Super Chipmunk crash

[maxred]

Jim "Fang" Maroney was headed here to New Smyrna Beach for our air show this weekend. I had just signed him about a month ago (I chair our event.)

Jim is dead.

The crash occurred last evening, he was flying VFR. They found him this morning.

He was a VERY accomplished pilot: Top of his Top Gun class, F-16 pilot, Boeing captain, air show performer...

We'll be doing a missing man with the other air show stars: Patty Wagstaff, Gene Soucy, Aeroshell, etc.

Very sad day here in New Smyrna Beach.

Sad news from the States. His show was superb, and the Super Chipmunk an interesting machine.

[Mach Jump]

Yes, very sad news. :sad: Was it the same Super Chipmunk that Art Scholl used to fly?


MJ:ok:

[Mark 1]

Very sad to hear.
This was a few years ago at Oshkosh after another superb display:
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t50/alberym/Oshkosh%202010/DSC_0171.jpg

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

Very sad. As a long-time Chippy pilot myself (standard machine, not Super), I'd be interested to learn anything of the circumstances.

[maxred]

No, after his death in The Pitts S2, Scholls Super Chipmunk eventually ended up in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington. It still hangs there as an exhibit. The one Maroney flew, was a stock 1956 model, highly modified, and I assume based on the original design of the Scholls aeroplane.

Bit more here on what is still a developing story

http://www.news-journalonline.com/artic ... ?p=2&tc=pg (http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20140324/NEWS/140329704/1040?p=2&tc=pg)


It went down in a large wooded area, one has to imagine engine failure of some degree, and no where to put it. Given its modifications, I would imagine it may not be the best glider in the world, so coming down into large trees would not be good.

[Madbob]

Preliminary NTSB Report here.....


NTSB Identification: ERA14FA163
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, March 23, 2014 in Vonore, TN
Aircraft: DEHAVILLAND DHC-1, registration: N540FM
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On March 23, 2014, about 1338 eastern daylight time (EDT), a Dehavilland DHC-1, N540FM, impacted trees and terrain near Vonore, Tennessee. The airline transport pilot was fatally injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was operated by the pilot. Day, visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from French Lick Municipal Airport (FRH), French Lick, Indiana, and was destined for Franklin County Airport (18A), Canon, Georgia.

When the pilot did not arrive at his destination, a Federal Aviation Administration Alert Notice (ALNOT) was issued. The wreckage was located during the morning of March 24, 2014. The wreckage was found on the side of a mountainous slope within the boundary of the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee, at coordinates 35.46596, -84.01032. The elevation at the accident site was about 2,222 feet above sea level. There were no known witnesses to the accident.

The wreckage was found upright, and the debris path was oriented on a heading of about 300 degrees. Damage to broken trees within the wreckage debris path was indicative of a near-level aircraft attitude at impact. There was no evidence of fire noted. The engine controls were found in the "full forward" positions. All major structural components were found within the area of the main wreckage. The right wing was severed from impact forces. The pilot was found in the cockpit and was wearing a parachute at the time of the accident; it was not deployed. The wreckage was recovered on March 31, 2014 and will be retained for examination at a later date.

Weather at Knoxville, Tennessee (TYS) near the time of the accident included scattered clouds at 1,900 feet above ground level (AGL), broken clouds at 2,800 feet AGL, and broken clouds at 5,000 feet AGL.Index for Mar2014 (http://www.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/AccList.aspx?month=3&year=2014) | Index of months (http://www.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/Month.aspx)

[maxred]

Jesus, CFIT, sounds like straight into the hillside.

You have to think he entered cloud, and hit the granite.

Very sad...

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

Could be engine failure with nowhere to go but the trees.

[maxred]

Agreed, SSD. I hate speculation on these threads, so will not comment further, but worry about scattered at 1900, broken at 2800, and impacted hill at 2200.

[Fly-by-Wife]

Maxred

I hate speculation on these threads

You have to think he entered cloud, and hit the granite.

Does not compute.

FBW

[maxred]

Thanks, I knew someone would do that.