MEC&F Expert Engineers : 12/24/17

Sunday, December 24, 2017

Pilot-personal injury lawyer John Hugh Shannon, 70, dies after he crashes and burns his twin-engine 1973 Cessna 340 plane as he was trying to take off in heavy fog at the end of a runway at the Bartow Municipal Airport, Bartow, FL; he also killed his two adult daughters Olivia Shannon & Victoria (Tori Jane) Shannon Worthington that were on board, along with Victoria’s husband Peter Worthington Jr, and family friend Krista Clayton







Pilot-personal injury lawyer John Hugh Shannon, 70, dies after he crashes and burns his twin-engine 1973 Cessna 340 plane as he was trying to take off in heavy fog at the end of a runway at the Bartow Municipal Airport, Bartow, FL; he also killed his two adult daughters Olivia Shannon & Victoria Shannon Worthington who were on board, along with Victoria’s husband Peter Worthington Jr, and family friend Krista Clayton













Sunday, December 24, 2017 04:01PM

Five people died after a twin-engine plane trying to take off in heavy fog crashed at the end of a runway at an airport in Central Florida, causing a "huge fire," authorities said.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said there were "no survivors" of the crash at Bartow Municipal Airport in Bartow, Florida.

"I have reviewed some footage, and clearly no one should have tried to a takeoff from this airport at 7:15 this morning," Judd said during a press conference this morning. "The airport was totally socked in with fog."

In a statement, officials tentatively identified the five killed as: John Hugh Shannon, 70, the plane's pilot; Shannon's daughters, Olivia Shannon, 24, and Victoria (Tori Jane) Shannon Worthington, 26; Worthington's husband, Peter Worthington Jr., 27; and family friend Krista Clayton, 32.

Autopsies will be conducted later this week to determine the official causes of death (i.e. whether they burned to death or weather they died on impact, etc.).



The plane was registered to an entity named: Aviation Transportation LLC. The address of this entity is John Hugh Shannon's Lakeland, Florida business address: 5115 South Lakeland Drive, Suite 1, Lakeland, FL 33813

Judd called the crash "a horrific tragedy" in a statement Sunday afternoon.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Shannon, Worthington, and Clayton families. This is a tragedy any time, but it is so much worse because it happened on Christmas Eve. We are providing all of our resources to assist them with anything they need to help them get through this horrific tragedy," the statement reads.

Judd said earlier that he personally knew at least one person on the plane.

"I have known him for years and years and years," he said.

The NTSB and the FAA are investigating the crash.

As Polk County Fire and Rescue personnel headed to the crash site they had trouble spotting the wreckage, according to radio transcriptions reviewed by ABC News.

In one dispatch, a firefighter described the limited visibility.

"Engine 461, Battalion 4, we're on scene now at the air base ... it's really foggy. We're unable to see it from our location, I'm going to try to make it out onto the airfield," the first responder radioed.

Once Polk County Fire and Rescue members found the plane wreckage, they reported the plane was "fully engulfed" in flames.



This was an obvious pilot error. He should have stuck to his law practice and avoid flying at such old age and with heavy fog.

The airport once served as the Bartow Army Air Field during World War II, according to its museum's website.

After the war, the complex functioned as a "flight school training cadets for military service" before it was turned over to the city of Bartow, the website says.





Sheriff Judd giving final update on #BartowPlaneCrash death investigation. Local attorney 70 yr old John Shannon was the pilot. John’s two adult daughters Olivia & Victoria were on board, along with Victoria’s husband Peter Worthington Jr, and family friend Krista Clayton


John Hugh Shannon has been practicing law since May 1975. For the past 25 years, he has practiced extensively in the area of injury cases, both personal injury and death. He is a member of The Florida Bar and a previous member of The Alabama Bar. He is also a member of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, a member of the United States Circuit Courts of Appeal for both the Fifth and Eleventh Circuits, and is a member of the United States Supreme Court,


