MEC&F Expert Engineers : 10/01/18

Monday, October 1, 2018

New pilot and plumber CURTIS EVART HEDLUND died after his 1966 Beechcraft V35 Bonanza aircraft crashed and burned near Brackett Field Airport (KPOC), in La Verne, California


 The plane prior to the crash



 Pilot and plumber CURTIS EVART HEDLUND died





LA VERNE, Calif. (KABC) -- 




A small plane crashed near Brackett Field Airport in La Verne on Monday, and the sole occupant on board was killed, police said.

Firefighters from La Verne and Los Angeles County fire departments rushed to the 1600 block of W. McKinley Avenue following the initial report of the crash, which came in shortly before noon.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, a Beech Bonanza aircraft crashed while on approach to Brackett Field Airport.

Flames were visible and thick black smoke rose from the wreckage.

Initial reports state that the plane may have struck a tree, the FAA said. A witness, Francisco Juarez, told Eyewitness News he saw the plane as it crashed, and said the plane did not hit a tree.

The one person on board was pronounced dead at the scene, La Verne police said. The name of the pilot has not been released.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating.

Monday's crash was the second wreck in as many days. A plane also crashed near Brackett Field Airport on Sunday, killing one person and seriously injuring another.

The crash on Monday occurred about 100 yards away from Sunday's plane crash. Both planes ended up in a nursery near the west end of the airstrip.


The plane was registered to Curtis Hedlund Corporation, doing business as Boss Air Mechanical.  Here is the pilot information of the owner of the business, Curtis Evart Hedlund.  He apparently got his pilot license in May 2018.  Inexperience may have played a role in the crash, as the eye witnesses did not report engine failure:

CURTIS EVART HEDLUND

409 PALM ST
TAFT CA 93268-2646
County: KERN
Country: USA


Certificate: AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT
Date of Issue: 5/14/2018

Ratings:
AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT
AIRPLANE MULTIENGINE LAND
COMMERCIAL PRIVILEGES
AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND

Type Ratings:
A/B-737 A/CL-65


Limits:
ENGLISH PROFICIENT.
ATP CIRC. APCH. - VMC ONLY.
B-737 CL-65 CIRC. APCH. - VMC ONLY.



About

Curtis Hedlund Corporation is a plumbing contractor from Irwindale. They offer septic tank installation, plumbing fixtures repair, water testing and more.


Summary
1966 BEECH V35
Fixed wing single engine
(6 seats / 1 engine)


Owner
CURTIS HEDLUND CORPORATION
IRWINDALE , CA, US
(Corporation)

Boss Air Mechanical is a full service Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) contractor located in Southern California. We have over 25 years of experience within the air conditioning and sheet metal industry. We are family owned and operated. We provide sales, service and installations on small and large jobs for residential, commercial and industrial applications


======================================================
Narrative:
The aircraft clipped a tree and impacted terrain near Brackett Field Airport (KPOC), in La Verne, California. The aircraft was consumed by the post-impact fire and the sole pilot on board received fatal injures.

Sources:
https://www.facebook.com/ABC7/?__tn__=kCH-R&eid=ARAJxVoh8U16SJ_m3EmMchJNYseAdXnP_fOCo_6F_A-hXSZ8lKkGZMScXhJPC01xY7LSS-eFVmasOVig&hc_ref=ARRaHFeSI_2Bm8Nn2I5tjBknhwZdeweEZZzeh8Tp1CQODeTgz0H7TnPa5W6rUjByWGg
https://abc7.com/plane-crash-reported-near-brackett-field-airport-in-la-verne/4384834/
________________________
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N7997M/history/20181001/1748Z/tracklog
Date: 01-OCT-2018
Time: 11:48 LT
Type:
Beechcraft V35 Bonanza
Owner/operator: Private
Registration: N7997M
C/n / msn: D-8277
Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities: 0
Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: Brackett Field Airport (KPOC), La Verne, CA - United States of America
Phase: Approach
Nature: Unknown
Departure airport:

