Sunday, November 15, 2009
Details emerge from Weiss plane crash
A preliminary report concerning a fatal plane crash last month offers some new details about the crash, but does not include a cause.
The Oct. 25 crash killed pilot Chaim Weiss, 58, of Spring Valley, N.Y. He was the lone passenger aboard the four-seat, Cessna 172 that crashed into a remote, wooded area of Whipstock Hill after several attempts to land at the William H. Morse state airport.
Witnesses saw approach
Investigators have been puzzled as to why Weiss was in the area to begin with, and the report offers no explanation. Police said Weiss told family members he was going for a short flight in the area when he took off from the Greenwood Lake Airport in West Milford, N.J., less than two hours before the crash. A flight plan was not required and none was filed.
The preliminary report prepared by the National Transportation Safety Board this month said witnesses reported the plane making two approaches to Runway 13, one of two runways at the small airport on Bennington’s west end. Each approach was followed by a "go-around" about 20 feet above ground level.
The plane was seen at a low altitude and in level flight with the engine running normally before the sound of impact, which was followed by silence, according to the report.
The plane was found the following morning at an elevation of about 1,080 feet, according to the report. The body of the plane was found about half a nautical mile from the approach end of Runway 13. A nautical mile is approximately equal to 1.15 miles.
Witnesses told investigators the plane was making a right-hand pattern for the approach. According to the report, the published pattern for Runway 13 requires a left-hand pattern. The airport’s other runway is suitable for right-hand patterns because of Whipstock Hill, which is just south of the airport.
According to the report, the wreckage path was about 143 feet in length. The fuselage was inverted and the left wing was severed and found lodged about 35 feet above ground in a tree. The right wing remained attached to the fuselage. Both of the plane’s fuel tanks were ruptured and investigators found no measurable fuel remaining. About 1.5 ounces of residual fuel was recovered from fuel lines.
Investigators removed the engine from the plane’s fuselage for examination at a nearby workshop. They found both propeller blades were bent, but engine components appeared to have been in working order.
Weiss held a private pilot certificate, issued in 2005, with single-engine land privileges, according to the report. His logbook contained records indicating Weiss had recorded about 174 hours of flight time. Weiss had logged 11.2 hours in the previous year, including 2.4 hours of nighttime flying, prior to the crash. It had been dark for about 45 minutes when Weiss crashed.
The report states Weiss had a total of 14.5 hours of night flight time logged, and his last recorded night flight prior to the crash was Sept. 21 when he logged four night landings. The logbook did not give any indication that he had previously flown patterns or landings at the Bennington airport.
Local police and other rescue personnel began searching on foot for the crash site shortly after receiving several 911 calls. The New York State Police searched from the air with a helicopter. The search was eventually postponed until the following morning, when local residents found the plane.
Weiss was a psychologist with the Kiryas Joel School District in Orange County, N.Y., according to reports. Kiryas Joel Village is a community of mostly Hasidic Jews within the town of Monroe, N.Y.
A final report is not expected to be completed for 12 to 18 months. The report may include a cause for the crash, and could revise what is contained in the preliminary report, according to the NTSB.
http://www.benningtonbanner.com/ci_13785171
The Oct. 25 crash killed pilot Chaim Weiss, 58, of Spring Valley, N.Y. He was the lone passenger aboard the four-seat, Cessna 172 that crashed into a remote, wooded area of Whipstock Hill after several attempts to land at the William H. Morse state airport.
Witnesses saw approach
Investigators have been puzzled as to why Weiss was in the area to begin with, and the report offers no explanation. Police said Weiss told family members he was going for a short flight in the area when he took off from the Greenwood Lake Airport in West Milford, N.J., less than two hours before the crash. A flight plan was not required and none was filed.
The preliminary report prepared by the National Transportation Safety Board this month said witnesses reported the plane making two approaches to Runway 13, one of two runways at the small airport on Bennington’s west end. Each approach was followed by a "go-around" about 20 feet above ground level.
The plane was seen at a low altitude and in level flight with the engine running normally before the sound of impact, which was followed by silence, according to the report.
The plane was found the following morning at an elevation of about 1,080 feet, according to the report. The body of the plane was found about half a nautical mile from the approach end of Runway 13. A nautical mile is approximately equal to 1.15 miles.
Witnesses told investigators the plane was making a right-hand pattern for the approach. According to the report, the published pattern for Runway 13 requires a left-hand pattern. The airport’s other runway is suitable for right-hand patterns because of Whipstock Hill, which is just south of the airport.
According to the report, the wreckage path was about 143 feet in length. The fuselage was inverted and the left wing was severed and found lodged about 35 feet above ground in a tree. The right wing remained attached to the fuselage. Both of the plane’s fuel tanks were ruptured and investigators found no measurable fuel remaining. About 1.5 ounces of residual fuel was recovered from fuel lines.
Investigators removed the engine from the plane’s fuselage for examination at a nearby workshop. They found both propeller blades were bent, but engine components appeared to have been in working order.
Weiss held a private pilot certificate, issued in 2005, with single-engine land privileges, according to the report. His logbook contained records indicating Weiss had recorded about 174 hours of flight time. Weiss had logged 11.2 hours in the previous year, including 2.4 hours of nighttime flying, prior to the crash. It had been dark for about 45 minutes when Weiss crashed.
The report states Weiss had a total of 14.5 hours of night flight time logged, and his last recorded night flight prior to the crash was Sept. 21 when he logged four night landings. The logbook did not give any indication that he had previously flown patterns or landings at the Bennington airport.
Local police and other rescue personnel began searching on foot for the crash site shortly after receiving several 911 calls. The New York State Police searched from the air with a helicopter. The search was eventually postponed until the following morning, when local residents found the plane.
Weiss was a psychologist with the Kiryas Joel School District in Orange County, N.Y., according to reports. Kiryas Joel Village is a community of mostly Hasidic Jews within the town of Monroe, N.Y.
A final report is not expected to be completed for 12 to 18 months. The report may include a cause for the crash, and could revise what is contained in the preliminary report, according to the NTSB.
http://www.benningtonbanner.com/ci_13785171
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