Another Caravan

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Racerx

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Ernie
Staying near Flagler and woke up to hear of a missing plane. Turns out to be a 208 operated for skydiving. Pilot was sole occupant.

"The plane, a 10-seat, 2012 Caravan Cessna 208, left Sebastian Airport, between Vero Beach and Melbourne on the east coast of Florida, at 5:30 p.m. It was on its way to Palatka Municipal Airport. Contact with the plane was lost at 7:30 p.m. when the plane was flying at an altitude of 900 feet. The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office was notified of the plane’s disappearance at 8 p.m."
 
We had a front come through about that time. Radar showed some pretty big stuff moving through that route of flight.

Don’t remember the time but good size stuff the usual TPA ORL off the Cape.
 
RIP
  • A missing plane crashed overnight in a rural area of Central Florida, officials said.
  • The pilot, the only person aboard the aircraft, is presumed to be dead, said Sheriff Rick Staly.
  • He said it appears the flight hit the ground nearly straight down – and fast. The cause of the crash is unknown.
  • The plane was flying from Sebastian to Palatka.
 
Here's the weather picture at 2230z, a bit before N40EA took off from X26:

1739661077716.png

Around the time of the accident (2340z), the picture changed quite a bit as there was a front meandering to the south and it was starting to move north as a warm front. Note some slightly lowering visibility in the area, with 2SM visibility in haze at Flagler (FIN). Here's that weather with the route superimposed. The routing almost looks like they were trying to avoid the lateral confines of MCO's bravo and DAB's charlie.

1739659816641.png

METARs:
KSFB 150001Z 06006KT 10SM SCT024 OVC032 21/17 A3032 RMK AO2 T02110167
KSFB 142353Z 06007KT 10SM BKN024 OVC031 21/17 A3032 RMK AO2 SLP267 T02110167 10239 20211 55002
KSFB 142326Z 08007KT 10SM BKN024 BKN036 OVC044 22/17 A3033 RMK AO2 T02170167
KSFB 142253Z 05007KT 10SM BKN033 OVC045 22/17 A3032 RMK AO2 SLP266 T02170167

KDED 150015Z AUTO 35004KT 10SM SCT026 BKN032 OVC039 20/16 A3034 RMK AO2 TSNO T01960165
KDED 142355Z AUTO 01006KT 10SM SCT033 OVC045 20/16 A3034 RMK AO2 TSNO T01960163 10227 20196 402310154
KDED 142335Z AUTO 01008KT 10SM OVC043 20/16 A3035 RMK AO2 TSNO T01970161
KDED 142315Z AUTO 01009KT 10SM SCT029 OVC039 20/16 A3035 RMK AO2 TSNO T02020160
KDED 142255Z AUTO 01010KT 10SM OVC041 21/16 A3035 RMK AO2 TSNO T02060159

KFIN 142350Z 36005KT 7SM BKN011 18/17 A3036
KFIN 142250Z 02005KT 2SM HZ BKN008 BKN020 OVC026 18/16 A3036
KFIN 142150Z 01010G14KT 10SM BKN030 BKN036 OVC043 19/16 A3036

A couple relevant PIREPS:

SFB UA /OV SFB200005/TM 2303/FL015/TP C172/SK OVC020 (close to SFB)
DAB UA /OV GUANO/TM 2310/FL040/TP C172/RM IMC TOPS045 (just west of DED)
DAB UA /OV OMN270004/TM 2201/FL025/TP C172/SK FEW025 (just west of DAB, a bit earlier)
DAB UA /OV FIN290003/TM 2327/FL040/TP RV12/SK OVC-TOP048 (just west of FIN)

Keep in mind the accident occurred almost 30 mins after sunset - 6:15 EST or 2315z.

That's quite a spiral at the end. The climb prior shouldn't have been much into clouds, if at all, but with visibility dropping, darkness, and the potential of those clouds, all in a fairly unlit area, it could be dicey to remain VFR.

1739659124245.png
 
Any word as to whether they were on a vector for the RNAV runway 6? That final course is fairly close to an intercept of the FAF at JABKU.
 
Hang 4 said:
They were going to Palatka (28J)
Click to expand...
Ok, fair - the last stable course looked like they were heading toward FIN. But the Rodman and Lake George ranges are in the direct path after the move around the DAB airspace, so perhaps that was an attempt to avoid those as well. Or not.
 
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