Thursday, March 03, 2022

Extra NG, N100NG: Fatal accident occurred March 02, 2022 at Northeast Florida Regional Airport (KSGJ), St. Augustine, St. Johns County, Florida

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; Orlando, Florida

Southeast Aero Sales Inc


Location: St. Augustine, Florida
Accident Number: ERA22FA141
Date and Time: March 2, 2022, 17:02 Local 
Registration: N100NG
Aircraft: Extra NG 
Injuries: 1 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

On March 2, 2022, at 1702 eastern standard time, an Extra NG, N100NG, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near St. Augustine, Florida. The private pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated by the pilot as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot of an Extra 300, N331FZ, stated he was flying chalk two in a flight of two with his fiancé flying lead in the accident airplane. They were returning to their home airport after a short local flight. After several minutes of watching smoke come from the exhaust of the accident airplane, he asked over the radio if the airplane’s smoke-generator was on. The pilot replied that it was not, and she added that the engine was producing only 1,380 rpm, which was below the expected 2,200 rpm cruise power setting. While at 2,800 ft, 190 knots groundspeed, and 10 miles west of Northeast Florida Regional Airport (SGJ), N331FZ advised air traffic control (ATC) that N100NG had a partial loss of engine power, was trailing smoke, and declared an emergency for the accident airplane. The pilot of N100NG stated over the tower frequency “my engine is doing something weird, what do I do?” As both airplanes approached SGJ, N331FZ stated over the tower frequency “you’re going to make it down, cut the throttle, slip it in, you have a lot of energy now, cut the throttle, slip it deep, deep, slip, you got it.”

A review of the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) final target depicted the airplane at 200 ft and 165 knots groundspeed as it crossed the airport boundary. The airplane overflew the 8,000 ft runway and came to rest inverted in marshland about 1,500 ft past the departure end of the landing runway. Afterwards, the pilot transmitted over the tower frequency, “I had too much speed, I should have come in slower.”

Examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of in-flight or post-crash fire. Flight control continuity was established from the cockpit controls to all flight control surfaces. About 11 gallons of fuel were drained from the fuel tanks. The fuel appeared clear and free of contaminants.

Two of the three propeller composite blades were fractured off at the hub. The engine’s crankshaft was rotated by hand at the propeller hub and continuity was established from the powertrain to the valvetrain and the accessory section. Compression was confirmed using the thumb method. Examination of the cylinders, valves, and pistons with a lighted borescope revealed no anomalies. Both magnetos were removed, actuated with an electric drill, and spark was produced at all terminal leads. The propeller governor was removed, rotated by hand, and oil flowed through the governor as designed.

The mechanical fuel pump was removed and pumped fluid when actuated by hand; no anomalies were noted. The electric fuel pump operated normally with electrical power applied; the pump rotated normally. The throttle body fuel filter, fuel nozzles, and fuel flow divider were clear and free of debris.

The wreckage was retained for further examination.

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Extra 
Registration: N100NG
Model/Series: NG 
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: SGJ,10 ft msl
Observation Time: 16:56 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 1 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 21°C /5°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear 
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 6 knots / , 70°
Lowest Ceiling: None 
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.13 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Keystone Heights, FL (42J) 
Destination: St. Augustine, FL

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: 29.953613,-81.328816

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. 

Marianne Elizabeth Fox
October 4, 1972 - March 3, 2022
~


Marianne Elizabeth Fox née Biddinger was born in Oelwein, Iowa on October 4, 1972 to Steve and Connie Biddinger. When she was only 5 months old, the family moved to Oregon. Marianne attended Perrydale School through her freshman year, and then transferred to Dallas High School, where she graduated in 1990. After graduation Marianne attended Western Oregon University, where she received a B.A. in business administration. She began her career in accounting and worked several years for Edge Wireless.

Eventually her creative side won out, and she ended up owning 3 businesses - Restyle in Albany, Restyle Home Goods in Corvallis, and Passion Flower in Eugene. Her attention to detail was meticulous. She had an eye for design and great organizational skills. We think, at this moment, she is helping to organize heaven.

