Latest news with #AdvancedWorldChampionship
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Plane had rudder issue on first post-inspection flight before crashing in Boca, NTSB says
The family aboard a Cessna 310R that crashed and burned in Boca Raton near Interstate 95 in April were on the plane's first flight after an annual inspection and experienced an issue with the rudder that left it only able to make left turns, according to a preliminary National Transportation Safety Board investigation. The small plane, built in 1977, took off from Boca Raton Airport just after 10 a.m. April 11 and was headed for Tallahassee on a personal flight. Video of the plane after takeoff showed it veering to the left, continuing in a left turn out of camera's view and could again be seen after re-entering the camera's view, still veering into a left turn, an NTSB report released Wednesday said. Multiple witnesses recorded video that showed the plane flying to the left while at a low altitude. Both engines were operating at the time, the report said. Flight-tracking data showed a looping path where the plane made at least nine turns. One of the two certified pilots aboard 'reported that they were having a problem with the airplane's rudder and that they could only make left turns,' the report said. When the plane came crashing down just before 10:30 a.m., it initially struck several trees in the median of the road, then hit the road and continued nearly 400 feet away from the initial crash point to the 'main wreckage site,' according to the report, on the railroad tracks beneath the overpass at Glades Road and Military Trail near I-95. The impact flung the plane's left engine more than 300 feet away from the tracks. The plane's pieces were 'highly fragmented,' and the blaze after impact consumed most of the main body of the plane and its cockpit, the report said. All major components of the destroyed plane were found in the wreckage, including the rudder near the initial crash site, which showed 'impact and thermal damage.' Three family members were killed: Robert Stark, 81, of Boca Raton; Stephen Stark, 54, of Delray Beach; and Brooke Stark, 17, of Delray Beach. A 24-year-old man from Boca Raton driving a 2017 Toyota Prius also sustained minor injuries when he lost control while driving north on Military Trail near the fiery crash and hit a tree. Victims ID'd in Boca plane crash; Military Trail reopens Robert Stark was a certified private pilot with single-engine land and sea ratings, as well as multi-engine land and instrument ratings, Federal Aviation Administration records show. An instrument rating is earned by training to fly solely by referencing instruments. Stephen Stark was also a certified private pilot and had single-engine and multi-engine aircraft ratings. Robert Stark was an experienced aerobatic competition pilot who competed in numerous contests, including for the U.S. advanced aerobatics team in an Advanced World Championship held in the Czech Republic in 1999. WPEC-Ch. 12, the Sun Sentinel's news partner, previously reported that Brooke Stark was a senior at Atlantic Community High School in Delray Beach. 911 dispatchers were inundated with calls from people who witnessed the crash, from someone who was in a building across the street to a woman from the Boca Raton Airport Authority to drivers on I-95, calls previously obtained by the South Florida Sun Sentinel showed. They received so many calls that they answered with, 'Are you calling about the plane crash?' Preliminary reports from the NTSB do not provide information about probable cause and contain only facts from the agency's initial investigation. Probable cause of crashes are included in the NTSB's final reports, which can take up to two years to complete.
