Crash

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    NTSB Preliminary Report on Nov 30 Homosassa Crash


    What: small BEECH 35-B33, registration: N945T registered to the Eagle Squadron Inc en route from Tallahassee to Vandenberg Airport
    Where: lost from radar over the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf off Homosassa
    When: Nov. 30
    Who: pilot Darien Peckham and passenger Zachary Schlitt both fatalities
    Why: Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed.The last radar hit was latitude 28.47:00 North and longitude 082.54:00 west. The airplane was on a heading of 143 degrees and mode c altitude was 5,000 feet mean sea level (msl). The United States Coast Guard located debris matching the description of the airplanes colors and personal effects from the persons onboard, several miles off shore from Homosassa Bay, FL, on the morning of December 1, 2008.

    Satellite weather imagery depicted a line of clouds along the front and over the last radar hit, consisting of nimbostratus to embedded cumulonimbus clouds with level 3 to 4 “heavy” intensity echoes. Sounding data has winds from the west at 50 knots at 5,000 feet, with a temperature of 10 degrees Celsius. There were in-flight weather advisories issued, including an AIRMET for occasional moderate turbulence below 12,000 feet over the region.

    The pilot, age 35, held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single engine land, multiengine airplane, and instrument airplane. He was issued a first-class medical certificate on May 31, 2007, with no limitation. He had documented 950 total hours at that time.

    The passenger, age 28, held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single engine land. He was issued a third-class medical certificate on Oct 23, 2006, with no limitation. He had documented 130 total hours at that time.

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    Pilot Dies in Uniontown Ohio Plane Crash


    What: Piper Saratoga en route from Pennsylvania to the Akron Canton Airport
    Where: 2.5 miles from the Akron Canton airport in between two houses on Charolais Street NW in Uniontown.
    When: 6:00 Friday evening,
    Who: pilot Michael Connell died in the crash.
    Why: The plane was on approach to runway 23 but landed 2.5 miles short of the airport. The garage of one of the houses burned. The FAA is investigating

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    Argentina Plane Crash

    What: Twin-engine plane described as “a little training plane with capacity for two people” en route from San Fernando airport to Entre Rios.
    Where: 150 METRES FROM TIGRE/PAN-AMERICAN HIGHWAY near service station on the outskirts of Buenos Aires Argentina
    When: Thursday Thurs Dec 18
    Who: Both Pilot and passenger were killed
    Why: Pilot attempted emergency landing on PanAmerican Highway but crashed into two trucks and bursts into flames.

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    Small Experimental Plane Makes Emergency Landing on Pennsylvania Turnpike


    What: Small experimental airplane registered to Michael Hannagan en route from Endicott, New York to Atlanta, Georgia.
    Where: Emergency Landing near Pennsylvania Turnpike south of the Newville Exit, in rural Cumberland County.
    When: Thursday 1 o’clock
    Who: The unnamed pilot walked away from the crash.
    Why: The pilot lost half power, attempted to land on the turnpike but struck a tractor ahead of him. FAA is investigating

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    Beechcraft Bonanza in KY Crash


    What: Air Ops LLC Beechcraft Bonanza registered to TFB Aviation LLC of Mingo, Iowa. The air taxi was flying en route from from Midway Airport in Chicago when the pilot experienced problems
    Where: near the Tom Sawyer State Park and the Indian Springs Golf Club, near Louisville KY
    When: Thursday Morning Dec 18
    Who: Pilot Evan Freeman, a 25-year-old pilot from Louisville was killed in the crash
    Why: The crash is under investigation

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    Beechcraft Bonanza in KY Crash


    What: Air Ops LLC Beechcraft Bonanza registered to TFB Aviation LLC of Mingo, Iowa. The air taxi was flying en route from from Midway Airport in Chicago when the pilot experienced problems
    Where: near the Tom Sawyer State Park and the Indian Springs Golf Club, near Louisville KY
    When: Thursday Morning Dec 18
    Who: Pilot Evan Freeman, a 25-year-old pilot from Louisville was killed in the crash
    Why: The crash is under investigation

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    Wind, Storm Crashes Helicopter in Santa Clarita


    What: Swanson Aviation Group Helicopter hired by Southern California Edison to string electrical line
    Where: Santa Clarita area north of Los Angeles behind Lombardi Ranch on Bouquet Canyon Road.
    Who: 1 fatality. The pilot sustained minor injuries.It is unclear if Curtis Cauthen of Ashfork, CA.–the mechanic on the ground– worked for the helicopter company or the electrical company.) Curtis was caught by the rotor blades and sustained fatal injuries.
    Why: The helicopter was hoving above-ground when a gust of wind wind caused the helicopter to spiral.

