Pilot Lance Hooley died after he crashed his Jet Eze self-built plane east of Covington Municipal Airport in Covington, Tennessee

NTSB to hold media briefing at 4:00 pm CT today on investigation into Saturday's crash of experimental amateur-built JETEZ in Covington TN. Briefing location: Tipton County Sheriff’s Office, 1801 South College Street, Covington, TN 38019.




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Investigators with the Federal Aviation Administration, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and the Tipton County Sheriff’s Office are investigating a plant crash in northeast Covington Saturday night.

At approximately 5:26 p.m. deputies were dispatched to a area of farmland about 2,000 yards east of the Covington Municipal Airport regarding a plane that had crashed.


Investigators are currently searching the cotton field for wreckage.

The pilot has been identified as Lance Hooley, a JetBlue pilot, who was flying a JetEZ he built with Covington’s Rob Harris. He can be seen flying the jet in a YouTube video.

TCSO, Tipton County Fire Chief Jon Piercey, Covington Fire, Brighton Fire, Charleston VFD, Three Star VFD, MedicOne Covington Police and the Tennessee Highway Patrol responded to the crash.

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Lance Hooley's Jet Eze

 

It started with a visit with the Rutan guru Robert Harris of what was the EZ Hangar in Covington TN, now EZ Jets. I wanted to build a Long Eze but Robert suggested using current information and technology instead of 1977 when the plans came out. From then on, this airplane was not a Long Eze... it became my design. Originally I wanted an IO-360 in it and progressed this route. Then Robert said "why not make the fuselage bigger for a real sized person?"

The fuselage is 4 inches wider right down the middle, 6 inches longer in the rear seat. The center section spar and wing are from the E Racer, modified of course. Outside it looks the same, but the internal structure is different. Blended winglets structurally integrated with the wing spar. The canard is a GU canard modified for stiffness. The gear is moved aft 1 inch so it will safely sit on all 3 wheels without anyone in it. Oh yea, it stands a foot taller than a Long... noteworthy if you fall out of it like I have... twice. The floor stopped my fall both times.



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Narrative:
The aircraft, a one-off experimental Hooley built Jet Eze, impacted the terrain east of Covington Municipal Airport (M04) in Covington, Tennessee. The airplane was partially consumed by the post-impact fire and the sole pilot/owner/builder received fatal injuries.

Sources:
http://www.covingtonleader.com/news/police_fire/pilot-in-deadly-covington-plane-crash-identified/article_639d92c8-ae47-11e8-bf8a-c7215a62efde.html
https://wreg.com/2018/09/01/sheriff-plane-crashes-at-covington-airpot/
https://www.fox13memphis.com/top-stories/victim-identified-in-plane-crash-near-covington-airport-officials-say/825526012
https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=815EY

https://newsline.kitplanes.com/2017/08/09/lance-hooley-jet-eze/
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9C9Onv2diRY
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DC7geFDhmds
Date: 01-SEP-2018
Time: 17:26
Type: Hooley Jet Eze
Owner/operator: Private
Registration: N815EY
C/n / msn: 2009-815EY-1
Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities: 0
Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: East of Covington Municipal Airport (M04), Covington, TN - United States of America
Phase: Approach
Nature: Unknown
Departure airport: Chicago, IL
Destination airport: Covington Muni (M04)

Pilot Assistant District Attorney Ronald S. Dague presumed dead after he crashed his Piper PA-32R Lance plane into the waters of Lake Huron shortly after takeoff from Mackinac County Airport, St. Ignace, Michigan

Pilot Assistant District Attorney Ronald S. Dague presumed dead after he crashed his Piper PA-32R Lance plane into the waters of Lake Huron shortly after takeoff from Mackinac County Airport, St. Ignace, Michigan

A typical
Piper PA-32R Lance

Crews Searching for Plane After Apparent Crash in Lake Huron 


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Milwaukee County prosecutor lost his life in plane crash in Mackinac County Friday 


Posted 8:02 pm, September 1, 2018, by Aaron Maybin, Updated at 10:19PM, September 3, 2018


MACKINAC COUNTY, MI -- 

A Wisconsin pilot, who was an assistant district attorney in Milwaukee, crashed a plane into a Michigan lake on Friday, Aug. 31 -- and lost his life.


Ronald Dague, presumed dead

Officials with the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office identified him as Ronald Dague, 64. Mackinac County sheriff's officials said he was from East Troy.

Below is a statement from John Chisholm -- Milwaukee County district attorney:

"Tragically, we learned that our colleague Assistant District Attorney Ronald S. Dague lost his life in an airplane accident last Friday night. Ron was a valued member of our General Crimes Unit and served with distinction in many capacities in the District Attorney’s Office since 1992.