American Military News
21-04-2025
- American Military News
‘Something just dropped from the sky:' Dozens call 911 to report Boca plane crash
Two dozen people called 911 after seeing a Cessna 310R crash and explode near Interstate 95 in a busy area of Boca Raton on Friday morning. The plane experienced a mechanical issue shortly after taking off from the Boca airport just after 10 a.m., officials said. While trying to return to the airport, the plane crashed just short of where the pilot intended to land. A teenage girl, her father and her grandfather were killed in the crash. They were identified by Boca Raton Police on Friday as Robert Stark, 81, of Boca Raton; Stephen Stark, 54, of Delray Beach; and Brooke Stark, 17, of Delray Beach. Dispatchers were inundated with 911 calls from people who witnessed the crash, from someone who was in a building across the street to a woman from the Boca Raton Airport Authority to drivers on I-95, according to the calls obtained by the South Florida Sun Sentinel late Tuesday night. They received so many calls that dispatchers began answering with, 'Are you calling about the plane crash?' The woman who called from the airport authority said the plane was 'in distress' and asked for fire rescue to respond. Air traffic control had already contacted police, the dispatcher replied. 'I know this is a really strange call,' another woman said. 'But is anybody else calling about this plane flying very low?' The operator said they were already aware. 'He's way too low,' the woman said as the operator interrupted. 'Ma'am, they're having issues. We're aware,' the dispatcher said. The dispatchers answering calls did not stay on the line long, briefly telling callers they were already on the way. 'Something just dropped from the sky and there's a big accident,' a third woman said. Another caller described seeing black smoke billowing into the sky just off the highway near Glades Road. A 24-year-old man from Boca Raton had minor injuries after he lost control while driving a 2017 Toyota Prius near the fiery crash north on Military Trail and hit a tree, Boca Raton Police spokesperson Officer Jessica Desir said Friday. The Starks were scheduled to land in Tallahassee on Friday afternoon, according to FlightAware. They were in the air for no longer than 10 minutes, National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge Kurt Gibson told reporters. Both Robert Stark and Stephen Stark were certified pilots, Federal Aviation Administration records show. Officials have not said who was flying the plane. Robert Stark had a long, illustrious history as an aerobatic competition pilot, competing in numerous contests, including for the U.S. advanced aerobatics team in an Advanced World Championship held in the Czech Republic in 1999. WPEC-Ch. 12, the Sun Sentinel's news partner, reported on Monday that Brooke Stark was a senior at Atlantic Community High School in Delray Beach. 'It's just extra sad because she made it so far, and right when she's about to make it to the finish line, things happen and it's really unfortunate,' classmate Jason Timothee, who wore a blue jacket Monday in her memory, told Ch. 12. Principal Sandra Edwards sent a message to parents after the crash but did not identify the student who died, citing the family's privacy. Edwards said she would contact the family to offer them support. 'As parents and caregivers, you may find that your child is processing this loss in different ways,' Edwards wrote. 'For some, this may be the first time they have experienced the death of a peer or someone in their community. I encourage all of us to approach conversations about this with care, compassion, and respect.' The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating. ___ © 2025 South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘Something just dropped from the sky:' Dozens call 911 to report Florida plane crash
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Two dozen people called 911 after seeing a Cessna 310R crash and explode near Interstate 95 in a busy area of Boca Raton on Friday morning. The plane experienced a mechanical issue shortly after taking off from the Boca airport just after 10 a.m., officials said. While trying to return to the airport, the plane crashed just short of where the pilot intended to land. A teenage girl, her father and her grandfather were killed in the crash. They were identified by Boca Raton Police on Friday as Robert Stark, 81, of Boca Raton; Stephen Stark, 54, of Delray Beach; and Brooke Stark, 17, of Delray Beach. Dispatchers were inundated with 911 calls from people who witnessed the crash, from someone who was in a building across the street to a woman from the Boca Raton Airport Authority to drivers on I-95, according to the calls obtained by the South Florida Sun Sentinel late Tuesday night. They received so many calls that dispatchers began answering with, 'Are you calling about the plane crash?' The woman who called from the airport authority said the plane was 'in distress' and asked for fire rescue to respond. Air traffic control had already contacted police, the dispatcher replied. 