Pilot Jon S. Thocker dies after small plane crash near Culpeper Regional Airport
The cause of the crash is unknown.
Author: Erin Roby
October 12, 2018
BRANDY STATION, VA -- The pilot of a small plane has died after a private plane crash near the Culpeper Regional Airport on Friday night.
Sky9 was over the scene around 9:15 p.m. where a small plane could be seen surrounded by emergency vehicles.
The pilot's identity has not been released at this time. The cause of the crash is unknown.
The Culpeper Air Fest is scheduled to take place in the area on Saturday. On Friday night, the air show announced that an aerobatic act experienced an accident during the night portion of the show.
The investigation into the crash is ongoing.
The Culpeper Regional Airport is located on Beverly Ford Road.
The plane is owned by Jon S. Thocker of Cincinnati, Ohio. We are assuming that he is the pilot who died in the crash, as nobody else should be crazy enough to fly these experimental and self-built kit planes. He was a former airline pilot.
2017 JON S THOCKER VANS RV-8
Fixed wing single engine
(2 seats / 1 engine)
Jon Thocker was working for Formation Aerobatic Flight Teamin
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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13TH, 2018
During the night portion of the Culpeper Air Fest an aerobatic act experienced an accident. Emergency services that were onsite were dispatched immediately and are currently at work on the scene. It is too early to release any specific details at this time as there is an ongoing investigation. The educational portion of the Culpeper Air Fest for tomorrow morning will continue as planned, and as we get more details on the investigation we will make decisions on the remaining portions of the airshow. Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved and we will update you as soon as we have further information.
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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13TH, 2018
Our goal is to honor the contributions of historic military aircraft, which helped to secure our nation’s freedom. The Culpeper Air Fest features the ONLY civilian-owned-and-operated Harrier jump jet, which can take off and land vertically, yet fly at near supersonic speeds. The Air Fest is a celebration of our aviation heritage and is a fun, family-friendly, community-oriented event. The show is locally produced, free to the public and draws top performers from around the nation offering something for everyone.
The Culpeper Air Fest is held at the Culpeper Regional Airport. Plan your trip to this year’s event with our handy FAQs section.
Narrative:
The aircraft impacted terrain near Culpeper Regional Airport (KCJR), Culpeper, Virginia. It was partially consumed by a post-impact fire and the pilot received fatal injuries. The aircraft was practicing aerobatics for the Culpeper Air Fest planned the next day.
Sources:
https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/virginia/pilot-dies-after-small-plane-crash-near-culpeper-regional-airport/65-603948810
http://www.fox5dc.com/news/local-news/small-plane-crash-at-culpeper-regional-airport#/
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https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N804RL/history/20181012/2359Z/KCJR/KCJR/tracklog
http://www.redlineairshows.com/gallery.html
https://culpeperairfest.com/
Date: 12-OCT-2018
Time: 20:10 LT
Type: 
Van's RV-8
Owner/operator: Redline Airshows
Registration: N804RL
C/n / msn: 83272
Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities: 0
Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: Culpeper Regional Airport (KCJR), Culpeper, VA - 
United States of America
Phase: Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature: Demo/Airshow/Display
Departure airport: Culpeper Regional Airport,VA (KCJR)
Destination airport: Culpeper Regional Airport,VA (KCJR)
California train agency fined $650,000 for 2 worker deaths
By PAUL ELIAS Associated Press
October 11, 2018
SAN FRANCISCO, CA —
Regulators fined the San Francisco Bay Area's transit agency $650,000 on Thursday for safety failures that led a commuter train to strike and kill two workers inspecting track five years ago during a union strike.
The California Public Utilities Commission also placed the Bay Area Rapid Transit agency on three years of probation. The commission said the fine would double if BART commits any safety violations during that period.
BART spokeswoman Alicia Trost said the agency was reviewing the decision, which nearly triples a $220,000 fine ordered by a judge last year. BART and staff members of the commission's Safety and Enforcement Division both appealed the judge's order to the five-member commission.
Commissioner Liane M. Randolph said regulators increased the fine because the safety failures were "egregious" and BART's response to the investigation was inadequate.
"BART's degree of wrongdoing, particularly the safety rule violations discussed above, are most troubling," Randolph wrote in the decision.
Randolph noted that BART was more than 16 months late in producing its accident report and its "corrective-action plan" was only two pages long and submitted four years after the accident.
Trost said BART has spent $2 million upgrading its safety barrier and plans an additional $4 million in improvements. She said the agency has overhauled its safety policies since the accident.
Laurence Daniels, 66, and Christopher Sheppard, 58, were killed in 2013 while inspecting a track east of San Francisco. At the time, the agency was scrambling to restore limited service during a workers strike.
The train that struck the workers was part of a training exercise to teach managers how to drive in case of a prolonged worker walkout. The strike ended after four days.
The judge found that a trainee with no direct supervision in the cab was driving the train. The driver slammed on the emergency brake and tried to hit the button to sound the train's horns but instead pressed a button that controls the doors.
The transit agency was using a safety procedure called "simple approval," in which track inspectors were responsible for their own safety and determined they could clear the track within 15 seconds of an approaching train.
BART has since eliminated that policy. BART trains are now required to stop if a worker is within 6 feet of the track. BART says it has improved communications between drivers, track inspectors and the control center.
The workers had their backs to the train when they were struck in violation of agency safety rules. One member of inspection crews is always supposed to be watching for trains.
The California Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined BART $210,000 in 2014.
In addition, BART has paid the family of Daniels $300,000 to settle a wrongful-death lawsuit. BART said Sheppard's family settled a worker's compensation claim, but Trost said she didn't know the amount paid.
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NTSB issues safety recommendations following BART workers´ deaths
KCBA News
December 19, 2013
The National Transportation Safety Board Thursday issued “urgent” safety recommendations to protect rail workers in the wake of the on-the-job deaths of two BART track workers in Contra Costa County two months ago.
The recommendations arose from the NTSB’s ongoing investigation into the deaths of 58-year-old Hayward man Christopher Sheppard and 66-year-old Laurence Daniels of Fair Oaks, who were struck and killed by a BART train on Oct. 19 while inspecting a dip in the tracks between the Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill BART stations.
At the time of their deaths, BART was using a controversial safety procedure known as “simple approval,” in which track employees were responsible for their own safety and required workers to clear the track in 15 seconds if a train approached.
BART has since eliminated the practice.
Following that revelation, the NTSB is urging “redundant” safety measures for rail workers, such as implementing a safety monitoring system known as positive train control, secondary warning devices or the use of a shunt that workers attach to rails to send a stop signal to approaching trains, according to a statement from the safety board.
The NTSB today also urged Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff to require transit agencies to review safety procedures and eliminate practices that rely solely on the track worker to protect themselves from an oncoming train.
“Having redundant protection measures in place for track workers is not only a best practice but common sense,” NTSB chairman Deborah Hersman said. “A positive safety culture is not a solo act — everyone needs to look out for each other.”
The letter to Rogoff also cites other track worker deaths investigated by the NTSB in recent years, including fatal incidents in the Washington, D.C., New York and Boston areas.
The investigation into the deaths of Daniels and Sheppard is ongoing and the NTSB has not yet determined the accident’s probable cause.
