Safety Board Probes EMS Helicopter Crashes
By JOAN LOWY – 3 days ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — Three years ago, the National Transportation Safety Board recommended warning systems be installed on emergency medical helicopters to prevent crashes. Since then, accidents have killed more than three dozen people and installation of the equipment still is not required.
On Thursday, the safety board was to disclose new information on the nine most recent fatal crashes, including the probable cause of four of the accidents. The board has also scheduled a four-day hearing in early February to give the issue greater visibility and urgency.
“It is a big issue and the safety board is very concerned about the alarming increase we’ve seen over the last 14 months,” said board member Robert Sumwalt, who will chair the hearings. “The recent accident record is totally unacceptable.”
EMS helicopter accidents are not a new issue for the board. Between January 2002 and January 2005, there were 55 crashes of EMS helicopters and planes, killing 54 and seriously injuring 19. Seventeen of those crashes might have been avoided if the helicopters had had Terrain Awareness Warning Systems onboard, according to the safety board. The technology, which is used aboard commercial jetliners, warns pilots when the aircraft is on course to fly into the ground — usually in bad weather with limited visibility.
In January 2006, the safety board recommended four steps the Federal Aviation Administration should take to prevent future crashes, such as requiring the installation of terrain warning systems.
For two years after the board made its recommendations, EMS helicopter-accident fatalities dropped significantly. There were two helicopter accidents with four fatalities in 2006, and two accidents with seven fatalities in 2007.
But in the first 10 months of last year, there was a dramatic increase — seven accidents resulting in 28 fatalities. And none of the safety board’s four recommendations had yet been fully implemented.
The board responded by adding the four recommendations to its “most wanted list” of safety improvements, red-flagging the FAA’s progress on three of them as “unacceptable,” and scheduling the upcoming hearing.
FAA spokesman Les Dorr said federal rulemaking can be a lengthy process, but in the meantime the agency has taken steps to encourage the industry to voluntarily adopt safety improvements.
“The main goal is to get the technology and procedures into the cockpit,” Dorr said. “Rulemaking is one way, but it is not the only way.”
The EMS industry “acknowledges that the current accident rate is not acceptable,” said Sandy Kinkade, president of the Association of Air Medical Services in Alexandria, Va.
She blamed the holdup in adding terrain-warning systems to helicopters on a combination of technology hurdles and delays in the FAA’s issuance of a technical standards for warning systems designed for helicopters.
When NTSB made its recommendation there was no warning system for helicopters, and the systems designed for airplanes — which fly at much higher altitudes than helicopters — were “constantly pinging” when tried on helicopters, Kinkade said.
EMS companies were also wary of installing new systems that have since been designed for helicopters until FAA had issued technical standards, fearing they’d invest in systems that might later fail to meet FAA regulations, said Dawn Mancuso, the association’s executive director.
The FAA finally issued the technical standards last month, but the agency has yet to propose a rule requiring installation of the warning systems. A final rule and time for implementation makes it likely that a date for requiring EMS helicopters to have the equipment onboard is still years away, Sumwalt said.
On the Net:
National Transportation Safety Board: http://www.ntsb.gov/
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/01/faa-investigates-roanoke-island-plane-crash-houseFAA Investigates Roanoke Island Plane Crash Into HouseBy Catherine Kozak
Jim Washington
The Virginian-Pilot
January 15, 2009
The remains of a small plane still rested on the deck of a Roanoke Island home Wednesday as a federal investigation into what caused Tuesday’s crash began.
The Federal Aviation Administration could provide more information today, Dare County Public Information Officer Dorothy Toolan said.
The Piper Lance crashed into the home on Joclar Lane about 6 p.m. Tuesday while approaching Dare County Regional Airport.
The pilot and the passenger were taken to The Outer Banks Hospital for injuries that did not appear serious. Their names were not provided.
No one in the house was injured.
Neighbors Jerry and Cherie Peters said they heard the plane sputter, hit a tree and crash into the home.
Jerry Peters said he ran over and helped pull one of the occupants out of the cockpit.
Debris from the aircraft was scattered over the residence, with part of a wing stuck in a tree.
The plane landed on the upstairs balcony, tearing off part of the rear wall.
Onlookers came to see the damaged house Wednesday but were turned away by authorities.
Toolan said the plane had flown from Monroe, near Charlotte.
Virginian-Pilot photographer Chris Curry contributed to this report.
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/01/faa-investigates-manteo-nc-plane-crash-houseFAA Investigates Roanoke Island Plane Crash Into HouseBy Catherine Kozak
Jim Washington
The Virginian-Pilot
January 15, 2009
The remains of a small plane still rested on the deck of a Roanoke Island home Wednesday as a federal investigation into what caused Tuesday’s crash began.
The Federal Aviation Administration could provide more information today, Dare County Public Information Officer Dorothy Toolan said.
The Piper Lance crashed into the home on Joclar Lane about 6 p.m. Tuesday while approaching Dare County Regional Airport.
The pilot and the passenger were taken to The Outer Banks Hospital for injuries that did not appear serious. Their names were not provided.
No one in the house was injured.
Neighbors Jerry and Cherie Peters said they heard the plane sputter, hit a tree and crash into the home.
Jerry Peters said he ran over and helped pull one of the occupants out of the cockpit.
Debris from the aircraft was scattered over the residence, with part of a wing stuck in a tree.
The plane landed on the upstairs balcony, tearing off part of the rear wall.
Onlookers came to see the damaged house Wednesday but were turned away by authorities.
Toolan said the plane had flown from Monroe, near Charlotte.
Virginian-Pilot photographer Chris Curry contributed to this report.
http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/faa_read.php?lang=eng&id=14600Federal Aviation Agency
Report by: Central Region Operations Center
Preliminary Data
Airplane incident or accident information
GLIDE Code VI-20090113-14600-USA
Date/Time 13.01.2009 - 19:58:00
Event category Incident
Country USA
State Illinois
County -
Location Carbondale
Airplane type C172
Airplane ID 9988B
Event phase Landing
Airplane task Training
Damage level Minor
Crew number 2 persons
Passenger number 0 persons
Injured crew number 0 persons
Injured passanger number 0 persons
Ground number 0 persons
Description
Aircraft on landing, nose gear collapsed, carbondale, il
http://www.examiner.com/a-1798284~Documents_detail_medevac_helicopter_crash_probe.htmlDocuments Detail Medevac Helicopter Crash ProbeComments Jan 16, 2009 6:56 AM (2 days ago) AP
WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Reports from federal investigators looking for the cause of September’s fatal medical helicopter crash in Prince George’s County show the pilot might have received outdated weather information because of a faulty switch.
Records released Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board show the controller who relayed the information has been reassigned to administrative duties.
The documents also include a report from a Federal Aviation Administration official who found air traffic controllers on duty at the time were “casual and sloppy,” although he did not believe that conduct contributed to the crash.
The Maryland State Police helicopter crashed as it attempted to land at Andrews Air Force Base after fog prevented a landing at a nearby hospital. Four people died. The documents say there was no evidence of a mechanical failure.
http://www.kcchronicle.com/articles/2009/01/15/news/local/doc497015377c6bf014525889.txtNTSB Releases Report On Air Angels CrashBy KATE THAYER –
kthayer@kcchronicle.comComments (No comments posted.) Add Comments
AURORA – The Air Angels helicopter that went down in Aurora, killing all on board, was not equipped with technology that could have prevented the crash, according to a report released Thursday.
The National Transportation Safety Board officials issued a report on the Oct. 15 crash after conducting interviews with several involved with Air Angels, the Federal Aviation Administration, Children’s Memorial Hospital, and family of pilot Del Waugh.
The official cause of the crash is expected in a final report later this year. Mechanical failure has already been ruled out.
Waugh, a pilot with Bolingbrook-based Air Angels, was transporting a 1-year-old Leland girl from Valley West Community Hospital in Sandwich to Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
The helicopter crashed into a field along Eola Road after clipping a WBIG radio tower. Waugh, the patient Kirstin Blockinger, paramedic Ronald Battiato and nurse William Mann did not survive.
According to the report, the Bell 222 helicopter did not have software installed that would display terrain and obstacles.
“Although the [system] can display terrain and obstacles, and provide terrain/obstacle alerts on its display, the software for that function was not installed, and had never been installed,” the report states.
Investigators already have determined that lights on the 734-foot tower were functional at the time of the crash.
Waugh also was reportedly flying lower than standard altitudes for Air Angels flights.
The report also stated that Waugh had no drugs or alcohol in his system and was well rested at the time of the flight. However, a nurse told investigators Waugh was nervous about the flight because of prior crashes at Children’s Memorial Hospital’s helipad.
NTSB officials did not return phone calls Thursday.
http://www.dcexaminer.com/opinion/Examiner_Special_Report_Gliding_Toward_Disaster_011509.htmlExaminer Special Report: Gliding Toward DisasterBy Examiner Special Report
- 1/15/09
Multiple deaths and injuries have resulted in recent decades as a result of mid-ar collisions and near-misses involving gliders or sail planes, with commercial jetliners, private planes and corporate aircraft. Pilots typically have only a few seconds to take corrective action, if they see the approaching aircraft.
The leading cause of these mishaps is the absence in the gliders of transponders that alert other aircraft in the immediate vicinity, as well as the Federal Aviation Administration’s air traffic controllers, of a glider’s presence. Many glider pilots voluntarily use transponders, but a significant number do not and some turn the devices off when they enter what they believe to be uncrowded air space.
An Examiner investigation found that the National Transportation Safety Board has been pushing FAA to require transponders on all gliders during flight, but the federal agency responsible for air safety has resisted. This special report includes:
Gliding Toward Disaster: Tragedies and near-misses mount as FAA delays.
Visual flight rules aren’t enough.
Warnings began years ago.
A timeline of key events.
What are gliders and sail planes?
What is a transponder?
For more information.
http://www.dcexaminer.com/opinion/Gliding_toward_disaster_-_a_timeline_of_key_events_011509.htmlGliding Toward Disaster - A Timeline Of Key EventsBy Examiner Special Report
- 1/15/09
Gliding to Disaster: A Timeline of Key Events
1987 – The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issues a safety recommendation to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) urging transponders on all aircraft – including gliders - after a glider hits a tow plane in California. The glider pilot tells investigators he did not see the tow plane until moments before impact.
1988 - The FAA issues a rule (14 CFR 91.215) requiring aircraft to carry altitude- reporting transponders near primary airports and when flying above 10,000 feet to reduce the potential for mid-air collisions. Gliders are exempted after the FAA concludes they pose no safety hazard.
1996 – Two people die when a glider’s right wing tip strikes the propeller of a small plane in Colorado.
1998 – FAA opts not to follow NTSB’s recommendation to require transponders on gliders and closes the case.
1999 – Three people die when a Cessna towing a glider is hit by another glider in Pennsylvania.
2003- A mid-air collision between a glider and a Piper Cub performing aerobatic maneuvers kills four people in Arizona.
2005- A commuter jet pilot reports nearly colliding with two gliders about 3.5 miles from the Frederick, Maryland airport.
2006 – A Hawker corporate jet and a glider collide in mid-air after the glider pilot turns off his transponder to preserve battery power for his radio.
2007 – A review of 60 near-misses between commercial/corporate jets and gliders shows the most dangerous spots in the U.S. to be Reno, Chicago Midway, Colorado Springs and the Washington D.C. area. The captain of a Boeing 737 reports that he had to take aggressive evasive action 25 nautical miles southwest of Reno after seeing a glider coming at him head-on at 14,000 feet.
January 22, 2008 – FAA denies the Soaring Society of America’s turn-off-transponder request for gliders that are equipped with the devices.
March 31, 2008 – NTSB issues another safety recommendation in response to the 2006 accident, again urging FAA to remove the glider exemptions from its flying requirements.
May 31, 2008 – A Falcon jet with Examiner owner Phil Anschutz and his wife aboard traveling at 287 mph comes within 500 yards – or just seconds away – from a glider at 17,000 feet in Colorado. On the same day, NTSB chairman Mark Rosenker once again urges FAA to require gliders to use transponders in shared airspace.
June 17, 2008 – FAA sets up an internal working group to review NTSB’s recommendations.
December 2008 – The FAA working group considers adding guidelines to existing regulations regarding the installation of transponders in gliders, only to discover that such guidance already exists.
January 7, 2009 – A FAA spokeswoman confirms that there have been no changes to the “glider exemption”rules.
http://blogs.pe.com/news/digest/2009/01/engine-fails-on-takeoff-plane-1.htmlEngine Fails On Take-Off; Plane Collides With Parked Aircraft In Corona
8:00 PM Tue, Jan 13, 2009 Permalink Comments (0)
Posted by: PE News
CORONA
A plane that experienced engine failure during takeoff from Corona Municipal Airport this afternoon collided with two parked aircraft and crashed into a hangar, but no injuries were reported, authorities said.
The accident happened around noon, according to Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor.
He said the pilot, identified in FAA records as a Nebraska resident, was on Runway 7 at Corona airport, accelerating for takeoff in his 1963 twin- engine Beech Baron, when the right engine lost power and the aircraft veered sharply left, into two parked planes.
The Baron collided with a hangar, triggering a fuel spill but no fire, according to Gregor.
Corona fire Capt. David Duffy said one engine crew was sent to the airport to mop up the gasoline.
According to Gregor, the pilot’s aircraft and one of the parked planes ``were badly damaged.’’
``The pilot was the only person on board the Beechcraft, and the other two aircraft were unoccupied,’’ the FAA spokesman said.
He said FAA inspectors were planning to conduct a preliminary investigation of the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board was also expected to open an inquiry.
—From news services
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/01/the_indiana_investment_manager.htmlUpdate: Captured Indiana Pilot In Fair Condition
Posted by Associated Press and The Birmingham News
January 14, 2009 7:23 AM
The Indiana investment manager who bailed out of his airplane over Alabama Sunday night in a botched attempt to fake his own death was listed in fair condition early Wednesday morning, authorities said.
Marcus Schrenker was barely conscious and muttered the word “die” when federal agents found him bleeding from a slashed wrist, Frank Chiumento, an assistant chief with the U.S. Marshals in Florida, said Wednesday.
Marcus Schrenker
The self-inflicted gash was “very serious at the time,” Chiumento said. “He was bleeding profusely from the wounds to the left arm.” Besides the slashed wrist, there was a puncture wound near his elbow.
Schrenker was semiconscious and muttering single words but appeared to resist first aid from the marshals.