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    Cessna and Liberty Collide over Australia


    What: Cessna 152 owned by Basair Aviation College
    a single-engine Liberty owned by Sydney Flight Training Centre
    Where: Flame Tree Street, Casula, in Sydney’s southwest
    When: 11.30am (AEST) on Thursday
    Who: Two fatalities: a woman instructor and her female student pilot.
    On the Liberty, the 89-year-old male instructor and a 25-year-old male student pilot were unhurt
    Why: Plane clipped another light aircraft in mid-air. One plane managed to make it to Bankstown Airport. The other plane landed in a yard, destroying the back of the house and a pergola.

    The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating.

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    Upside Down Plane found at Sunrise Dairy


    What: Single engine, fixed wing crop duster type plane belonged to Gilbert Aviation.
    Where: Tulare County : Sunrise Dairy Property around Road 84 and Ave. 384 near Kingsburg.
    When: Tuesday Dec 16 10:05 a..m.
    Who: The unidentified pilot was taken to Kaweah Delta Hospital
    Why: The accident is under investigation.

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    Sabine Helicopter Crash update


    What: Helicopter owned by leasing company Rotorcraft en route to an unmanned oil rig platform 18-miles off-shore
    Where: Gulf of Mexico, about two miles below Sabine Pass at the border of Texas and Louisiana
    When: Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008
    Who: 5 on board. The pilot of the helicopter was identified as Joe Laugelle
    Why: Cause is under investigation; however there was a weather advisory in effect at the time of the crash
    One of the victims of the crash –Jacob Matt–has washed ashore near the McFaddin Wildlife Refuge. One victim John Larry Conn, was buried Sunday. James Cody Smalts who had just moved in with his fiance, Monica Lopez was buried Monday. One victim –Nick Hebert from Basile, Louisiana–hasn’t been recovered.

    original post follows
    At the time of the crash, air temp was 36 degrees; water temp 62 degrees. Wind was from the west at 23 knots, and there was a weather advisory. The body of John Laguelle is one of those recovered. Two other crew members whose bodies were recovered were wearing personal floatation devices. A search is ongoing for two others. All four passengers were crew members for a contract customer of Rotorcraft. The pilot also worked part-time as a helicopter pilot for a television station in Boston.


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    Beechcraft Fatality in Texas Hill Country


    What: Western Wings Corp’s 1993 Beechcraft King Air 90 twin turboprop departed Hondo Municipal Airport at 12:10 p.m.
    Where: 30 miles west of Rocksprings, Texas in the Texas Hill Country (nearly eight miles down a dirt road east of Texas Highway 277)
    Who: Pilot George Anthony “Tony” Kuhn rated a commercial pilot for both single-engine and multi-engine planes and once a flight instructor.
    Why: Pilot reported that the autopilot controls failed and he was having trouble controlling the plane; an air traffic controller noticed the plane deviating from the flight plan, and lost radio contact at 24,000 feet.

    The plane which was listed as having 3,712 hours in the air, had been offered for sale tin 2008 for $2.2 million

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    Bloodied Pilot survives Florida Crash


    What: Mooney M-20G registered to Wendy Taber, of Greenacres, and co-owners Gerald Taber and Jim McAlister. The flight came down while en route from Lantana to Titusville
    Where: near Englar Drive and Harris Road, Indian River County
    When: Midnight Friday
    Who: Injured pilot was taken to the Sebastian River Medical Center, and is in stable condition. He does not recall the crash, but bruised and bloody walked a quarter of a mile to a residence to make a call to 911.
    Why: Under Investigation. The plane apparently clipped trees coming down, breaking the wings off the intact fuselage.

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    Taranaki Crash kills Pilot


    What: crop duster (model not indicated)
    Where: crashed into the hillside on farmland above the Waitara River in a paddock in Tarata, 19km east of Inglewood
    When: noon 14 December 2008
    Who: pilot a man in his 40s died on the scene
    Why: Cause unknown

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    Update: F/A-18 Crash in San Diego

    What: F/A-18 Military Jet from the carrier Abraham Lincoln landing at Marine Corps Air Station Miramir
    Where: San Diego neighborhood
    When: DEC 8
    Who: the pilot, who was part of a training squadron, ejected. He had been aiming the plane at a deserted canyon to avoid homes and the 805 Freeway. 4 Individuals in the house are dead. The pilot has been transported to Balboa Naval Hospital
    Why: Witnesses said, “It was mushing through the air…iIt was chugging along with what seemed like one engine. Then I heard a roar of engine and all of a sudden, woop, dead silence.”

