Topeka, KS Fatal 31-Jul-2017 NTSB ID# CEN17FA297

Weather folks heard a thud, wow. It does look like it pancaked in. Sad. RIP.
 
CFI and multi-student. I didn't know them, but I know people that did.
 
Was working on my multi in that plane. That was my CFI for both my initial and my MEL. (He goes by his middle name, Kevin)
 
A very nice Twin Comanche. I knew the CFI and the owner well.

Condolences to you and the other friends and family. I have flown in and out of Billard a few times. Nice airport. Didn't know them.
 
Condolences to you and the other friends and family. I have flown in and out of Billard a few times. Nice airport. Didn't know them.

He was a single dad and was taking care of his adult son who has some significant medical issues. Don't know yet what's going to happen there. Sad stuff, learned a lot from him.
 
Just heard on the news, the multi student had his checkride scheduled for today. Newslady said that the student had 50-60 hours in the plane. I'm thinking that was a mistake. 50-60 hours overall or 5-6 hours in the plane sounds a bit more realistic I suppose. No indication at this point of mechanical failure.
 
Man, I sure hope it wasn't a case of the CFI saying, "Here, I want to show you something."
 
I always like flying in and out of TOP. Wide open, a power plant nearby, the river and it's bald eagles right there, a couple of nice rwys, a very helpful tower (closed at the time of this accident), very little traffic, and an on field restaurant.
 
Man, I sure hope it wasn't a case of the CFI saying, "Here, I want to show you something."

That wasn't Kevin's style. At least not with me. It was a dress rehearsal for the checkride so it may have occurred during a single engine landing and they got low and slow under blue line. That's pure speculation on my part, the plane landed upright so it may have been just a hard uncontrolled landing. If I recall, the plane didn't have shoulder harnesses.
 
That wasn't Kevin's style. At least not with me. It was a dress rehearsal for the checkride so it may have occurred during a single engine landing and they got low and slow under blue line. That's pure speculation on my part, the plane landed upright so it may have been just a hard uncontrolled landing. If I recall, the plane didn't have shoulder harnesses.
The pictures of the wreckage show a right prop where one blade looks pretty straight like it was stationary. I think you are correct a simulated engine out. If it was spinning with power it would be bent forward, and spinning at idle power bent backwards.
 
That wasn't Kevin's style. At least not with me. It was a dress rehearsal for the checkride so it may have occurred during a single engine landing and they got low and slow under blue line. That's pure speculation on my part, the plane landed upright so it may have been just a hard uncontrolled landing. If I recall, the plane didn't have shoulder harnesses.
Wasn't meaning to imply anything bad about the CFI, like he was hotdogging. I know it was checkride prep, but on checkrides sometimes the DPE says, "Let me show you something." I was hoping it wasn't a case where something simple like that went wrong.
 
He was a single dad and was taking care of his adult son who has some significant medical issues. Don't know yet what's going to happen there. Sad stuff, learned a lot from him.

Damn that's a tough deal. Sounds like he was a good guy. Very sorry you lost a friend man. Very sad. Condolences.
 
If I recall, the plane didn't have shoulder harnesses.

This is an extremely unfortunate incident, but should serve as a reminder to those who are flying airplanes without shoulder harnesses that have been waffling around: buy them and install them, now. I'm going to take my own advice and order a set this week for my twin.
 
The pictures of the wreckage show a right prop where one blade looks pretty straight like it was stationary. I think you are correct a simulated engine out. If it was spinning with power it would be bent forward, and spinning at idle power bent backwards.

According to an 'aviation expert' it was a simulated engine out.

http://www.wibw.com/content/news/439520023.html

Though, I don't think you'd EVER do a T&G on a single engine as the article describes.
 
According to an 'aviation expert' it was a simulated engine out.

http://www.wibw.com/content/news/439520023.html

Though, I don't think you'd EVER do a T&G on a single engine as the article describes.

I don't know who that yahoo is, but I think his commentary is pretty ridiculous and disgusting. I suspect he's some self-promoting fame seeker who wants his name in print.
 
I don't know who that yahoo is, but I think his commentary is pretty ridiculous and disgusting. I suspect he's some self-promoting fame seeker who wants his name in print.

Yeah, I thought it was rather gauche as well....
 
Speculation regarding crashes is normal and somewhat productive on forums like this one, but contacting a media outlet and offering opinion as an "expert" is asinine.

The TV station is also guilty of extremely poor judgment by using a source that claims to be an "expert", apparently without any attempt to verify his qualifications to do so.

I did a Google Search and found a similar incident where Katz contacted media as an "expert", this time a crash in Oregon.

"As soon as he got offshore, he's looking at a black hole," said Robert Katz of Dallas, Texas, a flight instructor and 35-year pilot who tracks plane crashes across the nation. He contacted the Daily Courier after reading of the Belnap crash. "No useful horizon at all. You don't see a thing. There is no doubt in my mind this pilot became spatially disoriented."

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-n...f/2016/07/spatial_disorientation_may_hav.html

What a tool.
 
Last edited:
Some days I really wish for a story about EMS backing up and running over an ambulance chaser...
 
If he keeps at it, soon he'll be as knowledgeable as Mary Schiavo.

You mean Scary Mary!

Twinkies can be unforgiving if you get slow. I had a MEI friend almost Vmc roll our school's twinkie. Thankfully they had enough altitude and he caught it before they completely lost it. During my MEI ride the DPE made it very clear that if the plane EVER started rolling or the student screws up while single engine to kill the good engine.
 
I received my multi in a Twin Comanche. I found it a wonderful airplane to fly, but they do have a reputation of hurting anyone that gets to close to Vmc. The vertical tail stalls rather abruptly, causing a snap roll to the inverted. Vmc demos in twinkies are best simulated and not allowed to go below Vmc.
 
So, it's been over a year since this accident and there still isn't a Final report out yet from the NTSB. Anyone heard anything on this?
 
So, it's been over a year since this accident and there still isn't a Final report out yet from the NTSB. Anyone heard anything on this?

Two years is more typical these days.
 
Back
Top