the following was in our local paper this morning. the link to the story is below. I wonder who "informed" him that he had enough fuel for the final leg.
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20160106/news/160109475/
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Round Lake pilot Jeffrey Bronken's cocaine use was a contributing factor when he ran out of fuel and crashed near Tampa-St. Petersburg, killing himself and his daughter and injuring her friend two years ago, federal documents show.
"The FAA forbids the use of substances that could lead to impairment," Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said.
related
Jeffrey Bronken, 53, was killed early in the morning of March 22, 2014, when the single-engine Piper PA-28-181 aircraft he was piloting crashed after running out of fuel a few miles north of St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport in Florida. Bronken's 15-year-old daughter, Katherine, who attended Grant Community High School in Fox Lake, died from injuries four days later.
Bronken's inadequate fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion, led to the crash, according to a National Transportation Safety Board probable cause report. The NTSB report states "the pilot's impairment due to cocaine use" contributed to the crash.
Disappointment in the NTSB report was reflected in a statement to the Daily Herald issued by Bronken family attorney Theodore Karavidas of Barrington. Karavidas has represented Bronken's widow and Katherine's mother, Susan, in matters.
"The family is further saddened by the conclusion of the NTSB that Jeff's judgment was impaired to any degree," the statement reads. "Jeff refueled in Nashville and was informed upon departure that he had enough fuel for 4 hours, 35 minutes of flight time. At the 4 hour 21 minute mark, he realized as he approached his destination airport that a highway landing was required.
"The blood level of cocaine reported by the NTSB was below the threshold needed to produce impairment or physiological effects. The family is disappointed by the questionable conclusion of the NTSB and asks the public to respect their privacy in this time of grief."
Katherine Bronken's friend, Keyana Linbo, survived spinal and other serious injuries in the crash. Linbo attends Grant High, where she's on the girls varsity basketball team.
Linbo's family learned of the NTSB report shortly after it was filed in late October, said their attorney, Thomas Lake of Libertyville.
"The NTSB concluded, generally, that there was impairment from cocaine use, along with inadequate fuel planning," Lake said. "I think the inadequate fuel planning was pretty obvious, but the impairment from cocaine use was not. It was surprising and very upsetting to the family."
NTSB officials used data from various sources for the crash findings, according to the probable cause report.
Jeffrey Bronken took off for Florida from Campbell Airport in Round Lake Park about 6:30 p.m. March 21, 2014. His intended destination of St. Petersburg-Clearwater is a full-service airport with commercial passenger service, cargo, military and general aviation operations.
Investigators found Bronken flew from Campbell Airport to John C. Tune Airport in Nashville, Tennessee, to refuel at 11:38 p.m. March 21, 2014. He departed Nashville for the final leg to Florida.
During the night cross-country flight, Bronken's plane had been airborne for 4 hours, 21 minutes and about 6 miles from his destination when he reported a fuel emergency to air traffic control about 4 a.m., according to the NTSB report.
Bronken stated he planned to land on a highway, but collided with 160-foot-tall power lines that crossed the road, the NTSB found. The report says an examination of the wreckage did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions of the airframe or engine before impact, and "only a few ounces of fuel" were recovered from the crash site.
"The pilot's toxicology results were positive for cocaine," according to the NTSB, "and impairment from cocaine likely affected his preflight fuel planning abilities and en route fuel management."
Toxicology testing was performed by the FAA's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute in Oklahoma City. Cocaine was detected in Bronken's cavity blood, urine and liver, according to the report.
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20160106/news/160109475/
__________________________________
Round Lake pilot Jeffrey Bronken's cocaine use was a contributing factor when he ran out of fuel and crashed near Tampa-St. Petersburg, killing himself and his daughter and injuring her friend two years ago, federal documents show.
"The FAA forbids the use of substances that could lead to impairment," Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said.
related
Jeffrey Bronken, 53, was killed early in the morning of March 22, 2014, when the single-engine Piper PA-28-181 aircraft he was piloting crashed after running out of fuel a few miles north of St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport in Florida. Bronken's 15-year-old daughter, Katherine, who attended Grant Community High School in Fox Lake, died from injuries four days later.
Bronken's inadequate fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion, led to the crash, according to a National Transportation Safety Board probable cause report. The NTSB report states "the pilot's impairment due to cocaine use" contributed to the crash.
Disappointment in the NTSB report was reflected in a statement to the Daily Herald issued by Bronken family attorney Theodore Karavidas of Barrington. Karavidas has represented Bronken's widow and Katherine's mother, Susan, in matters.
"The family is further saddened by the conclusion of the NTSB that Jeff's judgment was impaired to any degree," the statement reads. "Jeff refueled in Nashville and was informed upon departure that he had enough fuel for 4 hours, 35 minutes of flight time. At the 4 hour 21 minute mark, he realized as he approached his destination airport that a highway landing was required.
"The blood level of cocaine reported by the NTSB was below the threshold needed to produce impairment or physiological effects. The family is disappointed by the questionable conclusion of the NTSB and asks the public to respect their privacy in this time of grief."
Katherine Bronken's friend, Keyana Linbo, survived spinal and other serious injuries in the crash. Linbo attends Grant High, where she's on the girls varsity basketball team.
Linbo's family learned of the NTSB report shortly after it was filed in late October, said their attorney, Thomas Lake of Libertyville.
"The NTSB concluded, generally, that there was impairment from cocaine use, along with inadequate fuel planning," Lake said. "I think the inadequate fuel planning was pretty obvious, but the impairment from cocaine use was not. It was surprising and very upsetting to the family."
NTSB officials used data from various sources for the crash findings, according to the probable cause report.
Jeffrey Bronken took off for Florida from Campbell Airport in Round Lake Park about 6:30 p.m. March 21, 2014. His intended destination of St. Petersburg-Clearwater is a full-service airport with commercial passenger service, cargo, military and general aviation operations.
Investigators found Bronken flew from Campbell Airport to John C. Tune Airport in Nashville, Tennessee, to refuel at 11:38 p.m. March 21, 2014. He departed Nashville for the final leg to Florida.
During the night cross-country flight, Bronken's plane had been airborne for 4 hours, 21 minutes and about 6 miles from his destination when he reported a fuel emergency to air traffic control about 4 a.m., according to the NTSB report.
Bronken stated he planned to land on a highway, but collided with 160-foot-tall power lines that crossed the road, the NTSB found. The report says an examination of the wreckage did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions of the airframe or engine before impact, and "only a few ounces of fuel" were recovered from the crash site.
"The pilot's toxicology results were positive for cocaine," according to the NTSB, "and impairment from cocaine likely affected his preflight fuel planning abilities and en route fuel management."
Toxicology testing was performed by the FAA's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute in Oklahoma City. Cocaine was detected in Bronken's cavity blood, urine and liver, according to the report.
What lawyer worth his/her salt is going to go on record saying, "Yeah, he was a coke fiend, and he was ripped while he was flying," regarding their own client? Come on, man! You can't believe anything you read/see in the media. Sure, there was an airplane crash and two fatalities, but that's about as far as you should be willing to blindly take as fact.