Latest news with #Cessna310R
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pilots aboard small plane that crashed in a fireball reported ‘problem' with the rudder and could only make left turns, NTSB reports says
The pilots flying a Cessna 310R which crashed near Boca Raton, Florida in April reported to air traffic control they were having problems with the rudder and could only make left turns, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board. The small plane went down on a busy street and skidded onto railroad tracks on April 11, erupting into a fireball. The two pilots and passenger on the aircraft died and one person on the ground had minor injuries. The flight was the first time the plane had been in the air since its annual inspection was completed, the NTSB report noted. The plane took off from Boca Raton about 10 a.m. and was headed to Tallahassee. Security camera video captured the takeoff and showed it banked to the left and continued in a left turn until it was out of view, the NTSB said. According to preliminary air traffic control recordings, one of the pilots reported the problem with the rudder and said they could only make left turns. Data collected by the NTSB shows the plane continued to circle to the left and made several low altitude 360 degree turns before it crashed. About 10:12 a.m. Boca Raton fire and police dispatch received a call for a plane in trouble and the aircraft went down about 8 minutes later, officials said. The NTSB preliminary report does not determine the cause of the crash, which will be identified in a final report which usually takes about a year to complete. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at
CNN
07-05-2025
- General
- CNN
Pilots aboard small plane that crashed in a fireball reported ‘problem' with the rudder and could only make left turns, NTSB reports says
See all topics The pilots flying a Cessna 310R which crashed near Boca Raton, Florida in April reported to air traffic control they were having problems with the rudder and could only make left turns, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board. The small plane went down on a busy street and skidded onto railroad tracks on April 11, erupting into a fireball. The two pilots and passenger on the aircraft died and one person on the ground had minor injuries. The flight was the first time the plane had been in the air since its annual inspection was completed, the NTSB report noted. The plane took off from Boca Raton about 10 a.m. and was headed to Tallahassee. Security camera video captured the takeoff and showed it banked to the left and continued in a left turn until it was out of view, the NTSB said. According to preliminary air traffic control recordings, one of the pilots reported the problem with the rudder and said they could only make left turns. Data collected by the NTSB shows the plane continued to circle to the left and made several low altitude 360 degree turns before it crashed. About 10:12 a.m. Boca Raton fire and police dispatch received a call for a plane in trouble and the aircraft went down about 8 minutes later, officials said. The NTSB preliminary report does not determine the cause of the crash, which will be identified in a final report which usually takes about a year to complete.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Yahoo
Boca Raton plane crash: NTSB report reveals pilot was only able to make left turns
BOCA RATON — The six-seater Cessna 310 plane that crashed moments after taking off from the Boca Raton Airport in April was on its first flight after an annual inspection, according to a preliminary report released Wednesday by the National Transportation Safety Board. The plane was airborne for about 10 minutes the morning of April 11 before it crashed, killing all three of its occupants and injuring one person on the ground. The victims were Robert Stark, 81, of Boca Raton; and Stephen Stark, 54, and Brooke Stark, 17, both of Delray Beach. Airport surveillance footage captured a portion of the plane's taxi and departure, the NTSB report stated. It shows that the plane maintained the centerline of the runway during takeoff, but, shortly after, veered to the left. Videos taken by witnesses continued showing the plane moving left at a low altitude. "According to preliminary air traffic control recordings, one of the pilots reported that they were having a problem with the airplane's rudder and that they could only make left turns," the report stated. The plane's initial impact point, according to the report, was identified as several trees in the median of the road. The aircraft then hit the road and continued about 370 feet from the initial crash point until it reached the railroad tracks near Military Trail and Glades Road. The farthest piece of wreckage identified during the preliminary investigation was the left engine. It was found more than 300 feet past the main wreckage location at the railroad tracks. Emergency officials stand near the scene of a small plane crash that killed three people on Military Tr. in Boca Raton Friday April 11, 2025. "The wreckage was highly fragmented," the report stated. "The fuselage, including the cockpit, sustained significant thermal damage from the postimpact fire, and most of the fuselage and cockpit had been consumed." All major components of the plane were located at the accident site, including the rudder, which investigators said showed "impact and thermal damage." an airline tracking website, shows the path of the Cessna 310R that made multiple loops over Boca Raton before crashing on Military Trail around 10:20 a.m. The crash did not directly hit anyone on the ground, but it forced a northbound driver of a 2017 Toyota Prius, Pablo Tafur, 24, was forced to swerve and hit a tree, police said. Tafur, who suffered minor injuries, was able to exit the car and find safety. One local pilot with four decades of aviation experience said it was