3 killed after plane crashes into truck on Maine runway
OWLS HEAD, Maine – A small plane hit a truck on the runway during takeoff, caught fire and crashed into the woods near a coastal Maine airport, killing three people, authorities said Saturday.
The Cessna 172 was heading north on the runway early Friday evening the Knox County Regional Airport when it struck a pickup truck that was crossing the runway, authorities said. The plane continued to climb and as it turned to the east, it spiraled downward about 200 to 300 yards into the woods and immediately burst into flames, according to the Knox County sheriff's office.
With flames shooting 10 to 20 feet in the air and smoke billowing into the sky, the first people to the scene tried unsuccessfully to pull one of the occupants from the burning wreckage, said John Newcomb, president of the Downeast Air airline services company, who was among those who tried to help.
The four-seat plane was destroyed by flames, so there was no way to see its identifying number, airport manager Jeff Northgraves said, adding that officials were "fairly sure" it was not a local aircraft.
Identification of the victims awaited a review by the state medical examiner, who was removing the bodies Saturday to Augusta so they can be identified.
Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration arrived Saturday and officials from the National Transportation Safety Board were due to arrive Saturday afternoon.
Northgraves said the truck was authorized to be on the airport grounds and was driven by a pilot. He would not identify the driver but said it was not a county vehicle, nor a county employee.
All trucks at the airport are equipped with radios to pick up any traffic from planes, Northgraves said. He said planes are required to radio their positions before, during and after takeoff. He said it wasn't known yet whether the plane that crashed had radioed its actions.
The flames were hot enough to pop the airplane's tires and to keep would-be rescuers away from the airplane, Newcomb said. Firefighters had to carry fire extinguishers to the scene of the crash because they could not get their trucks close enough.
An investigator from the Federal Aviation Administration arrived at the crash site Friday night, Northgraves said. National Transportation Safety Board officers were expected to arrive Saturday to join in the investigation.
The airport has two commercial carriers, but the plane that crashed was believed to be privately owned, officials said. The skies were clear at the time with light winds, according to the National Weather Service said.
The airport was the site of the deadliest commercial airplane crash in Maine history. More than a dozen passengers and two pilots were killed in 1979 when a de Havilland Twin Otter turboprop crashed short of the runway in foggy weather. There was only one survivor, a 16-year-old boy.
Mult take off deaths~fuel truck on runway~turning spin
Moderator: drseti
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Re: Mult take off deaths~fuel truck on runway~turning spin
Topic moved by moderator into Safety Corner.
All,
Please note that we have multiple forums on this site, and try to resist the temptation to dump everything into Hangar Talk. This thread, and in fact all accident reports, should go into Safety Corner, not Hangar Talk.
Note the descriptor for Hangar Talk from the site's top page:
All,
Please note that we have multiple forums on this site, and try to resist the temptation to dump everything into Hangar Talk. This thread, and in fact all accident reports, should go into Safety Corner, not Hangar Talk.
Note the descriptor for Hangar Talk from the site's top page:
(Emphasis added)Constructive topics of interest related to aviation that do not match the other section descriptions below (as long as it is somewhat related to aviation, flying, learning to fly, sport pilot, light sport aircraft, etc.).
The opinions posted are those of one CFI, and do not necessarily represent the FAA or its lawyers.
Prof H Paul Shuch
PhD CFII DPE LSRM-A/GL/WS/PPC iRMT
AvSport LLC, KLHV
[email protected]
AvSport.org
facebook.com/SportFlying
SportPilotExaminer.US
Prof H Paul Shuch
PhD CFII DPE LSRM-A/GL/WS/PPC iRMT
AvSport LLC, KLHV
[email protected]
AvSport.org
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SportPilotExaminer.US
Re: Mult take off deaths~fuel truck on runway~turning spin
I find it interesting that the news report said the driver of the truck had an aircraft radio, but it was not known whether the pilot transmitted before takeoff. I guess folks are relying on radios as a substitute for looking outside. Anybody notice the similarity between this accident and the student pilot who hit the SUV on his solo XC? In both cases, the motorist was someone familiar with the airport, who apparently just didn't stop and look. Sadly, this one had a much more tragic outcome than the earlier accident.
The opinions posted are those of one CFI, and do not necessarily represent the FAA or its lawyers.