“Just as we were administering first aid to him we were giving him assurances that he would be OK and he seemed to mutter some words that he was resistant to that. He muttered ‘die’ at one time as if he didn’t want the first aid that we were rendering to him,” Chiumento said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
The collection of stories with day-by-day coverage
A collection of case documents, including lawsuits, charges and warrants
Schrenker could face charges in Florida, though Chiumento didn’t know what those might be.
Chiumento said Schrenker was found based on information from U.S. Marshals officers in Indiana and in Alabama. He did not provide details of how Schrenker was tracked to Florida, but told ABC it was not based on tips from the campsite.
Evidence, including the motorcycle authorities believe Schrenker used to get away, was being analyzed Wednesday morning, Chiumento said. He wouldn’t describe what else was found at the Chattahoochee campground, but did say the investigation revealed Schrenker was prepared to be on the run for some time.
Schrenker, 38, was found in Gadsden County, Fla., a rural area northwest of Tallahassee, the county’s sheriff’s office confirmed.
He was taken into custody at about 7:30 p.m. CST at a campground, where he had slit his wrists, said Marty Keely, U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Alabama.
The capture involved officials from the Marshal Service’s southern Indiana district, its Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force based in Birmingham and other Florida-based task forces.
Schrenker’s capture ended a 48-hour manhunt by state and federal officials from Indiana, Alabama and Florida. He faces two felony charges in Indiana related to his financial dealings, and is expected to face federal charges.
Schrenker gave all the appearances of a successful businessman before his disappearance. But in recent days and weeks, that life began to unravel: his wife filed for divorce, his stepfather died, Indiana authorities were investigating his financial dealings and a federal court ordered a $533,000 judgment against him.
“I walked out on my job about 30 minutes ago,” it read. “My career is over ... over one letter in a trade error. One letter!! ... I’ve had so many people yelling at me today that I couldn’t figure out what was up or down. I still can’t figure it out.”
It’s unclear to what “error” he is referring. In another e-mail to a neighbor following his disappearance, Schrenker referred to having “just made a 2 million dollar mistake.” But it appeared he was hoping to work things out.
A retired Delta Airlines pilot living in Auburn was among a group of pilots who say they were duped by Schrenker and lodged complaints in 2007 with officials in Indiana and in Georgia, where Schrenker lived for a time.
Joe Mazzone, who owns an aerial photography company, said Schrenker became his financial adviser in 2005. He said he and other pilots invested in Schrenker’s Heritage Wealth Management, but became suspicious of how their money was being handled. An anonymous e-mail that alerted pilots who had invested with Schrenker to check their accounts fueled suspicions.
Schrenker had used the pilots’ money for unauthorized investments, Mazzone said, and said it appeared some of the documents were forged. Mazzone said he was able to recover thousands of dollars through insurance companies, and fired Schrenker in 2007.
As Indiana charges were lodged against Schrenker, federal authorities also were looking into criminal charges. Once it was determined Schrenker bailed out of his plane before it crashed, the case changed from a search-and-rescue operation to a criminal investigation.
Schrenker was laying the groundwork for his disappearance as early as Saturday, when he visited Harpersville, driving a medium-sized pickup truck that carried a red Yamaha motorcycle, its saddlebags loaded with supplies.
At about 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Schrenker radioed the Federal Aviation Administration in Atlanta, saying he had encountered severe turbulence over Huntsville, that his windshield had imploded and that he was bleeding profusely.
Then, authorities say, Schrenker put the six-seat plane on autopilot near Birmingham, donned a parachute and jumped out in the Harpersville-Childersburg area. The plane continued flying south and crashed at about 9:15 p.m. Sunday in a swampy area near a neighborhood in the Florida panhandle.
The plane showed no indication of a bloody accident, and officials could not locate the pilot. Authorities now surmise Schrenker’s plan called for the plane to crash into the Gulf of Mexico, but it failed to stay airborne long enough to reach the Gulf.
Late Sunday, a man with Schrenker’s Indiana identification encountered police in Childersburg and told them he had been in a canoeing accident with friends. The officers took Schrenker to the Harpersville Motel, where he checked in under his stepbrother’s name and paid cash for the room.
http://www.wjhg.com/home/headlines/37599859.htmlActing United States Attorney Thomas F. Kirwin, Northern District of Florida, announced Wednesday the filing of a federal criminal complaint and issuance of an arrest warrant for Marcus Schrenker, 38, McCordsville, Indiana.
The complaint alleges that on or about January 11, 2009, Schrenker knowingly and willfully communicated a false distress message and caused the United States Coast Guard to attempt to save lives and property when no help was needed, in violation of Title 14, United States Code, Section 88(c).
The complaint further alleges that Schrenker willfully damaged, destroyed or wrecked an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States or a civil aircraft used, operated or employed in interstate air commerce, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 32(a)(1).
Schrenker is currently in custody incident to a warrant issued by the State of Indiana. Indiana officials have consented to allowing the federal case to proceed before Schrenck’s extradition to that State. On execution of the federal arrest warrant, Schrenker is expected to make an initial appearance before a United States Magistrate Judge in Pensacola, Florida. No hearing date has been set.
This case was investigated by the Coast Guard Investigative Service, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, the United States Department of Transportation - Office of the Inspector General, the Childersburg, Alabama Police Department, the Harpersville, Alabama Police Department, the United States Marshal’s Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the National Transportation and Safety Board.
This prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Tiffany H. Eggers.
A criminal complaint is a charging document.
Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
You can view several of the documents firsthand, all are attached below.
Other Schrenker LINKS:
http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/37598139.htmlhttp://www.indystar.com/article/20090115/NEWS02/901150422http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/national/nat_wala_fla_pilot_missing_after_plane_crash_200901127522156788http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/national/nat_wala_fla_pilot_missing_after_plane_crash_200901127522156788http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/pilot_14125___article.html/plane_department.htmlhttp://www.indystar.com/article/20090112/NEWS/901120370/1003/BUSINESShttp://www.wkrg.com/crime/article/missing_pilot_found_alive_but_hes_missing_again/22560/http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/01/pilot_last_seen_in_childresbur.htmlhttp://www.srpressgazette.com/news/plane_5915___article.html/east_schrenker.htmlhttp://chickasawpicklesmell.blogspot.com/2009/01/marcus-schrenker-evil-genius.htmlhttp://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?contentBlockId=1c9f15e2-acaa-497f-80e7-c9603a462d22http://www.pnj.com/article/20090114/NEWS01/901140348http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/01/14/321086/salvage-operations-begin-in-piper-meridian-mystery.htmlhttp://www.news-journal.com/news/content/news/stories/2009/01/14/01142009_plane_folo.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=7Airplane in fatal crash bought recentlyClick-2-Listen
By RANDY ROSS
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
The man who was found dead in an airplane after it crashed at a landfill had owned the plane for about two weeks, according to the previous owner of the aircraft.
Ronald Vickers, 62, of Arlington was found dead in the plane Monday afternoon by a Pine Hill Landfill superintendent. The cause of the wreck remains unknown, and the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.
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Government records show the last registered owner of the plane was William McDuffie of Oak Ridge, La. McDuffie said he sold the plane to Vickers about two weeks ago. He said he did not know anything about Vickers and had only met him a couple of times. McDuffie declined to talk about the investigation or the history or condition of the plane.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Roland Herwig said the single-engine, fixed-wing plane was built in 1960 and was a “Baby Ace D” model. Herwig said the agency had no information about the pilot.
A message left for a National Transportation Safety Board investigator was not returned Tuesday afternoon.
http://www.star-telegram.com/arlington_news/story/1141475.htmlBriefs: Arlington Pilot Found Dead In East TexasARLINGTON — An Arlington man was found dead Monday in the wreckage of a single-engine plane that hit power lines between Longview and Kilgore in East Texas, authorities said. Ronald Vickers, 62, was flying a Probst Baby Ace D aircraft, according to Roland Herwig, an official with the Federal Aviation Administration. A landfill worker found the wreckage Monday afternoon. A power company spokesman told the Longview News-Journal that the plane made contact with the power lines but that no customers lost power. — Staff and wire reports
http://www.nyinjurytalk.com/2008/12/mechanical_problems_may_have_c.htmlPosted On: December 27, 2008 by Wingate, Russotti & Shapiro
Mechanical Problems May Have Caused New Jersey Aviation AccidentJason Snyder, 33, and his 34-year-old Jennifer Snyder, were critically injured after their Beechcraft Sundowner Model 23 airplane crashed in Linden, New Jersey, on December 21, 2008. According to this news report, the aircraft went down near Linden Avenue and Pleasant Street. Eyewitnesses told officials they saw the plane flying low before it crashed into some trees not far from a small generate aviation airport.
Both Jason and Jennifer Snyder were reportedly able to crawl out of the aircraft that had caught fire. They were transported to a Newark hospital where they are said to be in critical condition. They are expected to recover from their injuries. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials are trying to look into whether the airplane crashed because of mechanical problems or inclement weather. The pilot, Jason Snyder, had apparently reported mechanical problems shortly before the airplane crash occurred.
If this aviation accident was caused by a product defect in the aircraft, then the manufacturers of those defective products may be held liable for the accident and injuries caused to the Snyders.
http://www.news-journal.com/news/content/news/stories/2009/01/14/01142009_plane_folo.htmlAdvertisement
Airplane In Fatal Crash Bought RecentlyClick-2-Listen
By RANDY ROSS
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
The man who was found dead in an airplane after it crashed at a landfill had owned the plane for about two weeks, according to the previous owner of the aircraft.
Ronald Vickers, 62, of Arlington was found dead in the plane Monday afternoon by a Pine Hill Landfill superintendent. The cause of the wreck remains unknown, and the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.
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PHOTOS: Check out photos from the crash scene
PREVIOUS STORY: Plane crash kills pilot
Government records show the last registered owner of the plane was William McDuffie of Oak Ridge, La. McDuffie said he sold the plane to Vickers about two weeks ago. He said he did not know anything about Vickers and had only met him a couple of times. McDuffie declined to talk about the investigation or the history or condition of the plane.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Roland Herwig said the single-engine, fixed-wing plane was built in 1960 and was a “Baby Ace D” model. Herwig said the agency had no information about the pilot.
A message left for a National Transportation Safety Board investigator was not returned Tuesday afternoon.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/rooney-patrick-plane-2280020-bill-steamboatTuesday, January 13, 2009
Yorba Linda father and son die in plane crashThey had waited a day before flying back to Southern California to be safe.
By ERIN WELCH
The Orange County Register
Comments 44 Recommend 39
YORBA LINDA– A Yorba Linda father and son died in a plane crash near Steamboat Springs, Colo.
William “Bill” Rooney Jr. and son William Patrick Rooney III were returning home Sunday morning when their single-engine private plane went down, said Debi Rooney, Bill Rooney’s wife.
Patrick Rooney, 26, worked for the family’s construction business in Yorba Linda. Bill Rooney, 54, had seven years of flying experience, Debi Rooney said.
The men were going to leave Steamboat Springs on Saturday. But after learning about strong Santa Ana winds near Chino Hills, where the pair intended to land at the local airport, the two decided to wait another day.
“My husband was the most cautious man ever. That’s why this is such a shock,” Debi Rooney said. “He wanted to play it safe. The plane – it’s handled light snow before.”
The plane, a Pilatus PC-12, left Hayden, Colo. Sunday morning, said Allen Kenitzer, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman. The plane crashed at about 9:40 a.m. and there was a “post-crash fire.’’
It appears the plane attempted to return to the airport before crashing in a field two mile north of the runway, Kenitzer said.
The crash is under investigation.
Patrick, the eldest of the three Rooney brothers, is survived by a wife, Erynn Rooney, who is pregnant; and a 1-year-old boy, William Patrick Rooney IV. Patrick and his two brothers, Sean and Colin, all played baseball.
Sean Rooney, 22, plays minor league baseball for the Washington Nationals, and Colin Rooney plays for Pepperdine University, where Patrick also played.
Bill Rooney Jr. coached Patrick on a Little League all-star team. The son was on the 1995 Yorba Hills Little League team that lost in the semi-finals round of the Little League World Series.
Patrick Rooney and his father were renovating a ranch house the family owns in Steamboat Springs; Sean Rooney plans to get married in the house later this year.
Contact the writer:
ewelch@ocregister.comand 714-704-3719
http://cbs5.com/local/crash.cesna.150.2.905126.html2 Survive Plane Crash Landing Near Half Moon BayHALF MOON BAY (CBS 5 / BCN) ―
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A married couple flipped their small plane Saturday during an emergency landing near San Gregorio State Beach, south of Half Moon Bay in San Mateo County, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The couple was flying a Cessna 150, a two-seater airplane designed for personal use, to the Half Moon Bay Airport.
Just before 4:30 p.m., the pilot decided to make an emergency landing because they were low on fuel, FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said.
They were flying from the Monterey Peninsula Airport and landed in a field close to the beach near Highway 1 in Pescadero — where they flipped over, Gregor said.
Neither of them were injured.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking/story/466770.htmlPlane Aborts Landing To Avoid On-Ground Collision
By David Perlmutt
dperlmutt@charlotteobserver.comPosted: Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009
Chris Gray-Garcia was flying home to Washington D.C. this afternoon from a funeral in Denver, Colo. when he felt his America West Airlines flight suddenly jerk up and abort its landing at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport.
The Airbus A321 began to make a fresh approach to the runway, and seconds later its pilot explained over the intercom: “Unfortunately, there was another plane on the runway.”
Gray-Garcia was shaken but relieved. “It seemed we were 30 to 100 feet off the ground and we had to pull up pretty quickly,” he said. “It turned out fine, but I must say it was a little scary.”
As it turns out, he and other passengers on the full Flight 1522 were never in danger, a Federal Aviation Administration official said today. But they could have been if not for quick reactions by a Charlotte/Douglas air traffic controller and the pilots flying 1522.
“These ‘go-around’ procedures are not uncommon,” said Kathleen Bergen, an FAA spokeswoman in Atlanta. “At Charlotte/Douglas, you probably have one or two ‘go-arounds’ a day. It’s a safety procedure. It ensures that no plane lands unless the runway is completely cleared.”
Today, Gray-Garcia’s flight was about a mile from runway 36C – and about 300 feet off the ground – when a controller noticed a departing plane, America West flight 1525, had rolled too slowly onto the same runway. America West is a part of US Airways.
The controller instructed the incoming pilot to pull up and execute a go-around. But here’s where there was apparent confusion: The controller sent the departing plane in a direction that was meant for the incoming one.
