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Category: <span>kit</span>

Finland: Skydivers Lose lives in Glider School Crash


Pirkanmaalta students at the Jämijärvi glider school in Satakunta lost their lives when the plane they were about to sky dive in crashed. The plane may have suffered engine problems. One witness may have seen a wing detach but this has not been confirmed. The debris field is a large area, and the badly burned parts will be a challenge to investigators.

One witness, Soili Kollani said (translated to English) “I looked at the sky and saw the machine. It was pretty high. Then it just came down. It burned on the way down, and rotated.”

Several helicopters were on the scene for search and rescue.

A search for survivors near Jämijärven Airport found three alive: the pilot and two passengers. The first person out of the plane was wearing a helmet cam, which may have captured the accident and may or may not have useful data.

The police currently have custody of the cam. Eight bodies were found inside the wreckage, all with parachutes. The three survivors were found outside the plane, though the fall was described by witnesses as “a rag doll.”

The turboprop-branded Comp Air 8 has a jet-powered propeller. The Comp Air 8 is a kit plane manufactured by Comp Air Inc in Titusville Florida.

The contact page for witnesses of the accident or relatives of the victims is here:

http://www.poliisi.fi/newslist/pbic/2014042002helsinki1

Kit Crash In Brazil Kills Pilot

brazilkitplane
An Aero Designs Super Pulsar 100 kit plane with only the pilot aboard was flying over Amercana São Paulo, Brazil when it crashed on farmland bordering between Americana and Nova Odessa. The impact was close to Americana Municipal Airport where the pilot had just taken off from, en route to Guaratinguetá, São Paulo. The pilot was businessman Claito Finger, who died on impact. The kit plane crash will be investigated by the police. The pilot’s remains were taken to Instituto Médico Legal.

Finger owned Finger Jewelry stores.

Zombie Plane Crash Kills Movie Crew

zombieplane
Dennis Monroe, 65, and Josepha Sardinas, 70 died in a Van’s RV-7 plane crash while filming the airplane scene in a a low budget zombie movie in Bellevue Florida. The experimental kit plane circled for an hour over a 20-acre field before it crashed near Monroe Airpark in Summerfield/Belleview. The passenger was filming the pilot as the pilot banked (turned) and the engine quit. The plane went down, impacting nose first in a back yard in the 1700th block of Southeast 140th Street. The plane did not catch fire.

The accident occurred on Sunday. The plane will remain in the back yard until NTSB investigators arrive on the scene. The NTSB is expected to use the film footage in lieu of a CVR which is not required on this type of small homebuilt plane.

Dennis W. Monroe was piloting at the time of the accident. He was Belleview Public Works Director for 26 years.

*Plane built by PAUL T COWDREY


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Plane Crash in South Africa Claims Three Lives

A kit plane that crashed when its wings fell off, impacted near a landing strip in KwaZulu Natal province near Campertown South Africa, and resulted in three fatalities. A resident near the impact zone saw the plane crash sans wings.

According to media reports, the plane, which crashed on Saturday, March 15, 2014, burned completely. A private ambulance service spokesperson said that the plane could be a four or six seater and that it is burnt beyond recognition.

The police have confirmed the death of three persons in the incident. Three Durban residents flew it from Wonderboom International Airport where Kim Gibbings of Kloof had taken possession of the plane. He was identified as one of the victims. Gibbings is survived by an ex wife in Canada, two daughters, and a second wife.

The Ravin 500 broke up in the air and the wreckage rained down on Emoyeni sugar plantation, leaving a debris field of eight hundred meters.

Wellington Florida Plane Crash


A Sonex, a two-seat homebuilt kit plane crashed into a lake at Greenbriar Dog Park a mile from Wellington Aero Club, killing the one person aboard the plane. The pilot, Leonard “Link” McGarity had been practicing “touch and goes” The accident occurred on Feb 17 in the morning. By 12:55 rescue crews were on the scene but unable to assist as the pilot died at the scene. McGarity was a longtime professional pilot who flew for American Airlines and Marine helicopters, and had a residence at Wellington Aero Club.

Prior to the crash, witnesses heard the plane sputter.

The Wellington Aero Club is a community built around a runway. A neighbor who is a seasoned aviator was quoted saying of McGarity, “If this happened to him, it’s something wrong with the plane, not him. He knew what he was doing.”


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Kit plane crash kills pilot

A RV-4 kit plane crashed en route to crashed Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport.

The plane with the deceased pilot was discovered at 7:20 on April 20, 2013.

The FAA collected the plane at 2:15 p.m.

No flight plan was filed.

Homebuilt Crashes in Spain


A homebuilt plane crashed near El Álamo, Madrid after departing from Casarrubios Airport. The pilot was the only one aboard and died in the crash.

The plane caught on fire, and two fire crews from Madrid responded to teh scene.

The cause of the crash has not been determined. An investigation is underway.