    The deceased have been identified as 4 members of a Korean family. Dong Yun Yoon is the sole survivor–Lost in the crash were Young Mi Yoon, 36; her daughters Grace, 15 months, and Rachel, 2 months; and her mother, Suk Im Kim, 60.

    Apparently caused by power failure, the crash is considered unrelated to the previous discovery of cracks in hinges on the wings of more than a dozen F/A-18s ( This writer, however, does wonder if the two problems reveal a maintenance factor in common–though hinge cracks seem that they would be related to parts, wear or broader manufacturing issues.)

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    Two Still Missing in Gulf Helicoptor Crash


    What: Helicopter owned by leasing company Rotorcraft en route to an unmanned oil rig platform 18-miles off-shore
    Where: Gulf of Mexico, about two miles below Sabine Pass at the border of Texas and Louisiana
    When: Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008
    Who: 5 on board. The pilot of the helicopter was identified as Joe Laugelle
    Why: Cause is under investigation; however there was a weather advisory in effect at the time of the crash

    At the time of the crash, air temp was 36 degrees; water temp 62 degrees. Wind was from the west at 23 knots, and there was a weather advisory. The three crew members who were recovered were wearing personal floatation devices. A search is ongoing for two others. All four passengers were crew members for a contract customer of Rotorcraft.


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    Mexico Learjet Crash Update: Another Update Another Death


    A sixteenth victim of the Lear jet crash in Mexico has died. 85-year-old Victor Altamiranot died Thursday

    The fifteenth victim of the Lear jet crash was a 44-year-old woman who died in the hospital.

    The NTSB has concluded that wake turbulence was the problem that downed the jet. Air traffic controllers told the Learjet pilots to slow down significantly so as to not gain ground on the 767, but they flew into wake 4 miles behind the jet. This action has been interpreted as pilot error. Additionally, the contract pilots may not have been qualified on the jet as deficiencies in their certifications were uncovered.

    The Learjet departed San Luis Potosí (SLP) at 18:04 on a flight to Mexico City (MEX). On board were a.o. Mexican Interior Minister Juan Camilo Mourino, Deputy Attorney General Josi Luis Santiago Vasconcelos and Miguel Monterubio Cubas, the director of social communication.

    The flight was uneventful and the Learjet passed LUCIA VOR at 18:40 and ATIZAPAN VOR at 18:42. It passed SAN MATEO VOR at 18:44, at an altitude of 11000 feet and an airspeed of 262 kts. It was trailing a Boeing 767-300 (Mexicana Flight 1692 from Buenos Aires). At 18:45 hours the aircraft was instructed to switch to the Tower frequency which the pilot acknowledged but never contacter Mexico Tower. At 18:46 the flight was observed approaching runway 05L. The last radar position of the aircraft was 7.5 miles from the Mexico VOR on the 256 radial, at an altitude of 9700 feet at 185 kts airspeed.
    The airplane crashed on the Avenida Reforma and caught fire. Several cars were destroyed and at least five people on the ground were killed.

    What: Learjet 45 flown by the Mexican government en route from San Luis Potosí Airport (SLP/MMSP) to Mexico City-Benito Juárez International Airport
    Where: Paseo de la Reforma, Mexico City
    When: 04 NOV 2008
    Who: Passengers included:

    • Mexican Secretary of the Interior Juan Camilo Mouriño, top aide to President Felipe Calderón.
    • José Luis Santiago Vasconcelos-former assistant attorney general and current head of the federal technical secretariat for implementing the recent constitutional reforms on criminal justice and public security.
    • Miguel Monterrubio, director general of social communications with the Interior Secretariat.
    • Arcadio Echeverría, coordinator of special events, office of the Interior Secretary.
    • Norma Díaz, director in the communications department of the Interior Secretariat.
    • Julio César Ramírez Dávalos, pilot.
    • Álvaro Sánchez, co-pilot.
    • Gisel Carrillo, stewardess.

    Why: At 18:45, although the aircraft was instructed to switch to the Tower frequency, the pilot acknowledged but never contacted the Mexico Tower. The Learjet then crashed on the Avenida Reforma and caught fire. Several cars were destroyed and at least five people on the ground were killed.

    Voice Data Recorder Excerpts
    Pilot: That one’s got some turbulence.
    Co-pilot: Hey man.
    Pilot: Hey [expletive].
    Pilot: Alvaro, what do we do, Alvaro?
    Co-pilot: Hand it over to me, hand it over to me, hand it over to me.
    Pilot: It’s yours Alvaro.
    Pilot: [expletive]
    Pilot: No, Alvaro.
    Co-pilot: Diosito.