On behalf of the District Attorney’s Office and all our colleagues in the criminal justice system, I extend my deepest condolences to Ron’s family and friends at this difficult time. Ron was a gifted trial attorney, a devoted student of the law, and a passionate defender of equity, fairness, and justice. His advocacy helped build a safer community for everyone living in Milwaukee County.

At a personal level, Ron was a devoted husband and father who deeply loved his family and his absence will be keenly felt. Please keep his wife and young daughter in your prayers. It was an honor to serve the public alongside Ron, and I wish his family peace at this most difficult and challenging time.

I appreciate the professionalism and courtesy extended to the office and Ron’s family by the Mackinac County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Coast Guard. The family has asked that their privacy be respected as they mourn their loss."

Dague was Milwaukee County's most experienced drunk driving prosecutor.

"The most complicated area of law and science that I've handled in my 23-year career," said Dague.

In 2013, he talked with the FOX6 Investigators about the failure to enforce ignition interlock devices.

"We have yet to be able to successfully prosecute even one case in Milwaukee County. So none," said Dague.

According to the Mackinac County Sheriff's Office, shortly after 9:45 p.m., the plane crashed in Lake Huron -- that's in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

We're told the plane took off from the Mackinac County Airport shortly before and was heading to Mackinac Island.


Mackinac County Airport

Residents reported seeing the plane flying low and then they heard the impact.

Dague was the only one on board at the time.

A search was conducted over the weekend, involving the sheriff's office, U.S. Coast Guard and Michigan State Police. A police dive team was using sonar equipment in the search.

Sheriff's officials said the engine and main cabin of the plane were located Sunday. The pilot wasn't inside. Officials said recovery efforts continue for the pilot's remains and other debris.



The FAA and NTSB are investigating.

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September 1, 2018
Jim LeHocky



“We narrowed [the search] down to a debris field north of Mackinac Island.”

Crews are working to locate a plane in Lake Huron.

Investigators say the plane went down moments after taking off from Mackinac County Airport in St. Ignace.

The Mackinac County Sheriff’s Office says a Wisconsin man was the only person on board when it crashed.

The airport manager tells us the plane took off around 9:50 p.m. Friday.

He says the man was on his way to Mackinac Island to pick up a group of people, then head back to Wisconsin.

Nearby residents say the plane was flying low and turned onto its side before they heard the impact.

The U.S. Coast Guard says the lack of moonlight can create problems for pilots.

“The moon had not come up yet, so it was really dark over the water,” said Jason Evans of the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City. “Really black and really dark. It’s really tough to make out the horizon when you’re looking east.”

Numerous law enforcement agencies are helping with the search.

Michigan State Police is using sonar to help find the plane and pilot.





Narrative:

The aircraft impacted the waters of Lake Huron shortly after takeoff from Mackinac County Airport (83D), St. Ignace, Michigan. The aircraft is missing and presumed destroyed and the sole pilot onboard is presumed to have been fatally injured.

Sources:
https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/2018/09/01/wisconsin-man-suspected-dead-after-likely-plane-crash-lake-huron/1175419002/?from=new-cookie
https://www.9and10news.com/2018/09/01/crews-searching-for-plane-after-apparent-crash-in-lake-huron/
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2018/09/02/plane-crash-lake-huron-mackinac-island/1180424002/?from=new-cookie

Date:	01-SEP-2018
Time:	21:50
Type:	Piper PA-32R Lance
Owner/operator:
Registration:
C/n / msn:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Aircraft missing
Location:	Lake Huron near Mackinac County Airport (83D), St Ignace, MI -   United States of America
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Mackinac County (83D)
Destination airport:	Mackinac Island (KMCD)

NTSB releases 9 new images of investigators examining and documenting the JAG Transportation truck involved in the Aug. 30 highway crash that killed 8 people and injured dozens more near Gallup, New Mexico

NTSB releases 9 new images of investigators examining and documenting the vehicles involved in the Aug. 30 highway crash that killed 8 near Gallup, New Mexico: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ntsb/

Four people are dead and two seriously injured after the drunk driver of a van, Lionel Orrego, plowed into the scene of an accident on I-95 Friday, striking two stopped vehicles and several people standing on the shoulder of the highway; he killed Alina Ghani, Eugene Benjamin, 38, John Brady Garzon, 25, and Meryl Diaz, 27

 A driver, Lionel Orrego, was arrested on DUI manslaughter charges after a crash that killed four people on I-95 in Miami-Dade.

At least one driver was arrested after a pair of early morning crashes on two major Miami-Dade roadways killed a total of six people and sent over a half dozen others to the hospital Friday.