Destination airport: Brackett Field Airport (KPOC), La Verne, CA

Michigan State University student Seryoung (Sally) Park of East Lansing, MI died early Sunday after the speeding vehicle she was riding in rolled over several times on I-69 because of the drunk driver


 Michigan State University student Seryoung (Sally) Park of East Lansing, MI died early Sunday after the speeding vehicle she was riding in rolled over several times on I-69 because of the drunk driver





From Coventry Christian Schools on Facebook:  

We are very sad to share that one of our graduates, Seryoung (Sally) Park was killed in a car accident yesterday morning. Sally was a sweet student who was loved by her peers. Sally was a student at Michigan State University. Our condolences and sympathies go out to Sally's family, friends and classmates.


 
October 1, 2018

 SHIAWASSEE COUNTY, MI (WJRT) - 


A Michigan State University student died early Sunday after the vehicle she was riding in rolled over several times on I-69.

The crash happened around 4:50 a.m. Sunday near mile marker 110, which is about three miles west of the Bancroft exit, according to the Shiawassee County Sheriff's Office.

Investigators say the driver went off the roadway, causing the vehicle to overturn. Seryoung Park of East Lansing, who was riding as a passenger, died of her injuries.

Police did not say whether the driver or anyone else was injured.

Authorities were still investigating what caused the vehicle to leave the roadway.  However, most of the fatal drunk/drug related accidents occur in the early am hours like this one.  When the car leaves the very wide roadway it indicates a medical condition or drunk/drug driving.  Then when it rolls over several times, it also indicates that the driver was speeding.  




12-year-old Boy Scout Gage Wilson has died after being buried by sand at the Van Buren/North Point State Park in Michigan




 12-year-old Boy Scout Gage Wilson has died after being buried by sand at the Van Buren/North Point State Park in Michigan







This is the heart breaking statement his mother made in her Facebook pages:
Gage Michael Samuel Wilson
09/21/2006 - 09/29/2018
Im so sorry you died baby. Its not right . I love you to the moon and back Gage Wilson. I will be loving you and missing everyday until we can be together. The Wilson 3 you, daddy and mommy. Thats how its supposed to be. I cant say goodbye to you my heart and soul is with you


 
SEPTEMBER 30, 2018

SOUTH HAVEN, Mich. (AP)- 


Police say a 12-year-old Boy Scout has died after being buried by sand at a Michigan park.

South Haven police tell TV station WWMT that the boy dug into the side of a sand dune Saturday and crawled into the small space.

The sand collapsed while Gage Wilson was inside at the Van Buren State Park in southwestern Michigan.

Police say two boys who were with Gage didn't notice his disappearance for up to 30 minutes.

He was pronounced dead at a hospital.

The Michigan Crossroads Council of the Boy Scouts of America released a statement, saying, "This is a very difficult time for our scouting family." The boy was from the Kalamazoo area. 


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




Gage Wilson, 12, was at North Point County Park near Lake Michigan when the dune collapsed on him, FOX17 Michigan reported.

"When they found him, he was completely covered in sand," South Haven Police Department Sgt. Zach Hathaway said in a news conference Sunday.

South Haven police arrived at the scene around 4:15 p.m. Saturday after receiving a 911 call about a child buried in the sand near the shoreline. First responders established a pulse on Wilson after administering CPR and transported him through rough terrain and trails to a waiting ambulance.

The Boy Scout was airlifted to the hospital where he later died.

“The beaches are a little smaller, as far as the sand that’s available to play on before the water starts to go a little over the top of it. I think the water level in Lake Michigan had partly something to do with the tragedy that happened,” Hathaway said.

Wilson was reportedly digging into a dune when the sand walls crushed him, WOOD-TV reported.

Gage Wilson was at North Point County Park for a scouting event when he was killed.
Gage Wilson was at North Point County Park for a scouting event when he was killed. (FOX17 Michigan)

Donald Shepard, the CEO of Michigan Crossroads Council and Scout Executive, said in a statement on Sunday that Wilson died from an “accident at a scouting event.”

