REFLECTOR: Velocity Crash

[Randy Wharton]

I found this on the internet at
http://www.sun-herald.com/NewsArchive2/121105/tp2ch7.htm?date=121105
<http://www.sun-herald.com/NewsArchive2/121105/tp2ch7.htm?date=121105&story=
tp2ch7.htm> &story=tp2ch7.htm

 

Randy W.

 


12/11/05


Experimental plane crashes, goes up in flames at airport

Pilot and passenger escape

PUNTA GORDA -- Witnesses say they are amazed two men survived after the
experimental airplane they were flying in Saturday morning crashed shortly
after takeoff at the Charlotte
<http://www.charlotte-florida.com/Community/Airport.htm>  County Airport,
then burst into flames. 

Pilot Felix Mestas of Cape Coral and passenger Ed Wilson of Fort Myers
escaped with only minor injuries after the plane's engine failed and they
were forced to make an emergency landing in a grassy area.

The men got out of the Velocity aircraft moments before its engine
overheated and the plane was engulfed in flames, according to a witness.

The engine of the home-built, two-seater Velocity apparently failed on
takeoff from the Punta Gorda airport.

Around 10 a.m., Mestas tried to navigate the malfunctioning plane onto the
runway, but missed it and landed in the grass, according to Gary Quill, the
airport's director. He said the National Transportation Safety Board, an
independent federal agency required by Congress to investigate every civil
aviation accident in the nation, would be at the airport next week.

Authorities estimated Mestas to be around 52 years old and Wilson about 75,
and said both men are pilots. Wilson sustained some minor injuries,
including a cut on his forehead, witnesses said. Neither man was
hospitalized.

Mestas and Wilson could not be reached for comment late Saturday.

One witness, who rushed to the scene to help when he saw the plane
struggling in the air, said he was shocked its occupants survived.

Eric Kleinz was waiting at the airport for his 8-year-old daughter to finish
a flight with an instructor. He said he saw the aircraft dip low to the
ground between two runways and "knew immediately something was wrong." The
plane then descended rapidly and hit the grassy area between the runways, he
said. 

In less than the two minutes it took for Kleinz and a buddy to race over to
assist, flames were already consuming the plane.

Kleinz saw Wilson catch on fire along his head and back. Mestas quickly
tamped the flames out with his bare hands, Kleinz said.

"It was amazing," he said. "These guys were truly blessed."

Runway three -- the airport's longest strip -- was closed for a short time
while Charlotte County Fire & EMS workers doused the flames and cleared the
area. Charlotte County Sheriff's <http://www.ccso.org>  deputies were also
on the scene. 

Quill said crashes like this happen only every few years at the airport.

Some residents were frightened when they saw the plumes of smoke billowing
from the airfield.

"When I saw the ambulances, I was hoping there hadn't been a collision,"
said Lisa Morgan, a resident of the Federal Emergency Management Agency park
located near the airport. Other pilots watching nearby said they were
grateful the men made it out in time. They also made a point of adding that
flying is a safe activity.

"It's just dumb luck," said Stuart Brown, a private pilot, of what happened
to the men.

Brown was waiting to get his aircraft fueled when he saw the lights of the
emergency vehicles flashing across the airfield.

Capt. Jim Kaletta, the squadron commander for the Charlotte County Civil Air
Patrol, said he saw the flames and smoke while he was walking to a commander
meeting, which are held on Saturdays. Air patrol cadets were also training
in the air with instructors, he said. Kaletta said it was the second time
Mestas and Wilson had tested the aircraft.

Piloting experimental planes doesn't seem to pose any more of a crash risk
than other aircraft, according to Carlos Gray, president of the Charlotte
County chapter of the Experiment Aircraft Association in Florida.

Home-built experimental aircraft such as the Velocity, which are of
nonmetallic construction and take about 1,200 man hours to build according
to the company's Web site, are considered safe. Experimental pilots must
follow Federal Aviation Administration guidelines, Gray said.

Problems can arise if noncertified aircraft engines are used. They can be
less reliable, Gray said. It is not known what kind of engine Wilson and
Mestas had. 

You can e-mail Ella Nayor at enayor at sun-herald.com.

BY ELLA NAYOR

STAFF WRITER 

 

 

  _____  

From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] On
Behalf Of CBrock5000 at aol.com
Sent: Saturday, December 10, 2005 10:53 PM
To: reflector at tvbf.org
Subject: REFLECTOR: Velocity Crash

 

Local news in Naples, FL. showed a Velocity crashed at Charlotte County
Airport here in Southwest Florida. News showed the Velocity burned to the
ground except the outward wing portions. Announcer indicated pilot pulled
the passenger out moments before the airplane burst into flames. Pilot and
passenger escaped with minor injuries. Unfortunately I didn't catch all of
the airport manager interview and therefore the details may be slightly
different.

 

Chris Brock

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