Date: 24-DEC-2017
Time: 07:20 LT
Type:
Cessna 340
Owner/operator: Aviation Transportation LLC
Registration: N247AT
C/n / msn: 3400214
Fatalities: Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5
Other fatalities: 0
Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: Bartow Municipal Airport (KBOW), Bartow, FL - United States of America
Phase: Take off
Nature: Private
Departure airport: Bartow Muni (KBOW)
Destination airport: Key West Int’l (KEYW)


Narrative:
The aircraft impacted terrain during a takeoff attempt at Bartow Municipal Airport (KBOW), Bartow, Florida. The airplane was partially consumed by the post-impact fire and the five occupants onboard received fatal injuries. Weather (fog) may have been a factor to the accident.

On board were the pilot (70), his 2 daughters (24 and 26), the husband of one daughter (27), and a family friend, a woman of 32.



Sources:


http://abcnews.go.com/US/deaths-twin-engine-plane-crashes-florida-airport/story?id=51977642
http://www.fox13news.com/news/local-news/multiple-deaths-reported-in-bartow-plane-crash
http://www.wesh.com/article/several-people-killed-in-plane-crash-at-polk-county-airport-deputies-say/14493426
http://wfla.com/2017/12/24/several-people-killed-when-plane-crashes-at-bartow-airport/
http://www.wftv.com/news/local/several-people-killed-in-plane-crash-at-bartow-airbase-polk-county-deputies-say/668391660
http://edition.cnn.com/2017/12/24/us/florida-plane-crash/index.html
_______________________
http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N247AT
https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1290986



Reg: N247AT Manu: CESSNA Type: 340 ICAO: C340 CN: 3400214 Hex: A24A12 Owner: AVIATION TRANSPORTATION LLC Address: 5115 S LAKELAND DR STE 1, LAKELAND, FL, 338132565, US Date Reg: 20170508 Old Status: First Notice for Registration Renewal New Status: Valid Registration




















Olivia Shannon & Victoria (Tori Jane) Shannon Worthington




Victoria (Tori Jane) Shannon Worthington, along with Victoria’s husband Peter Worthington Jr




Victoria (Tori Jane) Shannon Worthington, along with Victoria’s husband Peter Worthington Jr








DeShaune Stewart, 24, a disgruntled mail carrier facing dismissal has been charged for killing his supervisor, Lance Dempsey, 52, at a suburban Ohio post office and for killing postmaster Ginger Ballard, 53,outside of her apartment complex.


Black trash: DeShaune Stewart, 24, a disgruntled mail carrier facing dismissal has been charged for killing his supervisor, Lance Dempsey, 52, at a suburban Ohio post office and for killing postmaster Ginger Ballard, 53,outside of her apartment complex.


Police: Ohio postal worker facing dismissal kills 2 bosses

By The Associated Press


COLUMBUS, Ohio — 

Dec 23, 2017, 9:06 PM ET




The Associated PressColumbus police investigate the scene where the body of the postmaster, Ginger Ballard, 53, was found lying between two vehicles at an apartment complex at Bowland Place, Saturday, December 23, 2017, in Columbus, Ohio. DeShaune Stewart, 24, of Columbus, a disgruntled mail carrier facing dismissal has been charged with aggravated murder for fatally shooting his supervisor, Lance Dempsey, at a suburban Ohio post office and with murder for killing the postmaster outside of her apartment complex. (Randy Ludlow/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)




A disgruntled mail carrier facing dismissal has been charged with aggravated murder for fatally shooting his supervisor at a suburban Ohio post office and with murder for killing a postmaster outside of her apartment complex.

Twenty-four-year-old DeShaune Stewart, of Columbus, was naked during both slayings Saturday morning inside the Dublin post office and at an apartment complex in nearby Columbus, police said.

Stewart is charged with killing 52-year-old Lance Dempsey at the post office just before 4:30 a.m. Stewart had been scheduled to walk his mail route on Saturday, Columbus homicide Sgt. David Sicilian said.