She immediately caught her mistake and sent the departing plane in a different direction and told it to climb to 9,000 feet.
“There was no danger, since the two planes were flying in different directions and they had visual separation,” Bergen said.
Flight 1522 landed safely – except for a few tattered nerves among passengers.
“Being so close to the ground and pulling up so suddenly caused some concern for me,” Gray-Garcia said. “A couple of people around me looked startled, too. It seemed a dramatic enough move that a little more explanation from the pilot might have been in order.”
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/jan/11/helicopter-makes-forced-landing-everglades/Helicopter Makes Forced Landing In EvergladesBy Naples Daily News staff report
Originally published 2:58 p.m., Sunday, January 11, 2009
Updated 7:39 p.m., Sunday, January 11, 2009
EVERGLADES CITY — A helicopter reportedly made a forced landing in the Everglades, just south of Everglades City before 2 p.m. Sunday.
Collier County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Michelle Batten said the Federal Aviation Administration is handling the incident, which occurred with no injuries. She was unable to say whether the pilot was the only person on board the helicopter, which reportedly landed on an island at 1:52. Boats, possibly operated by good Samaritans, went to the scene to pick up the pilot, Batten said.
Everglades City Mayor Sammy Hamilton Jr. said there were few details available about the incident, other than the helicopter’s location about 12 miles south of Chokoloskee Island.
FAA south region spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said the helicopter, a Robinson R44, has a tail number of N165RV. Bergen was also unable to confirm how many people were on board the aircraft, though she said there was a discrepancy over where the helicopter put down, and that it had some connection with Clewiston, in Hendry County.
Several small airports are located in the area, including the Big Cypress Airfield.
According to FAA records, the owner is Delaware-based Ascend Holdings LLC. On Web site intoflight.com, the helicopter was listed as available for a monthly lease at $5,500, and listed for sale at $329,000.
http://flightschoolscoop.responsnet.com/blog/?p=2582 Dead In Grainger, Tenn. Small Plane Crash –Leaf Chronicle/b/ibr
WASHBURN, Tenn. (AP) — Two people have died after a small plane crashed Saturday in Grainger County, the Federal Aviation Administration said. bFAA/b spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen told The Associated Press the single-engine Piper PA-28 plane crashed in briSource:
www.theleafchronicle.com/ibr brbr /a target=_blank href=http://www.FlightSchoolScoop.com/bFlight School/b Scoop/a
http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/local/international_team_plans_to_reduce_helicopter_crashes_by_80_percent_in_eight_years_01-10-2009.htmlInternational Team Plans To Reduce Helicopter Crashes By 80 Percent In Eight Years By KYLE PEVETO
January, 10, 2009
After a year of high-profile fatal helicopter crashes across the nation, safety experts insist the crafts are safe for widespread use, but they need to become much safer.
Helicopters crash at a rate three times that of commercial airliners, according to federal crash statistics, but an international safety team aims to lower that rate by 80 percent within eight years.
“I would definitely say it’s safe,” said Rhett Flater, a former Marine Corps pilot and a member of the International Helicopter Safety Team, a task force composed of government agencies from the Americas and Europe along with industry safety groups. “I fly helicopters all the time, and I do not fear losing my life.”
Helicopters are used for every situation that requires maneuverability and flying into a tight space - landing on offshore oil platforms, following traffic in an urban area and rushing patients to hospitals.
Some oil workers who fly to their jobs on platforms in the Gulf of Mexico think little of stepping into a helicopter to begin seven days of work.
“I always had compared flying to just riding in the pickup,” said Chad Gerald, an offshore worker.
Gerald is the brother of Cody Smalts, who died with three other oil operators and their pilot early Dec. 11 when their helicopter crashed south of Sabine Pass en route to an unmanned platform.
When properly maintained and flown responsibly, helicopters are as safe as his work truck, he said.
Most helicopter crashes - 70 percent, according to the International Helicopter Safety Team - are caused by the human element. Either the pilot is poorly trained, overloaded with duties and unable to pay attention or the helicopter is poorly designed, said Flater, executive director of the American Helicopter Society International.
But flown by responsible operators with well-maintained equipment, they become as safe as any commercial airplane, Flater said.
Because of the varied landscapes and waterways throughout the region, helicopters often are used. Their crashes affect law enforcement and blue collar workers alike.
In September 2004, a Beaumont Police Department officer, Sgt. James Michael “Mike” Lane, died when the helicopter he was flying in crashed into Sabine Lake. Reports said the pilot, a Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy, incorrectly set the craft’s altimeter.
Last Sunday, six offshore oil workers and two pilots died when a Sikorsky S-76C helicopter owned by PHI Inc. crashed in a marsh in Terrebonne Parish, La.
Several high-profile helicopter crashes caught the public’s attention in 2008:
n A Maryland State Police helicopter went down in September in bad weather and killed the pilot, an onboard state trooper, two medical workers and a car crash victim being flown from the scene of a wreck.
n Two emergency medical service helicopters collided near an Arizona hospital in June, killing two pilots, two patients and two paramedics.
n An emergency medical service helicopter operated by PHI Inc. crashed in Sam Houston National Forest while en route to Houston in June. A nurse, a paramedic, a pilot and a patient died.
Last year was the deadliest on record for emergency medical helicopter crashes, when 28 died, according to a Houston Chronicle study.
About seven people die a year, on average, when air taxi helicopters bound for oil platforms crash into the Gulf of Mexico, according to the Helicopter Safety Advisory Conference, which is composed of several helicopter companies flying in the Gulf.
In January 2006, governmental agencies and helicopter companies from Europe and the Americas launched the International Helicopter Safety Team, which aimed at reducing the worldwide helicopter crash rate by 80 percent by 2016.
That seemingly lofty goal is achievable, Flater said, because the largest, most responsible helicopter operators have crash rates 80 percent lower than the rest of their field.
Currently, helicopters crash at a rate of eight per 100,000 hours of flight, Flater said. For-hire operators - called Federal Aviation Administration part 135 operators - such as tour companies, emergency medical services teams and air taxis that provide transit to offshore oil platforms, have a lower rate, at 2.5 per 100,000 hours.
“That is still much too high,” Flater said.
Commercial airlines crash less, he said, at a rate of 0.15 per 100,000 hours in flight.
“We know (the 80 percent reduction) is achievable, but we have to understand the circumstances of the accidents first,” he said.
Flater said one-pilot crews are often overworked - paying attention to the instruments and conditions while flying and using the radio - leading to human error in crashes. Ladd Sanger, a Dallas aviation attorney and helicopter pilot, agrees.
“You know that pilot error is a significant factor of a number of accidents,” he said. “If you have two professionally trained pilots, both instrument-trained, on board the helicopter, the statistics and history have shown you dramatically increase the safety and decrease the chance of pilot error.”
Sanger insists that all helicopters flying over inhospitable terrain or open ocean should have twin-engine crafts, such as the Sikorsky that crashed in Louisiana last week, instead of the popular, single-engine Bell 206, which was flown in the Dec. 11 crash near Sabine Pass.
“A number of single-engine helicopters have had engine failure over the Gulf of Mexico,” Sanger said. “When you are operating over inhospitable terrain, or open ocean, it would be a good idea to have redundancy in the engines. They are reliable, but they do fail.”
But Flater disagrees because single-engine helicopters’ rotors can automatically rotate if their engines fail and land without crashing.
The international safety team’s committees are reviewing helicopter crash data from thousands of flights, Flater said, and the committees plan to release a study later this year and recommend paths to decreasing the number of crashes.
“If we reduce the accident rate by 50 percent, I’ll be overjoyed,” Flater said. “Anything would be worthwhile.”
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_11426137?nclick_check=1In Brief
Contra Costa Times
Posted: 01/10/2009 08:38:05 PM PST
Half Moon Bay
SAFE EMERGENCY LANDING: A Brentwood couple walked away after the emergency landing of a small airplane Saturday.
The couple was flying from Monterey to Half Moon Bay when they made an emergency landing in an open field between San Mateo and Half Moon Bay, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
“The pilot was concerned they were running low on fuel,” said Ian Gregor, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman.
The pilot was identied as Michael Paul Harris, 47.
His wife Danette was the passenger, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.
In a written statement, the sheriff’s office said Harris landed the plane safely in the field and traveled about 200 yards before the plane’s nose wheel dug into the ground and collapsed, flipping the plane over.
The Harris’ flew the rented plane from Buchanan Field in Concord to Monterey early Saturday.
The accident occurred about 4:23 p.m., shortly after they couple left Monterey for Half Moon Bay.
The Cessna 150 is owned by FJC Enterprises at Buchanan Field in Concord, federal records show.
— Mike Taugher
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28593387/Plane Crash Victim Identified
WLEX-TV
updated 3:14 p.m. ET, Sun., Jan. 11, 2009
We now know the name of the pilot killed in a Friday morning crash in Marshall County.
Police say he is 60-year old Donald Bunting of Murray.
The crash happened around 6:00 AM central time in the Old Liberty Road area of Marshall County. Emergency crews found the plane about two hours after the crash. The FAA says the Cessna 172 hit a power line.
Investigators say the plane was rented from Cardinal Aviation and left the Murray Airport between 5 and 5:30 Friday morning.
http://cbs5.com/localwire/22.0.html?type=bcn&item=EMRGENCY-LANDING-bagm-
SAN MATEO CO.: UPDATE: SMALL PLANE CRASHES DURING EMERGENCY LANDINGA married couple flipped their small plane during an emergency landing near San Gregorio State Beach in San Mateo County today, according to a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman.
The couple was flying a Cessna 150, a two-seater airplane designed for personal use, to the Half Moon Bay Airport. Just before 4:30 p.m., the pilot decided to make an emergency landing because they were low on fuel, FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said.
They were flying from the Monterey Peninsula Airport and landed in a field close to the beach where they flipped over, Gregor said.
Neither of them were injured.
http://www.murrayledger.com/articles/2009/01/10/top_story/news01.txtFederal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board officials examine the scene of a single-engine aircraft that crashed at a rural site about three miles northeast of Hardin early Friday morning. The name of the pilot, who was killed in the crash, had not been released as of Friday evening pending notification of family.
Murray man dies in crash near Hardin
By TOM BERRY
Staff Writer
HARDIN, Ky.- A Murray man was killed Friday morning when his single-engine plane crashed in a wooded area about three miles northeast of Hardin.
By mid-day Marshall County Coroner Mitchell Lee confirmed the death, but did not release the name of the deceased pending notification of the man’s family.
At 6:30 p.m. David Maddox, chief deputy with the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office, in a press release, stated that the Marshall County S.O. could “now confirm the identity of the pilot of the crashed aircraft near Hardin Friday.”
In his release he wrote “the deceased was identified as Donald J. Bunting, 50, of Murray. The plane was rented from Cardinal Aviation and left Murray Airport between 5 a.m. and 5:30 a.m.” Friday.
Maddox said FAA investigators arrived at the scene at approximately 4 p.m. Friday and the investigation is continuing.
According to Kathleen Bergen, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration’s Louisville office, the Cessna 172 struck power lines near Old Liberty Road and crashed in field Friday morning at 6:05 a.m.
Bergen says no specific details were immediately available about what may have caused the crash. She said there was no flight plan filed and the pilot was flying under visual flight rules. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the crash.
Johnny Parker, manager of Murray-Calloway County Airport, said the plane was based and registered at Kyle-Oakley Field, but could provide details concerning the crash or the identity of the owner Friday morning.
According to the Marshal County Sheriff’s Department, the plane was found about 8 a.m. Hardin-South Marshall and Aurora-Ross volunteer fire departments and other emergency services blocked access to Old Liberty Road at the intersection with Ky. 402.
Marshal County Chief Deputy Maddox said Friday afternoon that the area had remained secured until NTSB and FAA officials could arrive and investigate the accident.
FAA officials in Louisville could provide no further information concerning the accident to the Murray Ledger & Times as of late afternoon Friday.
Story created Jan 09, 2009 - 23:42:53 EST.
http://www.insidesocal.com/news247/2009/01/memorials-set-for-cal-poly-pro.htmlMemorials Set For Cal Poly Prof Who Died In Plane Crash
By Joe Smilor on January 10, 2009 2:00 PM Permalink Comments (0) ShareThis
A Cal Poly Pomona mechanical engineering professor who died last month in a small plane crash had a passion for his job, as well as for airplanes and his family.
Edward “Ted” Gates, who resided in Pomona with his wife, taught sophomores through graduate students for 20 years at the university.
“We will miss him greatly,” said Hassan Rejali, chairman of the university’s mechanical engineering department. “We will try to fill his shoes as much as we can, but those are big shoes.”
On Dec. 20, Gates, 58, and Gerald Peck, 61, died in a private-plane crash off Highway 79 near Warner Springs.
Peck was the owner of the Beech Bonanza 35 single-engine plane that crashed in a rural, hilly part of north San Diego County.
The Federal Aviation Administration and federal National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.
Gates, who was originally from Canada, earned his master’s and doctoral degrees at Caltech.
He taught at the University of Alberta in Canada before coming to Cal Poly, according to a school news release.
Cal Poly Pomona officials are planning a memorial for Gates at 6 p.m. Jan. 28 in the Ursa Minor conference room at the campus student center.
Family and friends are planning a private memorial on Jan. 17 at Chino Airport, where pilots will fly a “missing-man formation” in Gates’ honor.
Gates was always interested in airplanes, but he didn’t get his pilot’s license until he was in his early 40s, said his wife of 30 years, Kar-La Gates.
He and Bill Hauser, a retired Cal Poly professor, designed and built an airplane, which is stored at Chino Airport. Gates was also going to Mt. SAC three nights a week to get his airplane mechanics license.
“The saddest thing is he died on (Dec. 20) and on (Dec. 22) the authorized inspector from the FAA called to certify the plane he built as flyable,” Kar-La Gates said.
“Bill and I plan to continue keeping the hangar and the plane. It’s possible I’ll learn to fly as well.”
Kar-La Gates, who has a clinical psychology practice in Riverside, said the nights have been the hardest part for her since her husband’s passing.
“I work late out in Riverside and he would wait up for me every night,” Kar-La Gates said. “I would get home about 11 (p.m.) and we would have hot chocolate together. Then we would go upstairs, cuddle in bed and he would read to me for 10 minutes ... We always held hands all night long.”
The couple has one son together, Sean, but Edward Gates also formed a strong bond with his two stepdaughters, Cherie Schokman-Rivera and Tawnya Watson.
Schokman-Rivera said Gates brought something special to their family.
