Plane Down - Clearwater, FL

"Miraculously, the plane hit no one on the ground."

I just love the media.

RIP and prayers for the family.
 
That is sad.....:sad::sad:.

ps.... there is probably a good reason why there was no fire...:mad2::mad2:
 
brentee said:
"Miraculously, the plane hit no one on the ground."

I just love the media.
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Well, they've probably never been up in an airplane to see just how much of the earth has nobody around... And I guess they've probably also never considered that the person flying the plane is going to avoid hitting anything in an attempt to save their own ass too.
 
Makes me wonder...Guy left Chicago at 6:30pm, En Route to Clearwater and crashed around 4:00am. Assuming he worked all day on Friday, and that's why the later departure after work hours...12 hours of flight, at night..makes me wonder if fatigue paid into some poor decision making....

also the lack of any fire after crash...was he just trying to get there without adding an extra fuel stop, due to lack of sleep/exhaustion and pushed it too far?
 
What is really sad is that I could have made the same trip Saturday(the following day), VFR all the way.

I usually only fly at night solo and then only in familiar territory. More risk than I will expose my family to. Those roads look awfully inviting at night, especially with plenty of water in that part of the country.
 
The updated story says he reported "fuel problems" to the tower. :(
 
Guy took off from Campbell airport. It's north of PWK where I fly out of.
 
Sounds like fuel starvation and he tried landing on McMullen Booth. He most likely had the airport in sight. McMullen Booth has a lot of obstacles.
 
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Paul Allen said:
Sounds like fuel starvation and he tried landing on McMullen Booth. He most likely had the airport in sight. McMullin Booth has a lot of obstacles.
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Very sad, indeed. Having just completed a similar trip just last night, it hits very close to home. But we never landed with less than three hours still on board...my passengers don't like legs over four hours.

The really sad part is a well-planned fuel stop needn't add much to your trip. Our last stop in IL last night was less than 20 min. touchdown to takeoff.

If the reports are accurate, this pilot may have paid the ultimate price to save less than an hour.
 
An NTSB investigator was just on the local news saying they'll look at last fuel stop vs. route of flight.

What's the fuel endurance on the four seat Pipers?
 
It looks like 550 nm from JWN-PIE staying over the shore line.
 
asechrest said:
An NTSB investigator was just on the local news saying they'll look at last fuel stop vs. route of flight.

What's the fuel endurance on the four seat Pipers?
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The Archer 3 I fly burns about 9-10 gallons an hour. I flight plan at 10 gallons an hour. To tabs, it's 34 gallons.
 
gkaiser said:
Makes me wonder...Guy left Chicago at 6:30pm, En Route to Clearwater and crashed around 4:00am. Assuming he worked all day on Friday, and that's why the later departure after work hours...12 hours of flight, at night..makes me wonder if fatigue paid into some poor decision making....

also the lack of any fire after crash...was he just trying to get there without adding an extra fuel stop, due to lack of sleep/exhaustion and pushed it too far?
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The air is a lot smoother at night. There might have been some airsickness issues with one or both of the kids.

-John
 
asgcpa said:
The Archer 3 I fly burns about 9-10 gallons an hour. I flight plan at 10 gallons an hour. To tabs, it's 34 gallons.
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He almost certainly topped the tanks, which is 48 gallons usable. If his last fuel stop was in Nashville, the tanks would likely have been pretty low by the time he reached KPIE, especially if he stayed on shore. If both tanks were empty, or close to it, he had to know that he was cutting it close, since he would have had to jockey the fuel selector as the tanks got low in order to keep the engine running. I suppose that it's possible that he switched right before running a tank dry, ran the other one dry, and didn't react quickly enough to switch back when the engine stopped.

The night part doesn't bother me that much, but I can't imagine either flying a course line that takes me 20 miles offshore, or continuing to operate in a fuel critical situation even if I was "almost there," especially with passengers on board. If it turns out that he stopped somewhere and topped the tanks between Nashville and his destination, then perhaps something else was going on, but when you look at the facts that we know at this point, that doesn't appear likely.


JKG
 
RIP to the father good thing the daughter and friend are alive hopefully they pull throuhg!
 
This was Jeffery and Susan's other daughter that died in a snowmobile accident...

Christine Lee Bronken of Round Lake, 20, passed away Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009. Christine was born May 9, 1989, in Lake Forest, to Jeffrey and Susan (nee Manna) Bronken. She loved life and her family and was an outdoor enthusiast. Christine attended and graduated from Grant Community High School. She had been a Grant High cheerleader, member of the National Honor Society, and Student Council Officer Member. She was currently a St. Norbert College Wake Board Team Member. She will be deeply missed by her parents, Jeffrey and Susan (nee Manna) Bronken; her brother, Tommy; her sister; Kate; and many other dear relatives and friends.

Accident Report...

Oneida County authorities said Kristine Bronken, 20, of Round Lake, Ill., became the county’s first snowmobile fatality of 2009-10 snowmobile season when the sled she was operating struck a house in the town of Three Lakes on Saturday around 1:30 p.m. Bronken sustained head and chest trauma and was pronounced dead Saturday evening at Aspirus Wausau Hospital, according to the Oneida County Medical Examiner’s Office. Alcohol was said to be a factor in the accident, authorities said. According to Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource Department’s preliminary findings, “the victim and a companion left a bar after consuming several alcoholic beverages and failed to follow the snowmobile route, lost control and attempted to brake for approximately 200 feet and went airborne prior to striking the residence.” A preliminary Blood Alcohol Content of 0.213 was reported, nearly three times the legal limit. Further details were not release. The crash is being investigated by the Three Lakes Police Department, DNR and Oneida County.
 
