Crash

  • |

    Pilot Dies in Selmer TN

    What: Piper model PA30 registered to Hopkins Auto & Aircraft Sales in Corinth, Miss
    Where: rural area south of Selmer Tennessee near U.S. Highway 45
    When: Thursday night.
    Who: Leroy Hopkins, the pilot was the only person aboard. Business owner from Corinth MS.
    Why: The cause has not been determined.

  • |

    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.

  • |

    Catalina Plane Crash

    (Update pending)
    What: single-engine Mooney M20J registered to a Corona resident
    Where: three-quarters of a mile off the departure end of Runway 22 of Catalina island airport.
    When: 1:15 p.m . Monday
    Who: 2 were dead at the scene, one died shortly after help arrived, one transported to hospital.
    Why: Under investigation.

  • |

    Missing Helicopter Dead Pilot found in NY

    What: Robertson R-22 en route from Norwich in Chenango County to Zanesville, Ohio.
    Where: found in wooded area of the Town of Dryden, east of Ithaca.
    When: Found 9:30 a.m. Sunday.
    Who: Pilot Earl L. Small Jr., 57, of Powder Springs, Ga.
    Why: The pilot has been missing since Thursday

  • | |

    Crash Update: Westwood One Announces Regrets

    What: KTRK’s SkyEyeHD helicopter crash on October 13, 2008
    Where: wooded area in Montgomery County
    Who: John Downhower and David Garrett, Pilot and photographer employed by contractor Metro Traffic killed in helicopter Crash

    “The Westwood One family wishes to express its deepest sympathies to the families of the two occupants of the news helicopter that crashed outside of Houston today. The photographer on board, David Garrett, was a Metro Networks employee; the pilot, John Downhower, worked for a vendor from whom Metro Networks leases helicopters. At the time of the incident, the helicopter team was covering news for KTRK Channel 13. Sadly, there were no survivors in the crash. We are awaiting further reports and information from the investigating authorities on this tragic incident.” Westwood One

    The families of both Garrett and Downhower are asking that that memorials are sent to funds set up for the men’s children in lieu of flowers.
    For the Garrett family, contributions can be made to:

    Adam Ryan Garrett Educational Fund
    PO Box 1811
    Sugarland, Tx 77478-1811

    For the Downhower family, you can make contributions at any Wells Fargo bank by asking specifically for the Mitchell Downhower College Fund.

  • |

    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.

  • | |

    Pilot’s body found

    What: two-seater Piper 38 en route from from Teesside to Durham Tees Valley Airport, near Darlington
    Where: in sea off Robin Hood’s Bay near Whitby, North Sea, UK
    When: Crash witnessed at 4.20 p.m. on Friday
    Who: Pilot, a middle-aged man from the Ripon area, was the only fatality. He was a member of a Tees Valley flight school.
    Why: Pilot sent out a Mayday distress call. Witnesses reported seeing the plane crash into the sea. A full scale search operation was in effect until the pilot’s body was found by divers at 11.45 am near rocks near the crash site and taken to Scarborough Hospital. The aircraft salvage operation is co-ordinated by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, the coastguard and the RNLI. The plane was dismantled to facilitate transportation.

  • | |

    Hidalgo Mountain Crash

    What: twin-engine Cessna 402C owned by the state government en route from Monterrey to La Paz airport in Baja California Sur.
    Where: in the Sierra de Hidalgo mountains
    When: 10 minutes after taking off from an airport in the city of Monterrey
    Who: Victims include Baja California Sur state Finance Secretary Nabor Garcia Aguirre, the pilot and the copilot.
    Why: The plane was flying on instruments because of poor visibility and heavy cloud cover in the area

  • | | |

    Mexico: Cessna Crashes Ciudad Victoria


    Pictured: a Cessna 310 over Mexico
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Carlos Cané

    What: Cessna 310 en route from Mendez Airport, Ciudad Victoria, to Nuevo Laredo, Teamaulipas, Mexico
    Where: Mexico
    When: October 21, 2008 1710 central daylight time
    Who: The pilot and the 4 passenger
    Why: The Cessna experienced a loss of power on takeoff from Pedro J. Mendez Airport, Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico. When the pilot attempted to return to the airport, the Cessna impacted level desert terrain 45 degrees off to the right of the side of the departure end of the runway.

    The pilot and the 4 passengers were fatally injured.

