PA44 from Ormond Beach down in Flagler

J

JOhnH

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http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20170714/1-confirmed-dead-in-plane-crash-near-marineland
This one is very close to home. My wife got her PPL at Sunrise Aviation in 2009. Her instructor at the time was around 60 and he is still teaching there. They have not released the names yet, so neither will I.

Sunrise Aviation is a good school with good maintenance and good safety procedures.

The plane went down very near where my wife and I had to put down in 2010 due to a catastrophic engine failure on our C-172. We still talk about how lucky we were because there are very few areas to land off-airport in the region. It is ALL trees and ocean and a little slice of the intra-coastal waterway.
 
Being 11 pm didn't help their decision-making, either. Witness reported hearing engine sputter but since the Seminole has two, wonder if both were sputtering. If so guess the cause is pretty obvious.

Hasn't been a good couple weeks in FL. Had the Everglades crash (already thread on it). Dean Aviation (the flight school involved) had another one go down couple days ago landed on a road in town just after takeoff from Fort Lauderdale (don't remember which airport). Guess the FAA will be taking a close look at their records. Two men on board survived but the plane hit a building on roll-out, a 172.

Then on Tuesday Sky Dive Deland lost a jumper but this turned out to be a suicide. The man had sent his wife a message detailing what he was going to do. I can think of better ways to accomplish this without that long fall and sudden "thud" at the end.
 
So unfortunate and sad when someone goes down.
 
The instructor was a dear friend and we did a good bit of flying together.
Finished my IR with him, commercial ASEL, ASES, AMEL, CFI....
Old Jeff had north of 40k hours of dual given. Last we spoke he said he's putting 1000 hrs a year on those Seminoles.

old cfi said:
Being 11 pm didn't help their decision-making, either. Witness reported hearing engine sputter but since the Seminole has two, wonder if both were sputtering. If so guess the cause is pretty obvious.
Click to expand...

Considering NTSB says
On July 13, 2017, about 2300 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-44-180, N2173S, was destroyed during a descent and subsequent inflight breakup near Marineland, Florida. The flight instructor and private pilot receiving instruction were fatally injured.
Click to expand...

If the cause is still obvious to you, you're a better man than I am, Charlie Brown.
 
I wouldn't be jumping to any conclusion without evidence, but fuel, or lack thereof, seems a high-probability culprit. I am waiting for the final report.

I didn't know Jeff, but I do know some other instructors there, as well as the owner and I know they are not lax on safety. They run a good shop. But even good people make mistakes.
 
JOhnH said:
I wouldn't be jumping to any conclusion without evidence, but fuel, or lack thereof, seems a high-probability culprit. I am waiting for the final report.

I didn't know Jeff, but I do know some other instructors there, as well as the owner and I know they are not lax on safety. They run a good shop. But even good people make mistakes.
Click to expand...

NTSB mentions "in-flight break-up"
Photos show a violent impact, plane on its back.
I just don't see how fuel or lack thereof could lead to that
 
An update on this 2 year old thread. Perhaps this thread should be moved to "Aviation Mishaps"

https://www.news-journalonline.com/...ctor-involved-in-fatal-marineland-plane-crash

A 70 yr old CFI " had cocaine, marijuana and alcohol in his system when the plane he was piloting crashed near Marineland in July 2017".
What is "inactive cocaine"?
Toxicology tests from Salan’s autopsy detected ethanol in his liver, although there were no traces in his urine, suggesting the substance did not affect him during the crash. Salan also had marijuana and inactive traces of cocaine in his tissues, according to toxicology results.
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Sounds bad for the CFI, but there is no evidence of when the drugs were used or if the drugs caused the crash.
 
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