Plane Down in Davidson County, NC

Well that's pretty horrible. I hope it wasn't a successful emergency landing followed by getting run over.
 
Was at EXX earlier this afternoon. Reports are saying it was a Baron that had just departed. Terrible.
 
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About 10 miles from my house.
Was told they lost left engine on takeoff.
Baron departed on rwy 24 which crosses I-85.

Very sad..
 
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I can't validate this information personally, but according to a local media outlet, the pilot was from Charlotte, and was repositioning the aircraft to South Carolina. It had been at KEXX, "for an extended amount of time."
 
Hope that trucker had a dash cam that can help explain what happened.
 
This is directly from one of the Greensboro media outlets:

"Troopers identified the pilot as Raymond John Ackley, 43, of Charlotte. The driver of the tractor-trailer, a 41-year-old Concord man, is in the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, trooper say."
 
1st flight after fairly extensive engine work. It’s getting to be where one shouldn’t leave the ground on that 1st check after extensive maintenance.
 
sourdough44 said:
1st flight after fairly extensive engine work. It’s getting to be where one shouldn’t leave the ground on that 1st check after extensive maintenance.
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Where did you see it had engine work? I did my primary training there many years ago and have bad history with that maintenance shop as well.
 
Grum.Man said:
Where did you see it had engine work? I did my primary training there many years ago and have bad history with that maintenance shop as well.
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Ray Ackley posted a bit of a saga over on the Beech board. Something about a damaged jug and a dispute with the shop over requiring an OH or just replacing the jug. Don't know how it was resolved. Ray sounded like a decent guy.
 
Rein Hart said:
Hope that trucker had a dash cam that can help explain what happened.
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Maybe. It looks like the truck was going down the southbound lane of I-85 and the plane hit him from behind hard enough to turn the trailer on its side and spin around 180 degrees.

There are several updates on Fox 8 News, High Point, NC.

My condolences to his family and friends.

I also wish a speedy recovery for the truck driver.
 
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Doug Reid said:
Maybe. It looks like the truck was going down the ramp to enter the southbound lane of I-85 and the plane hit him from behind hard enough to turn the trailer on its side.

There are several updates on Fox 8 News, High Point, NC.
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Perhaps the rig swerved and flopped, not that it matters. Hopefully he didn't fly a plane with a known deficiency, but I'm sure the NTSB will come up with something.
 
A friend sent me a screen shot of the discussion on beechtalk. Sounds like there was a dispute over what to do about a cylinder that had gone bad and put metal in the oil. From what I read the shop was saying they would only deem a full engine teardown to sign it off as airworthy but the owner was arguing that a cylinder replacement and oil system flush was sufficient. Plane was stuck there for that issue and an annual with no resolution so he was seeking advice on what it would cost to have it disassembled and shipped to another shop. Interesting to see if anyone has any details as to what the final agreement was.
 
I don't need a screenshot because I'm a member on Beechtalk and have read both threads over there. Apparently, the mechanic relented after being shown (again) Mike Busch's recommendation.
 
flyingron said:
I don't need a screenshot because I'm a member on Beechtalk and have read both threads over there. Apparently, the mechanic relented after being shown (again) Mike Busch's recommendation.
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So are you saying that this happened after they listened to Mike Busch and followed his advice?
 
SkyDog58 said:
So are you saying that this happened after they listened to Mike Busch and followed his advice?
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Yep. Of course, we don't know what happened. It might have been a failure unrelated to the bad cylinder itself. Perhaps the crush washer on the oil cooler wasn't installed the right way around. The NTSB will send the engine to Continental which will find there's no defect in the engine itself.
 
flyingron said:
Perhaps the crush washer on the oil cooler wasn't installed the right way around. The NTSB will send the engine to Continental which will find there's no defect in the engine itself.
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Is this the same crush washer that was installed on a loose but safetied oil cooler temp bulb that the NTSB/TCM found to leak air when tested? You know, the temp bulb right next to the cylinder that was recently replaced. So are you saying maybe the same thing happened here?:rolleyes:
 
scottd said:
Yes, Ray was a good friend and lived a short walk from my house. He liked to ride his bike through the neighborhood and I would see him when walking my dog. Still in shock and I just don’t have any words. Ray was 43 and I feel terrible for his family.
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I'm sorry to hear this.

We sometimes forget the pain and suffering of surviving family and friends when casually discussing an aircraft crash.

I can only offer condolences, and that seems pitifully inadequate when you're hurting from the loss.
 
scottd said:
Yes, Ray was a good friend and lived a short walk from my house. He liked to ride his bike through the neighborhood and I would see him when walking my dog. Still in shock and I just don’t have any words. Ray was 43 and I feel terrible for his family.
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Sorry, Scott. Alway hard to lose a friend, especially so tragically.
 
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