Prof H Paul Shuch
PhD CFII DPE LSRM-A/GL/WS/PPC iRMT
AvSport LLC, KLHV
[email protected]
AvSport.org
facebook.com/SportFlying
SportPilotExaminer.US
Prof H Paul Shuch
PhD CFII DPE LSRM-A/GL/WS/PPC iRMT
AvSport LLC, KLHV
[email protected]
AvSport.org
facebook.com/SportFlying
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- CharlieTango
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Re: Mult take off deaths~fuel truck on runway~turning spin
Appropriate radio calls are a good thing but it sounds as though the article wants to protect the pilot driving the truck.article wrote:...Northgraves said the truck was authorized to be on the airport grounds and was driven by a pilot. He would not identify the driver but said it was not a county vehicle, nor a county employee.
All trucks at the airport are equipped with radios to pick up any traffic from planes, Northgraves said. He said planes are required to radio their positions before, during and after takeoff. He said it wasn't known yet whether the plane that crashed had radioed its actions...
Where is this requirement to make 3 calls during take off?
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Re: Mult take off deaths~fuel truck on runway~turning spin
This is a pic from Barry Sweet, former AP photographer who was on the Apollo 8 recovery with me back in 68. Barry has a new book out.
My question to the old dogs: Is this a case where pilot tried to fly back to position one and land rather than land forward and then a spin?
My question to the old dogs: Is this a case where pilot tried to fly back to position one and land rather than land forward and then a spin?
Re: Mult take off deaths~fuel truck on runway~turning spin
I think not. Notice that the flaps are fully deployed -- i.e., the aircraft is in landing configuration. I think this was either a botched landing, or a botched go-around.ussyorktown wrote:Is this a case where pilot tried to fly back to position one and land rather than land forward and then a spin?[/b]
The opinions posted are those of one CFI, and do not necessarily represent the FAA or its lawyers.
Prof H Paul Shuch
PhD CFII DPE LSRM-A/GL/WS/PPC iRMT
AvSport LLC, KLHV
[email protected]
AvSport.org
facebook.com/SportFlying
SportPilotExaminer.US
Prof H Paul Shuch
PhD CFII DPE LSRM-A/GL/WS/PPC iRMT
AvSport LLC, KLHV
[email protected]
AvSport.org
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SportPilotExaminer.US
Re: Mult take off deaths~fuel truck on runway~turning spin
Although that is good practice, there is no such requirement anywhere in the FARs. This is a non-towered airport. As such, there is no legal requirement that the aircraft even have a radio (or an electrical system), let alone make calls.CharlieTango wrote:Where is this requirement to make 3 calls during take off?
The opinions posted are those of one CFI, and do not necessarily represent the FAA or its lawyers.
Prof H Paul Shuch
PhD CFII DPE LSRM-A/GL/WS/PPC iRMT
AvSport LLC, KLHV
[email protected]
AvSport.org
facebook.com/SportFlying
SportPilotExaminer.US
Prof H Paul Shuch
PhD CFII DPE LSRM-A/GL/WS/PPC iRMT
AvSport LLC, KLHV
[email protected]
AvSport.org
facebook.com/SportFlying
SportPilotExaminer.US
Re: Mult take off deaths~fuel truck on runway~turning spin
He got low and hooked the power line on approach. He had very low energy, so the wire didn't break. That happened someplace out there in the NW. I have heard there are some other inreresting stories about the pilot that was involved in that little mishap.ussyorktown wrote:This is a pic from Barry Sweet, former AP photographer who was on the Apollo 8 recovery with me back in 68. Barry has a new book out.
My question to the old dogs: Is this a case where pilot tried to fly back to position one and land rather than land forward and then a spin?
Re: Mult take off deaths~fuel truck on runway~turning spin
Talk about a cliffhanger!! So what happened?
Did the plane stay up there long enough to rescue the occupant(s)?
Or did the plane finally fall down on it's own?
Did the plane stay up there long enough to rescue the occupant(s)?
Or did the plane finally fall down on it's own?
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Re: Mult take off deaths~fuel truck on runway~turning spin
Barry Sweet the maker of this picture says: The fire department put up a ladder and rescued the pilot and let the plane hanging. Took it down later. No one was hurt in the accident.
Re: Mult take off deaths~fuel truck on runway~turning spin
Wow! What an amazing true story!
Could you imagine the sheer terror of hanging upside down like that,
thinking that it's inevitable that the plane will come down?
... and sitting there eyeball to eyeball with the controllers on the radio?
It's like something out of a movie and a miracle that no one was hurt.
Could you imagine the sheer terror of hanging upside down like that,
thinking that it's inevitable that the plane will come down?
... and sitting there eyeball to eyeball with the controllers on the radio?
It's like something out of a movie and a miracle that no one was hurt.