On March 15, 2013, a Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain took off from a small Fort Lauderdale airport, developed problems and struck a tree while returning to the airport. The plane impacted the ground in a parking lot for repossessed cars at 964 NW 53rd Court which was described as going up like a fireball.

No one on the ground was injured but there were three fatalities aboard. Kevin Watson, in his 30s, and his father, Wallace, who owned Avionics Engineering were aboard.

Locals are concerned about aviation safety and are interested in having city inspectors to check planes for safety like the FAA and NTSB.

The fire at the lot was under control within thirty minutes.

The FAA and the NTSB are investigating.

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The post Piper Crash in Florida Parking Lot first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

The helicopter had been chartered to “shoot feral hogs from a helicopter with .44 Magnum revolvers” a pastime that has been called pest eradication. A blog has released that the main rotor hit treetops, and the helicopter ended up upside down.

The post Hog Hunters Flipped in Chopper Bang-Up first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

A witness says the pilot struck a tree while spraying a field of ground nuts.

The ambulance company received the call at 9:00 a.m.

The pilot managed to land in a sugar cane field before the helicopter caught fire. The pilot escaped by pushing out the glass, and suffered minor injuries but the helicopter was a total loss. He was hospitalized. There wasn’t much more than the tail left remaining of the cropduster.

The post Cropdusting Chopper Crash in S. Africa first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

On 12-JAN-2013 at 3:30 pm, a single engine SEAWIND 3000 seaplane was taking off from Sarasota for Venice Airport when it crashed after takeoff.

The pilot died in the collision; the passenger survived with injuries. The seaplane did not gain enough altitude and struck a couple of trees. It impacted near the New College of Florida campus. The passenger, a 63-year-old man from Michigan was taken by medivac to Tampa General Hospital.

Witnesses say the plane made a sound like a gunshot before it lost altitude, missed power lines and reached a grassy field owned by USF New College. One witness saw the plane on fire before it hit the ground.

No one on the ground was injured.

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The post Sarasota Seaplane Crash first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

If Steven Fay had known Jessica Malin would die in the flight and he would survive, he never would have taken her on the twin engine Cessna on Jan 1, 2011. At 4:30 p.m. on on Jan 1, 2011, the day of the crash, the plane’s wings clipped treetops while landing in Orange about 90 minutes after sunset.

He shouldn’t have flown her. He was not certified to fly the plane, which crashed approach to Orange Municipal Airport. His license was revoked after the crash. He was arraigned on Feb 1 2012 for involuntary manslaughter for Jessica Malin’s death. Malin was his daughter. She was 35.

Fay denied the charges. He returns to court on Feb 24.

The post Unqualified Pilot Sued for Daughter’s Death first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

The post Chopper Crashes Palm Beach House first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

What: vintage 1946 Taylorcraft BC12-D en route from Limington airport
Where: field near Cape Monday Road, Harrison, Maine,
40 miles northwest of Portland
When: August 14 2010
Who: 2 fatalities
Why: The flight was reported lost when it did not return Saturday night. The wreckage was found 6 am Sunday. It appears that the pilot struck trees while attempting a field landing.

Pilot George A. Fortin and passenger Anatole “Tony” Kalinuk were killed in the crash.

The post Small Plane Lost in Maine Kills 2 first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

What: Oak Ridge Flyers Inc. Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee B
Where: Oliver Springs Airport in Anderson County, TN
When: 18-OCT-2009
Who: 4 on board, 1 fatality
Why: After a hard landing, the plane struck a tree.

The pilot was Doyle R. Chadwick.

The passengers, all of whom survived, were Phillip Byrge, 49, and his 12-year-old son Nathan and 8-year-old daughter Mary.

President of the Oliver Springs Airport board of directors,Steve Hamel, was quoted as saying that he believes “Wind and a wet runway likely played a role in the crash….It’s a grass runway, and it looks like the skid marks of extended distance here, that the brakes may have been locked up on the airplane”

The post Tree Strike Kills 1 first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

The post Ecuador Crash Kills 7, Maybe More first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

Offshore Flight School gives flight lessons to Japanese tourists.

The post Piper Crashes in Hawaii, multiple injured first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

The post Bloodied Pilot survives Florida Crash first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.