SJ30-2 prototype crashed - flutter testing
Beeler died pushing new jet to the limit
By Christopher Anderson
San Antonio Express-News
Web Posted : 04/28/2003 12:00 AM
A former Vietnam War POW was killed Saturday while pushing a groundbreaking new corporate jet to its limits, according to a friend and co-worker.
Carroll Beeler, 59, a Boerne resident and the chief test pilot for San Antonio-based Sino Swearingen Aircraft Corp., died Saturday after an experimental company plane he was flying alone crashed in a rugged area about 50 miles north of Del Rio in Val Verde County.
"They were doing what's called a 'flutter test,'" said Ed Budy, a senior engineer at Swearingen and a friend of Beeler's. "They were pushing it to the envelope and pushing it further to try and find its capabilities."
Jim Campbell, editor of Aero-News Network, a popular daily aircraft industry publication, said the accident occurred as Beeler flew Swearingen's innovative SJ30-2 prototype to "its very highest speed — probably the most critical part of the test."
A Department of Public Safety spokesman said Beeler was flying the aircraft at Mach 0.9, nearly the speed of sound, when it crashed. The flight originated from San Antonio International Airport.
"That's one of the reasons why they were in such a remote area," Campbell said. "Test flights are done in isolated areas, where if something is going to happen it wouldn't harm anyone."
According to Swearingen's Web site, the SJ30-2 is a seven-seat business aircraft — six passengers, one pilot — destined to become the fastest light jet in production once the Federal Aviation Administration certifies it.
"It's a brand new start-up — the first time since Cessna did it back in the 1960s — to produce a seven-passenger business jet for single-pilot operation," Budy said. "They claim the fastest, highest and furthest for less (money)."
In a news release on the SJ30-2's maiden flight Nov. 30, Beeler, who was flying the plane, said the aircraft "performed beautifully, and met or exceeded every parameter we had established for first flight."
Beeler, a former Navy pilot shot down on May 24, 1972, spent 10 months in North Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camps including the infamous "Hanoi Hilton" complex, according to the P.O.W. Network. He retired as a captain.
The P.O.W. Network is based in Skidmore, Mo., and since 1989 has maintained biographies and other information on American servicemen and women who were listed as prisoners of war or missing in action.
Beeler was widely considered a first-rate aviator and flew everything from crop-dusters to Mach 2 jet fighters, Campbell said.
"He was very highly respected — a very cool customer."
Budy said Beeler was an "engineer at heart."
"He was very mechanically inclined and gifted," Budy said. "He worked with old cars and trucks."
Budy also said Beeler was devoted to his family and loved his country.
"I think he was loved by everyone he touched. He was a fantastic individual. He gave much more back than he received in a lot of cases," Budy said.
Beeler is survived by his wife, Judith "Scottie" Shirline Beeler; daughter Lee Elizabeth Beeler; and mother Pauline Beeler. All live in Boerne.
A funeral Mass will be held at 9 a.m. Wednesday for friends and family members at St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Chapel, 7815 Orland Park St. A memorial service will follow.