Dog pilot on mission crashes and dies

[ussyorktown]

Doesn't sound like the dog tried to take the controls or blocked the controls. Heart attack? Why would he go straight up and then straight down?

Timothy Johnson, Miami man, identified in deadly John Prince Park plane crash Saturday

LAKE WORTH, Fla. -- The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office has identified the pilot killed in a plane crash inside John Prince Park Saturday.

Timothy Johnson, 33, of Miami, was pronounced dead on the scene. The crash happened in front of afternoon picnickers at the suburban Lake Worth park.



According to the sheriff's office, Johnson took off from Lantana Airport to fly to Tamiami Airport in Miami.

The plane was observed at an awkward angle upon takeoff, banked, then disappeared nose down into the ground, where it crashed and burned, according to PBSO.

Members of the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the wreckage Monday. They say it may take a year until a cause of the crash is determined.

Witnesses say they saw the plane go down, adding that one of the props appeared to be stalled, while the other continued to spin. They said the plane flew straight up into the air then took a nosedive into the park.

Johnson was the only person in the aircraft at the time. He was certified to fly the Cessna Twin Engine 421 C he was piloting. The plane can fit up to eight passengers.

Investigators will split their time between John Prince Park and the Lantana Airport to examine the remaining parts of the plane. They say they must investigate the "perishable" parts of the crash first before examining the documented variables, such as the pilot's experience.
The wreckage was guarded by deputies until NTSB investigators arrived.

[drseti]

Why would he go straight up and then straight down?

This accident scenario seems eerily similar to one a few years ago, in which the pilot took off in haste, after an incomplete preflight inspection and no runup. In that accident, an elevator control lock had not been removed. If that's the case here, I'm sure the NTSB investigators will have no difficulty determining probable cause.

Meanwhile, thread moved to Safety Corner, where all accident reports belong.

[ussyorktown]

I'm still a freshman. What do you mean? He skipped a step to show his control surfaces were free or one of his engines he didn't run up?

[drseti]

The accident I'm referring to, the pilot was in a hurry, and never checked controls for freedom of movement. Had nothing to do with engines, except that this is something one would normally do as part of the runup procedures.

[ussyorktown]

I check surfaces twice. When I do a walk around and again at the run up. I've heard that ex girlfriends here in Oregon have stuck booms into the seams of control surfaces. "Hell hath no fury like that of a woman scorned."
...and yes. YES! She was worth it!"

[Jack Tyler]

Or...asymmetric thrust, perhaps due to the loss of the critical engine, at a vulnerable moment in the flight (take off), which drew the pilot's attention away from maintaining controlled flight? Very experienced instructors have told me the most difficult thing to do in flying, with an engine loss or approaching stall close to the ground, is to push the yoke forward (to avoid the stall), towards the ground. Which is why LOC (stall/spin) accidents on takeoff are such a high percentage of fatal crashes in GA.

"Witnesses say they saw the plane go down, adding that one of the props appeared to be stalled, while the other continued to spin."

[FastEddieB]

Not to be a wet blanket, but...

...a simple request:

Before you post humorous photos or make jokes, please take one second to look back at the thread title. If it involves a serious injury or death, please pause just one moment before you hit the "Submit" button and consider if humor is appropriate to the thread.

If any one of us ever meet our ends flying, I'm not sure we'd appreciate site members yucking it up at our expense. Though I guess, truth be told, we'd be beyond caring.

Thanks.

[ussyorktown]

Worked in the combat zone, in newsrooms and as a lawyer. Black humor eases the tension. No family members were harmed in the making of this joke.

It is amazing how an experience pilot can die doing something that a boot like myself would not do, e.g. run up and walk around and test freedom of the control surfaces. I've read that many a time people have seen pilots dragging cinder blocks on the ends of tie down ropes to the end of the runway. Surprises me that people will just jump into a plane and push the Throttle Wide Open.

[drseti]

I have to agree with Eddie on this one, Dan. If black humor eases your personal tension, then perhaps you should engage in it privately, not on this public forum.

[FastEddieB]

It was simple request - feel free to yuck it up as much as you want.

[drseti]

Or...asymmetric thrust, perhaps due to the loss of the critical engine, at a vulnerable moment

That would of course explain the reported behavior, Jack. However, I have noticed that many a witness observation cited in NTSB accident investigations has no basis in fact. Witnesses are particularly bad at accurately reporting whether engines are running or not.

[ussyorktown]

belly buttons=opinions
everybody has one.

[designrs]

Observations from the photo: Young guy, clean plane, casually well dressed, new athletic shoes, animal lover, took care to secure the oder dog comfortably and properly. Tragic!

[designrs]

...a simple request:
Before you post humorous photos or make jokes, please take one second to look back at the thread title. If it involves a serious injury or death, please pause just one moment before you hit the "Submit" button and consider if humor is appropriate to the thread.

+1

[ussyorktown]

Here we go again. Man-up would you? I told a true story about how spurned lovers have done to an airplane here at Aurora and you are offended? Is this what aviators have come to? -1