Marianne has 2 children, Grant Acord from Portland, age 25, and Kara Fightmaster, age 20, who is attending the University of Oregon. She loved her children with her whole heart and was always there for them.

For the past 10 years, Marianne was in a relationship with Jim Bourke. These were the happiest years of her life.They shared so many adventures together, and Jim blessed Marianne in countless ways. Jim’s 3 children also held a special place in her heart - Haley, Camma, and Ray. Through Jim, Marianne grew to love aviation, and won several awards in aerobatic competitions. Marianne was a kind, generous, empathetic soul who will be missed by so many.

She was preceded in death by her brother Mark, and both sets of grandparents. She is survived by her parents and countless aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews and a host of people who’ve loved her. Marianne died as a result of an airplane accident on March 3, 2022. Memorial service will be held on March 10th at 11 a.m. at the Dallas United Methodist Church, 565 SE Lacreole Drive, Dallas, OR 97338.


Marianne Fox
~


CORVALLIS, Oregon (KPTV)-- Days after a Corvallis woman died in a Florida plane crash, her fiancé spoke to FOX 12 Saturday night about the life 49-year-old Marianne Fox lived.

Fox was killed in a plane crash Wednesday in St. John’s County, Florida. She was the pilot and the sole person on board.

St. John’s County Fire and Rescue said Fox’s plane went down near the Northeast Florida Regional Airport. Jim Bourke was Fox’s fiancé and partner for nearly two decades. He was flying next to her right-wing when smoke started to come out of the engine.

“I talked with her on the radio, and she said that she had engine trouble and needed to make a landing right away,” Bourke said.

Bourke said they were in Florida for business and were trying to land at the airport. He said he descended with Fox until he thought she was going to make a touchdown on the runway.

“At that moment I was very confident she made a successful landing, but I don’t know what happened on that,” Bourke said.

Investigators told Bourke that Fox survived the crash. The plane landed in the marsh near the runway and flipped onto its top. But the cockpit was submerged.

“She made it,” Bourke said. “She flipped upside down and sat in the water upside down on the radio with rescuers, but they couldn’t get to her in time.”

Bourke said Fox passed away from drowning in the water. He said he was trying to do everything to reach her after he landed.

“I was there on site I did my best to try and reach her, but it wasn’t possible,” Bourke said.

Bourke said Fox took up aerobatics just a few years ago. But over those years, he saw her piloting career soar.

“She really just took to it well,” Bourke said. “She had a lot of characteristics in her personality that made her well suited for it.”

Fox was training to be part of the U.S. aerobatics’ team this year and compete internationally. She practiced out of the Corvallis Municipal Airport and was a regular volunteer at local competitions.

“She rose very quickly and became a very competent pilot and was very proud of her accomplishments as she should be,” Bourke said.

Outside of aerobatics and flying, Fox was a business owner in Corvallis, a mother, and a valued community member. Bourke said since her death, people in Corvallis and around the country have been sending him messages of condolence. He said knowing how much his fiancé positively impacted others’ lives is helping with the grieving process.

“I’ll be reliving it for a long time so it’s not easy at all, but I know Marianne and she would be the one telling me that I have to accept this,” Bourke said. “That’s the reality and I know how she would want me to do that, so I think about her, and I know I have to do that. But I’m not there yet. That’s not happening anytime soon.”

The National Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating the crash.









St. Johns County Fire Rescue -
 
Yesterday afternoon just after 5:00 pm, SJCFR received notification that an aircraft was approaching with smoke in the cockpit and had crashed in the marsh. 

St. Johns County Fire Rescue, along with multiple agencies worked to reach the aircraft crash site. 

Once crews arrived at the crash site they extricated the patient and transported her via airboat to where rescue units waited. 

The patient was transported to Flagler Hospital in critical condition. 

The cause of the crash is currently under investigation.