  • | |

    Cheetah Crash Victims Found near Colorado-Utah


    What: four-seat Grumman Cheetah
    Where: 40 miles northwest of Grand Junction/ 210 miles west of Denver.
    When: Found Sunday September 7, 2008
    Who: Charles Landry of Houston, born in 1947, and Steven or Stephen Bartlet of Green River, Wyo., born in 1958.
    Why: Cause unknown. The crash is under investigation by NTSB

  • |

    Victoria Helicopter Crash injures Instructor and Student

    What: R-22 training helicopter
    Where: Victoria International Airport off of the tarmac.
    When: just before noon Friday Oct 17
    Who: The instructor was seriously injured; the student was trapped in the wreckage for some time with minor injuries
    Why: Witnesses said the helicopter “…was doing an exercise about 100 metres above a grassy training area west of the airport when it fell to the ground, bounced twice and landed upside down.”

  • |

    Evacuation Ordered after Helicopter Crash

    Evacuation was ordered for those living near the radio tower that was involved in the Air Angels helicopter crash in Aurora Illinois, 42 miles outside of Chicago, specifically those living in the Amli and Oakhurst North apartments and homes on Riverstone Drive and Riverstone Court. The crash site is the Night Heron Marsh – part of the DuPage County Forest Preserve – at the intersection of Eola Road and Waterstone Drive on the Aurora’s far east side. The helicopter clipped a guy wire connected to a 750-foot tall WBIG radio antennae tower on the west side of Eola Road. Structural damage to the tower is being investigated. The top of the tower has been removed. Ironically, a helicopter was involved in the remediation procedures.

    Read More about the Medical Evacuation Crash

  • |

    Young Pilot injured in Ultralight Crash

    What: motorized hang glider
    Where: off Piedmont Road, Anderson County S.C.
    When: Thursday night
    Who: pilot Andy Walls, 20
    Why: While attempting to land, the glider hit a stand of trees. Pilot suffered a broken back, a broken leg, fractures to his face and burns over 14 percent of his body and is recuperating in Greenville Memorial Hospital.

  • | |

    Fatal Crash South of Lake Tahoe

    What: Piper Cherokee
    Where: crashed in trees two miles from Alpine County, Calif., airport, near Woodfords south of Lake Tahoe.
    When: late Thursday morning
    Who: Pilot 53-year-old Raymond Wieveg
    Why: Pilot radioed in engine failure then attempted an emergency landing. The pilot was the only one on board. He did not survive the crash.

  • | |

    Ultralight Emergency Landing in North Carolina

    What: ultralight aircraft
    Where: in Pine Hall on Knight Road in Stokes county NC
    When: 6:40pm.
    Who: unnamed pilot.
    Why: When the pilot’s engine quit, the pilot made an emergency landing in a tobacco field. The vehicle was described as a “hangglider with a motor”

  • | |

    Medical Evacuation Helicopter Crashes in Chicago

    What: Air Angels Inc.emergency medical transport Bell 222 helicopter en route from Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago from Valley West Hospital in Sandwich. The helicopter was based out of Clow airport in Bolingbrook.
    Where: Crashed in a corn field near a residential area in east Aurora near Eola Road and Liberty Street, and was engulfed in flames.
    When: Oct 15 Went down about midnight
    Who: victims included three crew members and the little girl.
    Why: The little girl was being transported to the hospital because of epileptic seizures. Witnesses report that after the helicopter crashed, it exploded. There is speculation that the helicopter struck a 750-foot tall radio transmission tower which is now about 15-feet off center. One witness reported a midair explosion, and then another explosion after the helicopter hit the ground. Two of the tower’s guy wires were impacted during the crash.

  • | |

    Houston TV station KTRK Crash and Burn has Two Fatalities

    What: Bell 206L-4 SkyEye 13 news chopper
    Where: on property owned by The Woodlands Development Company,heavily wooded area East of the W.E. Jones State Forest in southwest Montgomery County.
    When: Monday morning between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m
    Who: Pilot John Downhower, 43, and photographer Dave Garrett, 36. Downhower worked for Helicopters Inc., which operated the Bell 206L-4, and Garrett worked for Metro News on assignment for Houston TV station KTRK
    Why: Pilot and phtographer were en route to cover an officer-involved shooting when the accident occurred. On impact, the helicopter broke into pieces and burst into flames, Both men were pronounced the men dead at the scene, and both suffered massive trauma. One body was charred. The bodies were taken to the Southeast Texas Forensic Center in Conroe

    Memorial service for Downhower: 11 a.m. Friday at Fellowship of The Woodlands, One Fellowship Drive.
    Garrett’s funeral: 11 a.m. Saturday at River Pointe Community Church, 5000 Ransom Road, in Richmond.