“He was very giving, very loving, very patient,” she said.
\[TAG1]
lori.consalvo@inlandnewspapers.com(909) 483-9378
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090110/NEWS01/901100480/1008/NEWS01
HARDIN, KY.
Pilot killed in crash in Marshall County
A spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration said yesterday a light plane had crashed near Hardin in Marshall County in Western Kentucky.
The FAA’s Kathleen Bergen said a Cessna 172 struck power lines and crashed yesterday at 7:05 a.m. She said one person died, but the victim’s identity had not been released.
Bergen said no details were immediately available about what may have caused the crash.
She said no flight plan was filed and the pilot was flying under visual flight rules.
Bergen said the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board would investigate the crash.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=90d_1231549846
Tourist videos helicopter engine failure and crash while onboard
CLOSE [X] Raw video,not sure if this has been posted before as its from 2001.
Here’s the accident report:DEN02LA013
On December 1, 2001, approximately 1215 mountain standard time, a Bell 206B, N911KH, operated by Alladin Air Service as a nonscheduled domestic passenger sightseeing flight, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain during a forced landing near Bryce, UT. The pilot and two p More..assengers sustained serious injuries. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a company VFR flight plan had been filed for the local flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 135. The flight originated at Bryce approximately 1215.
According to the pilot’s accident report, the helicopter was fueled to capacity the evening before, and the engine compartment was preheated before departure. His preflight inspection revealed no frost on the airframe and rotor blades. The particle separator was clean and dry. Engine start and takeoff were normal. After crossing a highway 1/2 mile south from the heliport, at an airspeed “in excess of 50 mph [and] at an altitude of approximately 50-70 feet,” the engine “flamed out.” There was a noticeable yaw and the pilot heard “the sound of the engine shutting off.” He autorotated towards a highway right-of-way. The helicopter struck the ground hard and slid 20 to 30 feet. “Mast bumping” broke the rotor head off. It struck the rear of the helicopter, severing the tail section. The helicopter spun around and rolled over on its right side
The passenger in the rear seat videotaped the flight, including the accident sequence, and a copy was made available for examination. As the helicopter sat on the helipad with its rotor blades turning, a male could be seen walking around the front of the helicopter and getting into the right seat. Engine sounds were normal during takeoff and climb-out. Shortly thereafter, a warning horn was clearly audible.
In initial telephone conversations with the pilot, he said he suspected a faulty fuel control unit (FCU) was to blame for the power loss. This was the second “loaner” FCU a Dallas overhaul facility had sent him to use while his FCU was overhauled. He submitted three FAA Form 8130-3s (Airworthiness Approval Tags) for documentation.
The helicopter was transported to the company’s hangar at Panguitch Airport where, on December 4 and 5, it was examined by an FAA aviation safety inspector and a Rolls-Royce investigator. Although the pilot said the helicopter had been fueled to capacity, no fuel remained because the rear skid leg had punctured the tank. The pilot and his two passengers had been drenched with fuel when they evacuated the helicopter. All fuel lines and fuel filter were intact, free of debris, and contained fuel. The turbine and compressor turned freely by hand. The pilot wrote, “I also noted the fuel cap, when removed and examined, had dirt on the inside of the cap consistent with the dirt at the crash site.”
In an undated letter submitted shortly after the accident, the pilot said he became suspicious about the dirt on the inside of the fuel cap, so he took soil samples from the accident site and from the helipad. “The dirt on the inside of the fuel cap was orange, the same color as at the heliport. The dirt at the crash site is more brown native soil,” he wrote. He noted vehicle tracks in the snow behind the helipad. Footprints led from the tire tracks to a small pile of orange-colored dirt and back to the helipad. Suspecting the helicopter may have been sabotaged, the pilot contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) field office in St. George, Utah. He said that in the 6 years the company has been doing business in the Bryce Canyon area, he had been slandered, vandalized, and threatened with death. According to the FBI special agent, his agency would not become involved unless there was “conclusive evidence” that a crime had been committed. Less..
http://www.kypost.com/news/local/story/FAA-Plane-Crashes-PilotKilled/AsfEBqjhkEGkR7Qs64Gn6g.cspx?rss=1280
FAA: Plane Crashes, Pilot Killed
Last Update: 1/09 1:47 pm
Web produced by: Jessica Noll
HARDIN, Ky. (AP) – A spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration says a light plane has crashed near the Hardin community of Marshall County in western Kentucky.
Kathleen Bergen says the Cessna 172 struck power lines and crashed Friday morning at 7:05 EST. She said one person died, but the victim’s identity has not been released.
Bergen says no specific details were immediately available about what may have caused the crash. She says no flight plan was filed and the pilot was flying under visual flight rules.
Bergen says the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.
2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Kentucky Post
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_11421371?source=rss
Small Plane Crashes Near Dumbarton Bridge, Pilot Survives
By Sandra Gonzales, Mercury News
Posted: 01/09/2009 11:25:11 PM PST
A small plane made an emergency landing near the Dumbarton Bridge late Friday night, leaving the pilot, relatively, unscathed.
At about 10:10 p.m., the pilot radioed the Federal Aviation Administration that his Cessna 172 was losing oil pressure, and that he was about to land one mile north of the Palo Alto Airport. The plane was registered to a San Jose resident, but authorities could not confirm whether he was also the pilot at the time. No one else was aboard the plane.
The plane flipped over and landed in a marsh area near the Dumbarton Bridge, said FAA spokesman Ian Gregor.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the San Mateo County Fire Department and other emergency personnel were on their way to the scene, located near the KGO transmitter site. After landing, the pilot radioed to FAA officials, informing them that he was “banged up,” but otherwise, “okay,” said U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Levi Read.
The pilot apparently crawled out of the plane and onto a nearby levy, where he was found by a California Highway Patrol officer about 11 a.m.
The FAA is investigating the crash.
http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula/ci_11422661?nclick_check=1
Small Aircraft Crashes In Bay Waters
By Jason Green and Victor Gonzales, Daily News Staff Writer
A single-engine aircraft made an emergency landing in a marsh near the Dumbarton Bridge on Friday night, according to a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman. The pilot was not seriously hurt.
The pilot of the Cessna 172, registered to a Mark Bronson of San Jose, told aircraft controllers around 10:10 p.m. that he was losing oil pressure and planned to land the aircraft about one mile north of the Palo Alto Airport, said Ian Gregor of the FAA.
“He’s OK and uninjured,” said Gregor, adding that no one else was aboard the plane.
The Cessna landed and flipped over about a mile north of the KGO transmitter site near the Dumbarton Bridge, said California Highway Patrol Officer Cristina Tagle. The pilot crawled out of the plane and onto a nearby levy, where he was found by a CHP officer around 10:55 p.m., Tagle added.
The pilot told officers he had just taken off from the Palo Alto Airport when he encountered a problem with his plane.
“He doesn’t know what happened,” Tagle said.
She could not confirm the pilot’s identity by the Daily News’ press deadline.
The pilot phoned the Fremont Police Department after he landed and provided his coordinates, Tagle said. He also fired a flare.
As of midnight, the aircraft was still stuck in the shallow marsh, Tagle said. Only about 10 percent of it was submerged.
“The Coast Guard is still trying to figure out how to get the plane out of the marsh,” Tagle said.
Traffic on the bridge was unaffected by the crash.
E-mail Jason Green at
jgreen@dailynewsgroup.com
http://www.kfvs12.com/global/story.asp?s=9645710
FAA: Plane Crashes, Pilot Killed
Associated Press - January 9, 2009 11:54 AM ET
HARDIN, Ky. (AP) - A spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration says a light plane has crashed near the Hardin community of Marshall County in western Kentucky.
Kathleen Bergen says the Cessna 172 struck power lines and crashed Friday morning at 7:05 EST. She said one person died, but the victim’s identity has not been released.
Bergen says no specific details were immediately available about what may have caused the crash. She says no flight plan was filed and the pilot was flying under visual flight rules.
Bergen says the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.
http://www.wbko.com/home/headlines/37345344.html
FAA: Plane Crashes, Pilot Killed
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Posted: 1:06 PM Jan 9, 2009
Last Updated: 1:38 PM Jan 9, 2009
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A A A HARDIN, Ky. (AP) -- A spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration says a light plane has crashed near the Hardin community of Marshall County in western Kentucky.
Kathleen Bergen says the Cessna 172 struck power lines and crashed Friday morning at 7:05 EST. She said the victim’s identity has not been released.
Bergen says no specific details were immediately available about what may have caused the crash. She says no flight plan was filed and the pilot was flying under visual flight rules.
http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/652176.html
FAA: Plane Crashes, Pilot Killed
The Associated Press HARDIN, Ky. -- A spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration says a light plane has crashed near the Hardin community of Marshall County in western Kentucky.
Kathleen Bergen says the Cessna 172 struck power lines and crashed Friday morning at 7:05 EST. She said one person died, but the victim’s identity has not been released.
Bergen says no specific details were immediately available about what may have caused the crash. She says no flight plan was filed and the pilot was flying under visual flight rules.
Bergen says the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.
http://www.14wfie.com/global/story.asp?s=9645774
KY pilot killed in plane crash
Posted: Jan 9, 2009 11:05 AM EST
Updated: Jan 9, 2009 04:54 PM EST
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Posted by Beth Sweeney - email
HARDIN, KY (AP) - A spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration says a light plane crashed near the Hardin community of Marshall County in western Kentucky.
Kathleen Bergen says the Cessna 172 struck power lines and crashed Friday morning at 7:05a.m. est.
She said the victim’s identity has not been released.
Bergen says no specific details were immediately available about what may have caused the crash .
She says no flight plan was filed and the pilot was flying under visual flight rules.
http://www.wlky.com/news/18446314/detail.html?rss=lou&psp=news
FAA: Plane Crashes, Pilot Killed
POSTED: 10:56 am EST January 9, 2009
HARDIN, Ky. -- A spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration says a light plane has crashed near the Hardin community of Marshall County in western Kentucky.
Kathleen Bergen said the Cessna 172 struck power lines and crashed Friday morning at 7:05 EST. She said the victim’s identity has not been released.
Bergen said no specific details were immediately available about what may have caused the crash. She said no flight plan was filed and the pilot was flying under visual flight rules.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/06/national/main4703337.shtml
Experts Cite Crosswinds In Denver Crash
Gusts Reached 37 Miles Per Hour On Night Of Crash That Injured 37 People
Comments 6
WASHINGTON, Jan. 6, 2009
(AP) Aviation safety experts said Tuesday strong crosswinds likely were a factor in an accident last month that sent a Continental Airlines jet into a bone-jarring veer off a Denver runway and across open, snowy fields before it came to a halt and caught fire.
Several safety experts raised the possibility that the Boeing 737-500 airliner, carrying 110 passengers, may have experienced “weather vaning,” where a strong crosswind pushes a plane’s tail and turns the aircraft’s nose into the wind, much like it turns a weather vane.
While gusts of up to 37 mph were reported at Denver International Airport on the day of the accident, the experts said, winds were probably not strong enough to explain the accident entirely, and some additional factor - either mechanical failure or human error - also could have played a role.
“My suspicion is that the crosswind was definitely a factor,” said Eric Doten, an aviation safety consultant and adjutant faculty member at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla.
“If there’s nothing wrong with the engines and nothing wrong with the gear and nothing wrong with that airplane that they can find, then I would suspect that wind is going to end up being the culprit, and that what happened to the airplane is the result of some reaction to the wind, either by the airplane or by the pilot,” Doten said in an interview.
Continental Airlines flight 1404 was taking off for Houston on Dec. 20 when the accident happened, injuring 37 people. The main landing gear was sheared off, its nose gear collapsed, and the plane came down on its belly about 2,000 feet from the runway.
National Transportation Safety Board officials have said the plane’s brakes and engines appeared to have been operating normally. Investigators dug the destroyed nose gear out of the ground last week, and safety board spokesman Peter Knudson said preliminary results of that examination may be available later this week.
“We’re looking at (crosswinds), but it’s just one thing we’re looking at,” Knudson said. “Nothing is off the table.”
One of the puzzles confronting federal investigators is why the jet suddenly turned left off the runway and headed roughly west into gusting crosswinds. Sensors on the runway at the time of the takeoff measured the wind at 31 mph, according to the NTSB, and weather reporting stations on the airport field measured gusts of up to 37 mph.
Spokesmen for Boeing and Continental declined to reveal their guidelines on safely operating the 737-500 in crosswinds. However, Knudson said the winds at the time of the accident should have been “within the envelope” of what the plane could withstand.
Safety experts said the flight’s pilots should have been able to compensate for crosswinds.
Doten cautioned that it’s still possible there was a mechanical failure involving the nose wheel or some other part, “so you can’t say it’s definitely a failure on part of the crew to react properly.”
NTSB has not identified the plane’s pilot, and the Air Line Pilots Association declined to comment.
Former NTSB chairman James Burnett said there’s no guarantee that the crosswind safety guidelines are correct for all circumstances.
“It could be that the parameters for crosswinds should be tighter,” Burnett said. He noted that the issue seems to be how quickly the pilots reacted “when they first detected some sign of something being amiss,” and whether the takeoff should have been aborted as a precaution.
“I don’t want to suggest I know the answer to that question, but that’s something that’s going to be examined,” Burnett said.
But John Nance, a former pilot and aviation safety consultant, was skeptical that crosswinds will ultimately be shown to be a cause. He said wind created by the plane’s velocity as it gained speed heading north down the runway would have offset the impact of the crosswinds from west.
“It would have taken a mighty burst of wind way, way above anything anybody has recorded in my view ,” Nance said.Also, he said, compensating for the type of crosswinds experienced in Denver that day would have been second nature for an experienced pilot, “just like riding a bicycle.”
http://www.fox10tv.com/dpp/news/DeadlyCrashAtPensacolaAirport
Deadly crash at Ferguson Airport
Last Edited: Wednesday, 07 Jan 2009, 9:36 AM CST
Created On: Tuesday, 06 Jan 2009, 6:29 PM CST
Christina Leavenworth
Charissa Cowart
Photojournalist: Eric Lowe
PENSACOLA, Fla. - The plane crash happened Tuesday afternoon at Ferguson airport, just east of Lillian highway, in Pensacola.
Family members told FOX10 News the pilot was Darren Meek. Witnesses say he was doing practice runs. He had already taken off and landed but went up again. That’s when it sounded like his engine cut off.
Jimmy Baker saw it all happen from his backyard, “I walked out the front, heard a few pops, his engine quit, he barely cleared my hangar and ended up right there.”
