Sunday, July 17, 2022

Air Tractor AT-802A, N579LA: Accident occurred May 27, 2022 in Weiner, Poinsett County, Arkansas













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; Memphis, Tennessee

Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board:


Location: Weiner, Arkansas 
Accident Number: CEN22LA226
Date and Time: May 27, 2022, 07:30 Local
Registration: N579LA
Aircraft: AIR TRACTOR INC AT-802A
Injuries: 1 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 137: Agricultural

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: AIR TRACTOR INC
Registration: N579LA
Model/Series: AT-802A
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built:
Operator: 
Operating Certificate(s) Held: Agricultural aircraft (137)
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 Serious 
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A 
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: 
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Serious
Latitude, Longitude: 35.590272,-90.913672

Cessna P210N Pressurized Centurion, N731BJ : Fatal accident occurred July 14, 2022 in Buffalo, Johnson County, Wyoming

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.

Investigator In Charge (IIC): Cawthra, Joshua

The National Transportation Safety Board traveled to the scene of this accident.

Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Casper, Wyoming

Armis Strategies LLC


Location: Buffalo, Wyoming
Accident Number: WPR22FA253
Date and Time: July 14, 2022, 12:31 Local 
Registration: N731BJ
Aircraft: Cessna P210N 
Injuries: 2 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

On July 14, 2022, about 1231 mountain daylight time, a Cessna P210N, N731BJ, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Buffalo, Wyoming. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

Recorded Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) data showed the airplane departed from Powell Municipal Airport, (POY) Powell, Wyoming, and progressed along a southeasterly course, while it ascended to 17,450 ft mean sea level (msl). The airplane remained at that altitude for about 9 minutes, 17 seconds until it descended to 15,400 ft msl for about 12 seconds (Figure 1). The data showed that about 2 seconds later, the airplane ascended to 15,575 ft msl, which was followed by a descent to 14,500 ft msl for the last 4 seconds of recorded ADS-B data. The last recorded ADS-B target was located about .46 miles northwest of the accident site. 

According to local law enforcement, fire crews, who were responding to reports of a wildland fire, located the wreckage of the airplane about 1400, within rugged mountainous terrain about 14 miles west-northwest of Johnson County Airport, (BYG) Buffalo, Wyoming. The wreckage was contained within an approximate 30-yard by 50-yard area and mostly consumed by fire. There are no known witnesses to the accident sequence.

The wreckage will be relocated to a secure location for further examination.



Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Cessna 
Registration: N731BJ
Model/Series: P210N 
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: KBYG,4934 ft msl 
Observation Time: 12:53 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 12 Nautical Miles 
Temperature/Dew Point: 32°C /8°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: / ,
Lowest Ceiling: None 
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.18 inches Hg 
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Powell, WY
Destination: Buffalo, WY

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: 44.435409,-106.95072 (est)

Aircraft crashed under unknown circumstances. 

Date: 14-JUL-22
Time: 18:00:00Z
Regis#: N731BJ
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: P210
Event Type: ACCIDENT
Highest Injury: Fatal
Total Fatal: 2
Flight Crew: 1 Fatal
Pax: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: DESTROYED
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: UNKNOWN (UNK)
Operation: 91
City: BUFFALO
State: WYOMING

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.


Charles Schell was a longtime pilot, first flying for the U.S. Army from 1991-2003 and then flying private planes for decades after.

Kelli Schell and her husband Charles were killed when their Cessna P210 plane crashed in the Bighorn National Forest neat Buffalo, Wyoming on July 14, 2022.


BILLINGS — Friends and family are mourning the loss of a Georgia couple who died last week when their private plane crashed in the Bighorn National Forest near Buffalo, Wyoming.

Charles and Kelli Schell took off from Powell, Wyoming around 12 p.m. on Thursday, July 14 in their Cessna P210 with Charles - an experienced pilot - flying to Buffalo. A Salt Lake City air traffic controller reported the plane missing to the Johnson County Sheriff's Department the following day. Later Friday, the U.S. Forest Service was called to a fire near the Willow Park Reservoir in the Bighorn National Forest and discovered the plane wreckage.

"I'm going to struggle with it, my wife is going to struggle with it for a long time," said Hank Didier, a longtime friend of the Schells.

Schell spent 12 years as a U.S. Army aviator, working mostly with Apache helicopters. Didier said Schell also had his private license for decades, flying all across the country including multiple trips to Wyoming and Montana.