“This is a very difficult time for our Scouting family," the statement said. "We are sad to confirm the death of one of our youth members following an accident at a Scouting event. We offer our deepest condolences to the victim and his family, and we will support them in any way that we can. Please join us in keeping all those affected in your thoughts and prayers."

Police said an autopsy is pending and they are investigating the incident, though it appears it was a “tragic accident.”

AMERICAN MADE CRAP: Cracked steel girder beam inside the Salesforce Transit Center forces the shutdown of the newly-opened $2 billion station in San Fransisco, California









Wednesday, September 26, 201


SAN FRANCISCO, CA (KGO) -- 


After a second crack was found in another steel supporting beam at San Francisco's Salesforce Transit Center, officials are investigating what caused the problem.

On Wednesday night, workers were busy de-energizing bus lines on Fremont and Howard Streets so that workers can begin safely inspecting and eventually fixing the cracked beam inside the Salesforce Transit Center.

A few blocks away, at the old temporary Transbay Terminal, bus riders were waiting at a crowded bus stop, which is busy once again now that the Transit Terminal is closed for at least the next week.

But not everyone got the message about the closure. There was plenty of confusion at the Salesforce Transit Center, as people were met with police tape instead of their bus home. "It's not even on the app, it's not updated to let me know," explained Kieran Barkley, whose Google Maps and AC Transit apps still directed him to the Salesforce Transit Center.

"Now I'm kind like oh, I have to find a new way to get home. It's kind of inconvenient!"

The questions are not only from commuters. Executive Director of Transbay Joint Powers Authority, Mark Zabaneh, revealed photos on Wednesday of the 2.5-foot-long crack discovered in the load-bearing steel beam Tuesday morning.

A second smaller crack was discovered in an adjacent beam. Zabaneh says the possible cause of the defects are numerous at this point -- "three possibilities, fabrication, installation and design."

The senior construction manager, Dennis Turchon, says all the steel in the Transit Center is American made.

Officials revealed Wednesday that a second steel beam was found to have cracks on the third level of the Salesforce Transit Center in downtown San Francisco. 


The beams in question were made by Herrick Steel, which is headquartered in Stockton, but also has an office in San Ramon.

"We have seven different fabricators that have provided all the steel on this project. Herrick is only one of them, but they're probably about 30 percent of the whole steel that was put onto the project," said Turchon.

When ABC7 called Herrick Steel, it had no comment, but their website shows that they have contributed steel to dozens of buildings in San Francisco that make up the city's modern skyline, including the Salesforce Tower.

UC Berkeley engineering professor Robert Ritchie says the best case scenario is that the beams are failing due to poor handling or perhaps welding, which he explains is still not an easy fix for the 1.2 million square foot building.

"They would have to look at every weld and structure to see if there are cracks there," Ritchie said.


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



Engineers search for cause in cracked beam at transit hub 


By JANIE HAR and PAUL ELIAS Associated Press



September 27, 2018


SAN FRANCISCO



San Francisco officials struggled Wednesday to find the source of unusual cracking in support beams that shut down a just-opened, $2 billion transit center meant to serve as a bold architectural statement from a wealthy, high-tech city.

The Salesforce Transit Center opened to great fanfare last month as an embodiment of San Francisco’s reputation for innovation and sustainability. Its rooftop park would provide green space for people to socialize while commuters could take buses from the multistory building that spans three city blocks.

Now, the transit hub named for a cloud computing giant appears to be the latest example of problems in a city brimming with homelessness and poor infrastructure. The shutdown, which officials say will last until the facility can be declared safe, caused chaos during Tuesday’s evening rush hour.

Enveloped in wavy white sheets of metal veil, the five-level center with a towering sky-lit central entrance hall sits in the South of Market neighborhood, where construction is booming. It’s adjacent to the so-called sinking condominium, Millennium Tower, which has settled about 18 inches (45 centimeters) since it opened over a former landfill in 2009.

Officials and construction experts say the transit center’s two cracked beams are not tied to the condo woes, though some homeowners have sued the developer and city alleging construction of the transit facility caused the Millennium Tower to sink.