    A fund has been established for Garrett’s son:
    Adam Ryan Garrett Educational Fund
    P.O. Box 1811
    Sugar Land, Texas 77478-1811.

  • Tomahawk Crashes in Sierra Sky Park; no fatalities

    What: Single-engine Tomahawk.
    Where: Sierra Sky Park in northwest Fresno
    When: Saturday evening
    Why:the pilot was getting ready to land and going about 70 mph when a downdraft shifted the course of the plane and it clipped the top of a Mor Furniture truck driving on Herndon Avenue then slammed into the ground short from the runway. The impact sheared off the top of the truck

  • | |

    New Mexico Crash


    What: Raytheon A36 registered to ST Inc. in Peoria, Ariz.
    Where: Crashed a mile and a half northwest of the Santa Teresa airport runway where it took off
    When: Saturday 6 p.m.
    Who: Michael Perry and Jim Crosby were killed.
    Why: Witnesses saw the plane fly into the storm. The plane crashed during a storm and burned.

  • | |

    Piper Crash in New Hampshire

    What: single-engine Piper Cub owned by Phyliss Harvey
    Where: crashed in a field on Red Oak Hill Road
    When: Sunday afternoon
    Who: Paul Aquaviva, the injured pilot was taken to Exeter Hospital
    Why: The plane lost power and crash landed. The crash is under investigation.

  • | |

    Cessna Crash in Ojinaga, Mexico

    What: Cessna 421B, N7560Q en route from El Paso International Airport to Presidio, Texas
    Operator: Volare Air Charter
    Where: 28 miles northwest of Ojinaga, Mexico
    When: September 15, 2008, approximately 1318 central daylight time
    Who: The dead included the leaders of the U.S. and Mexican sections of the IBWC, Carlos Marin of El Paso and Arturo Herreraof Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Also on board was Jake Brisbin Jr., executive director of the Rio Grande Council of Governments. The chartered Cessna 421 was piloted by Matthew Peter Juneau.

    NTSB Report:

    DFW08RA232
    On September 15, 2008, approximately 1318 central daylight time, a United States registered Cessna 421B, N7560Q, was substantially damaged after it collided with mountainous terrain approximately 28 miles northwest of Ojinaga, Mexico, near the border town of Presidio, Texas. The air transport rated pilot and the three passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to EAC Parts LLC, Springfield, Ohio, and operated by Volare Air Charter, El Paso, Texas. The pilot contacted the Fort Worth Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS), Fort Worth, Texas, at 1016, approximately 15 minutes after he departed El Paso International Airport, El Paso, Texas, and filed a visual flight rules flight plan to Presidio, Texas. The pilot informed an AFSS specialist that he intended to enter Mexican airspace for the purpose of flying over the Luis Leon Dam, but had no intentions of landing in Mexico. The pilot did not request a weather briefing for the flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135; however, he was informed by the specialist that visual flight rules were not recommended due to mountain obscuration.

    Onboard the airplane were the pilot, the United States and Mexican Commissioners of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), and the Executive Director for the Rio Grande Council of Governments. The purpose of the flight was to assess Rio Grande flood conditions at Presidio-Ojinaga and to coordinate joint US-Mexican efforts with local officials to address flood control concerns in the area due to heavy inflows to the Rio Grande from reservoirs inside Mexico as a result of recent storms.

    The airplane wreckage was located on September 17, 2008, by the Marfa Sector of the US Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Division, on the west side of the Sierra Grande Mountains, at an approximate elevation of 6,500 feet mean sea level (msl). The airplane came to rest approximately 100-150 feet below the top of a ridgeline on a heading of 055 degrees along victor-airway V81.

    A handheld Garmin 496 GPS was removed from the airplane wreckage and sent to the NTSB’s Research and Engineering Laboratory, Washington DC, for further examination and download.