"Almost all of their vacations they would fly themselves," Didier said. "I traveled to Montana with Charly last year, fishing along the river. We fell in love with the vista, the beauty of the area. That really stuck with Charly."

The Schells landed in Powell on July 5 according to flight records. Posts on their respective social media accounts show the couple around Red Lodge for most of the time between July 5-14, hiking trails and eating at local restaurants.

"I would never think twice about flying with Charly," Didier said. "He was an excellent pilot and took it very seriously."

"If a person’s been trained in the military, it’s very good training," added Dan Hargrove.

Hargrove directs Rocky Mountain College’s aviation school. He knows summer in the Rocky Mountain region can be tricky for even the best pilots.

"Airplanes don’t work as well when the air is thin and the air is hot," he said. "In the summer, the air is just bumpier."

The Schells' plane crashed about 15 miles from their destination of Buffalo. The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office has not released any details on a cause as of yet. The one thing friends know: the couple died doing what they loved.

"It’s the freedom to be able to move around anywhere you want, when you want," Didier said. "His passion drove me into flying. I’ll continue to do it and think about them when I do."

The Schells always tried to help others, no more so than through Toughest Kids, a charity they founded to help children going through adverse circumstances in life. Kelli was still the chairman of the board.

"Kelli was the nicest, warmest human being you’ve ever met," Didier said. "I truly learned what charitable giving and selflessness looks like from those two."

If you’d like to pay your respects, consider making a donation in the Schells’ honor here.



Charles and Kelli Schell were hiking near Red Lodge in the days before they were killed in a plane crash near Buffalo, Wyoming.


A well-known Northeast Georgia couple who owned and operated the Cateechee Golf Club in Hartwell has died. The club announced the deaths of Charles “Charly” Schell and Kelli Taylor Schell on its Facebook page Saturday.

“It is with profound sadness and heavy heart that we announce the untimely passing of Charly and Kelli Schell. The love Charly and Kelli shared for Hartwell and its community inspired the purchase of Cateechee in 2017. Cateechee has provided special memories for many of us, and we will continue the legacy that Charly and Kelli paved; and the business model that embraces the community.”

The post did not say how the couple died, although friends say they died in a plane crash. The Schells, both 50, had been traveling through the West lately.

Charly Schell was the Chief Executive Officer of Bison Advisors, an investment advisor firm based in Hartwell. He founded Bison and Armis Advisers after leaving Forge Consulting, which he co-founded in 2003, according to LinkedIn.

The Schells were both graduates of North Georgia College (now the University of North Georgia). He served as an Army pilot before becoming a business consultant. She was the owner and general manager of the Cateechee Conference Center. The two were known for their extensive work with charities and their contributions to the community.

“The City of Hartwell sends its deepest condolences to the families of Charly and Kelli Taylor Schell and to the Cateechee family. Their untimely passing leaves our community with a void that can’t be filled,” Hartwell Mayor Brandon Johnson posted to Facebook.

Hundreds more expressed shock and sadness over the news.

“Had just been enjoying their photos of their trip in Montana this week. Just heartbroken for their loved ones. Such a loss to our community too. They were so involved with and loved Hartwell. God bless and comfort their children. Family and friends. They will be truly missed,” Leigh Hall commented.

“This is the saddest post we’ve seen in a long, long time. Prayers for everyone surrounding this loss!” Randal Davis wrote.

Michelle Wetherbee echoed the sentiments of many others with these simple words, “My heart is broken.”

Mayor Johnson credits the Schells with saving the Cateechee golf course when they took it over from the city several years ago. “Without them, we most likely would’ve lost one of our greatest assets.”

“Simply put, they loved Hartwell and Hartwell loved them. We will all work to continue their legacy by working together to see Hartwell reach its full potential. Please join me in praying for their kids and family during the coming days.”

The Schells leave behind two adult children, parents, and a host of family and friends.



Authorities say both people on board a private plane enroute to the Johnson County Airport died when the plane crashed in a remote area of the Bighorn National Forest. The victims have not yet been identified.

The crash is also believed to have caused a small fire on the forest, according to Bighorn National Forest Service officials.

In a press release Sunday, Johnson County Sheriff Rod Odenbach said that on July 15, 2022, the Johnson County Sheriffs Office received a call from air traffic control in Salt Lake City, Utah, of a missing aircraft. The aircraft had departed the Powell Municipal Airport, Powell, Wyoming, on July 14 at approximately noon, with two people on board en route to Buffalo, Wyoming, but the plane did not arrive at the Johnson County Airport. Dispatch called the local airport and verified that the plane did not reach its destination.