'I know this is a really strange call,' another woman said. 'But is anybody else calling about this plane flying very low?' The operator said they were already aware. 'He's way too low,' the woman said as the operator interrupted. 'Ma'am, they're having issues. We're aware,' the dispatcher said. The dispatchers answering calls did not stay on the line long, briefly telling callers they were already on the way. 'Something just dropped from the sky and there's a big accident,' a third woman said. Another caller described seeing black smoke billowing into the sky just off the highway near Glades Road. A 24-year-old man from Boca Raton had minor injuries after he lost control while driving a 2017 Toyota Prius near the fiery crash north on Military Trail and hit a tree, Boca Raton Police spokesperson Officer Jessica Desir said Friday. The Starks were scheduled to land in Tallahassee on Friday afternoon, according to FlightAware. They were in the air for no longer than 10 minutes, National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge Kurt Gibson told reporters. Both Robert Stark and Stephen Stark were certified pilots, Federal Aviation Administration records show. Officials have not said who was flying the plane. Robert Stark had a long, illustrious history as an aerobatic competition pilot, competing in numerous contests, including for the U.S. advanced aerobatics team in an Advanced World Championship held in the Czech Republic in 1999. WPEC-Ch. 12, the Sun Sentinel's news partner, reported on Monday that Brooke Stark was a senior at Atlantic Community High School in Delray Beach. 'It's just extra sad because she made it so far, and right when she's about to make it to the finish line, things happen and it's really unfortunate,' classmate Jason Timothee, who wore a blue jacket Monday in her memory, told Ch. 12. Principal Sandra Edwards sent a message to parents after the crash but did not identify the student who died, citing the family's privacy. Edwards said she would contact the family to offer them support. 'As parents and caregivers, you may find that your child is processing this loss in different ways,' Edwards wrote. 'For some, this may be the first time they have experienced the death of a peer or someone in their community. I encourage all of us to approach conversations about this with care, compassion, and respect.' The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Yahoo
‘Something just dropped from the sky:' Dozens call 911 to report Boca plane crash
Two dozen people called 911 after seeing a Cessna 310R crash and explode near Interstate 95 in a busy area of Boca Raton on Friday morning. The plane experienced a mechanical issue shortly after taking off from the Boca airport just after 10 a.m., officials said. While trying to return to the airport, the plane crashed just short of where the pilot intended to land. A teenage girl, her father and her grandfather were killed in the crash. They were identified by Boca Raton Police on Friday as Robert Stark, 81, of Boca Raton; Stephen Stark, 54, of Delray Beach; and Brooke Stark, 17, of Delray Beach. Dispatchers were inundated with 911 calls from people who witnessed the crash, from someone who was in a building across the street to a woman from the Boca Raton Airport Authority to drivers on I-95, according to the calls obtained by the South Florida Sun Sentinel late Tuesday night. They received so many calls that dispatchers began answering with, 'Are you calling about the plane crash?' The woman who called from the airport authority said the plane was 'in distress' and asked for fire rescue to respond. Air traffic control had already contacted police, the dispatcher replied. 'I know this is a really strange call,' another woman said. 'But is anybody else calling about this plane flying very low?' The operator said they were already aware. 'He's way too low,' the woman said as the operator interrupted. 'Ma'am, they're having issues. We're aware,' the dispatcher said. The dispatchers answering calls did not stay on the line long, briefly telling callers they were already on the way. 'Something just dropped from the sky and there's a big accident,' a third woman said. Another caller described seeing black smoke billowing into the sky just off the highway near Glades Road. A 24-year-old man from Boca Raton had minor injuries after he lost control while driving a 2017 Toyota Prius near the fiery crash north on Military Trail and hit a tree, Boca Raton Police spokesperson Officer Jessica Desir said Friday. The Starks were scheduled to land in Tallahassee on Friday afternoon, according to FlightAware. They were in the air for no longer than 10 minutes, National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge Kurt Gibson told reporters. Both Robert Stark and Stephen Stark were certified pilots, Federal Aviation Administration records show. Officials have not said who was flying the plane. Robert Stark had a long, illustrious history as an aerobatic competition pilot, competing in numerous contests, including for the U.S. advanced aerobatics team in an Advanced World Championship held in the Czech Republic in 1999. WPEC-Ch. 12, the Sun Sentinel's news partner, reported on Monday that Brooke Stark was a senior at Atlantic Community High School in Delray Beach. 