BRH Bilbo Holdings LLC
Location: Afton, Virginia
Accident Number: ERA22FA418
Date and Time: September 14, 2022, 23:00 Local
Registration: N2104J
Aircraft: Piper PA32
Injuries: 1 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal
On September 14, 2022, about 2300 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-32-300, N8262P, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Afton, Virginia. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
According to the airport manager at Blue Ridge Airport (MTV), Martinsville, Virginia, the pilot diverted to MTV uneventfully on September 10, 2022, due to weather. He purchased 72 gallons of fuel and return to Pennsylvania on a commercial flight. On the day of the accident, the pilot arrived at MTV to retrieve his airplane with the intention of flying back to his home airport, Smoketown Airport (S37), Smoketown, Pennsylvania.
According to preliminary information from the Federal Aviation Administration, the airplane was in cruise flight at 7,500 ft mean sea level when the pilot reported a rough running engine, followed by a total loss of engine power. The pilot attempted to glide the airplane to Charlottesville-Albermarle (CHO), Charlottesville, Virginia, but the airplane impacted wooded terrain about 15 miles southwest of CHO.
An approximate 100-ft debris path was observed, extending on a 60° magnetic course, consisting of severed trees at a downward angle of approximately 45°. The wreckage came to rest upright, oriented on a magnetic heading of 240°. The cockpit and cabin were consumed by fire. The fuel selector valve exhibited thermal damage and was positioned to the left main fuel tank. The fuel strainer bowl was
thermally damaged, and the fuel strainer screen was destroyed. Flight control cable continuity was continuous from the cockpit to each of the respective control surfaces except for a separation in each of the rudder cables consistent with impact forces. The propeller remained attached to the crankshaft propeller flange. Both propeller blades remained in the hub. One blade appeared straight and
undamaged. The other blade was bent aft about 90°. The spinner was crushed on one side.
The engine was subsequently examined at a recovery facility. The crankshaft could not be rotated by hand. Removal of the rear accessory case housing revealed fragments of connecting rod cap on top of the oil sump baffling. Removal of the oil sump revealed about 1 quart of oil remained in the sump with additional metal fragments. The Nos. 1 and 2 cylinders were removed and their respective connecting rods remained intact. The remaining four cylinders could not be removed from the engine case. An access hole was cut through the oil sump baffling to facilitate visual examination. The remaining four connecting rods were fractured. The visual examination revealed that the crankshaft remained intact.
The engine was retained for further examination.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: Piper
Registration: N2104J
Model/Series: PA32 300
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: Night
Observation Facility, Elevation: CHO,641 ft msl
Observation Time: 22:53 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 15 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 18°C /15°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 4 knots / , 270°
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.15 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Martinsville, VA (MTV)
Destination: Smoketown, PA (S39)
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: On-ground
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 37.985075,-78.716803
Aircraft crashed under unknown circumstances in a field and became engulfed in flames.
Date: 15-SEP-22
Time: 03:00:00Z
Regis#: N2104J
Aircraft Make: PIPER
Aircraft Model: PA32
Event Type: ACCIDENT
Highest Injury: FATAL
Total Fatal: 1
Flight Crew: 1 Fatal
Pax: 0
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: DESTROYED
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: EN ROUTE (ENR)
Operation: 91
City: CHARLOTTESVILLE
State: VIRGINIA
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.
Kevin James Esh
September 6, 1992 - September 14, 2022
~
Kevin James Esh, age 30 of New Holland, passed away on Wednesday, September 14, 2022 after a plane crash in Albemarle County, Virginia. Born in New Holland, he was the son of Sarah King Esh of New Holland and the late Amos R. Esh. Kevin was a member of Branch Community Church. He enjoyed working with his brothers at the company his father Amos founded, Keystone Custom Decks. In his free time, he loved hunting, flying, boating, and spending time with his nephews: Lincoln, Riley, Carter, Lewis, and Brady.