A short time later, the Sheriff's Office received a report from the US Forest Service that their firefighters had been called to a fire and had located wreckage from an airplane near the Middle Fork of Rock Creek in a remote area of the Bighorn National Forest. It appeared that the plane crash was the cause of that fire.

Members of the Sheriff's Office, Johnson County Search and Rescue, US Forest Service, and the Johnson County Coroner's Office met at 9:00 PM on July 15 with the US Forest Service firefighters to gather details about the wreckage. Witnesses from the US Forest Service stated that there were no survivors and remains were unidentifiable.

Because of the time, remote location, an active fire in that area, hazardous conditions and access to the area would most likely be on foot, it was decided that a team would be sent early the following morning.

On July 16 at approximately 5:30 AM, a team left Buffalo enroute to the crash site. The team arrived on foot at the crash site at approximately 9:30 AM. The team reported that there were no identifiable markings on the aircraft an there were no survivors.

The remains of the victims were transported from the crash site to the Johnson County Coroner's Office by members of the Johnson County Sheriff's Office, Johnson County Search and Rescue, US Forest Service, and the Johnson County Coroner's Office. The remains were transported to the Johnson County Coroner's Office for identification.

On Friday, Bighorn National Forest officials said that the fire was estimated to be 1-acre in size.





Two people died Thursday when a small plane crashed in the Bighorn National Forest, the Johnson County Sheriff's Office reported Sunday.

The plane went down while while flying to Buffalo from Powell. It ignited a wildfire that, as of Friday afternoon, had burned about an acre of forest near Willow Park Reservoir, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

The aircraft departed Powell Municipal Airport at about noon on Thursday. The following day, the Johnson County Sheriff's Office learned from air traffic control in Salt Lake City that the plane was missing with two people on board.

The same day, the forest service notified the sheriff's office that firefighters has located the wreckage of a plane while responding to a fire in a remote area of the Bighorn National Forest northwest of Buffalo, the sheriff's office says. They determined there were no survivors, and that the remains were not identifiable.

On Saturday, a team set out to find the wreckage on foot. They found the crash site at 9:30 a.m., about four hours after setting out from Buffalo, the sheriff's office says. The team confirmed that there were no survivors.

The aircraft did not have any identifiable markings, the sheriff's office reported.

A search team -- which included members of the sheriff's office, the forest service and Johnson County's search and rescue and coroner's offices -- transported the remains back to Buffalo. 

There was no immediate update on the size of the fire. Local forest fire crews were being assisted by smoke jumpers based in West Yellowstone, Montana, and the Wyoming state helicopter.


CASPER, Wyoming — The skies over a section of land northwest of Buffalo are restricted today as law enforcement investigate a plane crash.

Temporary flight restrictions have been placed in airspace 15 nautical miles northwest of Buffalo to provide a safe environment for investigation into the accident, as well as search and rescue, according to the FAA’s flight restriction website.

The restriction began at 5:30 p.m. Friday, July 15. It is scheduled to last until 11 p.m. Monday, July 25.

Johnson County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the investigation is still active, and that further information will be released later on.


U.S. Forest Service - Bighorn National Forest

A fire was detected late July 14, 2022, approximately 2.5 miles southeast of Willow Park Reservoir on the Powder River Ranger District. The fire is about 1 acre in size and is in the headwaters of Middle Rock Creek. District resources have successfully hiked into the fire and their suppression efforts are being aided by a load of smokejumpers out of West Yellowstone and the Wyoming State Helicopter.

Piper PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage JetPROP DLX, N97CX and Cessna 172N Skyhawk, N160RA: Fatal accident occurred July 17, 2022 at North Las Vegas Airport (KVGT), Clark County, Nevada


Zachary Rainey
~

Don and Carol Goldberg
~

 Anthony Chiaramonti



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.


Investigator In Charge (IIC): Gunther, Todd

The National Transportation Safety Board traveled to the scene of this accident.

Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Las Vegas, Nevada
Transportation Safety Board of Canada; Ottawa
Pratt & Whitney Canada; St. Hubert
Piper Aircraft; Vero Beach, Florida
Textron Aviation; Wichita, Kansas
National Air Traffic Controllers Association; Washington, District of Columbia

Gold Aero Aviation LLC


Binner Enterprises LLC


Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Accident Number: ERA22FA318
Date and Time: July 17, 2022, 12:04 Local
Registration: N97CX (A1); N160RA (A2)
Aircraft: Piper PA 46-350P (A1); Cessna 172N (A2) 
Injuries: 2 Fatal (A1); 2 Fatal (A2)
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal (A1); Part 91: General aviation - Instructional (A2)

On July 17, 2022, about 1204 pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-46-350P airplane, N97CX, and a Cessna 172N airplane, N160RA, were destroyed when they were involved in an accident near Las Vegas, Nevada. The two pilots in the PA-46, and the flight instructor and student pilot in the Cessna 172, were fatally injured. The PA-46 was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight, and the Cessna 172 was operated as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight.

Both airplanes were maneuvering to land at North Las Vegas Airport (VGT), Las Vegas, Nevada, when the accident occurred. N97CX had been instructed by air traffic control (ATC) to fly left traffic for runway 30L and N160RA had been instructed to fly right traffic for runway 30R. The airplanes collided about 0.25 nautical miles from the approach end of runway 30R. Figure 1 shows a simplified flight path diagram for the accident flights based on Federal Aviation Administration Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) data.

N97CX was operating as an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight and had departed from Coeur d'Alene Airport - Pappy Boyington Field (COE), Coeur d'Alene, Idaho about 0943, destined for VGT. N160RA was operating as a visual flight rules (VFR) training flight at VGT.

N160RA was in the VFR traffic pattern for runway 30R, flying a right-hand traffic pattern and communicating with the VGT local controller. N97CX was inbound from the north on an IFR flight plan from COE.

At 1156:08, the Nellis Radar Approach Control air traffic controller cleared N97CX for the visual approach and instructed the pilot to overfly VGT at midfield for left traffic to runway 30L. Air traffic control responsibility for the flight was transferred from Nellis Radar Approach Control to VGT at 1158:26.

At 1158:43, the pilot of N97CX contacted the VGT local controller and reported “descending out of 7,600 feet msl for landing on three zero left and ah Nellis said to cross midfield.” The VGT local controller responded, “continue for three zero left.” The pilot acknowledged and stated, “okay continue for runway three zero left nine seven charlie x-ray we will cross over midfield.”

At 1200:03, the pilot of N160RA requested a “short approach.” The VGT local controller transmitted “zero romeo alpha short approach approved runway three zero right cleared for the option,” which was acknowledged by N160RA.

At 1201:36, the VGT local controller transmitted “november seven charlie x-ray runway three zero left cleared to land.” The pilot of N97CX responded “three zero left cleared to land nine seven charlie x-ray.”

At 1201:57, the VGT local controller transmitted “seven charlie x-ray I think I said it right runway three zero left seven charlie x-ray runway three zero left.”

At 1202:02 the pilot of N97CX transmitted “yeah affirmative runway three zero left that’s what i heard nine seven charlie x-ray”.

There were no further transmissions from either airplane.

Examination of N97CX revealed that the airplane impacted in a nose low, right wing down attitude. The landing gear was down, and the right main landing gear was displaced outboard. The right wing displayed an impact separation around wing station (WS) 93. The right inboard wing section remained attached to the fuselage but was canted aft. The right wing flap was fractured about midspan; the inboard section remained attached to the wing and was found in the extended position. The outboard half of the flap was found about 10 ft forward of the right wing. 

The right wing leading edge displayed a series of crush impressions to the leading edge about 2.5 ft outboard of the wing root. The impressions contained flakes of green primer, and cuts to the de-ice boot. 

The outboard right wing section remained attached to the inboard wing by the aileron control cables. The aileron remained attached to the outboard wing section but was impact damaged. The outboard leading edge was crushed up and aft. The right wingtip fairing and pitot tube were also impact separated. Longitudinal scratches were visible along the right side of the fuselage.

Examination of N160RA revealed that, the airplane had impacted terrain in a left-wing and nose-low attitude before coming to rest inverted on a 304°magnetic heading. Both inboard portions of the wings sustained thermal damage in the areas surrounding the fuel tanks, and the cabin and fuselage, except for the cabin roof, were consumed by a post-impact fire.

Blue paint transfer was observed on the lower surface of the separated outboard left wing and the lower surface of the left wing flap. Black de-ice boot material transfer was observed on the lower surface of the separated outboard left wing, the lower surface of the attached portion of the left wing at approximately WS 100, and for an approximate 5 ft long distance outboard of the strut attach point, along the lower leading edge.

