FAA arrived in Medford on Monday afternoon to take control of the inquest from local authorities. NTSB senior aircraft accident investigator Zoe Keliher said that the two bodies were recovered by the medical examiner soon after their arrival.

The team spent Tuesday working through the remains of the aircraft and documenting groundscars from the impact it caused on the surface of the dealership parking lot, Keliher said — working to salvage any possible clues from components that weren't obliterated by the explosion and flames.

As of Tuesday, NTSB was still in the "fact-finding phase," which means that were documenting everything at the scene and trying to determine what could produce meaningful data. When they do find something of interest, it is taken off-site for analysis.

With the debris catalogued, the agency began hauling it away on Wednesday morning — loading pieces, much of it charred beyond recognition, into a trailer so that it can be transported up to the Seattle area for the next stage of the investigation.

A preliminary crash report from the NTSB is expected to be released within the next two weeks. But according to the NTSB's normal procedures during a crash investigation, the final report with a probable cause for the crash may not be determined for 12 to 18 months after it occurred.

According to flight logs, Sefton's plane originally left Fallon Municipal Airport on the morning of Wednesday, November 24 and arrived in Medford at noon that day. On Sunday, he departed the Medford airport at 4:50 p.m. and was supposed to arrive back in Fallon at 6:50 p.m., but crashed just minutes after takeoff.

Video provided to NewsWatch 12 from two sources shows that the plane ultimately descended rapidly and at a near-vertical angle before slamming into the Airport Chevy lot, creating a plume of smoke and then exploding into flame seconds later. But one of the videos also shows Sefton's plane prior to the crash apparently fighting to gain altitude — swooping down into the frame and pulling back up, remaining out of the frame for several long seconds, then reappearing in a terminal loop earthward.

In a recording of the air traffic control chatter, it's possible to hear the airport tower communicating with Sefton in the lead-up to the crash, giving him instructions on how to maneuver after takeoff. Then an alarm begins to sound.

"Low altitude alert, Navajo six four Bravo Romeo, check your altitude immediately," the air traffic controller says. "That's altimeter at 3-0-3-9er, your altitude indicates 1,700 ... Navajo six four Bravo Romeo, are you on talk? Navajo six four Bravo Romeo, how do you hear?"

Moments later, when the air traffic controller begins speaking again, his voice is charged with urgency as he calls for the Medford airport's rescue and firefighter team:

"Truck 80, Medford Tower, the aircraft appears to have crashed over by the Subaru Chevron [sic] dealer, approximately one mile from the airport due south."

There were no reports of injuries to anyone on the ground. It took several hours for fire crews from the Medford Fire Department and the Medford airport to extinguish flames from the gas-fueled fire.

Airport Chevrolet said on Monday morning that it had reopened its Sales Department, but its Service Department remained closed due to the damage caused by the crash and the adjacent investigation.

Automation Way, the street to the north of the dealership off Biddle Road, was back open as of Sunday night following the initial crash response. Medford Police announced Tuesday that Chevy Way, the street to the south that was closest to the crash, was back open for through traffic.