Sport Pilot Talk

yozz25 · Joined: 18 Dec 2009 Posts: 185 Location: vegas

heard a plane went down at fly in a lock port, isn't that where our friend the perfessor is?

yozzz

Pawlander · Joined: 20 Jan 2009 Posts: 51 Location: Pawleys Island, SC

The plane that went down in Lock Haven seems to have been a Cessna 210 chartered by the USDA, so I presume that means the professor is okay.

http://bit.ly/anz3B3

yozz25 · Joined: 18 Dec 2009 Posts: 185 Location: vegas

I believe it was at a fly in, not sure.

Seems like they are always going down.

The actual plane I flew in Scottsdale, the remos, it recently had a nose gear failure upon landing, closing the airport for half an hour. Maybe I jinxed it.

yozz

Jim Stewart · Joined: 12 Oct 2006 Posts: 230

Got any other details on the Remos incident? I'd really like to read the NTSB report.

drseti · Joined: 28 Nov 2009 Posts: 1186 Location: Lock Haven PA

Pawlander wrote: The plane that went down in Lock Haven seems to have been a Cessna 210 chartered by the USDA, so I presume that means the professor is okay.

Thanks for your concern, guys. I'm fine, but my student and I were in the pattern at the time, so we're both a little rattled. Here's my report to the NTSB:

Quote:

At approximately 1245 hrs EDT, I was approaching Piper Memorial Airport from the SouthWest practice area at 2500 feet MSL in Evektor SportStar N66AV, with a student pilot at the controls. We heard a radio transmission on KLHV Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF) 122.8 MHz from a Cessna Centurion, reporting crossing the ridge line 8 miles SW at 2000 feet, inbound to Lock Haven. Airport manager Ed Watson responded with current winds and altimeter setting, and indicated that Lock Haven was using runway 27. The Centurion pilot asked if fuel was available today, and Watson answered in the affirmative.

Approximately two minutes later, as my aircraft was proceeding Northbound just West of the Runway 9 threshold at 2000 feet MSL and preparing to maneuver for a 45 degree entry onto the downwind for right pattern runway 27, the Centurion pilot reported his position as five miles southwest. There was no urgency evident in either radio transmission, and no emergency was declared. I instructed my student to enter the downwind leg directly and to descend to pattern altitude (1600 feet MSL), explaining to him that the Centurion was faster than we, and I wanted us to clear the runway without delaying his landing. A Piper Comanche reported taxiing onto runway 27 for departure westbound. As my student was flying a right downwind for runway 27, I observed the Comanche lift off, and informed my student that the departing traffic was no factor.

No further transmissions from the Centurion were heard. As my student flew downwind, I wondered where the Centurion was. While on base leg for runway 27, I heard somebody transmit on CTAF that there had been an explosion just West of the airport, and smoke was rising. The person then stated "I hope this isn't what I'm afraid it is." My student and I did not witness the accident itself. My immediate thought was that the Comanche had crashed on takeoff.

On short final I observed a dense cloud of black smoke rising approximately 200 feet AGL, and directed my student to do a go-around. I took control of the aircraft in the climb, proceeded to approximately 500 feet AGL on runway heading, and circled the smoke approximately one-half mile west of the Runway 9 threshold. Nothing could be seen on the ground through the smoke.

We flew a standard traffic pattern, executed a second go-around, and again circled the accident site. This time, fire engines could be seen on the scene. The smoke was dissipating, and wreckage was observed in the middle of the east/west road on the extended runway centerline. We could not identify the wreckage as an airplane; my student said it looked like an automobile fire. After flying another pattern and landing, we taxied to my hangar, shut down the plane, and on deplaning I immediately received a cellphone call from Kathleen Martin at the Harrisburg FAA Flight Standards District Office, informing me that there had been an accident at KLHV and asking if I had any information. I reported all of the above to Ms. Martin.

Respectfully submitted,
H. Paul Shuch, Chief Flight Instructor

drseti · Joined: 28 Nov 2009 Posts: 1186 Location: Lock Haven PA

yozz25 wrote: I believe it was at a fly in, not sure.

Actually no, this was a transient aircraft, attempting to land at KLHV from elsewhere (I don't know the departure point, but the plane was based in upstate New York). The Sentimental Journey fly-in ended the previous day, and the accident plane had not been in attendance.

Quote: Seems like they are always going down.

I've been in this area for 20 years now, and this is the first fatal accident in Lock Haven within my memory. Thankfully, it's the first within memory of most of the old-timers at the airport, as well.

I've found out more about the accident, but did not include it in my report (posted here earlier), since it is all second-hand information.

Super Cub · Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Posts: 45 Location: PA

Glad to hear that your safe Doc. The local news said that they where en route from Clarion Co. .