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    Cessna Crash in Lompoc Kills Pilot


    What: single engine Cessna
    Where: agricultural field off of D Street, behind Mervyns near Lompoc Airport Santa Barbara County
    When: after 2:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon Dec 10
    Who: 77-year-old pilot James Foley suffered injuries, was taken to hospital but did not survive.
    Why: The plane was flying eratically, before crashing into wires and falling to the ground. The cause is under investigation.

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    Crash in San Diego Neighborhood

    What: F/A-18 Military Jet from the carrier Abraham Lincoln landing at Marine Corps Air Station Miramir
    Where: San Diego neighborhood
    When: DEC 8
    Who: the pilot, who was part of a training squadron, ejected. He had been aiming the plane at a deserted canyon to avoid homes and the 805 Freeway. 4 Individuals in the house are dead. The pilot has been transported to Balboa Naval Hospital
    Why: A witness said, “It was mushing through the air…it was chugging along with what seemed like one engine. Then I heard a roar of engine and all of a sudden, woop, dead silence.”

    The deceased have been identified as 4 members of a Korean family.

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    Gol Investigation Findings Released

    Regarding the Gol jet that collided over the Amazon rain forest with an Embraer Legacy 600 executive jet owned by ExcelAire Service Inc. of New York: The GOL InvestigatIon has determined that the pilots of a New York-based executive jet had placed the transponder and collision avoidance system on standby before colliding with the Boeing 737 operated by GOL Linhaus Aereas Inteligentes SA on Sept. 29, 2006.

    The Legacy landed safely but everyone on the GOL jet died.

    Flight controllers failed to alert pilots that they were on a collision course and also did not notice the transponder was off.

    The on duty flight controllers and the two U.S. pilots – Joseph Lepore and Jan Paladino have been indicted. They could get up to three years in prison.The pilots deny turning off the transponder. They claim to have been flying at the altitude designated by the air controllers.

    ExcelAire says that “the transponder issue is a distraction from the true cause of the accident, which is an air traffic control system that put two airplanes on a collision course for about an hour.”

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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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    Plane Crashes Mobile Home in Michigan


    What: Cessna 206 en route from St. Paul to Glens Falls, N.Y.
    Where: northern Michigan
    When: 2:15 p.m
    Who: Pilot was killed in the crash.
    Why: The pilot encountered trouble near Traverse City, Mich. The plane dipped its wing, clipped some trees, then crashed through the roof of a mobile home. Residents of the mobile home were outside shoveling snow at the time and are unhurt, although the home was destroyed.

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    Puerto Rican Crash Found

    What: Rockwell International 690B, took off from Tortola in the British Virgin Islands en route to the Puerto Rican capital
    Where: Puerto Rican rainforest fog-shrouded El Yunque mountain
    When: on Wednesday
    Who: Caribbean pilot Ken Webster owner of Websta’s Aviation Services Inc. in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. ; and two U.S. tourists Tracy Turner and Ken (Kent) Clapp
    Why: During foggy weather, the plane apparently slammed into El Yunque mountain.


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    Video taken by hikers hiking to top of El Yunque in Puerto Rico May 2008. El Yunque National Forest is the site of the crash.

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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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    Casualties Released in Helicopter Crash


    What: 2007 Robinson R44 Helicopter en route from Saint Anne des Plains, Que. to the pilot’s cottage site at Lac Simon
    Where: northeast of Ottawa, in Lac Simon in western Quebec
    When: 6 p.m. Wednesday
    Who: Leo Blanchet, 63, and pilot Serge Louiseize, 49. Two survivors swam to shore in 1 C water. One is Mario Louis-Seize (the pilot’s brother); the other a company employee.
    Why: The pilot’s brother said as his brother was trying to land, the helicopter’s rotor hit the water, bringing the aircraft to a standstill.

    Witnesses saw it fall from the sky into the lake “6 p.m. Wednesday, entering the lake about 50 metres from shore, where the water was about 12 metres deep.”

    Police divers, local firefighters and a Canadian Forces were searching for the missing men whose bodies were recovered Thursday Morning. The survivors are recovering from hypothermia in a Buckingham hospital.

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    Icy Plane Crashes in Albany County Wyoming


    What: twin-engine Beechcraft en route to Saratoga
    Where: in Albany County Wyoming
    When: early Saturday
    Who: pilot Rick Corey and passenger Larry Rice. Both men were unhurt
    Why: The plane began to lose altitude near Rock River because of ice buildup on the wings. On landing, the plane clipped a power line, missed (or avoided) the highway and ended up in a field.