The plane crashed into a wooded area, only about a 100 yards away from the runway. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the crash.
http://www.southtownstar.com/news/1364993,010709MedHelicopter.article
Parents Sue Over Fatal Medical Copter Crash
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January 7, 2009
BY CARLA K. JOHNSON The Associated Press
The parents of a toddler killed in an October medical helicopter crash in Aurora filed a wrongful death lawsuit Tuesday, claiming known safety measures could have prevented the girl’s death.
The emergency transport company, its operator and the deceased pilot should have taken precautions such as installing better equipment and having two pilots, according to the lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court.
An Air Angels helicopter carrying 1-year-old Kirstin Blockinger crashed on Oct. 15 after clipping a wire to a radio tower, killing her and all three crew members.
Brooke and Robert Blockinger, the girl’s parents, want new federal safety rules for such flights and hope to spur faster action by the Federal Aviation Administration, said attorney Jim Hall of Chicago’s Nolan Law Group, which represents the couple.
“What we have seen is an epidemic of these incidents across the nation,” said Hall, who chaired the National Transportation Safety Board from 1993 to 2001.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages from Air Angels Inc., Reach Medical Holdings Inc. and the estate of pilot Del Waugh, of Carmel, Ind., who died in the crash.
Air Angels spokesman Bill Bradley said the company can’t comment until it learns more about the lawsuit. But he called the situation a tragedy and said the company extends sympathies to all involved.
An attorney representing the defendants didn’t return calls seeking comment.
Fatal medical helicopter crashes jumped last year, with 28 deaths in seven fatal accidents, according to the NTSB. In 2007, there were seven deaths in two fatal crashes.
The board will hold a hearing on the topic beginning Feb. 3 in Washington, D.C. Its final report on the Illinois crash is expected later this year. A preliminary report found no sign of mechanical failure.
The Air Angels helicopter was carrying the toddler to Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago from Valley West Hospital in Sandwich, where she was taken after suffering seizures. Killed along with the child and the 69-year-old pilot were Ronald Battiato, 41, a South Chicago Heights firefighter and paramedic, and nurse William Mann, 31.
http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?contentBlockId=b954187b-dcd5-402b-a462-8eb150d162fd
NTSB Investigating Crash Of PHI Helo
Wed, 07 Jan ‘09
Accident Occurred After Takeoff From Oil Platform
The National Transportation Safety Board has dispatched four investigators to investigate the fatal crash of a helicopter in Louisiana on Sunday shortly after it took off to transport workers to an offshore oil platform.
At approximately 2:09 p.m. (CST), January 4, 2009, a Sikorsky S-76C++ helicopter (N748P), operated by PHI, Inc., crashed into swampy terrain just north of the Gulf of Mexico coastline near Morgan City, Louisiana. The aircraft was on a Part 135 revenue flight to oil platform number 301B. It had taken off from Amelie, Louisiana about 7 minutes before the crash. There were no radio reports of problems from the crew before the crash. Weather at the time is reported to have been visual flight rule conditions, with scattered clouds at 1,000 feet and 10 miles visibility.
An Emergency Locating Transmitter (ELT) emitted a signal following the crash and helped search and rescue personnel find the wreckage. Eight of the nine persons aboard perished, and one person is listed in critical condition.
The investigator-in-charge is Bill Gamble from the Board’s Central Regional Office. He and another investigator have traveled to West Lafayette, Louisiana, where PHI’s headquarters are located. They will review aircraft maintenance records and flight crew records, and interview company personnel.
Another NTSB investigator is at the accident site. He is documenting the wreckage and will oversee the recovery of the wreckage later today. The wreckage will be moved to West Lafayette for further examination.
A fourth investigator arrived yesterday at West Lafayette to supervise the download of data from a maintenance recorder that was recovered from the wreckage. A second maintenance recorder is expected to be recovered today and will also be sent to PHI’s facilities for readout.
The aircraft’s combination cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder was recovered from the wreckage on Monday and arrived today at the Board’s laboratories in Washington, D.C. for readout.
Parties to the investigation are the Federal Aviation Administration, PHI, Sikorsky Aircraft and Turbomeca, the engine manufacturer.
FMI:
http://www.ntsb.gov/
http://www.khnl.com/Global/story.asp?S=9622024
Federal Aviation Administration “Reacts” To Crashes
Posted: Jan 6, 2009 03:40 AM EST
Updated: Jan 6, 2009 08:09 PM EST
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HONOLULU (KHNL) - Three aviation crashes in just one day. That’s more than some cities see in months, maybe even a year. So, is this a concern for Hawaii? The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says no.
Sirens. A sound that’s stunned Hawaii’s aviation industry the last few years. In 2007, two commercial choppers crashed in Kauai, leaving this mangled mess.
Three died this past June on the Big Island, a pilot and two Japanese tourists, when their volcano tour turned tragic.
Three Coast Guard members lost their lives, a fourth body is still not yet recovered after a training mission in September went wrong.
Just weeks ago, a single engine plane up-ended in Kalaeloa; all three survived. And now, three more incidents in the new year.
“They were different types of operations, different types of aircraft and pilots of varying experience,” said FAA Spokesman Ian Gregor.
The FAA, along with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), investigates accidents individually. But, when they happen so close in time, experts look for trends.
“Identify precursors to accidents to prevent accidents from happening. Rather than looking at accidents from a forensic, post-accident point of view,” said Gregor.
So what if you’re a passenger? The FAA says there’s no reason for hysteria or to be fearful of flying, because for the most part, flying is safe.
“The vast majority, you never hear about because everything goes as it should,” said Gregor.
The FAA says these are isolated incidents and while their causes aren’t determined yet, officials believe it’s safe to call them a coincidental cluster of incidents.
http://www.sacbee.com/ourregion/story/1525141.html
Medical Helicopter Pilots Urge Hospitals To Help Improve Safety
By Carrie Peyton Dahlberg
cpeytondahlberg@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, Jan. 08, 2009 Page 1A
Even before a casino bus crash caused an air traffic jam at UC Davis Medical Center last fall, medical helicopters had at least two close encounters with other aircraft near Sacramento in 2008, prompting anxious meetings among helicopter operators.
Both encounters required evasive action, although they did not qualify as near misses under Federal Aviation Administration rules.
The incidents underscore the work of California pilots who have quietly tried to reduce risks as the nationwide death toll from air medical crashes has swelled to at least 25 in 2008. Federal safety hearings are scheduled in February.
“We’ve never had a midair collision in California, but why would we wait for one?” said Graham Pierce, California director of PHI Air Medical and vice chairman of a statewide association of air medical companies and agencies.
That group, the California Association of Air Medical Services, has been pressing California hospitals to keep better track of incoming and outgoing flights. Yet at least one local hospital was unaware of the effort and another has been unwilling to say what it thinks of it.
Meanwhile, hospitals around the Sacramento region are poised to build more helicopter landing sites.
Kaiser said its landing pad, opening this fall, will serve its new trauma center in south Sacramento. Sutter plans to put one on the roof of its expanded downtown hospital in 2011. And Mercy Hospital of Folsom is raising money in hopes of eventually adding a landing site.
Scores of helicopters fly into and out of UC Davis Medical Center and Sutter Roseville Medical Center every month.
Sometimes the aircraft come uncomfortably close, can’t keep track of who else might be approaching, or cross paths with law enforcement or fire aircraft that might not communicate on the same radio frequencies, pilots said.
“Overall, it’s very safe,” but steps need to be taken to make air medical transport even safer, said Sgt. David Magnino, who coordinates airborne emergency medical services for the California Highway Patrol. Two areas that need improvement, he said, are air-to-air communications and hospital monitoring of helicopter landing sites.
In June, two helicopters approaching the same Flagstaff, Ariz., hospital collided, killing all seven on board, but no one below.
In the Sacramento region, a series of episodes have worried some pilots, strengthening calls for better procedures.
Most recently, after the Oct. 5 casino bus crash in rural Colusa County injured dozens and killed seven at the scene, the helipad at UC Davis Medical Center got more traffic than it could handle. Two helicopters filled the landing site when another showed up, low on fuel, and a fourth may have been circling.
One helicopter left to refuel with its patient still on board, delaying the patient’s arrival at an emergency room.
“As a flight officer, I would be very concerned about the traffic that was in and around and had to stay there” in the medical center’s airspace that night, said Magnino.
Just six weeks before that, two helicopters responding to a crash on Highway 99 a little north of Sacramento flew so close to each other that one’s “near collision” indicator started chiming.
“They were basically 100 feet below and 300 feet to the side of us, which for a helicopter is a little close,” said Magnino. One of the aircraft was a CHP helicopter and the other was flown by REACH Air Medical Services.
The Aug. 23 incident didn’t qualify as a “near miss,” he said. The FAA confirmed that its rules are somewhat subjective, relying partly on pilot opinion.
Still, the episode was troubling enough to prompt a quickly scheduled meeting between REACH and the CHP, resulting in an interim agreement to monitor the same air-to-air frequency.
The CHP is “the first public agency to agree to that, which is really good,” said Jim Adams, REACH’s chief executive officer.
“What scares us,” Adams said, is that public agencies that put helicopters in the air don’t necessarily have the same radio equipment, use the same frequencies or answer to the same dispatch systems as private medical helicopters.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Call The Bee’s Carrie Peyton Dahlberg, (916) 321-1086.
https://secure.forumcomm.com/?publisher_ID=36&article_id=109110&a1=5fc90e8a265ee3a4f8f75dc3d03cc4a1&b1=5bef06dabecf7de2859f7f9d89264038&CFID=5841111&CFTOKEN=88893039
Highway 61 landing revisited
Published 01/08/2009, Fox 21 News
Justin Krom experienced a pilot’s nightmare a week ago: Thousands of feet in the air, his plane’s engine suddenly died.
Word count: 469
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/01/plane_crashes_in_florida_after.html
Plane crashes in Florida after incident over Huntsville
Posted by Anne Ruisi -- The Birmingham News January 11, 2009 9:42 PM
Categories: pilot
A small plane whose pilot was incapacitated over Alabama earlier this evening crashed in the Florida panhandle at 9:15 tonight, according to Kathleen Bergen, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration in Atlanta.
The pilot, whose name was not released, reported hitting turbulance in the vicinity of Huntsville at about 7:30 p.m., Bergen said. Then, he reported the windshield of the eight-passenger Piper Malibu he was flying broke out.
The pilot, who was the only person on board, became incapacitated and lost contact with aviation officials, Bergen said.
The plane flew, likely on autopilot, until it crashed near Naval Air Station Whiting Field near Milton, Fla., Bergen said.
The pilot’s status is unknown.
The flight originated in Anderson, Ind., and was headed to Destin, Fla.
http://www.bradenton.com/news/breaking_news/story/1145761.html
Friend says pilot in crash mystery has e-mailed
By MELISSA NELSON - The Associated Press
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An acquaintance of the Indiana man at the center of a plane crash mystery says he’s received an e-mail from the missing pilot saying the situation is a misunderstanding and he fears he will soon be dead.
Tom Britt received the e-mail Monday night from neighbor Marcus Schrenker, whose businesses are under investigation for possible securities violations. Britt believes the e-mail is real but says its authenticity hasn’t been verified.
Authorities believe Schrenker let his plane crash in the Florida panhandle and apparently parachuted to safety.
Britt says Schrenker tells him the crash was an accident and he wanted his companies to succeed. Schrenker tells Britt he fears he will “be gone” by the time the e-mail is read.
Associated Press Writers Rick Callahan and Jeni O’Malley in Indianapolis and Sarah Larimer in Miami contributed to this report.
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/01/pilot_search_continues_in_shel.html
Update: Officials believe pilot bailed out over Shelby County
Posted by Jeremy Gray and Rahkia Nance -- Birmingham News January 12, 2009 11:04 AM
Categories: pilot
Authorities are trying to determine whether the pilot of a small plane that crashed in the Florida Panhandle Sunday night bailed out in the skies over Shelby County, according to a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration in Atlanta.
A military aircraft that flew alongside the plane saw that the door to the aircraft was open, said FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen.
CNN is reporting that the pilot may have faked the emergency and parachuted into Shelby County.
“All indications now are that he made some type of false emergency call [and] abandoned the plane by parachute,” CNN quoted Sgt. Scott Haines of the Santa Rosa County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office.
Haines told CNN the pilot checked into a hotel in the Harpersville, in Shelby County, under a false name but was gone when investigators arrived there this morning.
CNN identified the pilot as Marcus Schrenker, 38, from Indiana.
CNN’S report says:
Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office got a call at 2:26 a.m. from the Childersburg Police Department in Alabama saying that a white male, identified as Schrenker by his Indiana driver’s license, approached a Childersburg officer at a store.
Schrenker, who was wet from the knees down and had no injuries, told the officer that he had been in a canoeing accident with friends, the Santa Rosa Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. Schrenker had goggles that looked like they were made for “flying,” according to the release.
The pilot reported hitting turbulence over Huntsville at about 7:30 Sunday night, Bergen said. Then, he reported the windshield of the eight-passenger Piper Malibu he was flying had broken out. The pilot said he was bleeding, Bergen said.
The pilot lost contact, Bergen said. The plane flew, apparently on autopilot, across Alabama from north to south and into northwest Florida. It crashed at 9:15 p.m. near Naval Air Station Whiting Field near Milton, in Santa Rosa County, Bergen said.
Bergen said the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and Harpersville police are searching for the pilot. A secretary for Shelby County sheriff’s office spokesman Capt. Ken Burchfield this morning said the Childersburg Police Department is the lead agency in the case.
http://www.kansascity.com/440/story/976894.html
Missing High-Flyer May Have Faked Distress Call
By RICK CALLAHAN and JENI O’MALLEY
Associated Press Writers
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Downed jet lifted from ice-laden Hudson RiverFrozen pipe bursts, floods part of Ohio hospitalAs challenges mount, ardor for Obama cools abroad5 white-knuckled minutes aboard Flight 1549Future of abstinence-only funding is in limboObama’s alma mater celebrates his inaugurationMany Ill. voters resigned to political corruption’Today’ show nabs interview with US Airways pilotCrews hoist ditched plane from Hudson RiverNCAA president Brand has pancreatic cancerKellogg’s recalls more peanut butter productsObama completes train tour; presidency looms ahead911 call: ‘It’s going down. It’s on fire’A national hero but not quite in the spotlightDeal reached on Flight 93 crash site in W. Pa.Crawford TX, back to normal after Bush term endsTexas madam gets place among city leadersSponsor offers to support costly eternal flameSome Little Debbie products join snack food recallDog fatally mauls 3-year-old girl in Fort WorthMarcus Schrenker presented himself as a high-flying pilot with the nerves to pull off aerial stunts and as an investment manager with the brains to make portfolios soar.
