Small Plane Crashes Into Orlando Neighborhood

Aviation Aviation News
1

SANFORD, Fla. A small plane crashed into a suburban Orlando neighborhood Tuesday, sparking at least two house fires.

A spokeswoman for the Sanford Police Department said at least three people were injured.

Authorities did not immediately release further details on the crash at the Preserves at Lake Monroe subdivision here, but video footage showed smoke rising from the neighborhood and firefighters dousing homes in water.

Link

Another Story:

A small plane crashed into two Seminole County homes on Tuesday sparking a fire.

It happened at the Preserves at Lake Monroe subdivision along Wilson Bay Court, WESH 2 News reported.

At least three people were critically injured, and two helicopters were called to transport the victims to local hospitals, Sanford Police Department spokeswoman Cleo Cohen said.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the plane was a Cessna 310 enroute from Daytona Beach to Lakeland when it reported problems. Authorities said the plane was trying to make an emergency landing at Orlando-Sanford International Airport.

Video from Chopper 2 showed two homes were gutted by the crash and fire. A third home was also damaged. Multiple fire engines are at the scene working to extinguish the flames.

An evacuation was ordered along Wilson Bay Court, Cohen said.

The subdivision is located along Riverview and Narcissus avenues. The homes inthe subdivision are only a few years old, reports indicated.

Stay with WESH 2 News and WESH.com for further details.

Link w/video (at least it says it does. Stupid IT at work blocked the video)

2

STORY ON YAHOO

The twin engine Cessna 310 was registered to Competitor Liaison Bureau Inc. of Daytona Beach, said Kathleen Bergen with the Federal Aviation Administration.

Competitor Liaison is registered under the name of William C. France, the late chairman of NASCAR, according to online records from the Department of State Division of Corporations show. James C. France is listed as an officer of the company.

The plane was traveling from Daytona Beach to Lakeland when the pilot declared smoke in the cockpit. The pilot was attempting to land at the Orlando Sanford International Airport when the plane crashed about a mile or two north of the airport, Bergen said.

Competitor Liaison Bureau Inc. only has one plane registered - N501N, and tracking for it is blocked.

3

CNN reports 5 dead, including both on board aircraft,
[ CNN NEWS REPORT ]](5 killed, including 2 children, when plane crashes into homes - CNN.com)[ NTSB ADVISORY ]](http://by109w.bay109.mail.live.com/mail/ReadMessageLight.aspx?Aux=0%2C0%2C633196876115100000&FolderID=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&InboxSortAscending=False&InboxSortBy=Date&ReadMessageId=25fcc16e-42c8-438f-9e1d-edd43e9d1000&n=858171492)[ LiveLeak Video ]](ItemFix - Social Video Factory)

4

Kudos to CNN playing sound bite of NTSB stating that accidents are very rare and aircraft travel is much safer than a car, etc…

5

Wow… :open_mouth: Cheers to CNN… Maybe there’s hope afterall for the media

6

NTSB released this…

NTSB: NASCAR Plane That Crashed Had Broken Control Cables
AP - 7/24/2007 10:54 AM - Updated 7/24/2007 10:56 AM

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) _ Control cables were broken in the NASCAR plane that crashed into two suburban homes, killing five people earlier this month, federal investigators said Tuesday.

Inspectors found several breaks in the cables running through the right wing and forward fuselage of the twin-engine Cessna 310 that crashed July 10 in Sanford, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.

However, the report did not speculate on whether the cables broke before or during the crash, and did not specify what parts of the aircraft those cables would have controlled.

The cause of the crash will not be determined for several months, officials said.

``They’re just verifying what they can in the wreckage,‘’ NTSB spokesman Ted Lopatkiewicz said.

A longer factual report won’t be issued until late 2007 or early 2008, Lopatkiewicz said.

Witnesses had reported seeing smoke trailing from the plane as it sped low over the neighborhood and seeing its wings ``rocking’’ before it sharply banked and slammed into the homes, the report said.

The crash killed both people aboard the plane, NASCAR Aviation pilot Michael Klemm and Dr. Bruce Kennedy, the husband of International Speedway Corp. President Lesa France Kennedy.

Three people in the homes that were hit and gutted by fire also died: a 24-year-old law student, her 6-month-old son and a 4-year-old neighbor. The 4-year-old’s parents and a 10-year-old boy were rescued by an off-duty firefighter living nearby and were hospitalized with severe burns, officials said.

The plane was traveling from Daytona Beach to Lakeland, a 100-mile trip. The pilot reported smoke in the cockpit shortly after reaching 6,000 feet, and air traffic controllers at Sanford Orlando International Airport gave him clearance to land on any runway, according to the report. The last radio transmission, about a half-minute later, was cut off in mid-sentence.

When the plane went down, its landing gear and flaps were not deployed, indicating the pilot was not prepared to land, federal officials have said.

Investigators still aren’t sure who was piloting the plane. Kennedy had a pilot’s license but was authorized to fly this plane only when accompanied by Klemm, according to the report.

The plane was registered to Competitor Liaison Bureau Inc. of Daytona Beach, which is registered under the name of William C. France, the NASCAR chairman who died last month at 74. Lesa France Kennedy is his daughter.

As per the ritual, the link