Latest news with #MurphyMoose
New York Post
2 days ago
- General
- New York Post
Pilots had purchased home ‘kit' plane before fiery Colo. crash: probe
The two pilots who died in a fiery crash outside a Colorado airport had been flying a recently purchased home-kit airplane, officials said. 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.
CBS News
2 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Two men died in Colorado plane crash while flying recently purchased 'kit' plane back to Florida
A pilot flying his recently purchased float plane home and his airline-certified co-pilot both died last month during takeoff from the Montrose Regional Airport. The two men, both residents of Fort Myers, Florida, perished when the aircraft crashed June 23 less than a mile from the airport. Alejandro D. Antunez, 53, and Lawrence Skinner, 61, were on board. The Montrose County Coroner's Office is still looking into whether the men died from the crash's impact, the ensuing fire, or something less obvious. A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board did not include an actual purchase date of the plane nor an individual or company from which it was purchased. But the report described the pilot as properly rated for single-engine land and sea flights, including commercial pilot privileges for single-engine sea planes. The co-pilot was actively employed as a commercial airline pilot, held ratings and flight instructor certification for the Boeing 757, the Boeing 767, and the Douglas DC-8, and was also a certified airplane mechanic. Online public records match Skinner with those co-pilot's qualifications. The plane, a Murphy Moose, did not have a current registration with the Federal Aviation Administration. "The kit manufacturer advertises the airframe as a 'distant cousin' of the de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver series airplanes," the NTSB report states. The plane featured a Vedeneyev radial engine and amphibious floats for landing gear. It was built in 2008 from a kit, according to the NTSB report -- though, again, the builder was not identified. An online ad showed a plane by the same tail number for sale until January 2024 in Colorado. At that time, it was located in Cedaredge, per the ad. The "ferry" flight, or transport, of the aircraft required a Special Flight Permit which the NTSB stated was signed by a Designated Airworthiness Representative, a FAA-certified person qualified to make mechanical inspections of aircraft being delivered from manufacturers or for repairs. As planned, Antunez and Skinner successfully flew the plane earlier that day from Westwinds Airport in Delta. It was the first leg in the journey to Florida. They landed in Montrose to refuel. During the 10 a.m. takeoff, the plane kept a nose-up attitude after takeoff but failed to climb or gain speed, witnesses told NTSB investigators. The plane turned from a northerly direction toward the east and dropped behind a home, striking an embankment for a dirt driveway approximately seventh-tenths of a mile from where it left the runway. The Montrose Regional Airport's elevation is 5,759 feet above sea level, about midway between the elevations of Centennial Airport (5,883) and Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield (5,673). After acquiring evidence at the crash scene, NTSB investigators took possession of the wreckage for further study. A final report is normally several months in the making.
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Yahoo
Deadly Montrose plane crash update
MONTROSE, Colo. (KREX) – The skeleton of what was left from Monday's plane crash near the Montrose Regional Airport is finally getting transported. According to the Montrose County Sheriff's Office, there was no new information, but the NTSB and FAA arrived to investigate the site. WesternSlopeNow reached out to the NTSB for comment and it sent a statement in response stating, quote, 'NTSB is investigating the crash of an Amphibious Murphy Moose M14P Airplane on June 23 near Montrose, Colorado. The preliminary information we have is that the plane crashed on takeoff and experienced a post-crash fire. An NTSB investigator traveled to the scene. The investigators will document the scene and examine the aircraft. the plane will then be recovered to a secure facility for further evaluation.' The organization states they are investigating three primary areas such as the pilot, aircraft and the operating environment. The investigation will look at: Flight track data Recordings of any air traffic control communications Aircraft maintenance records Weather forecasts and actual weather and lighting conditions around the time of the accident Pilot's license, ratings and recency of flight experience 72-hour background of the pilot to determine if there were any issues that could have affected the pilot's ability to safety operate the flight Witness statements Electronic devices that could contain information relevant to the investigation Any available surveillance video, including from doorbell cameras The NTSB does not identify the cause of an accident during the investigation's on-scene phase. It also does not release victim identities or injury details, which are managed by local authorities. a preliminary report will be available in 30 days. But an official from the Montrose County Coroner's Office tells WesternSlopeNow one of the two victims has been identified. The other victim is still being examined at the moment. Witnesses to the accident or those who have surveillance video or other information that could be relevant to the investigation are asked to contact the NTSB at witness@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