Workers installing roof tiles Tuesday morning found the first crack, about 2½ feet long and 4 inches deep, on a steel beam holding up the transit center’s rooftop park. A second, smaller crack was found later that day on a parallel beam.

Two other similar beams do not show signs of cracking, said Mark Zabaneh, executive director of Transbay Joint Powers Authority, which operates the transit hub.

He said their first priority is to shore up the beams so the facility can reopen while engineers search for a permanent fix. He said he expects the center to remain closed at least through the end of next week.

“We’re working hard to rectify the situation,” Zabaneh said. “We’re very disappointed with what happened; we will get to the bottom of this.”

He said the steel came from Stockton-based Herrick Corp. The beams looked fine when they were installed in January 2016. The problem could be in the fabrication, installation or design of the beams, Zabeneh said.

Construction experts say it’s exceedingly rare for steel girders that support buildings to crack.

Engineer David Friedman said it’s likely the beams arrived without cracks but that once the weight of the roof garden and other structures were added, “new stresses may have exacerbated the possible fabrication flaws.”

The beams likely passed inspection after installation, engineer Joe Maffei said.

“If that’s the case, it’s likely welding caused the problem,” he said.

Mayor London Breed said in a statement that the building’s role in the broader transportation system was too important “not to act quickly to have definitive answers for the public, and someone needs to be held accountable once the cause is determined.”

Buses have been rerouted to a temporary transit center about two blocks away that was used during the center’s construction. A downtown street that runs under the beam also was ordered closed indefinitely, causing a commuting nightmare.

Julianna Cheng, who lives in the neighborhood, burst out laughing when asked about the cracking.

“I find it disappointing but also kind of amusing because they built this really big, they spent a lot of money,” said Cheng, 32. “I feel like the money should have been used for a lot of other things.”

“I don’t know. Maybe this is a sign,” she said.

Earlier this year, San Francisco’s transit agency disclosed that a contractor had installed about 3 miles (5 kilometers) of the wrong grade of rail for its new $1.6 billion subway spur. Several problem trains and buses marred a City Hall celebration of transit week Monday.

The transit terminal, coined the “Grand Central of the West,” opened after nearly a decade under construction. It is expected to accommodate 100,000 passengers each weekday and up to 45 million people a year.

Numerous towering condo buildings have gone up in the booming South of Market neighborhood and several multistory construction projects are underway. Officials voted in 2012 to scrap building-height restrictions to encourage growth near the transit hub as San Francisco looks to lure technology companies from Silicon Valley.

Salesforce, which opened its adjacent 61-story Salesforce Tower earlier this year, bought naming rights to the transit center in 2017 as part of a 25-year, $110 million sponsorship agreement.


Firefighters attacked and knocked down an oil well fire before it spread in nearby brush in Santa Paula, California





The oil well equipment is heavily involved in fire and threatening the brush. As you can see the fire is SouthEast of Santa Paula and there are no structures in the area

As of 5:08 PM: Our good friends “kept their foot on the gas” and wrapped up the portion of this incident effecting S. MOUNTAIN ROAD, which is NOW OPEN between Santa Paula and Balcom Canyon Road.




Firefighters attacked and knocked down an oil well fire before it spread in nearby brush in Santa Paula on Sunday.


By ABC7.com staff
Sunday, September 30, 2018


SANTA PAULA, Calif. (KABC) -- 


Firefighters attacked and knocked down an oil well fire before it spread in nearby brush in Santa Paula on Sunday.

The petroleum fire was located off of South Mountain Road, near Willard Road, according to Ventura County fire officials.

The oil well equipment was heavily involved and threatened to spread to nearby brush. Oil was burning, sending toxic materials into the air, firefighters said. No structures were in the area of the blaze, officials said.

South Mountain Road was closed west of Balcom Canyon Road for the firefight, California Highway Patrol officials said. It was later reopened.

The fire was first reported around 11 a.m. Firefighters were wrapping up the blaze by 4 p.m.