He bought luxury automobiles, two airplanes and a $4 million house in an upscale neighborhood known as “Cocktail Cove,” where affluent boaters often socialize with cocktails in hand.
But beyond that image, Schrenker’s life appeared to be spiraling downward: He lost a half-million-dollar judgment against one of his companies when he skipped a court hearing, and his wife filed for divorce. Investigators probing his businesses for possible securities violations searched his home and office.
By Monday, the descent was complete after he apparently faked a distress call, bailed out of his small plane and then let it crash in a Florida panhandle swamp. He would later e-mail a friend describing the situation as a misunderstanding but also ominously warn, “I embarrassed my family for the last time.”
Neighbor Tom Britt said he received an e-mail Monday night from Schrenker claiming the crash was an accident and saying he wanted the companies under investigation to succeed. Britt believes the e-mail that alludes to suicide is real, but its authenticity hasn’t been verified.
Britt quoted Schrenker as saying, “By the time you read this I’ll be gone.”
A call to the U.S. Marshals seeking comment about the e-mail’s authenticity wasn’t immediately returned.
The crash investigation began Sunday night, when Schrenker’s single-engine Piper Malibu went down in a swampy area en route to Destin, Fla., from Anderson, Ind. Schrenker had reported that the windshield imploded and that he was bleeding profusely, according to the Santa Rosa County sheriff’s office.
After he stopped responding to air traffic controllers, military jets tried to intercept the plane. They noticed the door was open and the cockpit was dark, following it until it crashed in a bayou surrounded by homes.
But when investigators found the plane, its door was ajar and the wreckage showed no signs of blood or the blown windshield. The sheriff’s office said Schrenker appeared to have intentionally abandoned his plane.
In the e-mail, Britt is asked to set the record straight and Schrenker says he’s stunned after reading coverage of the case on the Internet. According to the e-mail, the accident was caused when the window on the pilot side imploded, spraying him with glass and reducing cabin pressure.
“Hypoxia can cause people to make terrible decisions and I simply put on my parachute and survival gear and bailed out,” the e-mail reads.
Schrenker said he “just made a 2 million dollar mistake” but that he wanted his companies to succeed and the problems weren’t his fault. Britt said he wasn’t sure what was meant by the dollar amount.
Britt said that he believes the e-mail is real, and that its phrasing was consistent with other past messages he’s received from Schrenker. However, the e-mail came from an account in Schrenker’s name that he hadn’t seen before.
Fearing the pilot intended to commit suicide, Britt turned the message over to authorities.
The e-mail was the latest in a series of strange twists in the case. Earlier Monday morning, the man with Schrenker’s license told police in Childersburg, Ala. - about 225 miles from where the plane crashed - that he’d been in a canoe accident with friends. He was wet from the knees down.
The officers, unaware of the plane crash, took him to a hotel. He was gone by the time they returned. They learned he paid for his room in cash before putting on a black cap and running into the woods next to the hotel.
Associated Press writer Melissa Nelson in Milton, Fla., contributed to this story.
http://www.politicalgroove.com/news/11873-investigators-pilot-who-reported-bleeding-before-crash-spotted-alive.html
Investigators: Pilot who reported bleeding before crash spotted alive
CNN WIRE
Monday, January 12th 2009, 12:35 PM
http://www.buffalonews.com/nationalworld/national/story/547125.html
Updated: 01/13/09 03:40 AM
Missing high-flyer may have faked distress call
By RICK CALLAHAN and JENI O’MALLEY
Associated Press Writers
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Marcus Schrenker presented himself as a high-flying pilot with the nerves to pull off aerial stunts and as an investment manager with the brains to make portfolios soar.
He bought luxury automobiles, two airplanes and a $4 million house in an upscale neighborhood known as “Cocktail Cove,” where affluent boaters often socialize with cocktails in hand.
But beyond that image, Schrenker’s life appeared to be spiraling downward: He lost a half-million-dollar judgment against one of his companies when he skipped a court hearing, and his wife filed for divorce. Investigators probing his businesses for possible securities violations searched his home and office.
By Monday, the descent was complete after he apparently faked a distress call, bailed out of his small plane and then let it crash in a Florida panhandle swamp. He would later e-mail a friend describing the situation as a misunderstanding but also ominously warn, “I embarrassed my family for the last time.”
Neighbor Tom Britt said he received an e-mail Monday night from Schrenker claiming the crash was an accident and saying he wanted the companies under investigation to succeed. Britt believes the e-mail that alludes to suicide is real, but its authenticity hasn’t been verified.
Britt quoted Schrenker as saying, “By the time you read this I’ll be gone.”
A call to the U.S. Marshals seeking comment about the e-mail’s authenticity wasn’t immediately returned.
The crash investigation began Sunday night, when Schrenker’s single-engine Piper Malibu went down in a swampy area en route to Destin, Fla., from Anderson, Ind. Schrenker had reported that the windshield imploded and that he was bleeding profusely, according to the Santa Rosa County sheriff’s office.
After he stopped responding to air traffic controllers, military jets tried to intercept the plane. They noticed the door was open and the cockpit was dark, following it until it crashed in a bayou surrounded by homes.
But when investigators found the plane, its door was ajar and the wreckage showed no signs of blood or the blown windshield. The sheriff’s office said Schrenker appeared to have intentionally abandoned his plane.
In the e-mail, Britt is asked to set the record straight and Schrenker says he’s stunned after reading coverage of the case on the Internet. According to the e-mail, the accident was caused when the window on the pilot side imploded, spraying him with glass and reducing cabin pressure.
“Hypoxia can cause people to make terrible decisions and I simply put on my parachute and survival gear and bailed out,” the e-mail reads.
Schrenker said he “just made a 2 million dollar mistake” but that he wanted his companies to succeed and the problems weren’t his fault. Britt said he wasn’t sure what was meant by the dollar amount.
Britt said that he believes the e-mail is real, and that its phrasing was consistent with other past messages he’s received from Schrenker. However, the e-mail came from an account in Schrenker’s name that he hadn’t seen before.
Fearing the pilot intended to commit suicide, Britt turned the message over to authorities.
The e-mail was the latest in a series of strange twists in the case. Earlier Monday morning, the man with Schrenker’s license told police in Childersburg, Ala. - about 225 miles from where the plane crashed - that he’d been in a canoe accident with friends. He was wet from the knees down.
The officers, unaware of the plane crash, took him to a hotel. He was gone by the time they returned. They learned he paid for his room in cash before putting on a black cap and running into the woods next to the hotel.
The e-mail also refers to the incident, saying he made up a name to check into the hotel.
“I did not tell them about what happened as I was embarrassed and scared,” it reads.
Authorities in Indiana have said little about the investigation into Schrenker’s businesses - Heritage Wealth Management Inc., Heritage Insurance Services Inc. and Icon Wealth Management - wealth management companies that provide financial advice.
Jim Gavin, a spokesman for Indiana’s secretary of state, said investigators are looking at possible securities violations. Officers who searched Schrenker’s home Dec. 31 were looking for computers, notes, photos and other documents related to those companies.
Court records show his wife, Michelle, filed for divorce a day before the searches.
Gavin said the Indiana Securities Division obtained a temporary restraining order Monday freezing Marcus and Michelle Schrenker’s personal assets, and the assets of the three companies.
On Friday, two days before the crash, a federal judge in Maryland issued a $533,500 judgment against Heritage Wealth Management Inc., and in favor of OM Financial Life Insurance Co. The OM lawsuit contended Heritage Wealth Management should return more than $230,000 in commissions because of problems with insurance or annuity plans it sold.
Schrenker is an accomplished pilot with a background in aerobatics, said Ron Smith, an interim manager at Anderson Municipal Airport. He usually flies out of the airport about once a week, making regular trips to Florida, he said.
“He’s an outstanding pilot, from what I understand,” Smith said. “If he can fly aerobatics and a Meridian, you’ve got to be pretty decent.”
Britt said Schrenker has two sides - one very cordial and generous, the other threatening and litigious - and that many in the neighborhood had run-ins with him and “didn’t care too much for him.”
Associated Press writer Melissa Nelson in Milton, Fla., contributed to this story.
http://www.tothecenter.com/news.php?readmore=8439
The pilot who signaled air traffic controllers that his windshield had imploded and that he was bleeding profusely before his plane crashed was apparently faking the call, and was spotted using a false name early Monday, authorities said.
“All indications now are that he made some type of false emergency call and abandoned the plane by parachute,” said Sgt. Scott Haines of the Santa Rosa County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office. Haines said the pilot -- who has not been publicly identified -- checked into a hotel in the Harpersville, Ala. area under a false name. Haines did not know the whereabouts of the pilot. “I do not believe they have him in custody,” he said.
According to CNN, earlier Monday, federal investigators said they believed the pilot may have parachuted out of the Piper PA-36 aircraft before it crashed at 9:15 p.m. CT Sunday in a swampy area of Blackwater River in East Milton, Fla.
Military jets found the aircraft Sunday. The plane was lying upside down, its door open and the cockpit empty, according to Haines. Kathleen Bergen, spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said a “detailed review of radar data” and the fact that the plane had switched to autopilot suggested that the pilot might have parachuted. The pilot was the only person aboard, authorities said.
On Sunday evening, the pilot contacted air traffic controllers and told them the plane’s windshield had imploded and that he was bleeding profusely, Haines said. That call came in when the aircraft was about 35 miles southwest of Birmingham, Alabama. Controllers tried to tell the pilot to divert the flight to Pell City, Alabama, but he did not respond. The plane appeared to have been put on autopilot around 2,000 feet, Haines said. The plane was scheduled to land in Destin, Fla., authorities said.
Military jets that first spotted the wreckage described the cockpit as empty. Bergen said the cockpit was mostly intact and the door to the aircraft was open.
The corporate plane does not have an ejection feature, and the pilot did not have a parachute when he took off Sunday from Anderson Municipal Airport in Anderson, Indiana, airport manager Steve Darlington told CNN.
Darlington described the pilot as “accomplished” and said he owns “a couple of airplanes” and flies regularly. Helicopters, planes, boats, and dogs and rescue crews were involved in searching the area.
http://cbs2.com/local/plane.David.Duffy.2.906476.html
Engine Failure To Blame In Corona Plane Crash
CORONA, Calif.
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A plane taking off from Corona Municipal Airport Monday collided with two parked aircrafts and crashed into a hanger, according to authorities.
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A plane taking off from Corona Municipal Airport Monday collided with two parked aircrafts and crashed into a hanger, according to authorities.
Ian Gregor, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said the accident happened around noon when the plane experienced engine failure during takeoff.
Gregor said the pilot, a Nebraska resident, was on Runway 7 at Corona airport accelerating for takeoff in his 1963 two-engine Beech Baron when the right engine lost power and the aircraft veered left into two parked planes.
The Baron then collided with a hangar, triggering a fuel spill but no fire, Gregor said.
According to Corona fire Captain David Duffy, one engine crew was sent to the airport to clean up the gasoline.
Gregor said the pilot’s aircraft and one of the parked plane’s “were badly damaged.”
“The pilot was the only person on board the Beechcraft, and the other two aircraft were unoccupied,” the FAA spokesman said.
No injuries were reported.
FAA inspectors were planning to conduct a preliminary investigation of the crash, Gregor said.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28507986/
FAA To Investigate Plane Sliding Off Runway At Hancock
WTVH-TV
updated 5:52 p.m. ET, Mon., Jan. 5, 2009
An American Airlines plane slid off the runway at Hancock Airport Sunday night due to the icy conditions.
The Federal Aviation Administration is now on the case of a plane which skidded off the runway at Hancock Airport last night. An American Eagle plane with 51 passengers and crew on board was coming in from Chicago at about 10 last night but veered off when the pilot couldn’t bring it to a complete stop. One passenger told CBS5 the pilot tried to use the brakes, but the plane spun 180-degrees before coming to a stop just off the runway. A bus was used to transport passengers to the terminal building. None were hurt. (From Monday morning 1/5) An American Airlines plane slid off the runway at Hancock Airport Sunday night due to the icy conditions. No one was hurt in the incident. A passenger on the plane tells CBS 5 the plane started skidding and slid into a snow bank off the runway. No other information is available at this time. Stay with CBS 5 for more information as it becomes available.
http://wkzonews.blogspot.com/2009/01/faa-ice-causes-emergency-landing.html
Thursday, January 8, 2009
FAA: Ice Causes Emergency Landing
THREE RIVERS - FAA investigators say it appears that freezing rain iced up a private plane, forcing a Vicksburg man to make an emergency landing on the St. Joseph River Tuesday night.
They were trying to land at Three Rivers Airport and came up short. Fred Nelson Jr. and his dad walked away from the rough landing Tuesday night.
He called 9-1-1 himself as he walked from the plane.
A dog was on-board the plane, too, and was also unhurt. It was that same icy storm that left area roadways slick Wednesday morning.
http://lordblogsave.com/2009/01/09/safety-board-targets-medical-helicopter-crashes/
January 9, 2009
Safety board targets medical helicopter crashes
Filed under: all lord news — admin @ 1:47 am
WASHINGTON: Responding to a spate of fatal emergency medical helicopter accidents…
http://www.ktla.com/landing_news/?Pilot-Crashes-into-2-Parked-Planes-Durin=1&blockID=183628&feedID=171
January 13, 2009
CORONA -- A plane experienced engine failure during takeoff from Corona Municipal Airport Monday and collided with two parked aircraft before crashing into a hangar.
It happened around noon, according to Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor.
The pilot, identified in FAA records as a Nebraska resident, was on Runway 7 at Corona airport, accelerating for takeoff in his 1963 twin-engine Beech Baron, when the right engine lost power and the aircraft veered sharply left, into two parked planes.
The Baron collided with a hangar, triggering a fuel spill but no fire, according to Gregor.
Corona fire Capt. David Duffy said one engine crew was sent to the airport to mop up the gasoline.
According to Gregor, the pilot’s aircraft and one of the parked planes “were badly damaged.”
“The pilot was the only person on board the Beechcraft, and the other two aircraft were unoccupied,” the FAA spokesman said.
He said FAA inspectors are planning to conduct a preliminary investigation of the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board is also expected to open an inquiry.
