Another crash

[Richard]

Plane crash on Islay kills one

Small plane had just taken off from SLO County airport and caught fire; it hit top of 777-foot hill

[size=-1]Sandra Duerr and Jeff Ballinger[/size]

[size=-1]The Tribune[/size]

SAN LUIS OBISPO - A small plane that apparently suffered engine problems and caught fire within moments of takeoff from San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport crashed atop Islay Hill, killing at least one person Monday night, officials reported.

According to Sgt. Tony Perry of the Sheriff's Department, one person was killed in the craft that crashed a few minutes before 10 p.m. Officials were still working to determine if more victims were involved early today.

Perry said officers who rushed to the accident scene said the craft's FAA registration number was completely obliterated by the crash and fire that blackened the hilltop.

A command center was established in the residential neighborhood on Madrone Lane, in the city's southeast corner.

Tom Zehnder, a resident in the 1000 block of Alder Street, was in his garage around 9:50 p.m. when he heard an airplane.

"I stepped outside to see where (the plane) was," he said. "I looked up, heard a thud with a ball of flame as it hit the top of Islay Hill."

San Luis Obispo city and California Department of Forestry engines responded as well as San Luis Obispo police and San Luis Ambulance.

John Voisinet of nearby Cornus Court was alerted of the crash by his wife, Sue, who was outside in the couple's spa.

He ran to the top of the fog-shrouded 777-foot hilltop.

"It was like a bomb went off," he said. "It's just parts. One body for sure. It was just charred.

"I hope to never ever see that again."

Sue Voisinet said she heard the plane and looked up.

"It looked like it was trying to bank," she said. "The next thing I saw was a flash of light in the sky. It went red and then I saw a tall flame."

Witnesses at the airport saw the plane take off. Later, as the aircraft entered a wall of fog, they said they saw a flash of light and assumed it had crashed.

It took firefighters about 45 minutes to contain the fire at the crash scene, officials said.

The Sheriff's Department had contacted the National Transportation and Safety Board to investigate the accident. NTSB officials were expected to arrive in San Luis Obispo today.

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Islay Hill elev (as reported in the story) is msl, the aprt elev is 209 msl. TPA is 1300'. Islay Hill is in the NE quad (MSA 5100') less than 1 sm from the aprt and used as a landmark for R dwnwnd RWY 29. The hill is nowhere near any DP and the pilot would have encountered IMC very soon after take off. The Class D tower would have closed for the night making it a Class G aprt.

That would have been one motivated resident to 'run' up a trail-less chapparal-infested steep hill amongst rocky out croppings towards a fire shrouded under FG in the middle of the night.

 

[Richard]

The pilot has been identified as recently receiving his PPL. It seems the pilot was running behind schedule and went ahead with his decision to depart even though the aprt was now under IMC. Early reports suggested an inflight fire leading to the crash but that has been ruled out. It is tragic this man lost his life due to a string of fatal errors.

Equally distressing is a quote in today's follow up article. The "airport operations supervisor" said, "There're (sic) so many of them. They fly in at all different hours coming and going. It'd be difficult to have a process to keep track of them all." This is in reference to operations at the Class G aprt after the twr closes for the night.

His comments make it sound like there is an out of control free-for-all taking place each night. Now I have to make a phone call and maybe write a letter.

EDIT: Oops, I forgot how the media can and does misreport any comments made to them. Stand by....

 

[AdamZ]

If really just got his PPL and took off knowingly into IMC he flat out made a stupid decision. Tragic indeed but lets be honest it seems like a no brainer. Thankfully he had no pax.

 

[Richard]

Okay, I just got off the phone with Craig. He is an aprt supe but it is in security. Anyway, he was answering a reporter's question about why the aprt doesn't provide more controls about who takes off or lands. He attempted to explain why this isn't under local jurisdiction and used an anology to help explain his answer. He did say such control is not local but a federal matter. He explained a bit about IFR, flight plans,etc. The reporter didn't know what he was talking about so she formulated his comments to suit her. She didn't ask for further clarity. This is the case of hearing what you want to hear.

 

[John J]

Richard;

Thanks for the post; It tells a story that we hear over and over again with pilots who decided that they can fly in any type of conditions. I can remember many years ago meeting a pilot who just got his PP ticket and decided to fly in IFR conditions. As the line boy at the airport I tried to talk him out of flying. He wanted to go right away and not check the weather. He did take off and yes he did crash with his wife and 2 children on board in a corn field 3 miles away. They did survive just barly. I do remember he told me to mind my own business when I finished fueling his brand new Bonanza. It was an P35 with less than 100 hours on it. I knew he had no IR. This all happened early in the morning 0530 to 0600. At 17 years old I will never forget how the plane disappeared into the soup at less then 300 feet and then I could here him reducing power to get the plane below the cloud deck. I will never forget the sounds that the plane made. It was a lesson learned. Working as a line boy at an airport teaches you so much.

I hope some day that all pilots can become more aware and more astute of the weather that surrounds them when they fly.

John

 

[Bill]

He explained a bit about IFR, flight plans,etc. The reporter didn't know what he was talking about so she formulated his comments to suit her. She didn't ask for further clarity. This is the case of hearing what you want to hear.

Exactly why one should just say no comment and just walk away. They'll edit whatever you say to sound really bad and to their agenda. Walk away.

 

[Richard]

Exactly why one should just say no comment and just walk away. They'll edit whatever you say to sound really bad and to their agenda. Walk away.

Too, it is apparent that the quote is out of context. By omitting the question she asked or any other verbage tying into his comments the reader is left to guess the meaning. Perhaps it was in the interest of brevity or perhaps this young reporter didn't know how to construct an article, the result is another piece to support the perception that aviation is too risky and it is out of control.

The article is evidence of an irresponsible, cavalier attitude. They don't get to claim ignorance, they're reporters and they shape public opinion.