MARCH 31, 2015
CHESTER COUNTY, PA
An airplane crash in Chester County that ended in two deaths
Sunday came during a routine flight review conducted every two years to test
pilots' skills, officials said Monday.
The two victims aboard the flight were both certified
pilots, officials said. The pilot flying the fixed-wing, single-engine airplane
was accompanied by a certified flight instructor with Federal Aviation
Administration designations.
On Monday, 24 hours after the crash, many questions remained
- mainly, what caused a small plane to fall abruptly from the sky Sunday after
traveling just two miles from the Brandywine Airport in West Goshen Township.
Federal officials who were at the scene, including
representatives from the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board
(NTSB), along with the West Goshen Police Department, said an investigation is
ongoing.
Officials are meeting with representatives of the engine and
airplane manufacturer, investigating who maintained the plane last, and
inspecting the fuel supply and engine, said Tim Monville, a senior air safety
investigator with the NTSB.
"An engine malfunction - whether it be catastrophic or
a minor power loss - does not equate to an aerodynamic loss of control,"
Monville said at a news conference. As long as certain airspeed is maintained,
among other factors, "the airplane still should be capable of
flying."
"Based on the account of a sputtering engine, we will
check the fuel-supply system," Monville said. He could not confirm whether
the plane stalled in the air.
Much of the airplane was destroyed in the crash, which may
make some inspections more difficult, Monville said.
According to eyewitnesses at the airport, Monville said, a
routine engine check was performed before the Sunday flight. After being
cleared, the airplane proceeded to take off, and witnesses heard the engine
begin to "sputter," and then subsequently heard the engine's power
restored.
Seconds later, the engine sputtered again before witnesses
lost sight of the plane, Monville said.
Police responded to the crash shortly after 1:30 p.m. at the
backyard of a residence along the 1000 block of Saunders Lane, in a wooded open
space along the block, which is about two miles from the airport.
When police arrived, the cockpit, cabin and wings were
"consumed" by a postcrash fire, officials said. Officials could not
say who owned the plane. Brandywine Airport officials and neighbors declined to
comment.
Monville said officials are gathering security video from a
nearby facility that captured the final portion of the flight. No information
has been identified from the airplane's radio.
Family members of the flight instructor gathered at the
scene Monday morning. The names of the victims will not be released until later
this week after autopsies are completed, which were scheduled for Monday
afternoon. A preliminary report on the crash will be published next week,
Monville said.
Source: http://www.philly.com/
//-------------------------------------//
Monday, March 30, 2015 05:34PM
WEST GOSHEN TWP., Pa. (WPVI)
Two people were killed Sunday when a small plane went down
just after takeoff in West Goshen Township, Chester County.
Now federal investigators have joined the search for clues.
The crash happened around 1:30 yesterday afternoon.
The plane had departed on the check flight from the nearby Brandywine Airport and had turned south when at least one witness said he heard what sounded like the engine sputter prior to the crash.
Tim Monville from the NTSB explains, "We have witness accounts of hearing a sputtering engine, followed by the engine power was restored, by the witness account. The witness heard the sputtering again, observed the airplane bank to the left, and then lost sight of the airplane."
Investigators don't know what triggered the sputtering and likely loss of power.
Brad Trapnell of West Chester witnessed the aftermath of the crash, telling us, "Me and my daughter were driving down (Route) 202, and we just saw a bunch of flames behind the retirement complex."
It wasn't a building fire, but instead a small airplane - a Piper Cherokee 140 had crashed and burned, killing both men aboard.
The intense post-crash fire could hamper their quest as it likely consumed or contaminated the fuel.
The hope is other evidence can be found, including video.
Monville says, "We have identified a facility, I'm not going to name them, that has some video footage."
The flight was what is referred to as a "check ride". The FAA requires its licensed pilots to periodically on a regular basis undergo a proficiency test.
The owner of the aircraft, a qualified pilot, was on board, as well as a FAA designated flight instructor.
Monday morning federal investigators along with a West Goshen Police detectives were back at the crash site at the rear of a house in the 1000 block of Saunders Lane.
The question for experts is why did the roughly one ton single engine plane with two qualified pilots aboard quit flying and abruptly fall from the sky?
The process of reconstructing the accident could take months.
In the meantime, the identities of the two pilots are being held at the moment as investigators await confirmation through dental records.
The plane, which was built in 1965, was locally owned and based.
Action News is told both pilots are from the Philadelphia area.
Now federal investigators have joined the search for clues.
The crash happened around 1:30 yesterday afternoon.
The plane had departed on the check flight from the nearby Brandywine Airport and had turned south when at least one witness said he heard what sounded like the engine sputter prior to the crash.
Tim Monville from the NTSB explains, "We have witness accounts of hearing a sputtering engine, followed by the engine power was restored, by the witness account. The witness heard the sputtering again, observed the airplane bank to the left, and then lost sight of the airplane."
Investigators don't know what triggered the sputtering and likely loss of power.
Brad Trapnell of West Chester witnessed the aftermath of the crash, telling us, "Me and my daughter were driving down (Route) 202, and we just saw a bunch of flames behind the retirement complex."
It wasn't a building fire, but instead a small airplane - a Piper Cherokee 140 had crashed and burned, killing both men aboard.
The intense post-crash fire could hamper their quest as it likely consumed or contaminated the fuel.
The hope is other evidence can be found, including video.
Monville says, "We have identified a facility, I'm not going to name them, that has some video footage."
The flight was what is referred to as a "check ride". The FAA requires its licensed pilots to periodically on a regular basis undergo a proficiency test.
The owner of the aircraft, a qualified pilot, was on board, as well as a FAA designated flight instructor.
Monday morning federal investigators along with a West Goshen Police detectives were back at the crash site at the rear of a house in the 1000 block of Saunders Lane.
The question for experts is why did the roughly one ton single engine plane with two qualified pilots aboard quit flying and abruptly fall from the sky?
The process of reconstructing the accident could take months.
In the meantime, the identities of the two pilots are being held at the moment as investigators await confirmation through dental records.
The plane, which was built in 1965, was locally owned and based.
Action News is told both pilots are from the Philadelphia area.
Source:6abc.com