About 4 ft of the left wing, which included the left aileron, was separated from the left wing, and was found on the edge of a culvert just south of the main wreckage. The left outboard wing section aft of the forward spar was found to be separated near the aileron-flap junction. The left wing flap was found to be separated from the wing.

The wreckage of both airplanes was retained for further examination.

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information (A1)

Aircraft Make: Piper 
Registration: N97CX
Model/Series: PA 46-350P 
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built:
Operator: On file 
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Operator Designator Code:

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information (A2)

Aircraft Make: Cessna 
Registration: N160RA
Model/Series: 172N
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: KVGT,2190 ft msl
Observation Time: 11:53 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 0 Nautical Miles 
Temperature/Dew Point: 38°C /12°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear 
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 4 knots / , 320°
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 29.91 inches Hg 
Type of Flight Plan Filed:
Departure Point: 
Destination:

Wreckage and Impact Information (A1)

Crew Injuries: 2 Fatal 
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: N/A 
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude:
36.210703,-115.19444

Wreckage and Impact Information (A2)

Crew Injuries: 2 Fatal 
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: N/A 
Aircraft Fire: On-ground
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 36.210703,-115.19444

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.


 
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Las Vegas, Nevada

Midair collision with N160RA during landing. 

Date: 17-JUL-22
Time: 19:00:00Z
Regis#: N97CX
Aircraft Make: PIPER
Aircraft Model: PA46
Event Type: ACCIDENT
Highest Injury: FATAL
Total Fatal: 2
Flight Crew:  1 Fatal
Pax: 1 Fatal 
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
Operation: 91
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: DESTROYED
City: LAS VEGAS
State: NEVADA

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Las Vegas, Nevada 

Midair collision with N97CX during landing. 

Date: 17-JUL-22
Time: 19:00:00Z
Regis#: N160RA
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: 172
Event Type: ACCIDENT
Highest Injury: FATAL
Total Fatal: 2
Flight Crew: 1 Fatal
Pax: 1 Fatal
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
Operation: 91
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: DESTROYED
City: LAS VEGAS
State: NEVADA



Pilot Zachary Rainey
~

The Clark County Coroner identified the last victim as 40-year-old Anthony Chiaramonti.


LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — The Clark County Medical Examiner's Office released the names of two of the four people killed in a midair collision between two planes at the North Las Vegas Airport (VGT) on July 17.

Donald Goldberg, 82, and Carol Scanlon, 76, both of Las Vegas, were identified as the pilot and passenger, respectively, of the larger Piper PA-46 Malibu aircraft.

Though the coroner didn’t make it clear, James Holden, a close friend and fellow pilot at VGT, said the two were married for 26 years. Both of them were pilots.

“Just a tragedy and just full of life,” Holden said. “Wonderful people. Everybody at the airport here, which is a very tight community—we have lunch upstairs every Thursday—everybody's devastated.”

Holden said he knew the Goldbergs for the past seven years and flew with them just about every weekend. According to Holden, the VGT pilot community is a tight-knit group that often dined together and flew together.

He said it’s unique amongst airports, making Sunday’s accident all the more heartbreaking.

Holden leads a fly-out group every Saturday from VGT and said he’s flown in the Goldberg’s airplane and they’ve flown in his.

Holden said he had just left the airport on Sunday when he got the call about the collision. Minutes later, someone called and confirmed one of the aircraft involved was a Piper Malibu airplane. It was the larger and faster of the two planes involved.

Holden only knows of two Malibu planes at VGT, so he knew right away that his friends, the Goldbergs, had died. He said they were humorous people but serious pilots.

“Sadness, grief, tragedy,” he said. “There’s just not enough—strong enough words to say it.”

It’s too early for specifics, but Holden said he plans to memorialize and honor the Goldbergs inside the North Las Vegas Airport terminal in some form or another.

The Clark County coroner hasn’t released the names of the two victims in the other aircraft yet, but according to social media posts and a GoFundMe from friends and family, one victim is identified as Zach Rainey, who leaves behind two young boys.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will release their preliminary investigation in the next few weeks.


Competing in a four-day, women-only transcontinental air race, Carol Scanlon-Goldberg, MS '83, follows a path plied by some of history's greatest aviatrixes.


