Indiana Crash after takeoff from SBN

Update:

Five people were killed when a small plane crashed southwest of South Bend, Ind., Monday night shortly after taking off from that city's airport, officials said this morning.

The Cessna 303, which was headed to Ankeny, Iowa, dropped off the radar screens of Federal Aviation Administration controllers about 7 p.m., FAA officials said. They also were unable to communicate with the pilot of the twin-engine plane designed to hold six people.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...ssing-plane,1,3427719.story?coll=chi-news-hed
Click to expand...
 
hmmm ive never heard of that company that its registered to. ankeny is just down the road from here, bummer.
 
News today was the the pilot was out of Atlantic, IA and had been hired to provide transportation for the Two Rivers Marketing company, but the *hired* pilot didn't have Commercial privileges on his pilot's license. It will be interesting to see where the fault falls on this since the pilot himself didn't survive.

-Chris
 
I doubt the airplane crashed because he was a private pilot. Although if he was relatively inexperienced that couldve easily lead to a graveyard spiral/in flight breakup but who knows. I suspect he saw the opportunity to get some twin time, make a little money, and was too tempted by it to say no. Im thinking he would wish now that he hadnt made that decision.
 
I just found out that I went to grade school with one of the victims. Her mother is a good friend of my aunt. My mom has taken several calls from her sisters, "See, that airplane your son flies is DANGEROUS!". Sigh. Sounds like the accident pilot had very few hours in the 303.


James Dean
 
rumblings around the airport is that it was an illegal part 135 op. time will tell...
 
Heard someone say it was one of those 134 1/2 ops :( The media is eating up the fact that he didn't have a commercial, and that his 2nd class was over 12 calendar months old.
 
Last edited:
Now they are "reporting" that the pilot was simply flying the folks there-and-back as a 'favor' to a friend and was not hired as a charter pilot. This could turn into a soap opera pretty quick.

-Chris
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top