Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Inexperienced pilot Justin G. Knight of Midlothian and his son injured after the brand new Aviat A-1C-180 Husky plane nose-dived in a cornfield, causing the plane to catch fire in Dillwyn, Virginia

Inexperienced pilot Justin G. Knight of Midlothian, critically injured



A Chesterfield County man and his 11-year-old son were injured Tuesday afternoon — the father critically — when the small plane the man was piloting crashed in Buckingham County.

State police said officers were called to the 100 block of Mountain View Lane in Dillwyn at 12:24 p.m. An Aviat A-1C-180 had stalled out, causing it to crash-land in a cornfield.

The pilot, Justin G. Knight of Midlothian, was flown to the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville. Knight’s son, the plane’s only passenger, suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene.

The crash remains under investigation, state police said.


Based on FAA records, Midlothian had just bought the newly manufactured plane and he was learning to fly it.  He was obviously inexperienced in flying this plane and pilot error is the cause of this crash.
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Separately, a day earlier in Prince Edward County, the pilot of a small plane suffered serious injuries after he crash-landed his aircraft, state police said.

The Piper plane ran out of fuel while in the air, and the pilot of the private plane was forced to make a crash landing in a cornfield about 1:05 p.m. Monday near the intersection of state Route 658 and state Route 700, police said. The impact of the crash caused the aircraft to catch fire.

The pilot, Philip Cianciolo of Wallingford, Conn., was flown to VCU Medical Center in Richmond for treatment of serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

Cianciolo, who was the plane’s only occupant, was flying from North Carolina to Connecticut at the time of the crash.

The Federal Aviation Association and the National Transportation Safety Board have been notified of both crashes, state police said.
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 The plane nose dived, sign of a fatal pilot error.

Justin Glade Knight, the Chesterfield County man injured in a Tuesday plane crash in Buckingham County, is the president and CEO of Apple Hospitality REIT Inc., a Richmond-based real estate investment trust.

A Wednesday statement released by the company stated that Knight "sustained serious, non-life-threatening injuries" in the crash.

Knight was flown to the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville after the small plane he was flying crashed in a cornfield in Buckingham County. His 11-year-old son was also in the plane and was treated at the scene for minor injuries.

While Knight recovers, Krissy Gathright, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, and Bryan Peery, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will share responsibilities and oversight of Apple Hospitality, according to the company's statement.

The U.Va. Medical Center said Knight was in fair condition at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Knight was appointed to the position of CEO of the company in 2014. He has served on the company's board of directors since 2015. Knight joined the company in 2000. Apple Hospitality REIT owns one of the largest portfolios of upscale service hotels in the United States, owning 235 hotels across 33 states.

The 44-year-old Midlothian man also serves on the Board of Trustees for Southern Virginia University in Buena Vista. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University in Utah, and is married with four children.

Knight is the son of Glade M. Knight, the company’s executive chairman and founder, and the brother of Nelson G. Knight, the company’s executive vice president and chief investment officer.

Glade Knight also founded Apple Ten and served as chairman and CEO of that company until its merger with Apple Hospitality in September 2016. He is the largest shareholder among directors and company officers of Apple Hospitality, owning 10.2 million shares or 4.6 percent of common stock, according to the company's May 18 proxy statement.

Justin Knight, also one of the top 10 shareholders among directors and officers, owns 1.3 million shares, according to the public filing.

Apple Hospitality's stock, APLE, closed at $18.72, down 31 cents.

“We greatly appreciate the concern for Justin’s well-being and the outpouring of support following yesterday’s accident,” Glade Knight said in the statement. “We feel very fortunate that the injuries he sustained were not more serious and we look forward to his full recovery.”

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Last Action Date2017-04-24   
Airworthiness Date2016-12-01 Expiration Date2020-04-30
Manufacturer_NameAVIAT AIRCRAFT INC Model NameA-1C-180
 
Registrant NameINSPIRE AVIATION LLC Street814 E MAIN ST
Registrant CityRICHMOND Registrant StateVA
Registrant Zip Code232193306 CountryUNITED STATES
RegionEastern Registrant TypeCorporation
Fract Owner  Certificate Issue Date2017-04-24
StatusN-Number Assigned and Registered
 
Serial Number3272 Aircraft TypeFixed wing single engine
Mode S Code50527765 Year Mfr2016
Aircraft CategoryLand Builder CertificationType Certificated
Number Engines1 Number Seats2
Aircraft WeightCLASS 1 Aircraft Cruising Speed0
Airworthiness ClassificationStandard Approved Operation CodesNormal
 
Engine ManufacturerLYCOMING 
Engine Model NameO-360-A1P Engine TypeReciprocating
Engine Horsepower/Thrust0 Fuel Consumed0.00

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Date:04-JUL-2017
Time:12:24LT
Type:Silhouette image of generic HUSK model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Aviat A-1C-180 Husky
Owner/operator:Inspire Aviation LLC
Registration: N272WY
C/n / msn: 3372
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Other fatalities:0
Airplane damage: Substantial
Location:Dillwyn, Buckingham County, south of Enonville, VA -   United States of America
Phase: Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:Private
Departure airport:Private landing strip Alcoma Rd.
Destination airport:Private landing strip Alcoma Rd.
Narrative:
The aircraft was flying locally and impacted cornfield terrain in a steep nose-down altitude in Dillwyn, Virginia. The airplane sustained substantial damage and the pilot onboard was seriously injured.
The passenger (11) onboard the aircraft received minor injuries.

Sources:

http://www.richmond.com/news/local/city-of-richmond/pilot-of-plane-crash-in-buckingham-suffers-life-threatening-injuries/article_6ef75e54-0c95-5f15-a4a7-aede9604dfa5.html
http://wric.com/2017/07/04/2-injured-in-buckingham-county-plane-crash/
https://www.google.com/maps/place/100+Mountain+View+Lane,+Dillwyn,+VA+23936/@37.4924541,-78.5196323,20z/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x89b3add2bcf7f4e1:0x6d46b3c25e7bcf6c!5m1!1e3?hl=en-us
http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N272WY
http://buyaircrafts.com/2017/04/11/2016-aviat-husky-a-1c-for-sale/