Charlotte Observer: Planes nearly collide in Charlotte
By David Perlmutt
dperlmutt@charlotteobserver.com
Chris Gray-Garcia was flying home to Washington Sunday from a funeral in Denver, Colo. when he felt his America West Airlines flight suddenly jerk up and abort its landing on runway 36C at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport.
The Airbus A321 began to make a fresh approach to the runway, and seconds later its pilot explained over the intercom: “Unfortunately, there was another plane on the runway.”
Gray-Garcia was shaken but relieved. “It seemed we were 30 to 100 feet off the ground and we had to pull up pretty quickly,” he said. “It turned out fine, but I must say it was a little scary.”
As it turns out, he and other passengers on the full Flight 1522 were never in danger, a Federal Aviation Administration official said Sunday. But they could have been if not for quick reactions by a Charlotte/Douglas air traffic controller and the pilots flying 1522.
“These ‘go-around’ procedures are not uncommon,” said Kathleen Bergen, an FAA spokeswoman in Atlanta. “At Charlotte/Douglas, you probably have one or two ‘go-arounds’ a day. It’s a safety procedure. It ensures that no plane lands unless the runway is completely cleared.”
Sunday, Gray-Garcia’s flight was about a mile from the runway – and about 300 feet off the ground – when a controller noticed a departing plane, America West flight 1525, had rolled too slowly onto Runway 36C. America West is a part of US Airways.
The controller instructed the incoming pilot to pull up and execute a go-around. But here’s where there was apparent confusion: The controller sent the departing plane in a direction that was meant for the incoming one.
She immediately caught her mistake and sent the departing plane in a different direction and told it to climb to 9,000 feet.
“There was no danger, since the two planes were flying in different directions and they had visual separation,” Bergen said.
Flight 1522 landed safely – except for a few tattered nerves among passengers.
“Being so close to the ground and pulling up so suddenly caused some concern for me,” Gray-Garcia said. “A couple of people around me looked startled, too. It seemed a dramatic enough move that a little more explanation from the pilot might have been in order.”
WRAL: Jetliner pulls up to avoid 2nd plane at NC airport
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Two airplanes avoided a collision at a North Carolina airport when a jetliner that was landing pulled up to avoid a plane on the runway, authorities said.
An America West Airlines Airbus A321 aborted its initial landing and circled for another try Sunday at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, The Charlotte Observer reported.
FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen in Atlanta said the procedure isn’t uncommon. She said quick reaction by air traffic controllers and the pilots kept passengers out of danger.
Bergen also said the “go-round” procedure probably happens once or twice a day at the airport.
“It’s a safety procedure,” she said. “It ensures that no plane lands unless the runway is completely cleared.”
In Sunday’s incident, incoming flight 1522 was about a mile from the runway and 300 feet off the ground when it pulled up suddenly to circle. A controller had noticed that a departing flight, America West flight 1525, had moved too slowly onto the runway and ordered the maneuver.
The controller also sent the departing plane in the same direction as the incoming flight, but caught the mistake and sent the departing plane in a different direction and told it to climb to 9,000 feet.
“There was no danger, since the two planes were flying in different directions and they had visual separation,” Bergen said.
Passenger Chris Gray-Garcia was aboard flight 1522 headed to Washington when the plane suddenly pulled up. He said a few seconds later the pilot explained that another plane was on the runway.
“It turned out fine, but I must say it was a little scary,” he said.
http://www.wreg.com/global/story.asp?s=9661760
WREG-TV: Passenger Describes Terrifying Landing At Memphis Airport
(Memphis - 1/12/2009) It was September 11th last year, when a flight from Houston to Memphis filled with many people trying to evacuate from Hurricane Ike was approaching the Memphis Airport. Just as that plane was about to touch down, it became a flight those passengers will never forget.
One of those passengers was a 17 year old girl, on her first flight alone. We’ll call her “Mary.”
“To not know what is going to happen to you, even if it’s just for 5 or 10 minutes, it’s a very scary feeling,” she said. “People were really frightened.”
Passengers were frightened by a close call with another jet, while attempting to land at the Memphis International Airport in September. The FAA confirms what happened, an event commonly called a ‘go-around.’
“The plane literally came so close to the ground, I thought we had already landed. But then we went immediately up, so fast and in such a steep way, it looked like we were about to flip over,” Mary said.
“Mary” couldn’t see what was really happening on the runway: A plane just landed and was taxi-ing on the ground, but then her plane came in, and it was much too close. The pilot jerked the aircraft back into the sky. That’s when passengers panicked.
“It felt like it was going to flip, it literally felt like it was going to flip,” Mary said.
Air traffic controller and local union president John Wallin says with increased capacity at Memphis International, “go-arounds” happen every day. But Wallin says, those risks could be reduced if the FAA changed some risky procedures, like the Runway 27 operation that the WREG Investigators uncovered last year.
“They claim it’s not a safety issue, but aircraft getting close proximity to each other are definitely a safety concern,” Wallin said.
The FAA has repeatedly refused to allow our cameras into the Memphis tower to take a closer look at day-to-day operations. A recent hiring blitz has added dozens of young controllers to the front lines, and Wallin says, it’s putting your safety in inexperienced hands.
“It’s either going to lead to closer calls or a lot more go-arounds,” Wallin said.
Risks that Wallin and “Mary” say passengers need to know, whether they’re thousands of feet in the sky, or inches from the ground. They say, a near miss is always “too close.”
“Because for you, it came too close?” WREG Investigator Keli Rabon asked.
“It came too close. It came way to close,” Mary said.
In response to our investigation, FAA Spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen issued the following statement:
“A go-around is a routine procedure, not a news story any more than a routine take off or landing would be, especially four months after the fact.”
Dallas Morning News: AIRLINE BIZ Blog: “NTSB gives an update on the Denver crash”
Remember those bumping and rattling sounds that passengers reported on that Continental Airlines airplane that veered off the runway in Denver?
According to a National Transportation Safety Board update Wednesday, those sounds started after the airplane left the runway, not before. Also, as I interpret the NTSB update, the crew rejected the takeoff after the Boeing 737 left the runway, not while it was still on the runway.
Here’s the NTSB discussion of what the pilots remembered:
“Both pilots remarked that all appeared normal until the aircraft began to deviate from the runway centerline. The Captain noted that the airplane suddenly diverged to the left, and attempts to correct the deviation with the rudder were unsuccessful. He stated that he briefly attempted to return the aircraft to the centerline by using the tiller to manipulate the steering of the nose gear but was unable to keep the aircraft on the runway.”
For the complete update from the NTSB, keep reading.
NTSB Advisory
National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594
January 7, 2009
NTSB ISSUES UPDATE ON CONTINENTAL 737 ACCIDENT IN DENVER
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In its continuing investigation of the Continental Airlines aircraft accident at Denver International Airport, the National Transportation Safety Board has developed the following factual information:
On December 20, 2008, at 6:18 p.m. mountain standard time, Continental flight 1404, a Boeing 737-500 (registration N18611), equipped with CFM56-3B1 engines, departed the left side of runway 34R during takeoff from Denver International Airport in Denver, Colorado. The scheduled, domestic passenger flight, operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 121, was en route to George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Houston, Texas. A total of 38 passengers and crew were transported to hospitals, and five were admitted. There were no fatalities. The airplane was substantially damaged and experienced a post-crash fire, which was located on the right side of the aircraft.
Inspection of the runway following the accident revealed that it was bare and dry and free of debris. The first tire marks were found about 1,900 feet from the runway threshold. The aircraft exited the runway at about 2,650 feet from the runway threshold, continued across a snow-covered grassy drainage basin area, and crossed a taxiway and a service road before coming to rest about 2,300 feet from the point at which it departed the runway.
On the night of the accident, the majority of air traffic was arriving at the airport from the south and departing from the airport to the north.
Both members of the flight crew have been interviewed. The accident flight was their first flight on the fourth day of a four-day trip. The Captain, the pilot flying, had accumulated a total of about 13,000 hours, with about 5,000 in the 737. The First Officer had flown about 7,500 hours in his career with about 1,500 hours in the 737; he was the pilot monitoring.
Both pilots were aware of the crosswind conditions, having been advised by Air Traffic Control (ATC) that winds were 270 degrees at 27 knots just prior to takeoff. The weather observation (METAR) in effect for Denver International Airport nearest the time of the accident was reported to be winds at 290 degrees and 24 knots with gusts to 32 knots, visibility of 10 miles, a few clouds at 4000 feet and scattered clouds at 10,000 feet. The temperature was reported as -4 degrees Celsius. Wind data has been obtained from the airport’s low-level wind shear alert system (LLWAS), consisting of 32 sensors located around the field, which record wind speed and direction every 10 seconds. This information will be used to determine a better estimate of the actual crosswind component at the time of the accident.
Both pilots remarked that all appeared normal until the aircraft began to deviate from the runway centerline. The Captain noted that the airplane suddenly diverged to the left, and attempts to correct the deviation with the rudder were unsuccessful. He stated that he briefly attempted to return the aircraft to the centerline by using the tiller to manipulate the steering of the nose gear but was unable to keep the aircraft on the runway. Bumping and rattling sounds audible on the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) have been time- correlated with the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and were found to have occurred as the airplane exited the runway and travelled through the grassy areas adjacent to the runway. The aircraft reached a maximum speed of 119 knots, and it was traveling at 89 knots when the CVR and FDR stopped recording.
Two Continental pilots who had flown the aircraft into Denver on the previous flight were passengers on the accident flight. Neither of the pilots was aware of any anomalies on the inbound flight and reported that all the aircraft’s systems had operated normally.
The airplane’s Quick Access Recorder (QAR) and other electronics were retrieved and sent to the NTSB laboratory in Washington. The QAR, which records aircraft data, often has more parameters or information of higher fidelity than the Flight Data Recorder (FDR). Additional items, such as flight control and nosewheel steering actuators, were also removed from the airplane for testing and evaluation.
Physical inspection of the engines and information from the FDR has not indicated any evidence of pre-impact malfunctions with either engine. The FDR data shows that number one engine power was reduced before that of the number two engine during the accident sequence, and examination of the engine indicates that this reduction is consistent with snow and earth ingestion as the airplane departed the runway. The FDR data also shows that both engines were commanded into reverse thrust following rejection of the takeoff by the flight crew, which occurred after the aircraft had already left the runway.
A preliminary examination of the rudder system revealed no abnormalities or malfunctions. The main landing gear and brakes, which had separated from the aircraft during the accident sequence, were found in good condition by visual examination. There were no signs of hydraulic leaking or flat spots on the tires. The flight deck controls and corresponding control surfaces were found to be in the takeoff configuration.
There was no obvious damage to the passenger seats, which were found secured on their tracks. The safety belts all appeared intact although some showed evidence of fire damage. Some components of the crew seats and restraint systems have been removed for further examination.
The three flight attendants indicated that there were no problems with the escape slides and that the emergency exit lights were brightly illuminated. All occupants exited the airplane via the left side doors and overwing exits. The flight attendants reported that the passenger who opened the overwing exit did so very quickly and easily. After a bottleneck of people developed by the left overwing exit, a Continental Airlines pilot, who was a passenger on the flight, directed passengers out via the doors.
The aircraft has been moved from the accident site to a secure location on airport property where an examination of the nosegear and other components was conducted. While the on-scene phase of the investigation has been completed, the aircraft wreckage will remain available to the NTSB throughout the course of the investigation.
Aero-News.Net: Opinions Differ On Role Of Crosswind In Continental Accident
Updated NTSB Report Offers Little Resolution
Early speculation about an accident at Denver International Airport last month, in which a continental 737 veered off a runway December 20 during its takeoff run and was destroyed, has centered on the role crosswinds might have played.
While the 32-knot gusts recorded at DEN that day are well below the plane’s demonstrated envelope, and should also have been within the envelope of an experienced pilot, some observers still wonder if a crosswind strong enough to “weathervane” the big plane might have caused the accident. The plane ran off the runway and rumbled across a taxiway and a service road, and about a half-mile of snow-covered fields, had its main gear and one engine sheared off, and caught fire. There were 38 injuries among passengers and crew.
The Associated Press cites the comments of John Cox, a former pilot and president of Safety Operating Systems, an aviation consulting firm in Washington. Cox says winds were definitely a factor, but, “Whether it’s causal or not, I don’t think you have enough information to go there yet.”
The National Transportation Safety Board has determined that there were no problems with the main gear tires or brakes. The nosegear collapsed and wound up buried beneath the wreckage. It has now been unearthed, but there’s no word yet on any clues it might offer.
In an update to its factual report released Wednesday, NTSB revealed that both pilots recalled, in their separate interviews with investigators, that the takeoff went normally until the aircraft suddenly drifted left of the centerline, and neither the rudder nor nosewheel steering was effective in regaining control.
The pilots have not been identified, but the NTSB notes the captain had about 13,000 logged hours, including about 5,000 in the 737, while the first officer had 7,500 total hours and about 1,500 hours in-type. The flight crew initiated rejected takeoff procedures, including deployment of engine thrust reversers, after the airliner had departed the runway.
KNX1070, CA: Possible Near Collision Over the Skies of Burbank
LOS ANGELES (KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO) -- We learned of this story from KNX 1070 web editor John Ramey who was onboard Southwest flight 120 this morning out of Burbank to Sacramento.
Ramey says right after takeoff the plane started to go through a series of sharp and unusual maneuvers.
According to Ramey, “there was a lot of throttling up and throttling down, and a normal gradual right turn turned into a series of right and left turns that felt a lot sharper than you would normally anticipate during just a standard departure. You could also tell in your stomach that we were changing rate at an altitude quicker than you would anticipate, and the captain later came on the intercom and said that there was an aircraft that he was trying to avoid.”
We contacted the FAA and played them John’s comments. The FAA said this could have been a significant event and is checking on it now.
AVWeb: NTSB To Release Nine Helicopter EMS Accident Reports
In an unusual move, the NTSB on Thursday will release four probable-cause reports all at once, together with interim factual reports on five other accidents. All nine of the accidents involved helicopters that were engaged in emergency medical flights, all of them occurred since December 2007, and all of them were fatal, resulting in 35 deaths. The NTSB says that helicopter EMS safety has been an “ongoing concern,” and the board will hold hearings in Washington, D.C., Feb. 3 to 6, to examine the issue. The board will hear expert testimony from invited witnesses. The public is invited to attend, and the proceedings will be webcast live. The issues to be discussed include flight operations and aircraft safety equipment. In January 2006, the board released a special report on the safety of helicopter EMS operations, recommended changes in training and oversight, and also suggested that all helicopter EMS aircraft should have terrain awareness and warning systems installed.