Surviving besides his mother are 6 siblings: Michael J., husband of Rebecca Lalhlimzing Esh of New Holland, Marv L., husband of Katelyn Weaver Esh of Gap, Carolyn J., wife of Nathan Lapp of Coatesville, Timothy D., husband of Ranessa Yoder Esh of East Earl, Rosalyn M., and Annalisa M. Esh, both at home.
Funeral service will take place at Bethel Christian Fellowship, 145 Boot Jack Road, Narvon, on Tuesday, September 20th at 10 a.m. There will be a time to greet the family at the church on Monday, September 19th from 2 to 4 p.m. and again from 6 to 8 p.m. Interment will be in the adjoining church cemetery.
Kevin James Esh
~
Fifteen minutes before the Piper PA-32-300 Cherokee Six he was flying crashed and burned in a wooded area in Virginia late Wednesday, 30-year-old Kevin James Esh of New Holland had calmly radioed air traffic controllers that he was heading toward Washington, D.C., at about 7,500 feet.
He was losing altitude and seeing a problem with his engine oil pressure, radio transmissions show. The plane had taken off from Blue Ridge Regional Airport in Virginia less than an hour before, according to plane-tracking websites cited by The Daily Progress in Charlottesville, Virginia. The destination, which was never reached, is unknown.
“I’ve got a rough engine here, and I’m gonna need an airport to land at,” Esh reported at 10:53 p.m. The controller, at Potomac Terminal Radar Approach Control, suggested three nearby airports for the 1978 piston-engine plane. Esh chose Eagle’s Nest in Waynesboro, 13 miles away.
But just a few minutes later, he declared an emergency as the plane, whose fuel tank was about three-quarters full, was quickly losing altitude. By that time, according to The Daily Progress’ reporting, Esh had lost 2,000 feet.
To reach Eagle’s Nest, the plane would need to fly over the Blue Ridge, with peaks more than 3,000 feet above sea level. With the Piper Cherokee losing altitude, the controller asked Esh just before 11 p.m. if he’d prefer to head to Charlottesville because of “easier terrain.” According to The Daily Progress’ reporting on he radio transmissions:
“I would be fine with going to Charlottesville,” Esh said.
“I see a descent indicating 3,300. Are you losing power?” the controller asked.
“So far, I can hold it,” Esh replied.
After a few minutes of measured conversation with Esh, the controller noticed the plane’s altitude had dropped to 1,400.
“Are you able to hold it?” the controller asked.
“That’s a negative, sir,” Esh replied quietly.
“Try to make it to the road. It looks like you’ve got a road just to the north of you,” the controller guided.
“Can’t see anything where am I going” was the pilot’s final transmission, about 11:06 p.m.
Esh, who worked at the family business, Keystone Custom Decks in East Earl Township, died in the crash. He was the only person in the plane. Radar contact was lost about 15 miles southwest of Charlottesville airport. The plane went down in an Albemarle County, Virginia, forest.
According to Esh’s obituary, he was the son of Sarah King Esh and the late Amos R. Esh, and was one of seven children. He worked with his brothers at the family business, founded by his father, and loved hunting, boating and flying. His funeral will be held on Tuesday at Bethel Christian Fellowship, 145 Boot Jack Road, Narvon. The obituary can be found here.
Virginia State Police were coordinating with the National Transportation Board and Federal Aviation Administration in investigating the crash and removing the wreckage at the end of last week. While state police have not yet publicly identified the pilot, Esh’s obituary reports that he was killed in a plane crash in Albemarle County, Virginia, and online flight records show the plane had left Smoketown Airport in Lancaster County on September 9, arriving in Spartanburg, South Carolina, on September 10 before heading to Blue Ridge in Virginia.
Bethel Christian Fellowship will be live-streaming Esh's funeral on its YouTube page.
Charlottesville, Virginia - Potomac Approach,” radioed the pilot. “Level at seven thousand, five hundred.”
The man’s voice was calm as he notified air-traffic controllers at Potomac Terminal Radar Approach Control that the Piper PA-32-300 Cherokee Six plane was heading toward Washington, D.C. airspace at an altitude of about 7,500 feet.
Fifteen minutes later, he was dead or dying in a southern Albemarle forest.
