On Feb 14, 2013 at 10:30 a.m., a Beechcraft A60 Duke was en route from Fort Smith to Abilene when it ran out of fuel. The pilot, Frank LeRoy Bell, 75 attempted to divert to Elmdale Airpark but had to make an emergency landing. He tried to land in a blowed field but landed instead in a rough pasture where the plane sustained damage. No passengers were aboard and Bell was able to walk away.
Emergency services responded as an in-flight emergency at Elmdale Airpark.
What: Condor Flying Club Inc Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee en route from Fredrick, Maryland.
Where: Lincoln Highway West, Thomasville, PA
When: Jan 29, 2012, 11:00 am
Who: 1 fatality
Why: The piper crashed in a cornfield off of Lincoln Highway, a mile from the airport. The pilot, Douglas Helms of Westminster Maryland was pronounced dead at the scene. Helms will be at Lehigh Valley Hospital. The cause of the crash is unknown. An investigation is underway. The vehicle is registered to CONDOR FLYING CLUB INC
Street 16192 COASTAL HWY.
A Pitts S-2B crashed into the waters off Siesta Key beach in Sarasota County, Florida, at around 12:15 p.m. on August 12.
The pilot, Earle Swan, 75, and his passenger, Martin Thomas, 51, were on a training flight when suddenly the single-engine plane started experiencing engine trouble. According to the FAA spokesperson Kathleen Bergen, “Shortly after departure from Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, the pilot contacted radar controllers in Tampa to report an engine problem…He said that he would land on the beach.”
The plane tumbled across the beach and landed in an upside down position. The Pilot remained unhurt while his passenger sustained minor lacerations and was taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital.
The FAA records show that the plane was registered to Anthony T. Nourse, of 5112 Inverness Drive, Sarasota.
During salvage of the Mokulele Iki Inc Piper PA-28-181 Archer II that made an emergency landing50 yards from Waiehu Beach on Maui, the Pacific helicopter doing the heavy lifting dropped the Piper Cherokee it was hauling into the ocean. The wind was blowing 20 to 25 mph. Witnesses believed the helicopter was going to follow the plane into the ocean.
None of the four men aboard the Piper were hurt during the emergency landing on the 16th, and no one was injured during the attempted salvage on the 20th.
Now the owner, the insurance company and the coast guard have to figure out what to do next.
What: Rans S-6 Coyote
Where: Letjelište Zvekovac, Croatia
When: June 16, 2011
Who: 2 fatalities, one injury
Why: A home built ultralight carrying two passengers on a training exercise crashed at an airfield two hundred feet from the runway between 10:00 and 10:15 pm. The plane fell from the sky, and exploded when it impacted the ground. A local farmer who was on site to cut the grass attempted to come to the aid of the pilots who were calling for help, and was injured by the fire.
The light aluminum frame burned quickly.
Apparently Vladimir Bodiš and Marinko Lovri? survived the impact but died in the fire. Bodiš was an Eagle test pilot with a commercial license, and Lovri? taught military pilots although a Croatian newspaper said they found no license for him.
What: float plane
Where: Lac Labelle Laurentian Mountains, Quebec Canada
When: May 30, 2011, 6 pm
Who: 2 men aboard, 2 fatalities
Why: The float plane crashed in the Laurentians in a lake resort area 160 km northeast of Montreal, between the towns of Alberton and Red River.
The two men’s bodies have been recovered with difficulty in the remote area.
A small plane crashed near Meriden Markham Municipal Airport in Wallingford, Connecticut, on April 24th.
Authorities said that Joseph Tomanelli, 56, and his son Daniel Tomanelli, 21, were practicing takeoffs and landings when the plane went down.
Joseph Tomanelli was killed in the crash while his son was injured.
The incident is being investigated.
