Pilots had purchased home ‘kit' plane before fiery Colo. crash: probe
A preliminary probe into the June 23 deaths of pilots Alejandro Antunez, 53, and Lawrence Skinner, 61, found that the men were flying a commercial, assemble-it-yourself aircraft when the plane crashed and burned less than a mile from the Montrose Regional Airport.
Antunez had recently purchased the 'Murphy Moose' float plane, a Canadian aircraft touted as an 'easy' kit that comes with pre-assembled parts, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
3 The pilots who died after their aircraft crashed near Montrose Regional Airport in Colorado last month were flying a home-kit plane.
KREX News 5
Advertisement
'Designed for safety and serviceability, Moose is easy to assemble, inspect and service,' manufacturer Murphy Air states on its website.
'The Moose is designed for the first time builder. No building jigs required,' the company adds.
The plane that Antunez and Skinner flew did not have a current registration with the Federal Aviation Administration, the NTSB found.
Advertisement
The federal agency did not state exactly where or when Antunez purchased the kit plane, but officials said the aircraft was originally put together in 2008.
3 Witnesses said the plane failed to climb or gain speed after taking off from the airport June 23.
KREX News 5
An online ad for a plane with the same tail number as the one Antunez flew in was listed for sale until January 2024 in Colorado, where the two men would takeoff from on June 23.
Antunez and Skinner — both from Fort Myers, Florida — had stopped by Montrose to refuel on a trip from Colorado to the Sunshine State.
Advertisement
During the 10 a.m. liftoff, the home-kit plane failed to climb or gain speed, soaring out-of-control northward from the airport until it struck the embankment of a dirt driveway less than a mile away from the runway, the NTSB said.
3 The exact cause of the crash remains under investigation.
KREX News 5
The crash caused the plane to explode into an inferno, killing the men and leaving a charred wreck in its wake.
The NTSB took possession of the wreckage, as investigators are still determining what caused the fatal crash and whether the men died upon impact.
Advertisement
Officials noted that Antunez was a properly rated pilot for a single-engine land and sea plane who also had commercial pilot privileges for single-engine sea planes.
Skinner, who was serving as the co-pilot, was employed as a commercial airplane pilot and certified airplane mechanic at the time of the crash, and he also held flight instructor certificates for various aircraft.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Too Much Moose Meat Blamed For Fatal 2023 Plane Crash That Killed Alaska Rep. Mary Peltola's Husband
While it definitely feels like it's been happening more frequently lately, commercial airline crashes are incredibly rare, especially considering how many miles they fly every year. Small, private planes, however, are a completely different story. So when former Alaska Representative Mary Peltola's husband, Eugene, crashed a Piper Super Cub in southwest Alaska back in 2023, it was tragic but also far from unheard of. Recently, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded its investigation into the crash and believes it knows why the plane crashed — it was overloaded with moose meat. According to the NTSB's final report, while on a hunting trip, Peltola attempted to fly out of a remote airstrip carrying moose meat and antlers. Unfortunately for Peltola, he loaded too much weight onto the plane, putting it 117 pounds or 6% over its maximum takeoff limit. He also had a set of antlers strapped to the right wing strut, which investigators said likely contributed to the crash. Had the plane not been overloaded, the antlers may have been less of an issue, but the combination of added weight and drag ultimately proved fatal. Wind was also reportedly a factor, with Clint Johnson, the NTSB's Alaska Region Chief, telling Alaska's KTUU, "Number one was, obviously, the overweight condition — no ifs, ands, or buts there. The parasitic drag from the antlers that were attached to the right wing, and then also the last thing would be the wind, the mechanical wind turbulence at the end of the takeoff area, which unfortunately, led to this accident. If you would have been able to take one of those items out, we probably wouldn't be having this conversation. But those things all in combination led to this tragic accident." Read more: These Are The Best Engines Of All Time, According To You Allegations Of Negligence Strapping antlers to the exterior of a small plane is reportedly fairly common in Alaska, but, at least on paper, you're still required to get approval from the Federal Aviation Administration before doing so. According to the report, though, there is no evidence that Peltola's plan had been approved to do so. And while a plane's maximum takeoff weight can be the same as its maximum landing weight, that's not always the case. According to the NTSB's report, the plane likely would have still been 180 pounds over the Super Cub's landing weight, even when accounting for the fuel consumed in the air. In addition to Peltola overloading the plane, the report also states that it had undergone extensive repairs throughout its seven decades of service, and much of that work was done before the FAA updated its guidelines on repairs and restorations. The report didn't draw a conclusion one way or the other as to whether or not those repairs contributed to Peltola's crash, however, KTUU reports a lawsuit has been filed, claiming Bruce Werba and the two companies he controlled, Alaska Pike Safari's & Wilderness Adventures and Neitz Aviation, Inc., behaved negligently and caused Peltola "to fly excessive hours, to fly without adequate sleep or rest, to fly under unreasonably dangerous conditions, and to carry an external load without the required permit." The lawsuit also alleges that neither of the companies named in the suit had gotten a certificate of self-insurance from the Alaska Division of Workers' Compensation and thus deprived Peltola of the appropriate compensation. The lawsuit reportedly seeks at least $100,000 in damages, as well as a jury trial. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
7 injured after small plane crashes into car in Florida
A small plane clipped a tree before skimming the top of a car, then crashing in a park on Monday, resulting in seven people being transported to the hospital, according to Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. Two people were on board the Orlican M8 Eagle, a small single-engine aircraft, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue said two people were Trauma Alert criteria and were transported to the Palm Beach County Trauma Center. The five people in the car, one adult and four children, were transported to a local hospital for evaluation. MORE: 2 children dead after barge strikes sailboat from youth sailing program: Officials Palm Beach County Fire Rescue said there was no fire and no large fuel leak. The aircraft sustained "extreme damage" to the nose and the vehicle had minor damage to the roof. The plane crashed in a neighborhood in Lake Worth, Florida, according to the FAA. The incident occurred around 4:45 p.m. MORE: Small plane crashes in Boca Raton, Florida; all 3 on board killed According to the flight track on FlightRadar24, the plane crashed right after takeoff. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will both investigate. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Plane with three aboard crashes offshore near Monterey County lighthouse
Two people were found unresponsive and rescue crews were looking for a third person after a small plane crashed off the coast of Monterey County on Saturday night, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Monterey County officials alerted the Coast Guard's Monterey station at 10:55 p.m. Saturday that a twin-engine Beechcraft with three people aboard had crashed about 200 to 300 yards offshore, near the historic Point Pinos Lighthouse in Pacific Grove, the Coast Guard said in a news release Sunday. The plane took off from the San Carlos airport at 10:11 p.m. and was last seen at 10:37 p.m. near Monterey, according to flight tracking data from Flight Aware. The Coast Guard launched a 29-foot response boat that arrived on the scene shortly after 11 p.m. A Coast Guard helicopter and three California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection boat crews also assisted in the search, along with two Cal Fire drones. Multiple local law enforcement agencies also assisted in the response. The Beechcraft was located, according to the Coast Guard. The plane had been scheduled to leave for Gooding Municipal Airport in Idaho on Sunday morning — a two-hour, 48-minute flight — and to fly back to Monterey later in the day. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash. ABC7 News in San Francisco reported that airplane parts, including at least one wheel, had washed up on nearby Asilomar State Beach by Sunday morning. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Solve the daily Crossword