The Piper PA-32-300 Cherokee Six crashed and burned on a rural tract, killing the pilot, the plane’s sole occupant, around 11 p.m. Wednesday, according to Virginia State Police. His identify remained unknown as of Thursday night.
The plane, according to plane-tracking websites, took off from Blue Ridge Regional Airport, about nine miles southwest of Martinsville, less than an hour before the crash. Although it headed northeast, its intended destination is unknown. Efforts to reach the owner, Ronnie Bilbo, of Lubbock, Texas, have been unsuccessful.
What is likely is that the plane, built in 1978, was suffering from engine trouble, according to statements radioed by the pilot, who told a controller he saw a problem with the engine’s oil pressure.
“I’ve got a rough engine here, and I’m gonna need an airport to land at,” he radioed around 10:53 p.m.
By that point, the pilot of plane N-2104J may have already lost 1,000 feet of elevation over Nelson County in the vicinity of Nellysford. The controller quickly suggested three nearby airports, with Waynesboro’s Eagle’s Nest as the closest, just 13 miles away.
The pilot chose Waynesboro and got vectors for a left turn.
Within a minute, however, the plane lost another thousand feet.
“Are you declaring an emergency?” asked the controller.
“I am declaring emergency,” the pilot replied.
The pilot noted that he had about 70 gallons of fuel onboard, nearly three quarters of the plane’s tank capacity. It’s enough to reach airports in New England at the plane’s cruising speed of 160 miles per hour, but it could have devastating results on impact.
About a minute before 11 p.m., the controller asked the pilot if he’d like to consider flying to Charlottesville because of “easier terrain.” Even though it’s further away, about 20 miles versus 10 miles, both men likely realized at this point that reaching Eagle’s Nest required flying over the Blue Ridge. The tops of Wintergreen Resort, Humpback Rock, and other nearby peaks stand more than 3,000 feet above sea level.
“I would be fine with going to Charlottesville,” the pilot responded calmly.
“I see a descent indicating 3,300,” said the controller. “Are you losing power?”
“So far, I can hold it,” the pilot replied.
“So you would prefer Charlottesville? Like I said, Eagle’s Nest is the closest.”
“Keep to Charlottesville, please,” said the pilot, in measured words.
After a few minutes of discussing the elevation and weather at CHO, the controller voiced another concern.
“Altitude indicates 1,400,” says the controller. “Are you able to hold it?”
The pilot’s reply came quietly: “That’s a negative, sir.”
“Try to make it to the road,” implored the controller. “It looks like you’ve got a road just to the north of you.”
“Can’t see anything where am I going,” came the final reply.
The time was about six minutes after 11:00.
In desperation, the controller continued to voice ideas. There’s a grass airstrip at the Bundoran subdivison, but the controller ruefully noted that it’s likely invisible in the dark. Radar contact has been lost, he said, 15 miles southwest of the Charlottesville airport. The location was near the intersection of Plank and Stillhouse Creek Roads.
Eighty-year-old Holmes Brown and his wife were in their house when the plane fell into a forest on their land several hundred yards from their house.
“I thought it was the wind blowing a door closed,” said Brown. “It was that brief.”
Brown says that the Stillhouse Creek Road, which divides his tracts, is regularly plied by apple trucks serving nearby Crown Orchard. Even after his wife mentioned hearing two booms after the first sound, he said their thoughts went to “spot-lighters,” the unsportsman night-time deer hunters. He said they didn’t see the fire.
“So we didn’t think anything of it until the sirens and the flashing lights showed up,” said Brown.
A line of Virginia State Police troopers kept watch over the property Thursday. The wreckage — located near a creek called Whiteside Branch — was not visible from public roads, though the top trunk and upper limb of a nearby pine tree showed fresh damage.
Virginia State Police spokesperson Corinne Geller said that the identification of the pilot would come no sooner than Friday after positive identification from the state medical examiner’s office and notification of the pilot’s relatives. Geller said that investigators with the National Transportation Board and Federal Aviation Administration visited the scene Thursday afternoon and will return Friday morning to coordinate the removal of the wreckage.
