Crash & Learn: A True Story of Surviving a Plane Crash and Financial Crisis by Clark Andy

Author:Clark, Andy [Clark, Andy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-08-27T16:00:00+00:00

9

The Wreckage

Molly took me to the hangar to see the plane not too long after I was released from the hospital. I was shocked at how mangled, totaled and crushed the Aero Commander was.

At first sight, the image was surreal. The initial thought that immediately entered my mind was that I was so glad our son Doug decided not to fly with us that morning. The whole back of the plane and the back-seat area, where he would have been sitting, was completely crushed. He would not have survived.

Based on the pictures of the crash and seeing the wreckage firsthand, it was evident that I had pancaked the plane into the grass field just short of the runway, probably due to a rapid engine surge right before contact. The ground was wet from excessive rains in the area just days prior. In fact, less than a week before the crash, Daytona Beach had a record-setting rainfall of over six inches in one day. The saturated ground did nothing to help my landing, causing the landing gear to pierce into the soft ground surface and not allow the plane to roll.

As far as salvaging the plane, not much remained. One engine was irreparable, but the other engine was still in good enough shape to sell. Surprisingly, we were able to sell that one engine fairly easily. The rest of the plane was basically scrap metal though.

As I stood there, staring at the plane, although my memory had gone blank, I started to vaguely recall the incidents leading up to impact.

What happened was I stalled the airplane at a low altitude while trying to make the runway; maybe because I dropped the landing gear too soon or maybe because I just ran out of air. It really didn’t matter though. We slammed hard on the grass just east of Runway 25 Right.

The official FAA investigation would conclude the following:

NTSB Identification: ERA09FA303

14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation

Accident occurred Monday, May 25, 2009 in Daytona Beach, FL

Aircraft: AERO COMMANDER 500 S, registration: N73U

Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Serious.

On May 25, 2009, at 0846 eastern daylight time, an Aero Commander 500S, N73U, operated by Commonwealth Aviation Corporation, was substantially damaged following a partial loss of engine power and collision with terrain during a forced landing after takeoff from Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB), Daytona Beach, Florida. The certificated private pilot was seriously injured, and the pilot-rated passenger was killed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight that departed about 0843 and was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

Preliminary information from the FAA revealed that the airplane was cleared for takeoff from runway 7R. About 1 minute after takeoff, the pilot reported "an engine failure" and announced his intention to return for landing on runway 25R. Witnesses in the vicinity of the airport, approximately 1/2 mile off the departure end of the runway, reported the engine noise from the accident airplane was "surging" as the airplane passed overhead, and one witness described a "radical" turn back to the airport.

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