Columbus police dispatchers received a 911 call around 7:15 a.m. about a man with a gun chasing a woman outside the apartment complex, about 4 miles (6 kilometers) from the post office. Patrol officers arrested Stewart and recovered a handgun after he tried to run away.

The body of the postmaster, Ginger Ballard, 53, was found lying between two vehicles. A police affidavit filed with the murder charge in Franklin County Municipal Court said Ballard died instantly of blunt-force trauma to the head after being thrown to the ground, The Columbus Dispatch reported.

Police earlier described Ballard as a postal inspector. The Dispatch has reported that documents found online refer to her as the Dublin postmaster.

Sicilian described the slaying to reporters earlier Saturday as "workplace violence" involving a suspect who retaliated against two people involved in his pending dismissal from the U.S. Postal Service.

The Mexican bus crash that killed 11 foreign tourists and their guide was caused by the driver's negligence and possible speeding.








The latest on a tour bus crash in eastern Mexico (all times local):

3:10 p.m.

A Mexican state prosecutor says a preliminary investigation shows the bus crash that killed 11 foreign tourists and their guide was caused by the driver's negligence and possible speeding.

Quintana Roo state prosecutor Miguel Angel Pech Cen says the driver tried to bring the bus back onto the narrow roadway, but caused it to flip, striking a tree and other vegetation along the roadside.

The driver, who was among 20 people injured in the accident, was in custody.

———

1:40 p.m.

Miami-based Royal Caribbean Cruises says it will not be providing additional information about its passengers involved in Tuesday's bus crash in Mexico.

Company spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez says in an email, "Out of respect for the privacy of the families involved, we will not be providing any additional details on their condition or location. We appreciate your understanding at this difficult time."

Martinez did not answer questions about the ships' itineraries or whether any services or schedule changes were being provided to other passengers on the two cruise ships.

A convoy of buses was carrying cruise ship passengers from the port in Mahahual to Mayan ruins when it ran off a narrow highway and flipped over Tuesday morning. Mexican officials said Wednesday eight Americans, two Swedes and one Canadian were killed in the crash. Twenty passengers were injured.

———

12:05 p.m.

The U.S. State Department says that it has confirmed "multiple" U.S. citizens died and several were injured in a tour bus crash in Mexico. It said it had staff on the ground assisting victims and loved ones.

"We express our heartfelt condolences to all those affected by this tragedy," said State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert.

Quintana Roo state authorities put the number of dead Americans at eight.

The Swedish Foreign Ministry confirmed two of its citizens died, and Global Affairs Canada said Wednesday that one of its citizens died and three were injured.

The bus carrying tourists from cruise ships docked in Mahahual to Mayan ruins flipped over Tuesday morning. Twelve people were killed, including a Mexican tour guide.

Overloaded electrical extension cord was the cause of fire that killed Alicia Evans and her daughters Amani and Layla last week in their Northeast Baltimore home.





BALTIMORE, MD (WBFF)-- 





Baltimore City Fire Officials have released information about what started a deadly fire that killed a mother and her two young daughters

Alicia Evans and her daughters Amani and Layla died last week after a fire broke out in their Northeast Baltimore home.

Firefighters pulled the family from the burning home in cardiac arrest. Alicia and one of her daughters died on scene, the other was rushed to an area hospital. The four-year old succumbed to her injuries the next day.

Wednesday, officials said the cause of the fire was electrical.

A spokesman for the department told FOX45 the origin was an extension cord on the second floor. Fire officials would not say what was plugged in to the extension cord.

A GoFundMe page set up for the family has raised more than $10,000 to assist with funeral expenses.

This has been one of the deadliest years for fire fatalities in Baltimore since 2007.



================



BALTIMORE, MD (WBFF)-- 


Baltimore City Fire officials announce the death of a second child after a fatal house fire that killed the child's mother and 4-year-old sister.

Flames tore through the E Coldspring Lane home early Wednesday. Firefighters encountered heavy smoke showing from the first and second floor of the 2-story home.


