2019 — June 30, Plane crash into AP hangar on takeoff, near north Dallas, Addison, TX–10
–10 Associated Press. “The Latest: Witnesses say plane struggled to take off.” 6-30-2019.
–10 CNN. “Ten dead in private plane crash at airport north of Dallas.: 6-30-2019.
–10 NTSB. Aviation Accident Preliminary Report. Accident Number: CEN19MA190.
Narrative Information
NTSB: “On June 30, 2019, about 0911 central daylight time, a Beech BE-300, N534FF, collided with a hangar and terrain after takeoff from Addison Airport (KADS), Addison, Texas. The airline transport pilot, the commercial co-pilot, and eight passengers sustained fatal injuries. A postimpact fire ensued and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered to EE Operations LLC and operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), instrument flight rules flight plan, had been filed for the flight. The cross-country flight was originating at the time of the accident and was en route to Albert Whitted Airport (KSPG), St. Petersburg, Florida.
“According to information provided by EE Operations and Flyte Aero (an aviation services provider), the flight crew, and passengers arrived at the airport to prepare for the personal flight, about an hour and a half prior to the accident. The airplane fuel tanks were “topped off” and luggage was loaded in the aft baggage compartment of the airplane.
“According to FAA air traffic control data, the pilot contacted ground control stating he was ready to taxi and about 0905 was provided taxi instructions to runway 15. About 0910 the pilot was given departure instructions to turn left heading 050 and was cleared for takeoff from runway 15.
“The takeoff and departure of the airplane was captured by radar and multiple security cameras and was observed by several witnesses located in various locations at the airport. One witness stated that as the airplane went down the runway, it seemed more quiet than normal and sounded like it did not have sufficient power to takeoff. After the airplane lifted off, witnesses observed the airplane drift to the left, and then roll to the left before colliding with the hangar. Several security cameras captured the drift to the left immediately after takeoff and then a roll to the left. One camera showed the airplane roll completely inverted before it collided with the hangar.
“Witness marks and wreckage distribution were consistent with the airplane impacting the top of the hangar in a right wing low, nose down, and inverted attitude. The empennage, right engine, and both propeller assemblies separated from the airplane during the impact sequence and were located inside of the hangar. Fragmented pieces of both wings were located on top of the hangar, inside of the hangar, and immediately to the north of the hangar. The main wreckage, which included the left engine and the fuselage, was located outside of the hangar and it came to rest adjacent to a brick wall. The main wreckage came to rest on its right side and was destroyed by the impact forces and postimpact fire.
“The airplane was equipped with an L3 FA2100 cockpit voice recorder (CVR). The CVR recorded 2 hours of high-quality audio including the accident flight. A crew comment regarding a problem with the left engine occurred about 8 seconds before the end of the recording. Three automated “bank angle” aural alerts began about 3 seconds before the end of the recording. A CVR group comprised of technical experts will convene at NTSB headquarters in Washington, DC, to review the entire accident recording, and produce a written transcript.
“Several avionics components and personal electronic devices were recovered from the wreckage. These components and devices were secured for further examination. Both engine assemblies were recovered from the wreckage and were secured for further examination.” (National Transportation Safety Board. Aviation Accident Preliminary Report. Accident Number: CEN19MA190.)
Media
June 30: “Dallas (AP)….9:15 p.m. [local time]. Witnesses who saw a small plane crash say it struggled on takeoff and appeared to lose power….[A witness said] the plane ‘got onto the runway, went down the runway, started taking off. He got to about 200 feet, and I saw him starting to lose power and his altitude, and then I see him just roll over and came straight down right into the building.’ Ten people were killed when the [twin engine] plane crashed into a hangar at Addison Metropolitan Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration says a Beechcraft BE-350 King Air was destroyed in the fiery crash after it struck an unoccupied hangar soon after 9 a.m….” (AP. “The Latest: Witnesses say plane struggled to take off.” 6-30-2019.)
July 2: “A cockpit recording from the plane that crashed Sunday at Addison Airport, killing all 10 people aboard, captures the moments when the crew recognized a problem with the left engine, officials said Tuesday [July 2]. The audio reveals a mood “consistent with confusion” just after the Beechcraft Super King Air 350 took off and about 12 seconds before the recording ends, said Bruce Landsberg, vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. The two crew members received three alerts warning they were in danger of hitting the ground three seconds before the recording broke off abruptly, presumably when the plane crashed into a hangar.