Carol Scanlon-Goldberg, MS '83, has more than 60 books about flying.

There's Flight of Passage and Sagittarius Rising, Flying South: A Pilot's Journey and Wind, Sand and Stars. And then there's Daughter of the Air. Published in 1999, it's a biography of Cornelia Fort, a pilot during World War II in the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron and likely the first American pilot to see Japanese Zeros on their way to Pearl Harbor. In 1943 at age 24, Ms. Fort became the first U.S. female pilot killed on active duty.

Ms. Scanlon-Goldberg is a pilot, too, ever since she paid $27 in June 1994 to pass an off-day in Lubbock, Texas, sitting left seat in a prop plane 1,500 feet above the cradle of Buddy Holly.

She says she struggles to describe the transcendentalism of being a flyer—"I'm not a poet. There are so many people that have such gorgeous quotes, but I'm not one of them"—but, really, she's not so bereft of poetry.

"It's like," Ms. Scanlon-Goldberg says, "you're flying in the hands of God."

Still, she prefers the words of Cornelia Fort.

"I loved the sky and the planes, and yet, best of all, I loved flying," Ms. Scanlon-Goldberg reads from Daugher of the Air. "I loved it best perhaps because it taught me utter self-sufficiency, the ability to remove oneself beyond the keep of anyone at all, and in doing so, it taught me what was of value and what was not."

This past June, nearly 21 years from her first flying lesson, Ms. Scanlon-Goldberg competed in the Air Race Classic, a women-only, 2,400-mile transcontinental prop plane derby founded in 1929 by women like Ms. Fort, those first, beatified aviatrixes—Pancho Barnes, Louise Thaden and Amelia Earhart.

"They were out to inspire other women and to prove that not only men could do challenges, but women could do challenges, too—and survive," Ms. Scanlon-Goldberg says. "To be part of that history was just amazing." Ms. Scanlon-Goldberg and her friend and teammate, Tamra Sheffman, finished 40th out of 54 teams, flying a Cessna 182P. The race started in Fredericksburg, Va., and finished in Fairhope, Ala.

For the slight, 70-year-old Ms. Scanlon- Goldberg, a cross-country air race was just something that you do.

Born at an Army airfield in Michigan, she grew up in North Jersey, the daughter of a World War II bomber pilot, reading adventure novels and riding horses while her classmates went to Friday night football games.

Since retiring in 2005 to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with her husband and fellow pilot, Donald Goldberg, after a 22-year career as a nursing home administrator in southern California, Ms. Scanlon-Goldberg has traveled to Cambodia, India, Norway, Russia, Sweden and all over Europe. She bussed the Blarney Stone in Ireland and rode an elephant in Sri Lanka. ("An elephant is an amazing creature," she says. "Have you ridden one lately?")

A lifelong equestrian and former barrel racer, Ms. Scanlon-Goldberg once faced down a Brahman bull, as Hemingway might a male lion, while retrieving a lost earring in a rodeo arena. Then there was the time she snorkeled (accidentally) with a bull shark in the Bahamas.

"I was over a reef, and everyone else swam back to the boat, and I didn't pay attention until I looked up and no one else was there except for myself and this gentleman swimming underneath," Ms. Scanlon-Goldberg says. "That was a little too close for comfort. I guess he wasn't hungry."

As a female pilot, her chemistry all molecules of zest and idealism, she has eyed the ARC for two decades.

That first Women's Air Derby, also known as the Powder Puff Derby, was a seminal moment for female aviators. The inaugural race, run from Santa Monica, Calif., to Cleveland, had a 20-woman field and featured a pantheon of firstgeneration female flyers. Ms. Earhart was the first woman to fly solo over the Atlantic Ocean. Ms. Barnes was the first female Hollywood stunt pilot. Ms. Thaden won the 1936 Bendix Transcontinental Air Race in its first-ever co-ed running.

"Men were playing an important role in aviation at the time, setting records and coming up with new aircraft, and the women weren't really allowed to race with the men," says Dianna Stanger, director of the Air Race Classic, two-time ARC winner and fighter jet owner. (Her Aero L-39 Albatros still has the missile-fire switch but, for legal reasons, is unarmed). "Some of the earlier racers that you'll see from the 1929 Powder Puff are pretty aggressive women, and they decided if they weren't allowed to play with the men, they'd make their own race. And that's what they did."

The purpose of the race—held on and off since its inception and every year since 1977, when it was renamed the Air Race Classic— is the same as 1929: advocate, encourage and promote women in aviation.