David King, Helicopter Pilot and President/Director of Ops - Last Frontier Air Ventures, Ltd, Josh Pepperd, the president and owner of Davis Constructors, and his son Andrew died in the crash of their Airbus Helicopters H125 Near Lituya Bay, N of Juneau, AL


David King, Helicopter Pilot and President/Director of Ops - Last Frontier Air Ventures, Ltd
Josh Pepperd, the president and owner of Davis Constructors, is missing from a helicopter that crashed Friday evening near Yakutat.


EXTREME EMERGENCY PRAYER REQUEST!
Josh Pepperd and his sons Aidan and Andrew were in a bad helicopter accident between Yakutat and Juneau, Alaska. Here is what I know. Aiden has internal injuries and is currently being Life-Flighted to the hospital in Anchorage. Josh and Andrew have not yet been found. There is currently a Coast Guard search going on for them. If ever a miracle was needed... this is such a time for one. PLEASE, PLEASE SEND THIS TO ANYONE WHO WILL PRAY! I will post updates as I have them. PLEASE SHARE THIS!



September 30, 2018




ANCHORAGE, Alaska —



The Coast Guard suspended it’s search Sunday for potential survivors of a helicopter crash near Lituya Bay, Alaska.

The search was suspended at approximately 1230 p.m.

The Coast Guard, Alaska Air National Guard, Southeast Alaska Dogs for Ground Search and Civil Air Patrol searched a total of 788 square miles over a period of more than 36 hours.

“After maximizing search efforts with air, surface and shoreside assets we suspended the search today,” said Capt. Darran J. McLenon, chief of response for the 17th Coast Guard District. “One survivor is with his family and continues to be evaluated at a hospital in Anchorage. The Coast Guard prays for his full recovery and grieves with the family and friends of the crash victims.”

======================================
1 rescued, 3 missing in Southeast Alaska helicopter crash

Updated: Saturday, September 29th 2018, 7:20 PM AKDT


By Chris Klint

Search efforts are continuing Saturday to find three people missing after Friday night’s crash of a helicopter into Southeast Alaska waters, with a rescued teenage boy alive but gravely hurt.

The Airbus H125 helicopter’s missing occupants were identified Saturday afternoon by Alaska State Troopers spokesman Tim DeSpain as Palmer man David King, 53; Anchorage resident Josh Pepperd, 42; and his 11-year-old son, Andrew Pepperd. Their next of kin have been notified, DeSpain said.

Joshua Pepperd is the president of Davis Constructors & Engineeers, an Alaska-based construction firm which claims credit for nearly $3 billion in projects across the state during its 40-year history.



David King is the president and director of operations of Last Frontier Air Ventures, Ltd.  He owns Airbus As350 B3 helicopter in his fleet and this is the reason he was helping Pepperd piloting the helicopter from Texas to Alaska.

Airbus Helicopters Inc. posted photos on its Facebook page Wednesday of the Pepperds taking delivery of the helicopter, which have since been taken down.

The Airbus, which was being flown on a long-distance trip to Wasilla from Grand Prairie, Texas, had been en route from Juneau to Yakutat when U.S. Coast Guard officials were informed it was overdue as of 6:30 p.m. Friday.

“Two adults and two adolescents were aboard the crashed helicopter that was reported to be brand new out of the factory,” Coast Guard officials wrote in a statement. “The pilot is reported to have 40 years flying experience including Alaska flight time in both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.”

A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew rescued a 14-year-old boy from a nearby beach after the crash, which occurred in Lituya Bay as the newly built Airbus H125 helicopter was being flown from Grand Prairie, Texas to Wasilla. Troopers and family friends identified him as Andrew Pepperd’s brother, Aiden.




Jeff Brodsky, who urged people to pray for the Pepperds on Facebook Saturday, said that according to Aiden his father was flying at the time of the crash with assistance from King, a longtime instructor and pilot. Aiden was thrown from the chopper still strapped into his seat and knocked out.

"His head was resting on a blade when he woke up which thankfully kept his head out of the water," Brodsky wrote. "He barely had the strength to unbuckle. He finally did and tip-toed to the shore."