“Eight passengers and two crew members were on the 2-year-old, twin-engine aircraft that was destroyed by flames after it crashed into the hangar at 9:11 a.m. Sunday as it departed for St. Petersburg, Fla. No one on the ground was hurt. The cause of the crash remains unknown.
“The victims included pilots Howard Cassady and Matthew Palmer; Brian and Ornella Ellard and their teenage children, Alice Maritato and Dylan Maritato; Steve and Gina Thelen; and John and Mary Titus. All eight passengers were members of Bent Tree Country Club in Dallas, according to an email the club sent to members….
“NTSB officials said a preliminary examination of the cockpit voice recording yielded two hours of high-quality audio, giving investigators a glimpse into the terrifying moments before the aircraft hit the hangar and burst into flames. About eight seconds before the audio cut off, crew members said there was a problem with the left engine. Three seconds before the recording ended, a series of automated alerts warned the crew about the plane’s bank angle. NTSB investigator-in-charge Jennifer Rodi said the fire destroyed most of the plane’s fuselage, complicating the investigation and making surveillance video of the crash even more important. Four cameras captured the takeoff and crash, officials said. Two of them sat at the end of the runway, giving slightly different angles on the aircraft’s liftoff and impact. They show that the plane began to veer left before it hit the hangar. A camera near the start of the runway showed the plane lifted off and began to veer. A dashboard camera in a parked fire-truck captured the crash itself.
“Officials said microchips from cockpit control monitors were recovered and could allow investigators to understand how the crew was operating the craft before the crash.
“Experts are pulling apart the plane’s engines and propellers to learn more about what caused the crash. They’ll also review the flight records and experience of the crew and interview air traffic controllers who were on duty Sunday.
“Officials said Tuesday’s briefing would be the last official update locally as NTSB employees prepared to return to Washington, D.C. Rodi and her team said they probably will be in Addison until Thursday. The agency expects to have a preliminary cause for the crash in less than two weeks. A full report on the crash could take 18 months.
“The NTSB did not release audio of the cockpit recording and said more information will be available later as the cockpit voice recorder is analyzed. The agency will release a written report after the investigation is complete, including a transcript of the cockpit recording. The plane did not carry a flight data recorder.
“Howard Cassady, 71, was the last of the 10 victims to be publicly named. He and fellow pilot Matthew Palmer, 28, made up the plane’s crew. The Dallas County medical examiner confirmed Tuesday that it had positively identified everyone who died….
“Also added to the medical examiner’s list Tuesday were Mary Titus, 60, and her husband, John Titus, 59. Both were members of Tennis Competitors of Dallas, according to an email from the group. Mary Titus served as the mixed league director, the group said.
“Brian and Ornella Ellard were headed to St. Petersburg for summer vacation with Ornella’s two children, 13-year-old Dylan Maritato and 15-year-old Alice Maritato… Brian Ellard, 52, owned an upscale Italian restaurant in Dallas, as well as an art gallery. Ornella Ellard, 45, worked as an interior designer.
“Public records show that the Ellard family is connected to the business that bought the 2017 plane this year. EE Operations shares the same mailing address in Addison as Ellard Family Holdings LLC. Attempts to reach EE Operations have been unsuccessful.
“Steve Thelen, 58, and his wife, Gina Thelen, 57 [identified as two other victims]/…
Sources
Associated Press. “The Latest: Witnesses say plane struggled to take off.” 6-30-2019. Accessed 6-30-2019 at: https://www.apnews.com/09c7f94d1ae3494c8a4264a6e2479f14
CNN (Hollie Silverman and Dakin Androne). “Ten dead in private plane crash at airport north of Dallas.: 6-30-2019. Accessed 6-30-2019 at: https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/30/us/texas-private-plane-crash/index.html
DallasNews.com (Sarah Sarder, Jennifer Emily and Sara Coello). “Cockpit thrown into ‘confusion’ seconds before 10 died in Addison plane crash.” 7-2-2019, 4:45 p.m. update. Accessed 7-3-2019 at: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/addison/2019/07/02/cockpit-thrown-confusion-seconds-before-10-died-addison-plane-crash
National Transportation Safety Board. Aviation Accident Preliminary Report. Accident Number: CEN19MA190. Accessed 7-13-2019 at: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/ReportGeneratorFile.ashx?EventID=20190630X33829&AKey=1&RType=Prelim&IType=MA