REFLECTOR: Velocity Crash

[Scott Baker]

I have heard specifics of the accident.  It's wonderful that Felix and his friend escaped major injuries!
The Sun-Herald article was probably one of the best written reports that I have ever seen regarding an aircraft accident involving an Experimental - it is informative, lacks the 'off the wall' sensational headlines most articles of this type always seem to have, does not try to scare readers - Ella Nayor did a good job of reporting.  I think I'll write her and the paper a note to say exactly that.
Scott B.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Randy Wharton 
  To: 'Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list' 
  Sent: Sunday, December 11, 2005 7:31 AM
  Subject: RE: REFLECTOR: Velocity Crash


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