NTSB issues preliminary report on fatal plane crash
Posted on January 5, 2009, by admin, under News.
It was also five miles from the end of runway 17 at the Marco Island Airport.All major portions of the crashed plane were recovered and taken to a hangar for examination.According to the report, both wings were separated from the plane and the main cabin structure was compromised.The seats, portions of the roof, sidewall and floor were scattered around the accident site.
: The National Transportation Safety Board issued a preliminary investigation report into the fatal plane crash off Marco Island on December 17.According to the report, the pilot, 74-year-old Benjamin Simpson, told a friend he was going flying to work on night recurrence training.Witnesses reported hearing the sound of an airplane engine followed by a loud bang or explosion.
It was flown for a total of 2.9 hours before Simpson took the plane for his flight.Review of maintenance records shows the plane had been operated for about 20 hours since the most recent 100-hour inspection, which was conducted December 12, 2008.The pilot had 812 hours of total flight experience according to his most recent application for an FAA Third Class medical certificate, which was issued on April 16 2008.According to the report, Simpson did not possess an instrument rating.During the investigation, a Collier County Sheriff’s Office helicopter pilot, who responded to the accident, reported the lighting conditions were very dark and provided no visual reference to a horizon looking out towards the Gulf of Mexico.He said the lack of visual cues with the naked eye would have required navigation via aircraft instrumentation.The final report from the NTSB will be issued sometime in the next year.
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