25 comments:

  1. Smoke in the cockpit = expedite the landing. Tracks suggest high arrival speed before the veer off:

    https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N100NG/history/20220302/2213Z/42J/KSGJ

    https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a005e7&lat=29.973&lon=-81.381&zoom=12.7&showTrace=2022-03-02&leg=6&trackLabels

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    1. Winds:

      KSGJ 022218Z 05005KT 10SM CLR 20/06 A3013
      KSGJ 022156Z 07006KT 10SM CLR 21/05 A3013

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    2. Combined track for N100NG and Mr. Bourke's N331FZ showing both aircraft during the accident leg:

      https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a005e7,a39a1b&lat=29.953&lon=-81.407&zoom=11.9&showTrace=2022-03-02&leg=6,4&trackLabels

      (Playback using controls in left side panel)

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  2. My God how horrific and tragic. To be next to her in flight and see her land safely only to not be able to come to a stop safely. This is something I've always been afraid of in a bubble canopy, going upside down in just a few feet of water, knowing you made it, but can't egress because the cockpit canopy opens upward. Slowly drowning. How awful. RIP and condolences to everyone who knew and loved her.

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  3. What a tragedy, and from what I understand it was a brand new Extra 300NG. I wonder what the engine problem could have been. How awful, to be trapped upside down in a bubble canopy aircraft. My thoughts, and prayers go out to the family.

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  4. I have been told this is why canopy airplanes are so dangerous. The Zenith 601 and others comes to mind as if it tips over on an emergency landing in mud the pilot has either his neck broken if the canopy gives in or is trapped and unable to exit and at the mercy of a fire or water.

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    1. One piece bubble canopies are looking good, but quite simply not safe. A sleek design on cost of pilot safety. Sorry to say, this is the standard on modern aerobatic airplanes.
      Safe design consists of a windshield with a steel tube frame and a bubble canopy to shift back for access, see P51 and others.
      The option to partially open the canopy in flight is essential in case of smoke in the cockpit, and to allow opening the canopy from the outside in case of flipping over.

      Delete
  5. MAP. https://flightaware.com/resources/airport/KSGJ/map/satellite

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    1. Correct location of airport, but incorrect location of accident site.

      https://www.google.com/maps/place/29%C2%B057'47.3%22N+81%C2%B020'25.6%22W/@29.9631413,-81.3415263,506m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x0:0xb545430cb499d900!7e2!8m2!3d29.9631392!4d-81.3404316?hl=en

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    2. Correct location of airport, but incorrect location of accident site.

      https://www.google.com/maps/place/29%C2%B057'47.3%22N+81%C2%B020'25.6%22W/@29.9631413,-81.3415263,506m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x0:0xb545430cb499d900!7e2!8m2!3d29.9631392!4d-81.3404316?hl=en

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    3. Background in the flipped-over photo doesn't resemble what you would expect to see while at the "inside the fence" location of the wet patch at the map pin.

      Is that accident location witnessed/known, or a guess?

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    4. And the view in this flyover video at the 47 second to 52 second mark shows what the "inside the fence" location of the wet patch at that map pin location looks like. Not similar to the flipped over photo background at all.

      https://youtu.be/vrEsJE7quZM?t=45

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  6. How sad. I wonder if it's possible to build a canopy for these types of aircraft where they can be easily shattered with a sharp pointed tool like the ones in cars ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The established process of heating and vacuum-forming thermoplastic sheet in a mold to produce a bubble canopy that fits properly within a perimeter frame is fairly low tech.

      Producing a tempered glass bubble canopy adds the challenge of achieving uniform temper, if it is even possible to form into the required shape while meeting strength, optical quality and weight objectives.

      Seems like the tooling, process development and product assurance temper-testing required would be a significant set of challenges. Low quantity production adds difficulty in reliably producing uniform finished product when compared to vacuum thermoplastic fabrication.

      Article on tempered glazing describes the steps required:
      https://www.glassonweb.com/article/traditional-challenging-bent-tempered-glazing

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  7. Simple observation but if she had one of those emergency use oxygen tanks they could have been used too in that case. The ones that can provide 20 min of oxygen or so. Always carry one in my plane for those pesky 13k+ climbs above mountainous terrain you have to do. Of course I never expected being upside down submerged in water as a thing until this... but never underestimate Murphy's law.