'It's just extra sad because she made it so far, and right when she's about to make it to the finish line, things happen and it's really unfortunate,' classmate Jason Timothee, who wore a blue jacket Monday in her memory, told Ch. 12. Principal Sandra Edwards sent a message to parents after the crash but did not identify the student who died, citing the family's privacy. Edwards said she would contact the family to offer them support. 'As parents and caregivers, you may find that your child is processing this loss in different ways,' Edwards wrote. 'For some, this may be the first time they have experienced the death of a peer or someone in their community. I encourage all of us to approach conversations about this with care, compassion, and respect.' The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Cessna plane crash victims identified as girl, 2 pilots from Boca Raton and Delray
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The three people who died after a Cessna 310R crashed and burned in Boca Raton on Friday morning as it tried to return to the airport have been identified as a teenage girl, her father and her grandfather, all from Palm Beach County. The small plane, built in 1977, took off from the Boca airport just after 10 a.m. and was headed for Tallahassee but reported a mechanical issue and crashed while returning to the airport, officials said Friday. Kurt Gibson, a National Transportation Safety Board investigator, told reporters the plane was in the air for no longer than 10 minutes. Those who died were Robert Stark, 81, of Boca Raton; Stephen Stark, 54, of Delray Beach; and Brooke Stark, 17, of Delray Beach, Officer Jessica Desir, a spokesperson for Boca Raton Police, said late Friday night. Desir did not say who was flying the plane. Both Robert and Stephen Stark were certified pilots. Stephen Stark was a certified private pilot and had single-engine and multi-engine aircraft ratings, FAA records show. Robert Stark was also a certified private pilot with single-engine land and sea ratings, as well as multi-engine land and instrument ratings. An instrument rating is earned by training to fly solely by referencing instruments. At 10:13 a.m., Boca Raton Airport personnel notified police and fire rescue that the plane was 'having trouble maintaining control' and was circling the area, Desir said. A 24-year-old man from Boca Raton driving a 2017 Toyota Prius was also injured when he lost control while driving north on Military Trail near the fiery crash and hit a tree. He was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, Desir said. North Military Trail between Northwest 19th Street and Butts Road was closed all of Friday and is expected to remain closed through the weekend. Prior to Friday, the plane was last flown on three short, local trips on March 14, once two days earlier and once in late February, each under an hour, according to FlightAware. Robert Stark had flown the Cessna 310R for many years, his friend Christopher Magon told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The two met in 2011 while sharing a hangar at the Boca airport. Stephen Stark, Robert's son, had also previously flown the Cessna 310R. The family used it for recreation and business, Magon said. Brooke Stark was his daughter. 'A pilot for most of his life,' Robert Stark was a high-level aerobatic competition pilot and competed with the Cessna 310R, along with an aerobatic aircraft he sold within the last few years, Magon said. 'Bob was passionate about it. It was something that he loved,' Magon said. He owned U.S. Info-Comm Inc., a national IT and communications company based in Deerfield Beach. State business records show it is a family-run business, with his son Stephen Stark listed as the company's president. The Sun Sentinel reported in 1999 that Robert Stark flew for the U.S. advanced aerobatics team in an Advanced World Championship held in the Czech Republic. He placed 16th out of 60. He had been an aerobatics pilot since 1991 and by eight years later had competed in about 30 contests, with six first-place wins. He was able to perform hundreds of different figures in the air, he told the newspaper at the time, and regularly flew a pattern over the Palm Beach-Broward County line to prepare for contests. In late 1999, Stark was the manager of the U.S. Aerobatics Team, part of the International Aerobatic Club. He was the president of the International Aerobatic Club Chapter 23 in 2022. 'My aerobatics flying has nothing to do with money; I fly aerobatics because I love it. It releases me from the pressures of life,' Robert Stark told the Sun Sentinel in 1999. 'I fly for the thrill of competition, to fly better than my peers.' ——— (Information from the Sun Sentinel archives contributed to this report.) ———