The pilot was a sixty year old aeronautical engineer.

Single Engine Plane Crash in Brazil


On December 22, 2012 18:30, a Van’s RV-7A plane with two aboard was near Tito Teixeira aerodrome in Brazil when it crashed after the pilot lost control.

The single engine plane blew up as it was falling on Saturday night near the Ituiutaba Airport in Triangulo Mieiro. There was a pilot-instructor aboard and a doctor.

The engine failed shortly after takeoff and the plane crashed in a pasture 100 meters from the runway.

The crash is under investigation. This is the third small crash in the area this December.


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Pilot Killed in Kit Plane Crash in Georgia

On December 18, 2012 at 2:15 p.m. a Hummel H5 en route from Tom B. David Field Airport crashed and caught fire in a forested area in Calhoun, Georgia.

The pilot, Roy Gardner Russom (76) died on the scene. It was the first flight of the experimental plane which Russom had been tinkering with just before the flight.

Russom served in the United States Air Force and retired as an Aircraft Maintenance Superintendent.


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Plane Flips on Emergency Field Landing De Kalb

What: Auman T-51
Where: De Kalb, IL
When: Dec 11, 2012
Who: pilot
Why: After taking off from De Kalb Airport, the Auman T-51 developed engine trouble, losing altitude and emitting smoke.

Pilot James L Auman landed the plane in a field, then bounced and flipped. Plane and pilot both sustained substantial damage. Auman had to be extricated, then was taken by medical chopper to St. Anthony Hospital.

Raw Video of Rescue


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Crabtree Accident Preliminary Investigation Out

What: RV6 two-seat airplane
Where: Crabtree
When: Nov 26, 2012
Who: 2 aboard
Why: The preliminary report on the Nov 26 crash of a 2 seat kit plane says a witness saw one wing fold upward during a turn, and the wing apparently hit the canopy, shattering its glass.

A wing was lost in flight and found thousands of feet from the location of the wreckage.

Aircraft owner Timothy Dean Carter of Portland and commercial pilot Jeff Earl Kropf of Halsey were killed in the crash.


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Kit Plane Crashes Near Airport

What: Kit plane en route from Niagara District Airport
Where: Niagara-on-the-Lake airport
When: Nov 18, 2012, 2:15 pm
Who: 2 aboard
Why: The two seat plane took off from Niagara-on-the-Lake airport, but had an immediate emergency. Pilots attempted to return to the airport.

They failed to make the runway, and crashed.

The pilot and passenger were both injured. They were transported to St. Catharines General Hospital.


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Byron California: Small Plane Crashes Killing 2

What: DSB Inc Glasair III
Where: Byron, California
When: October 23, 2012
Who: 2 fatalities
Why: Five miles from the nearest airport, the small home-built Glasair III crashed in a field near Byron, California, killing two aboard. A witness saw the plane “corkscrewing toward the ground.”

IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 655DB Make/Model: EXP Description: GLASAIR
Date: 10/23/2012 Time: 2103
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Fatal
Damage: Substantial

LOCATION City: BYRON State: CA Country: US

DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT CRASHED IN A FIELD, THE 2 PERSONS ON BOARD WERE FATALLY INJURED, 4 MILES FROM BYRON, CA

INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 2


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French Pilot Crashes in Vienne

What: Skyranger
Where: Vienne France
When: Oct 23, 2012 3:00 pm
Who: 1 fatality
Why: The pilot of a SkyRanger failed to return from a 2 hour flight, triggering a Sater Bravo land-air rescue.

A search went on till 2:00 a.m. The next day his remains were discovered near an electrical cable in a wooded area, ten miles east of the airport. The plane was severely damaged.

5 Injured in Kit Plane Crash through Publix Roof


What: Seawind 3000 kit plane built by Larry E. Sapp
Where: Northgate Shopping Center in DeLand Florida
When: April 2, 2012, 7:20 pm
Who: 2 aboard, 5 injured
Why: Taking off from Deland Municipal-Sidney H. Taylor Field Airport, the small kit plane developed engine problems and crashed into a Publix market in the Northgate Shopping Center on International Speedway Boulevard on Monday. The pilot and passenger are in critical condition. Brendan Beitler, a Stetson University student is in stable condition. Cordova and Morris Beitler were also injured.

A fire occurred when the fuel tanks burst. Three individuals in the store were injured. The store has been closed, and 175 employees are working at other Publix. The city has issued a demolition permit.

The plane is made of composite material and was amateur-built in 2002.

The pilot was Kim Presbrey, an attorney from Chicago who is in the intensive care unit at Orlando Regional Medical Center. Presbry is managing partner of Presbrey & Associates Thomas Rhoades from Illinois was the passenger.

What remains of the melted aircraft has been loaded on a flatbed trailer.

Video shot by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office above the North DeLand Publix supermarket shortly after the kit plane crashed into the supermarket roof.