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    1. Absolutely terrible idea. Aviation oxygen systems are NOT designed for use underwater. Nasal canulla do not provide an airtight seal. If you waste precious time trying to hook up your aviation oxygen system and breath through it when you become accidentally submerged in water instead of trying to expeditiously egress the aircraft, you will end up snorting a bunch of water and drowning. Kids, please don't listen to MarcPilot's awful advice and try this at home. Instead sign up for underwater dunk tank training and save your life.

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    2. Marc Pilot is not referring to aviators oxygen system but rather the diminutive emergency scuba bottle available for divers. They provide a few minutes of air through a scuba mouthpiece. I used to carry one when doing airshows in Mexico which seemed to be always over water, and so did all the red bull racers...saved a guy once as I recall. Of course, she's sitting on a parachute, and the canopy is jettisonable, and the airplane is insured I'm sure...all 20/20 hindsight...sad...

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    3. Immediate, unimpeded egress of a submerged pilot could be accomplished using a diminutive 3 cubic feet capacity emergency scuba "bailout bottle", but the small volume of air available wouldn't support a trapped pilot for long. Full size scuba tank is 80 cubic feet.

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  8. The earlier SJCFR mention of smoke in the cockpit was confirmed in statements by NTSB's Peter Knudson. Smoke interfering with vision during approach to a touchdown point makes the overrun of the 8000' long runway more understandable.

    From news article linked below:

    "Fox reported loss of power and smoke in the cockpit approaching the airport, said NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson.

    "She radioed in that she had an engine problem, after which air traffic control declared an emergency," Knudson said.

    "She attempted the runway and ended up over-running it," Knudson said."


    https://www.staugustine.com/story/news/accident/2022/03/08/st-augustine-fatal-plane-crash-under-investigation-ntsb-maryanne-fox/9415787002/

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  9. Hopeless situation. Upside down, pitch black, water seeping in slowly there's not much she could've done in such a confined space if she were even conscious.

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  10. Almost like the Charlie Hillard Sea Fury accident without the water. Upside down with a bubble canopy alive strapped in with and aerobatic style seatbelt system. So sad.

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    Replies
    1. Hillard's Sea Fury had been modified to allow a jump seat in the back. To accomplish this the rollover structure had been removed and the canopy was crushed when the plane flipped over.

      Delete
  11. @ https://www.extraaircraft.com/docs/service/POH_NG_20200224_CUS.pdf
    3.8 Exit after Turn-over.
    Item Condition Battery switches: OFF
    Alternator switch: OFF
    Fuel shutoff valve: OFF (Lift knob & turn)
    Seat belts: OPEN
    Parachute harnesses (if wearing a parachute): OPEN
    Canopy handle: PULL TO OPEN. If canopy fails to open and not already shattered.
    Canopy: BREAK with shoulder strap link
    Aircraft: EVACUATE ASAP

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  12. Serious question if the engine was actually failing. When smoke was noted airspeed was a robust 190 knots. This seems perhaps inconsistent with the low RPM noted by the pilot. Perhaps she misread the tach, primed to believe an engine was failing due to her wingman's smoke observation. Of note, nothing was obviously burned on postcrash examination. Was there really smoke in the cockpit, or was smoke only trailing? Could a smoke generator have been malfunctioning, leading to a cascade of incorrect conclusions, a very high speed approach, and a fatal overrun?

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    1. Misreading the tach seems unlikely. Photo of the pilot's Garmin display at the solo/rear seat panel finds RPM second from top at upper left, a pointer graphic with numeric RPM displayed.

      Was the prop pitch setting pulling down RPM and working the engine hard, with smoke eventually generated and steadily increasing out the exhaust from rising temps burning off stack residue?

      Answer depends on what could be expected from the Lycoming AEIO-580-B1A engine and MT propeller while at 1,380 rpm (if the 1,380 rpm reading was true from prop governor action and with adequate throttle).

      Cockpit display photo:
      https://www.aopa.org/-/media/Images/AOPA-Main/News-and-Media/Publications/Pilot-Magazine/2020/2012/extra/Extra-NG-0684.jpg

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