    The investigation is under the jurisdiction and control of the Government of the Republic of Mexico. Any further information may be obtained from:

    Dirección de Investigación de Incidentes y Accidentes Aviacion
    Direccion General de Aeronautica Civil (DGAC)
    Ave. 602 NUM. 161. COL. San Juan de Aragon 3RA
    Seccion C.P. 15620
    Delagacion Benustiano Carranza
    México, D. F.

  • | |

    Malibu Beach Crash

    What: Northfield Aviation single-engine Sky Arrow 600 taking off from Santa Monica Airport
    Where: in the ocean off Malibu Beach
    When: Oct 7 5:15 p.m
    Who: Two men were on board: One was Griff Horner, 70, an experienced pilot and helicopter instructor. Critical injuries.
    Why:The incident is under investigation.

  • | | |

    Nepal Update

    Update
    Fourteen unidentified tourists who died in the crash remain unidentified due to the lack of experts and equipment who can do DNA testing in Nepal. Thursday the team was augmented by three German medical and forensic experts, and more are expected Friday. DNA samples will be taken and sent out of the country.

    What: Canadian built Twin Otter owned by Yeti Airlines
    Where: crashlanded at the mountainous Lukla airport in north-eastern Nepal in the Mount Everest region
    When: Wednesday morning
    Who: 18 people died in the crash, mostly foreign tourists from Germany and Australia: 12 Germans, including six women, four Nepalese and two Australian. The captain is the only survivor; he was airlifted to Kathmandu. There Swiss casualties reported turned out to be Australian.
    Why: Lukla airport, located 2,743 metres above sea-level has steeply-inclined runway and is considered one of the world’s most dangerous airports.

  • | |

    Conviasa Boeing Crash: Toacaso, Ecuador


    Contact photographer Ivan P. Nesbit

    Update

    Aircraft mechanic Edwin David Hernandez came home today for the last time. He was one of the casualties of Ecuador, leaving behind his wife, Dilma, and two children. Hernandez was one of three crash victims retrieved by members of the Civil defense and the Red Cross of Ecuador. One of the plane’s black boxes was also found.

    The two Venezuelan victims were identified as Pedro Menderi (pilot) and Gerald Rangel (copilot).

    Licensing is still under investigation. There appear to be irregularities regarding the plane’s registration, as well as 39 licenses for technicians, pilots and Venezuelan and Peruvian air hostesses. The maintenance plan must be supervised by the supervising body of the country of origin of the airplane’s owner.

    Masry & Vititoe has been retained on behalf of family members.

    What: Conviasa Boeing 737-291 advanced (reg. YV-102T) en route from (Simón Bolívar International Airport,) Maiquetia, Venezuela to Latacunga, Ecuador
    Where: Illiniza Volcano elevation approx. 17000 feet) Toacaso, Ecuador
    When: August 30, 2008
    Who: 3 crew members, no survivors
    Why: The plane was being delivered to a new owner after being in storage. The flight crew lost lost radio and radar contact with Ecuadorian air control at 02:56Z on beginning descent to Latacunga. The wreckage location (near the LOTOA waypoint (LOTOA at 0° 46′ 23S 78° 52′ 20W) at an altitude of approximately 4000 meters )suggests the airplane flew into the side of the Iliniza Volcano and was completely destroyed on impact. The wreckage was spread 400 meters.

    Hondorus states attorney opened an investigation against “Atlantic Airlines de Honduras.” It has yet to be established, whether the airplane was operating under a Honduran license and if all requirements for legal use were met.

    Atlantic Airlines had operated the airplane until March 31st 2007.

    As of Sept 3rd, both flight recorders (flight data and cockpit voice recorder) have been recovered and will be sent to the USA for analysis

  • | | | | | | |

    Spanair Cause Inconclusive

    So far there have been no groundbreaking discoveries regarding the cause of the Aug. 20 Spanair crash beyond what was known originally: a problem with the plane’s wing flaps and the failure of a cockpit alarm, evidence of which is backed up by the plane’s black boxes. The plane’s history indicates that this was not the first time the wing slats were an issue. Two days before the accident, they were repaired.

    Before the crash, on the plane’s first pass, a warning sounded from a “heat sensor in the engine inlet” which prompted the pilots to return to the gate and get it inspected. The system was “isolated, ” i.e. unplugged.

    The technician discusses the disconnected probe.
    http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espan…/elpepiesp/20080823elpepinac_5/Tes