The safety board also added helicopter EMS safety to its Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements for 2008.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-medevacnew0122,0,3003430.story
Maj. A.J. McAndrew, commander of the Maryland State Police Aviation Command, listens to a tough round of questioning from members of the state Senate Budget and Taxation Committee about the condition of the state’s medevac helicopter fleet. (Baltimore Sun photo by Glenn Fawcett / January 22, 2009)
Police officials launched an emotional defense of Maryland’s state-run medevac system today, which faces a privatization initiative from General Assembly critics whose case for reform has been bolstered by a recent fatal crash and critical audit.
A routine legislative briefing about Gov. Martin O’Malley’s budget proposal to purchase two new helicopters turned into a heated exchange today between the police major in charge of the medevac fleet and Sen. E.J. Pipkin, an Eastern Shore Republican who wants to require the police to compete for the job with private services.
“Excuse me for getting a little emotional about this,” said Maj. A.J. McAndrew, in response to suggestions by Pipkin that officials may have failed to notify local EMT personnel about a fatal medevac crash in Prince George’s County in September. “We went to the wall trying to find those people ... those were my guys in that helicopter.”
Today’s exchange is likely the first of many spirited debates this year between managers of the state’s vaunted medevac system and its critics in the legislature. Democratic leaders have predicted that the state’s EMS system for air-lifting accident victims will come under strong scrutiny during the legislative session that began this month.
Related links
Sen. Ulysses Currie Photo
State lawmakers propose anti-spying legislation
O’Malley submits 2010 budget, with painful cuts
Governor wants sharing of juvenile data
Maryland Politics: More on state worker layoffs
Md. Politics: An early look at the 2010 state budget
Sun coverage: State medevac system woes
General Assembly guide
2009 General Assembly session Photos Pipkin and Sen. John Astle, an Anne Arundel County Democrat, have teamed up on a bill that would require the governor to create a Cabinet-level department to oversee emergency services and consider allowing a private company to run the transport fleet.
“We do not need to be reformed,” McAndrew told members of a Senate budget committee today. “And we should not be required to participate in a bid process in order to maintain ... medevac operations that we developed” in 1970, he said.
McAndrew told the panel that Aviation Command has implemented numerous improvements and is willing to adopt all of Pipkin and Astle’s safety recommendations, which echo safety standards encouraged by a panel of experts convened last year by the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems. Among those recommendations are that Maryland’s medevac system meet Federal Aviation Administration standards and that two medical crew members be on each flight, rather than the single paramedic used now.
Pipkin and Astle, a retired medevac helicopter pilot, also call for splitting the system into two fleets. One would provide emergency medical services and be operated by either Maryland State Police or private contractors, depending on the winner of a bidding process. The other would serve law enforcement, homeland security and search-and-rescue functions.
McAndrew argued today that such a division would hamper helicopter response in situations where law enforcement and medical functions were required. Pipkin said such cases are extremely rare and should not guide policy.
After today’s hearing, Pipkin criticized O’Malley for forging ahead with a planned procurement of new helicopters before the legislature has debated the reform bill. Aides to O’Malley said the governor’s $40 million budget proposal is a strong indication he remains committed to a state-run program.
Maryland’s medevac system is considered among the best in the country and its long-term safety record has been widely praised. But a legislative audit last summer found problems with maintenance and data tracking, and the September crash has provided an opening for critics who feel the system may be both too expensive and not safe enough.
“We’re going to have intense debate,” Pipkin said. “We’ve had a crash, we’ve had a bad audit ... This is the time to improve safety.”
Dear All Friends Of Aviation Safety:
Please celebrate New Year 2009 and the long-awaited, much-heralded ouster of “Bobby” Sturgell, and newly-posted today, the thrashing of "Stank of Hank" Krakowski, in SONG! – available in mp3 format at:
Other News:
A copy of the below post with accompanying photographs, along with selected of Quiet Rockland’s anti-FAA blogs from the past year, can be found at:
6. Quiet Rockland, NATCA, The Main Bang, And Others All Attack Florida Congressman John Mica For His Continuing Shill Game On FAA NY/NJ/PHL Airspace Redesign.
* * * * * * * * *
Apparently, you would rather make an Airbus crash into people’s homes, schools, and houses of worship, than have a chance to evacuate its passengers in a water landing. Your “vision” of safety only maximizes body-count and, destruction.
As for ousted FAA functionary “Bobby” Sturgell, he was the worst Administrator in FAA’s 50-year history. Sturgell notched approximately 4,000 or more aviation fatalities on his flight-belt during his time at FAA. Just like your disgraced buddy Sturgell did, you are lying to the American people – AGAIN. The “political” games that harm aviation safety, are YOUR games, John Mica – your games of putting profits over people, every single time you get the chance. We’re sick of it. And we’re sick of your transparent chicanery.
The reason why FAA Reauthorization failed repeatedly, and why you have none other than a political hack in office as current pro tempore FAA Administrator in the form of Lynne (9/11) Osmus, is because YOU failed, John Mica. Now we Americans have swept most all of the old aero-refuse out the door. Sturgell. Gone. Blakey. Gone. Sabatini. Leverenz. Elwell. Weiss. All ejected. All gone. You are one of the last remaining vestiges of the old corrupt Bobby Sturgell aero-mercantile machine. Your act is tired. Your song is over.
VIA FAX: 1-386-860-5730, E-MAIL, and U.S. MAIL
Distribution - Those Interested In Aviation Safety, And Defeating The FAA’s “NY/NJ/PHL Airspace Redesign”:
Despite all the challenges that came our way over this time [that is, despite the ATCs, Quiet Rockland, and Frank Lautenberg kicking our collective asses], you never let them keep you from doing the important work of the FAA [except that you let a ton more aviation fatalities happen while you were working here]. You kept you eye on the ball and got the job done, no matter what. And what a job you did. [I expect the indictments to keep issuing for years].
Throughout my adult life [and mindful of the fact that I was a do-nothing legacy-case miscreant punk at all times prior], I have always believed in the importance of public service and my working with FAA employees only confirms this belief [unfortunately, I’m too incompetent and unqualified to do any real societal good, which is why I’ve been going for the money instead over the past 6 years]. You represent public service at its finest – working hard at a cause greater than yourselves [that is, covering up for an Acting Administrator who would have fired you on the spot if you didn’t].
Warm regards,
Congressman Mica:
Furthermore, you again lie and mislead. American aviation is NOT safe. The Flight #1549 Airbus crashed because of defective engines which were already the subject of up to four (4) Airworthiness Directives, one of which was the Emergency A.D. of December 31, 2008 - not birds. The engines on that very same plane exploded in loud booms while the plane was mid-air on the very same departure air-route out of LaGuardia two days prior to Thursday’s water-landing. Yet that very aircraft was kept in service and the engines were not replaced during the day in between. Your aeromercantile cronies made that genius decision – you know, the ones that pay you.
Your Press Release also blew the name of the airline itself. The airline is “US Airways (Inc.)”, and not simply “US Air”:
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Here is the comment.
1. Diagnosis #1: This idiot Lynne Osmus is actually CELEBRATING because her agency ISN’T on the sh*t-list! But she’s sure on mine. What a SICK individual she is.
to rise up from “retirement” and high-five Lynne about how great it was that they both came off of the GAO Blacklist – one week after Bobby Sturgell was chucked and ejected in disgrace from the FAA Administrator’s office. I kid you not:
yet another failed former FAA Administrator and Public Enemy - from also chiming in about her failed agency’s removal from the Blacklist long after she was ejected from office?:
Gov Exec, FedBlog: New FAA Administrator
White House News
The President intends to appoint the following individuals to be Members of the Board of Directors of the Valles Caldera
Ruth Riley, of Florida;
The President intends to designate Susan E. Dudley, of Virginia, to be Acting Administrator of the Office of Information
Steven Bornstein, of California; 
The President intends to designate Susan E. Dudley, of Virginia, to be Acting Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget.
Comments
Quiet Rockland “welcomes” Virginia’s own Lynne A. Osmus f/k/a Lynne Dobler of W.T. Woodson High School in Fairfax, now, new FAA NecroDeputyActing Administrator:
Peter Nesbitt BEAT the FAA.
Peter Nesbitt is a HERO of Quiet Rockland’s.
In January 31 2007, the High Density Rule (HDR) expired. This Rule kept in check the limit on the number of operations for each of the Tri-State airports, based on the physical capacity of each facility. Since the expiration of the HDR in 2007, the FAA operates on an interim set of rules and according to published data, they relaxed previous restrictions and allowed the airline industry to increase the number of operations into all 3 airports. As a result of this decision, operations went thru the roof with airlines adding substantial number of flights into an already overburdened system. This is precisely the time period when we started to notice the major shift in air traffic over Kings county. This increase in operations into LGA created the need to reconfigure runway use in order to expedite the larger volume of operations, with a new emphasis on reducing congestion and delays. It was then, that the FAA shifted flight patterns into the "EXPRESS APPROACH", which are runways 4 and 31, both crossing densely populated residential communities of Kings county. According to many sources, today, the volume of air traffic into LaGuardia, by far exceeds the capacity and safety considerations for this airport. Today, Kings county residents experience a significant change in aircraft volume and noise pollution, as we now get the bulk of arrivals into LaGuardia, over 1200 arriving planes in one day during peak time, and 18 hours nonstop during some rotations. The FAA disregarded all of our requests to alter the unfair flight rotations and progressively, are moving ALL the arrival traffic via Brooklyn; 
In the month of August 2008, planes flew over Kings County at an average of 15 hours a day out of the18 hours that La Guardia airport is open. That is 85% of total arrival air traffic. The flight patterns over Kings County consists of an approach between Fifth Ave and Prospect Park West, via Prospect heights, Fort Green and Clinton Hill. The altitude over Park Slope is 2000 - 2500 ft and when over Clinton Hill is 1200 - 1500 ft. Residents who live under this fight path have their sleep disrupted and severely impaired and are no longer ableto have and enjoy the quiet of their homes and outdoor environments; 
LGA is the smallest airport in the tri state area with only 2 short runways for landing and take offs, and yet, the FAA has allowed almost the same number of operations (take offs and landings combined) per one hour as JFK. LGA has a cap of 81 operations in one hour and JFK with its 4 parallel runways has a cap of 83 operation per one hour; In 2000, the HDR(high density rule) expired which capped the limits of flights to 600 per daythereby allowing the FAA to raise the cap and size of aircraft to suit the needs of airlinesand passengers as well as deflect criticism regarding flight delays. However, this attention to the needs of airline profitability, consumer flight choice/convenience and flight congestion accountability disregarded the affects of noise pollution and environmental quality of life on communities under the new flight patterns and increased traffic. Since, as the FAA claimed, there would be "...no environmental impact," no Environmental Impact Study was needed before the plan went into effect. The lack of an Environmental Impact Study is the basis for a lawsuit filed by Westchester and Rockland counties and the basis for Senator Dodd's objections; According toAirliners.net, a Civil Aviation Forum, the new FAA regulations would result in largerplanes, forcing out the smaller planes (which, in fact, is happening.) This particular thread, started in Aug 2006, probably explains another reason why the noise pollution has increased. "The current average of 98 seats per airplane is going to be replaced by either a 105., 166,or 122..." Many of the noisier planes we hear flying over carry over 200 passengers per plane!
Prior to deregulation, "the new cap at LaGuardia was significantly higher than it had been under the HDR." (Federal Register /vol. 73. No. 75/Thursday, April 17, 2008/Proposed Rules 20847); Prior to deregulation, there were more environmental guidelines regarding flights over populated areas; Prior to deregulation the guidelines limited flight hours to 9:59PM. Now the unregulated guidelines allow flights to Midnight! And since the FAA alows the airlines to overschedule, the backed up flights often continue until as late as 2AM; Port Authority & the Air Controllers Organization do not schedule approach routes on an equitable rotation schedule (Denied by FAA reps; they stated that traffic affecting Park Slope was limited to "
WBNS-10 in Columbus, OH reports two passengers noticed the pilot appeared intoxicated as he went through a security checkpoint Tuesday afternoon.
cc:
Robert Sturgell and Marion Blakey before him perpetuated a Tombstone Agency culture at the FAA, wherein the agency’s management attacked its own inspectors for enforcing serious safety rules.
Top Ten Excuses That Ousted Administrator Bobby Sturgell Likely Gave To His Wife Lynn, For Bobby’s Own Failure To Wear A Wedding Ring On FAA Business Trips, 2007-2009
10 C’mon Lynn, Honey, I lent it to Congressman Mica so he could wear it as yet another pinky-ring.
9 C’mon Lynn, Honey, I used to be “Top Gun” – sorta.
8 C’mon Lynn, Honey, you know an EEL like me can’t wear jewelry – it just slides off.
7 C’mon Lynn, Honey, it gets in the way when I have to break up biker-gang recruiting session gunfights in The Happy Harbor parking lot – so I gave it to my “partners” the airline executives so they could sell it and keep the money.
6 C’mon Lynn, Honey, you know I had to hock it when I bailed out Manny Weiss after he got busted at that dwarf-bowling incident in Annapolis.
5 C’mon Lynn, Honey, it leaves marks on the necks of the aviation safety-inspectors and whistle-blowers after I threaten them – so I outsourced the ring.
4 C’mon Lynn, Honey, I told you, rings have brought me bad luck ever since I failed the CPA exam.
3 C’mon Lynn, Honey, it keeps getting caught in the shredder at 800 Independence – I could lose a hand.
2 C’mon Lynn, Honey, it chafes me every time I give the adjacent finger to ATCs, NATCA, and organized labor.
And the Number 1 Excuse That Ousted Administrator Bobby Sturgell Likely Gave To His Wife Lynn, For Bobby’s Own Failure To Wear A Wedding Ring On FAA Business Trips, 2007-2009:
Rain On The Scarecrow
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DELMARVA COUNTIES BAN BOOZE AT DISGRACED FAA BUREAUCRAT’S FUNCTIONS
Jay Leno/QR Newswire – Tuesday, January 13, 2009:
Citing “an acute risk of further proliferation of inbreeding depression antithetical to the interests of its citizenry”, Maryland’s Anne Arundel County and Calvert County health officials today jointly announced and imposed county-wide bans on the serving of alcohol and any fraternization with livestock or other wildlife at all further Bobby Sturgell family reunions.#
If I Had A Mind To
I Don’t Care
If I Was High Class