Owner of flight school killed in Piper Twin Comanche crash while prepping for FAA checkride

Background photo in graphic from Piper Flyer

On June 25 a Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche (N7240Y) with a flight instructor, owner of a flight school and pilot-rated passenger on board crashed, killing all three. The flight instructor was preparing the chief pilot and flight school owner for a proficiency check with the FAA the following day with planned activities, including an instrument approach with simulated engine failure. The NTSB examined the crash, indicating in the preliminary report the airport fuel pump failed while refueling before the accident flight and only ¾ of a gallon of fuel was dispensed. The plane did not reach above 125 feet above ground level during the accident flight. 

The plane left the Swinton Smith Field-Reidsville Municipal Airport (RVJ) in Reidsville, Georgia, landing at 11:51 a.m. at the Claxton-Evans County Airport (CWV). The plane departed at about 12:31; the last target recorded was one minute later. After takeoff, the plane’s maximum altitude recorded was 125 feet above ground level. When the plane had not arrived back at RVJ later that day, family members contacted the FAA.

The Evans County Sheriff’s Office reported being notified about a missing plane at about 12:30 a.m. and being dispatched to search the area. Deputies conducted a search of the airport property and surrounding community and the Georgia State Patrol Aviation and FAA were contacted and assisted in the search. Heavy rain just before midnight suppressed heat signatures from the aircraft and pilots and made searching using a FLIR infrared heat-seeking system difficult. The wreckage was found at approximately 5:30 a.m. in a wooded area. The accident site was on a magnetic bearing of 102 degrees and 0.34 nautical miles from the departure end of runway 10.

On the day of the accident, the fuel pumps were not operative and fuel was unavailable at RVJ. The pilot planned to get fuel at CWV. During the refueling process, the motor for the airport’s fuel pump failed and only ¾ of a gallon of fuel was dispensed. Examination after the crash revealed the fuel quantity indicator displayed below empty for the right wing tanks and slightly below ¼ full for the left wing tanks. The left fuel selector was found selected to MAIN and not in detent and the right fuel selector was found between the AUX and OFF position and not in a detent.

Roughly 4.5 inches of fuel was in the right auxiliary fuel tank and no fuel was found in the right main tank. There was no visible fuel in the left main or left aux tanks, but when the aircraft was moved to access the underside of the fuselage, a small amount of fuel was seen to flow out from the front of the wing. There was fuel in the left fuel selector valves but none was present in the right fuel selector valve. The screens on both fuel selector valves appeared clean aside from a small amount of debris on the right screen. The fuel was consistent with avgas. Both of the main tank in-line finger screens were clear and without obstructions, as well as both of the auxiliary fuel tank in-line finger screens.

The left engine had a couple of ounces of fuel in the engine-driven fuel pump and fuel was found in the fuel distribution manifold and fuel servo. The fuel servo screen was found to be clean. The right engine had only a few drops of fuel present in the engine-driven fuel pump. There was no fuel in the fuel distribution manifold and only one tablespoon of fuel was found in the fuel servo, which was clean. Both engines had attained thumb compression on all cylinders, both had oil present in the engine and both established drive train continuity.

Flight control continuity was established through examination of the ailerons, stabilator and rudder to the base of the control column and rudder bar. The rudder trim actuator had five threads exposed and corresponded to a noise right setting, with no threads exposed being full nose right and seven or eight threads being neutral. The stabilator trim actuator was found to have an exposed dimension of 0.35 inches and corresponded with a slight nose down setting. The wing flaps were found in the retracted position.

Compression damage was evident on the nose and cockpit floor, along with the top of the fuselage and baggage door area. The left wingtip was found in the initial ground impact location, about 30 feet from the main wreckage. The left side of the aft fuselage was buckled but the empennage did not reveal much damage. Both of the engine nacalles revealed compression damage on the top surfaces and were bent upward. Based on the examination, the plane impacted the ground in a nose down, left wing low attitude.

The flight school’s assistant chief pilot told the NSTB the flight instructor was meant to prepare the chief pilot and owner of the flight school for a 14 CFR Part 141 proficiency check with the FAA scheduled for the next day. The activity planned included practicing standard twin-engine maneuvers to include a single-engine minimum control speed (Vmc) demonstration and an instrument approach with simulated engine failure. The pilot-rated passenger owned the plane and was on the flight to familiarize himself with the airplane and observe.

Photos of the victims, from The Journal Sentinel

All three on board were killed in the crash. WTOC 11 reported the names of the victims, Bobby Smith and David Hodges from Reidsville and Mark Dement from Register. Pilot, flight instructor, member of the Reidsville Airport Authority and friend of two of the victims, Gene Long, commented on the crash.

“The front of the cabin nose was crushed in, the empennage was wrinkled, but wings were still attached and the engines were intact,” Long said to The Journal Sentinel. “For whatever reason, it appears that they had failed to obtain sufficient airspeed to gain altitude, and the aircraft stalled and rolled. I’m guessing that the crash occurred on the first takeoff after they landed.”

“I think they landed, got out of the aircraft, met with Mark briefly, and crawled back in and attempted to take off,” Long said. “The gear was up, the flaps were up, the propeller pitch was at full and the fuel mixture was leaned out some. Normally, it would be full rich, but a little more power can be achieved sometimes in the right conditions by leaning it out a bit, so that leads me to believe they were having trouble gaining altitude and stalled. It was really hot right after noontime on Sunday, and lift is negatively impacted under those conditions. The crash site was very compact.”

All three on board had years of experience flying and working in aviation. Smith and Dement were instructors with thousands of hours of flying time at Mid-Coast Aviation Services, an aviation school developed to provide single engine fixed wing certification for pilots with a focus on retired or discharged military helicopter pilots. The flight school has been closed since the crash and the fate of the school is unknown at this time.

Dement was also an EMS helicopter pilot and had flown hundreds of missions to airlift injured or sick patients around Georgia. Hodges had the least number of hours but had extensive aviation knowledge and had built two airplanes from scratch. He also taught free classes for youth interested in aeronautical design at the airport.

Dement’s daughter posted on social media, explaining that Monday was his birthday.

“Today was my father, Mark Dement’s birthday… and now his death day,” Ann Blackmon said in a social media post, reported by WSB-TV. “I always figured he would have lung cancer or stroke out, but I guess he was correct in saying to do what makes you happy (because) you just don’t know.”

WTOC 11 reported that the investigators are trying to determine where the plane was Sunday afternoon and evening. The plane was not reported to the Sheriff’s office until 12:30 a.m. the next day.

“We know that sometime around noon to 1 p.m., they were here,” Todd Gunther told WTOC 11. “After that point, nobody seems to know where the aircraft went to or how it ended up there.”

During the initial investigation, the Claxton Airport was a no-fly zone. The airport manager reported that they were trying to find pilots alternative fuel stops. The wreckage was retained by the NTSB for further examination.