The first crash occurred along Interstate 95 northbound at Northwest 62nd Street just before 1 a.m. when a group of motorcyclists stopped to help another person on a motorcycle who had crashed, authorities said. Minutes later, a white van crashed into the group, causing the mass casualty scene.

"According to several witnesses on the scene, some vehicles stopped to assist the initial accident with one of the motorcycles that went down and moments later that vehicle collided with that vehicle and had caused a chain reaction of hitting multiple people that were on the street," Miami Fire Rescue Capt. Ignatius Carroll said.

Two people were killed at the scene and 11 people were injured with seven transported to the hospital – six of them to Ryder Trauma Center, where two more later died.

Driver Arrested After 4 Killed in I-95 Crash

A driver, Lionel Orrego, was arrested on DUI manslaughter charges after a crash that killed four people on I-95 in Miami-Dade.(Published Friday, Aug. 31, 2018)

The victims were later identified 21-year-old Alina Ghani, 38-year-old Eugene Benjamin, 25-year-old John Brady Garzon and 27-year-old Meryl Diaz.

Florida Highway Patrol officials said the driver of the van, Lionel Orrego, was arrested and is facing charges including four counts of DUI manslaughter, two counts of DUI with serious bodily injury and three counts of DUI with property damage.

After several hours of closures, the roadway reopened just before 8 a.m.

Six People Killed in Deadly Crashes in Miami Dade

More than a dozen people were involved in the crashes that caused problems on both I-95 and the Turnpike early Friday morning.(Published Friday, Aug. 31, 2018)

The second incident occurred just before 4 a.m. in the northbound lanes of the Florida's Turnpike just before the interchange with Interstate 75.

FHP officials said the single-car crash involved an SUV that hit a guardrail and rolled over. A total of five people were involved in that crash with two women pronounced dead at the scene after being ejected.

The women were identified as 35-year-old Yamilca F. Cisnero de Vazquez and 60-year-old Maria Ines Suss, both of Homestead.

Three people were hospitalized, including a 3-year-old boy who was airlifted after being ejected as well, according to the FHP.

The cause of the crash is being investigated.



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Early morning crashes leave six dead, shut down Miami-Dade highways for hours


By Howard Cohen And Martin Vassolo

hcohen@miamiherald.com

mvassolo@miamiherald.com


  August 31, 2018




Four people are dead and two seriously injured after the driver of a van plowed into the scene of an accident on I-95 Friday, striking two stopped vehicles and several people standing on the shoulder of the highway, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

They were among six people who were killed on Miami highways Friday morning.

The first crash occurred around 1 a.m. on the right shoulder of the northbound lanes near Northwest 62nd Street after a motorcyclist got into a minor accident and a passing motorist stopped their car on the side of the road to help, FHP said. The driver of a GMC Savana van heading north toward the scene of the crash moved into the right lane and clipped the car’s bumper before striking several people standing on the shoulder.

The van’s driver, Lionel Orrego, then collided with the back of a second stopped car that had been involved in the motorcycle crash, pushing that car into the motorcycle, FHP said.
Orrego, 42, was arrested on four counts of DUI manslaughter, two counts of DUI with serious bodily injury, three counts of DUI with property damage and one count of resisting arrest with violence, according to FHP Lt. Alex Camacho.

Orrego’s bond was set at $125,000. He was booked into Miami-Dade County’s Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center just before 7:30 a.m.

Those who died in the crash were later identified by FHP: Alina Ghani, 21; Randy Benjamin, 38; Jhon Brady Garzon, 25; Meryl Diaz, 27.

I-95 northbound lanes remained shut down for hours, later re-opening after 8:15 a.m.

Elsewhere, Florida’s Turnpike extension was shut down northbound between Okeechobee Road and I-75 after a fatal accident that occurred around 3:45 a.m.

That rollover crash on State Road 821 at Mile Marker 37 killed two people on the Turnpike extension around Hialeah. FHP identified the victims as Yamilca F. Cisnero de Vazquez, 35, and Maria Ines Suss, 60., who both lived in Homestead.

Vazquez and Suss were ejected from a 2002 Mercury Mountaineer that lost control and collided with the right guardrail on the turnpike. Kevin Jose Vazquez, age not listed, was also ejected and was in serious condition at Kendall Regional Hospital. The driver, Noelia Corneil Camilo, 33, and passenger Jose Ramon Vazquez Plaza, 59, were also taken to Kendall Regional in serious condition, according to the accident report.

Several lanes were closed and re-opened at 10:30 a.m.

The FHP is investigating.

Meantime, officers cleared a blockage on State Road 826 westbound just before Northwest 67th Avenue and Ludlam Road after a disabled vehicle blocked the left lane blocked.