The mother and the toddlers were pulled from the home in cardiac arrest.

The woman and her 4-year-old daughter died Wednesday, the death of the 5-year-old was announced Thursday.

According to a facebook post by Mercy High School, the mother is Alicia Evans, a mercy graduate and her daughters Amani and Layla.



This has been one of the deadliest years for fire fatalities in Baltimore since 2007.


The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family with funeral expenses.

=====================



Extension Cord Safety: What to Do and What to Avoid

  • Purchase only cords that have been approved by an independent testing laboratory.
  • For outdoor projects, use only extension cords marked for outdoor use.
  • Read the instructions (if available) for information about the cord's correct use and the amount of power it draws.
  • Select cords that are rated to handle the wattage of the devices with which they'll be used. A cord's gauge indicates its size: The smaller the number, the larger the wire and the more electrical current the cord can safely handle.
  • Also consider the length you'll need. Longer cords can't handle as much current as shorter cords of the same gauge.
  • Choose cords with polarized or three-prong plugs.
  • For use with larger appliances, thick, round, low-gauge extension cords are best. For smaller appliances and electronics, you can use thin or flat cords.

Using extension cords

  • Never remove an extension cord's grounding pin in order to fit it into a two-prong outlet.
  • Avoid powering multiple appliances with one cord.
  • Never use indoor extension cords outdoors.
  • Don't plug multiple cords together.
  • Don't run extension cords under rugs or furniture.
  • Never tape extension cords to floors or attach them to surfaces with staples or nails.
  • Don't bend or coil cords when they're in use.
  • Cover unused cord receptacles with childproof covers.
  • Stop using extension cords that feel hot to the touch.

Caring for extension cords

  • Always store cords indoors.
  • Unplug extension cords when they're not in use.
  • Throw away damaged cords.
  • Pull the plug—not the cord—when disconnecting from the outlet.
And remember that extension cords are intended as temporary wiring solutions. If you find you're using them on a permanent basis, consider updating your home's electrical system.

Female Canadian National Railway conductor, 26, has died after being injured in at the Melville Yard in Saskatchewan




MELVILLE, Sask. — 


A Canadian National Railway employee has died after being injured in a railway yard in Saskatchewan.

CN (TSX:CNR) spokesman Patrick Waldron says in an email that the employee was fatally injured early Friday while performing "regular duties" at the company's Melville Yard.

Details of the injury were not released.

The Teamsters Canada union stated in a news release that the worker was a 26-year-old woman with about three year's experience.

The Transportation Safety Board says it was notified of the incident, but explains that Transport Canada will handle the case since it is considered a labour investigation.

The worker's name has not been released.

"Instead of celebrating the holidays, the family of one our Teamster sisters will be in mourning," François Laporte, President of Teamsters Canada, the union representing workers at CN, said in the news release.

"On behalf of Canada's 125,000 Teamster members, I would like to express my sincerest condolences to her family, friends and co-workers."

Waldron said the circumstances of the accident remain under investigation.

"The thoughts and prayers of all of us at CN are with our colleague's family, friends and co-workers," Waldron said in the email.

The Canadian Press


==================



CN says one of its conductors died while working at a yard site in Melville, Sask., on Friday. CN spokesperson Patrick Waldron said the circumstances of the accident are under investigation.

Teamsters Canada said the conductor was a 26-year-old woman who had been working for CN since 2014.

Christopher Monette, director of public affairs with Teamsters Canada, said accidents of this kind do happen occasionally.

"Obviously the teamsters are heavily invested in building up strong safety first, safety positive workplaces, and heavily invested in trying to make sure these events are as rare as possible in order to ensure the safety and security of our members."

However, when accidents happen, it is painful, particularly at this time of year, he said.

"Teamsters are a big Teamster family here and when one of our sisters dies in the line of work, it's a tragedy for all 125,000 members from coast to coast to coast."

Monette said a Transportation Safety Board investigation is underway.