remarkable the plane's pilot was able to keep the plane in the air for as long as he did. BOCA PLANE CRASH: Victims were headed to Florida State for teenager's college visit BOCA PLANE CRASH: Some 911 callers were alarmed even before plane crashed, killing 3 BOCA PLANE CRASH: Aviation expert says pilot 'really fought that airplane' "I'm shocked they didn't crash immediately after takeoff," said Matthew "Whiz" Buckley, an F/A-18 fighter pilot and former commercial pilot for American Airlines. The elder Starks were the grandfather and father of Brooke Stark, the teenager on board, said Buckley, a friend of the family. Both Robert and Stephen Stark were certified pilots, Federal Aviation Administration records show. "They were battling that airplane to bring it down safely, to save this young girl," Buckley said. "These two guys are heroes, easily. They really fought that airplane." Two girls, friends of Boca Raton plane crash victim Brooke Stark, sit next to a memorial of flowers and photographs to remember the victims of the Friday, April 11, 2025 plane crash. The memorial is at the crash site on Military Trail near the Glades Road overpass. The plane's wreckage was retained for further examination. The preliminary report contains only factual information gathered during the initial phase of the investigation, an NTSB spokesperson said. A typical NTSB investigation can take up to two years to complete. A probable cause of the crash along with any contributing factors will be detailed in the final report. Jasmine Fernández is a journalist covering Delray Beach and Boca Raton for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at jfernandez@ and follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @jasminefernandz. Help support our work. Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Boca Raton plane crash: Aircraft had just been inspected
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.
CBS News
07-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Plane that crashed and killed 3 in Boca Raton had rudder issues immediately after takeoff, NTSB says
New details have been released from the Boca Raton plane crash that killed three people in April, revealing that the small aircraft was experiencing rudder issues immediately after takeoff. During the late morning of April 11, a Cessna 310R departed from Boca Raton Airport bound for Tallahassee International Airport and crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all three family members onboard: 81-year-old Robert Stark, 54-year-old Stephen Stark and 17-year-old Brooke Stark. A person on the ground, 24-year-old Pablo Tafur, was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after losing control of his car while driving through the crash's fireball and crashing into a nearby tree. On Wednesday, the National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary report on the crash, revealing some of the circumstances surrounding the accident. The plane's rudder could only turn left According to the NTSB, the crash happened during the aircraft's first flight following an annual inspection and was conducted under Part 91 for personal use. Surveillance and witness video obtained by the NTSB showed that the plane veered left immediately after takeoff and entered continuous left turns. "Shortly after rotation, the airplane yawed to the left and continued in a left turn until the plane went out of view," the NTSB described from one of the videos. Preliminary Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data revealed that the plane made at least nine 360-degree turns, indicating that the aircraft could only make left turns and that one of the pilots reported having issues with the rudder. "According to preliminary air traffic control recordings, one of the pilots reported that they were having a problem with the airplane's rudder and that they could only make left turns," the NTSB said. As the plane went down, it initially struck trees in a road median before making impact on Military Trail near Interstate 95 and continued to a set of Tri-Rail tracks. The wreckage was extensively fragmented and burned, the NTSB said. "The wreckage was highly fragmented, and there was a [post-impact] fire," the agency noted. During its findings, the NTSB found that the plane's fuselage, including the cockpit, sustained "significant thermal damage" from the fire and most of the fuselage and cockpit had been consumed by the flames. Additionally, all the major components of the airplane were found at the crash site. According to the NTSB, when the rudder was found, it exhibited impact and thermal damage, and the rudder continuity was intact for the right side. However, the left ruddle cable had fractured at both ends, showing signs of tension overload. "The left rudder cable was fractured near the rudder pedal attach point and at the rudder bellcrank," the NTSB said. "The separated cable ends exhibited a splayed, broomstrawed appearance, consistent with tension overload separation." From its findings, the NTSB said the damage suggested there was a possible rudder control malfunction that limited right turns. When it came to the flight controls, the NTSB found that continuity was generally established for aileron and elevator systems, with breaks consistent with impact forces and recover efforts. According to the NTSB, investigators found that both engines showed impact damage but had signs of normal operation before the crash, and that the propellers exhibited torsional and bending deformation, consistent with power at impact. Following it preliminary investigation, the NTSB concluded that the plane experienced a rudder control issue shortly after takeoff, restricting it to only turn left. Despite both engines operating normally, the inability to control the rudder likely led the pilots to lose control of the aircraft and crash. The NTSB said the crash will be investigated further to determine exact causes.