Modern racers, Ms. Stanger says, know the history and what the first derbies meant to their forebears—one of whom, 29-year-old Marvel Crosson, died in the 1929 race when her plane crashed in the Arizona desert—and what it still means to the latter-day aviatrixes, especially when, according to 2013 Federal Aviation Administration data (the most recent available), only 6.6 percent of the 599,086 licensed U.S. pilots are female.

Last summer, Carol Scanlon-Goldberg, MS '83, completed a 2,400-mile air race, of which Amelia Earhart is an alum.


Carol Scanlon-Goldberg



"When I was young, there were things I couldn't do," Ms. Scanlon-Goldberg says. "When I was doing my bachelor's program, I remember, I always liked to volunteer for things, and I ended up being in charge of the advertising committee at Fairleigh Dickinson [University]—or the club. But because I was a female in the '60s, I wasn't allowed to go to the conventions because women weren't allowed. And then you see these young women [in the ARC]. I mean, the whole world has opened up."

The Air Race Classic, handicapped by plane and skill level so everyone has a chance to win, is open to all female pilots. Racers supply their own planes, the fastest of which go about 200 mph. It costs about $10,000 for the 10-day event, but teams can get sponsors. Four days are for racing. The other six are for safety courses, briefings and debriefings.

The teams plan their own routes and use modern avionics, unlike the early racers who consulted charts in lieu of iPads. The race is designed to make competitors navigate all terrains and altitudes, going as low as 200 feet and as high 18,000, the maximum allowed by the Federal Aviation Administration. Any higher and racers would have to file flight plans and worry about oxygen, pressurizing cabins and colliding with jet airliners.

Most importantly, the race just helps women fly.

"I think the early participants would be happy with what it's become," says Ms. Stanger.

Ms. Scanlon-Goldberg thinks so, too, but she, always careful of language, stops at calling herself an aviatrix. To her, it's an old word, aged by honor and akin to saint.

"I think of an aviatrix as Amelia Earhart, as Pancho Barnes, as the amazing women during World War II that ferried pilots to airplanes," Ms. Scanlon-Goldberg says. "To me, they are the aviatrixes. They're the ones that had set out and done so many wonderful things that the rest of us only dream of. So I just think of myself as normal, everyday pilot who's a female, who loves to fly."

A daughter of the air.


LAS VEGAS, Nevada  — Two victims who died in Sunday’s collision between two small planes at the North Las Vegas airport have been identified by the Clark County Coroner’s office.

Donald Stuart Goldberg, 82, of Las Vegas, and Carol Ann Scanlon, 76, also from Las Vegas both died from blunt trauma, according to the coroner. Goldberg was the pilot and Scanlon was a passenger aboard the Piper PA-46.

Four people were killed in Sunday’s crash when the Piper-PA 46 collided with a Cessna 172 as both single-engine airplanes were preparing to land.

Two other people were killed in the Cessna. Family members identified Zach Rainey, 47, as one of the victims. He was flying with his flight instructor at the time of the crash. The coroner has yet to release the flight instructor’s information.

The crash is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board.




LAS VEGAS, Nevada  — Family and friends are remembering 47-year-old Zachary Rainey who was one of the four who died in a plane crash at North Las Vegas Airport.

Friends identified him as one of the victims. Carter Sing says Rainey was a best friend.

He says Rainey was a local real estate agent who leaves behind two boys. He also says Rainey was learning to become a pilot and he was using a flight training plane involved in the crash.

He tells us that Rainey was a few flights away from getting his license.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators arrived to Las Vegas Monday afternoon. An official from the agency says they will be looking for crash witnesses and video of the moments leading up to the incident.

They say the preliminary report could take 2-3 days, and the cause of the investigation won’t be known for up to a year or two.

Clark County has not released the names of the other three victims.










 Piper PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage, N97CX  




 Cessna 172N Skyhawk, N160RA













Cessna 172N Skyhawk, N160RA:  Incident occurred October 12, 2020  at  North Las Vegas Airport  (KVGT),  Clark County, Nevada 

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Las Vegas, Nevada

October 12, 2020:  Aircraft landed and struck a taxiway light. 

Binner Enterprises LLC


Date: 12-OCT-20
Time: 17:10:00Z
Regis#: N160RA
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: 172
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: MINOR
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
Operation: 91
City: LAS VEGAS
State: NEVADA