JUNE 19, 2015
SHREVEPORT, LA
The pilot of the small plane that crashed late Friday
afternoon at the Downtown Airport in Shreveport was declared "deceased on
scene," according to Shreveport Fire Chief Scott Wolverton.
Shreveport emergency crews were called to the scene just
after 5:30 p.m.
Shreveport Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief Fred Sanders
says the plane that crashed is a Cessna 172. The plane's registration is
connected to a Bossier City address, but it is unclear whether the pilot is
local. He has not been identified, although Wolverton says he is a male, 50 to
60 years of age.
The aircraft itself was heavily damaged in the crash. Chief
Wolverton says the pilot had been doing "touch and gos," which
involve taking off and landing again repeatedly. It's a practice common for
pilots looking to get required flight hours logged.
The crash happened some 700 yards from the primary runway
where the pilot was taking off and landing.
The FAA has been called into investigate.
Friends of the victim say the pilot had years of experience
and the news of his death comes as a shock to them.
"Of all of us it could have happened to it was the
least one you would have expected it to," said friend Jerry Harris.
Business partners in the Bag Flying Club are grieving the
loss of one of their own.
"We've known each other a lot of years, I mean we
aren't close friends but anytime you're brothers in aviation in a club like
we've had," said Harris.
Friends tell us the pilot had at least 25 years of flying
experience.
"Talk about a man with confidence, whatever happened,
in my opinion probably the wind got him or something," said Harris.
Harris says this accident doesn't take away from the pilot
that he was.
"He's just a very close personably type guy, he'd do
anything for you. It's just like driving down the road, you could be the best
person, and something could happen," said Harris.
The airport will reopen at 7 a.m. on Saturday.
///---------------/////////
A pilot died when a small plane he was flying crashed in
Shreveport Friday.
Shreveport firefighters arrived at Shreveport Downtown
Airport at about 5:20 p.m. to find a single-engine Cessna had crashed. More
than a dozen units responded to the call.
The pilot — the only one on board — was dead by that time
and was not immediately identified. Shreveport Fire Chief Scott Wolverton said
the pilot was a man between the ages of 50 and 60.
"There's a lot of heavy damage to the aircraft. Just
from the background we know, he'd been out doing touch-and-goes for several
hours here at the Downtown Airport," Wolverton said. "The individual
in the tower did witness the event. As of right now, that's the only witness we
do have."
The runway was closed so the Federal Aviation Administration
could investigate the crash.
The pilot's name won't be released until the investigation
is complete, officials said. An autopsy will help determine if the pilot's
death was health-related or caused by the crash itself.
Date:
|
19-JUN-2015
|
Time:
|
17:30
|
Type:
|
|
Owner/operator:
|
Bag Flying Club Inc
|
Registration:
|
N5743A
|
C/n / msn:
|
28343
|
Fatalities:
|
Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
|
Other fatalities:
|
0
|
Airplane damage:
|
Substantial
|
Location:
|
Shreveport Downtown Airport (KDTN), Shreveport, LA -
United
States of America |
Phase:
|
Unknown
|
Nature:
|
Training
|
Departure airport:
|
Shreveport Downtown (KDTN)
|
Destination airport:
|
Shreveport Downtown (KDTN)
|
Narrative:
The aircraft impacted airport terrain while performing touch-and-go landings at Shreveport Downtown Airport (KDTN), Shreveport, Louisiana. The airplane sustained substantial damage and the sole pilot onboard received fatal injuries.
The aircraft impacted airport terrain while performing touch-and-go landings at Shreveport Downtown Airport (KDTN), Shreveport, Louisiana. The airplane sustained substantial damage and the sole pilot onboard received fatal injuries.
Sources:
http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=177107
http://www.wsmv.com/story/29365180/small-plane-crashes-at-shreveports-downtown-airport http://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/2015/06/19/one-dead-in-shreveport-downtown-airport-crash/29010851/?from=global&sessionKey=&autologin= http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=5743A
http://flightaware.com/photos/view/284228-ecbcb0814d74c1fb5b708fa4a90571775de4b322%3Btail=N5743A%3Bo=2
http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=177107
http://www.wsmv.com/story/29365180/small-plane-crashes-at-shreveports-downtown-airport http://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/2015/06/19/one-dead-in-shreveport-downtown-airport-crash/29010851/?from=global&sessionKey=&autologin= http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=5743A
http://flightaware.com/photos/view/284228-ecbcb0814d74c1fb5b708fa4a90571775de4b322%3Btail=N5743A%3Bo=2