Troopers said Aiden was flown to a Sitka hospital, then to Anchorage. By Saturday afternoon he was at Providence Alaska Medical Center, where staff listed him in critical but stable condition.

"He has broken ribs puncturing his lung," Brodsky wrote. "They decided to not do surgery today. They are just going to monitor him the rest of today and tonight. It is a real miracle that Aiden is in as good a shape as he is."

An initial search Friday found debris from the crashed Airbus, but no sign of the other three people on board.

“Apparently the wreckage was found about 100 feet from the shore,” DeSpain said. “It’s still trying to be determined if [those missing are] still in the wreckage or if they managed to get out.”

A Coast Guard spokesman, Petty Officer 1st Class Nate Littlejohn, said winds at the time of Aiden's rescue were at about 10 mph, with seas nearby at about 5 to 8 feet.

On Saturday, another Jayhawk crew and the Coast Guard cutter Bailey Barco were searching the area for the helicopter's other occupants, with support from a Civil Air Patrol aircraft. Littlejohn refused to describe the effort as a recovery operation.

“We are still out there searching for survivors,” Littlejohn said.

More debris from the helicopter had been found Saturday evening, according to Littlejohn, but none of the Airbus's occupants.

According to Clint Johnson, the National Transportation Safety Board’s Alaska chief, the chopper was being tracked on its trip by family members, who first reported it overdue.

“They noticed that the tracking system had stopped between Juneau and Yakutat,” Johnson said. “Yakutat was the next fueling stop they were scheduled to make; they did not make it.”

An NTSB investigator and a helicopter engineer will be sent to the scene to learn more about the crash, Johnson said.





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

About us


Last Frontier Air Ventures is a diverse Alaskan Helicopter company offering Support Statewide for: Mineral Exploration, Oil Field Support, Survey, Slung Cargo, Video and Film Projects, Aerial Photography, Tours, and Heli Skiing, Short and Long Term Contracts. Last Frontier Air Ventures, being Alaskan owned and operated, can customize any job, big or small, to meet specific client needs.

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


NTSB investigating crash of Airbus Helicopters AS350 B3 in shallow water about 63 miles NW of Gustavus, Alaska.

==================== Narrative:
The helicopter crashed 100 feet from the shore. Fuselage had been found in shallow water, according NTSB. One occupant (14) was rescued with mild hypothermia, three other were missing. Two adults and two adolescents were in the helicopter at the moment of the accident. Research operations are still in progress.

USCG: “Two adults and two adolescents were aboard the crashed helicopter that was reported to be brand new out of the factory,” Coast Guard officials said.
The helicopter was on a long distance trip out of Grand Prairie, Texas.

Sources:
https://www.newsweek.com/helicopter-crash-alaska-three-people-missing-after-crash-lituya-bay-north-1145153?piano_t=1
https://www.ktuu.com/content/news/494706311.html
http://www.ktva.com/story/39198698/1-rescued-3-missing-in-southeast-alaska-helicopter-crash
_____________
http://www.jetnetglobal.com/abiFiles/abiRegIndex.aspx?ACID=225360&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
https://www.radarbox24.com/data/flights/n907pl#999535705
Date: 28-SEP-2018
Time:

Type:
Airbus Helicopters H125
Owner/operator: Chinilna Equipment LLC
Registration: N907PL
C/n / msn: 8471
Fatalities: Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 4
Other fatalities: 0
Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: Near Lituya Bay, N of Juneau, AL - United States of America
Phase: En route
Nature: Private
Departure airport:

Destination airport:

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






AS350 B3

This intermediate lift helicopter provides the fastest and quietest ride for the highest level of passenger comfort in its class. This Astar is a 5 to 6 passenger helicopter with an external load lift capacity up to 2770 lbs. Increased lift and altitude performance over the B2 Astar. The Astar B3 is one of few helicopters that maintains performance from sea level up to 9000 feet. It provides exceptional visibility from all passenger seats both front and rear.


Options:
  • External basket
  • Squirrel cheeks
  • GPS real time flight tracking
  • Sliding door