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Ireland: Kit Plane Crash, 2 Fatalities

What: Slazenger’s single-engine two-seater kit Falco EI BMF landing at Powerscourt private airstrip
Where: County Wicklow
When: 10 April 2010
Who: pilot Dr Michael Slazenger and passenger Noel Whitney
Why: While Slazenger was attempting to land his aircraft at a private airstrip on his Powerscourt estate in Eniskerry, the plane’s wing struck a tree and crashed. Noel Whitney died at the scene, Slazenger died Monday morning.


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NC: Kit Plane Crash Kills Pilot


Pictured: An Experimental Homebuilt RV-6 kit plane
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Connector

What: RV-6 experimental kit plane en route from Wilmington to Louisburg, 31 miles northeast of Raleigh.
Where: Behind Magnolia Mobile Home Park off Highway 903 near Magnolia in Duplin County NC
When: Oct 05, 2009 12:45 pm
Who: a Yorkville, Illinois pilot
Why: According to witnesses, the plane nosedived into the ground. There was a loud noise, like an explosion, but it is not known if it was before or when the plane impacted the ground. The crash is under investigation.


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Kit Plane Fatality in Pennsylvania

What: small one seat experimental aircraft built and owned by Neal O. Bond
Where: behind a home near the Pegasus Air Park on McIlhenny Road in Chestnuthill Township, Monroe County, about 40 miles north of Allentown PA
When: August 30, 2009
Who: the pilot
Why: A witness says that the plane was coming down with an unusual attitude, and part of the tail came off. A second or two later a wing came off. The plane crashed behind the airport; the pilot had been ejected from the craft, a homebuilt one seat vehicle.

The plane’s owner is treasurer of a radio-controlled vehicle club


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Emergency Landing in St. Sebastian River Preserve

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What: Experimental F1 Rocket EVO owned by the pilot
Where: Indian River County St. Sebastian River Preserve in Sebastian
When: 4 p.m. Sunday.
Who: pilot Stephen Patrick Merrell sustained minor injuries
Why: Emergency landing


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Homebuilt Crashes in Orange Grove

What: homebuilt Long-EZ aircraft en route from Leesburg to Fort Myers
Where: Hardee County orange grove
When: December 7, 2008
Who: pilot Gary Smith
Why: Smith had engine trouble; and tried to land in an open field but clipped power lines, flipped and came down about 80 feet from the road. Smith was trapped in his plane until found by utility workers from Peace River Electric Cooperative investigating a power outage found him. Smith is in stable condition and hospitalized Florida Hospital in Wauchula


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Australia Kit Crash update

What: kit-built Thorpe-T18 engaged in a biennial flight review
Where: south of Perth
When: Thursday last week.
Who: pilot Fred Murray and pilot examiner Allan Hayes, both fatalities
Why: The plane crashed after it clipped trees about a kilometre from the Serpentine airfield.

The pilot Mr Murray spent 20 years working with Aboriginal people and will be missed.


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Kit Plane Crash Kills Sprint Car Driver


What: two-seater kit-built aircraft known as a VANS RV7 en route from from Darwin to Jindare Station
Where: Jindare Station airstrip about 40 kilometres south-west of Pine Creek
When: 1:30pm
Who: Territory sprintcar driver Mark Grosvenor was one of two people killed in the crash
Why: Under investigation


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Experimental Plane Crash. Pilot killed

What: experimental Quick Silver GT-500 plane registered to Tim Moses of Monroe
Where: Union County 3200 block of Austin Chaney Road just northeast of Monroe near privately owned Arant Airport
When: early Tuesday afternoon before 1 p.m
Who: Pilot was killed, passenger injured.
Why: When the crash occurred, the plane was under visual flight rules, i.e. not in contact with the control tower.


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Southern Utah Crash Kills Pilot

What: home built single-engine plane en route to Las Vegas
Where: near the Parowan airport about 1 mile north of the runway on private property.
When: Saturday 1:45 p.m
Who: Pilot William Phillips, 59 and wife 52-year-old Janice Phillips, a Vegas couple with a cabin in Iron County
Why: Pilot experienced mechanical problems shortly after takeoff. Witnesses also reported the plane making noises that indicated a mechanical problem. The pilot was alive when deputies arrived at the scene but died a few minutes later. Passenger suffered broken bones and internal injuries and was “LifeFlighted” to Intermountain Medical Center in Murray. Investigating deputies are Tony Gower and Nate Houchen.


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Downed Kit Plane Kills Pilot in York

What: Skyranger II, a home built single-engine kit plane
Where: nose down in a soybean field in York County SC in a very rural area near the Chester County line along East Chappel Road near Horse Road
When: crashed between 10:30 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. Thursday
Who: 51-year-old Theodore Hargett of Rock Hill
Why: Cause is unknown. The pilot had not long owned the Skyranger and was inexperienced.

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