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http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/loca...ater-plane-was-in-accident-years-ago/6754445/

The one photo shows possibly a pic from their first leg...caption says previous flight. The sun could be setting to their right while heading south. Possibly uploaded while in Nashville.

One can see the disadvantages of attempting to land on a road littered with obstacles. At least the trees tops and soft dirt may absorb some energy.
 
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Took the power down in the area. No fire.may the pilot rest in peace.
 
RV10flyer said:
This was Jeffery and Susan's other daughter that died in a snowmobile accident...

Christine Lee Bronken of Round Lake, 20, passed away Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009. Christine was born May 9, 1989, in Lake Forest, to Jeffrey and Susan (nee Manna) Bronken. She loved life and her family and was an outdoor enthusiast. Christine attended and graduated from Grant Community High School. She had been a Grant High cheerleader, member of the National Honor Society, and Student Council Officer Member. She was currently a St. Norbert College Wake Board Team Member. She will be deeply missed by her parents, Jeffrey and Susan (nee Manna) Bronken; her brother, Tommy; her sister; Kate; and many other dear relatives and friends.

Accident Report...

Oneida County authorities said Kristine Bronken, 20, of Round Lake, Ill., became the county’s first snowmobile fatality of 2009-10 snowmobile season when the sled she was operating struck a house in the town of Three Lakes on Saturday around 1:30 p.m. Bronken sustained head and chest trauma and was pronounced dead Saturday evening at Aspirus Wausau Hospital, according to the Oneida County Medical Examiner’s Office. Alcohol was said to be a factor in the accident, authorities said. According to Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource Department’s preliminary findings, “the victim and a companion left a bar after consuming several alcoholic beverages and failed to follow the snowmobile route, lost control and attempted to brake for approximately 200 feet and went airborne prior to striking the residence.” A preliminary Blood Alcohol Content of 0.213 was reported, nearly three times the legal limit. Further details were not release. The crash is being investigated by the Three Lakes Police Department, DNR and Oneida County.
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Wow... This family is jinxed...

And maybe self induced too...:idea:
 
This is sad and yet frustrating, provided that the cause was running out of gas.

We know that fuel starvation is a major cause of crashes but we keep running out of fuel. UGH.
 
Wonder where his daughter was sitting.

In the twitter photo, she's in the front seat but looking at the crash would seem anyone in the front seat would have been crushed badly.

Wonder if he told her to get in the backseat when he realized he was going to have a problem.

Do we know the severity of the survivors' injuries?
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Wonder where his daughter was sitting.

In the twitter photo, she's in the front seat but looking at the crash would seem anyone in the front seat would have been crushed badly.

Wonder if he told her to get in the backseat when he realized he was going to have a problem.

Do we know the severity of the survivors' injuries?
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Local reporting hasn't seemed to indicate what their injuries are. Though as of last night they were still in the hospital. They hit two-inch-thick power lines and I'm wondering if that sheared off the top of the cockpit. That could also have been rescuers cutting it away, though.
 
asechrest said:
Local reporting hasn't seemed to indicate what their injuries are. Though as of last night they were still in the hospital. They hit two-inch-thick power lines and I'm wondering if that sheared off the top of the cockpit. That could also have been rescuers cutting it away, though.
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I bet the jaws of life were used to cut the top off to let the EMT's get to the girl /s....
 
Funkeruski said:
Then fly commercial.
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Flying at night is not much different than flying during the daytime if the pilot actually sits down and works up a legitimate flight plan beforehand, and uses it during the flight, even if he/she is using GPS. Such as marking off checkpoints, knowing where the alternates are and watching fuel consumption.

Night flying can even be considered safer if you consider the dearth of small aircraft that usually inhabit indian country during the day.

If you have a love for flying in large aluminum tubes filled with hundreds of people all breathing the same air, then why bother with small aircraft at all?

Do you think the pilots of big iron just climb in the left seat and follow the magenta line?

-John
 
John Baker said:
Night flying can even be considered safer if you consider the dearth of small aircraft that usually inhabit indian country during the day.

-John
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And its usually easier to spot a plane at night than during the day. Usually.
 
N801BH said:
:sad::sad::sad::sad:.......................
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Awfully terrible for this family, especially having previously lost a daughter in a snow machine accident. I sort of hope this isn't a fuel exhaustion issue, because if it is...

I recall the saying about aviation being terribly unforgiving of carelessness, incapacity or neglect. May we all re-double our efforts to handle those things that are completely within our control.
 
asechrest said:
Awfully terrible for this family, especially having previously lost a daughter in a snow machine accident. I sort of hope this isn't a fuel exhaustion issue, because if it is...

I recall the saying about aviation being terribly unforgiving of carelessness, incapacity or neglect. May we all re-double our efforts to handle those things that are completely within our control.
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Amen to that fellow aviator...

Just 6 months ago I cleaned up a horrific mess that took the lives of two flyers.... Life is fragile... play safe....:yesnod:..
 
asechrest said:
Awfully terrible for this family, especially having previously lost a daughter in a snow machine accident. I sort of hope this isn't a fuel exhaustion issue, because if it is...

I recall the saying about aviation being terribly unforgiving of carelessness, incapacity or neglect. May we all re-double our efforts to handle those things that are completely within our control.
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Pretty much what I'm thinking.

This is such an unbelievable tragedy. As for the surviving family I can't comprehend how one can endure such repetitive grief.
 
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