Anyone have more info?

[othello]

SPOKANE – A twin-engine cargo plane crashed in the Spokane Valley around 8:15 a.m. Saturday, killing the pilot, the FAA regional office said.

Significant damage and flames were reported at the scene, but the fire was soon extinguished.

The AM Flight Czek Hauler crashed one mile away from Felts Field airport on final approach, at the 5900 block of Lehman, in a remote area north of town.

There were no other people on board.

Heavy fog may have been a factor in the crash, as there was only about a quarter-mile visibility. The pilot reportedly radioed in to report problems.

It's not known yet where the plane originated from or the identity of the pilot.

More details will follow as they become available.

 

[WrightAvia]

Plane Crash in Washington Kills Pilot

By Associated Press

November 29, 2003, 7:58 PM EST

SPOKANE, Wash. -- A small cargo plane in heavy fog crashed on its approach to an airstrip Saturday morning, killing the pilot.

No one else was on board, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Don Walker said. There were no reports of injuries on the ground.

The AmeriFlight SW3 Merlin went down about a mile from Felts Field in a remote area north of Spokane, Walker said. Visibility was a quarter of a mile at the time, he added.

A witness reported hearing the plane strike trees before it crashed in a gully, the Spokane County Sheriff's Department said. Debris was scattered over about six acres when deputies and firefighters arrived.

The pilot radioed the airport moments before the crash, but he "never indicated that he was having any kind of problem," FAA spokesman Mike O'Connor told the Spokesman-Review of Spokane.

Investigators with the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board were at the scene Saturday.

The sheriff's department said the pilot was from western Washington, but did not say which city. Burbank, Calif.-based AmeriFlight Inc. issued a statement saying the pilot's name was being withheld until relatives were notified.

A United Parcel Service spokesman at the scene said Ameriflight is a contract cargo carrier for UPS. The twin turboprop had taken off from Seattle.

 

[WrightAvia]

here is a link to a web site that has archived metar data for the day.

http://nimbo.wrh.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/Missoula/msoobs?site=KSFF&type=01

In the event that that data is overwriten by fresh data for the next reporting period, I scrolled and pasted that days weather here...it appears that HEAVY FOG as reported by the media, so doesn't exist.


date/time/tmp/dew/rh/wind/wnd mph/barom uncor/vis mi/ weather/clouds/in settg
-------------- --- --- --- -------- --- ----- ------ ----- ---------- -------------------- --- --- --- --- ---- ---- ---- -----
29 05:33pm PST 45 43 93 SW 13 27.887 10.00 BKN013 BKN027 OVC200 0.01 29.93
29 04:53pm PST 46 43 89 SW 7 29.93 27.868 10.00 SCT021 BKN027 BKN200 29.91
29 04:00pm PST 45 43 93 CALM 27.849 10.00 SCT021 BKN027 BKN200 29.89
29 03:53pm PST 43 42 97 CALM 29.91 27.849 10.00 SCT013 SCT029 OVC200 47 43 29.89
29 02:53pm PST 47 43 86 SW 8 29.90 27.839 10.00 SCT013 BKN031 OVC200 29.88
29 01:53pm PST 47 44 90 SW 9 29.89 27.839 10.00 BKN013 OVC019 29.88
29 12:53pm PST 47 43 86 SW 9 29.91 27.858 10.00 BKN013 OVC019 29.90
29 12:00pm PST 46 43 87 W 7 27.839 10.00 OVC011 29.88
29 11:53am PST 46 43 89 SW 7 29.88 27.830 10.00 OVC009 29.87
29 10:53am PST 45 43 93 SW 8 29.89 27.830 10.00 OVC009 29.87
29 09:53am PST 44 43 96 W 8 29.89 27.839 10.00 OVC006 44 39 29.88
29 08:53am PST 44 42 93 VRB 3 29.88 27.821 10.00 OVC008 29.86
29 08:27am PST 43 43 100 W 3 27.811 10.00 OVC006 29.85
29 07:53am PST 43 42 97 W 6 29.85 27.792 10.00 OVC004 29.83
29 07:25am PST 43 43 100 VRB 3 27.783 7.00 OVC002 29.82
29 06:53am PST 40 39 97 CALM 29.85 27.783 9.00 OVC004 29.82
29 05:53am PST 42 41 96 CALM 29.84 27.783 10.00 OVC006 29.82
29 04:53am PST 42 40 92 CALM 29.83 27.773 10.00 OVC008 29.81
29 03:53am PST 41 40 96 SW 7 29.83 27.764 10.00 OVC008 43 39 0.15 0.27 29.80
29 03:26am PST 41 39 93 SW 6 27.764 10.00 OVC008 29.80
29 02:53am PST 41 39 93 SW 8 29.83 27.773 10.00 OVC010 29.81
29 01:53am PST 41 39 93 VRB 3 29.84 27.783 10.00 OVC010 T 29.82
29 01:05am PST 39 37 93 VRB 5 27.792 9.00 -RA BKN014 OVC025 T 29.83
29 12:53am PST 40 38 93 VRB 5 29.85 27.792 10.00 -RA SCT013 BKN019 OVC025 0.03 0.15 29.83
29 12:30am PST 39 37 93 SW 8 27.802 9.00 -RA SCT018 BKN024 OVC030 0.03 29.84
28 11:53pm PST 41 38 89 SW 10G23 29.85 27.792 7.00 RA SCT027 BKN033 OVC041 45 30 0.08 29.83
28 10:53pm PST 41 37 86 SW 10G18 29.85 27.792 8.00 RA OVC027 0.04 29.83
28 10:27pm PST 41 37 87 SW 12G17 27.792 8.00 RA OVC029 0.02 29.83
28 10:19pm PST 41 37 87 SW 12 27.792 8.00 -RA OVC031 0.01 29.83

 

[flybtp]

Anyone know the N number?

 

[WrightAvia]

Here is some more news, now they are saying the vis was a 1/4 mile and the pilot never transmitted any problems...

I don't know where they got that info, unless the archived metar data was based on what is transmitted to the feds on the hour and as specials, as opposed to what was being transmitted by awos or atis.

Here is the latest...

Plane Crash in Washington Kills Pilot

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) -- A small cargo plane in heavy fog crashed on its approach to an airstrip Saturday morning, killing the pilot.

No one else was on board, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Don Walker said. There were no reports of injuries on the ground.

The AmeriFlight SW3 Merlin went down about a mile from Felts Field in a remote area north of Spokane, Walker said. Visibility was a quarter of a mile at the time, he added.

A witness reported hearing the plane strike trees before it crashed in a gully, the Spokane County Sheriff's Department said. Debris was scattered over about six acres when deputies and firefighters arrived.

The pilot radioed the airport moments before the crash, but he "never indicated that he was having any kind of problem," FAA spokesman Mike O'Connor told the Spokesman-Review of Spokane.

Investigators with the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board were at the scene Saturday.

The sheriff's department said the pilot was from western Washington, but did not say which city. Burbank, Calif.-based AmeriFlight Inc. issued a statement saying the pilot's name was being withheld until relatives were notified.

A United Parcel Service spokesman at the scene said Ameriflight is a contract cargo carrier for UPS. The twin turboprop had taken off from Seattle.

Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved

 

[Peckerwood]

The visibility was 1/8-3/4sm in the 1500z hour this morning around Spokane. Both GEG and SKA had periods of RVR below 2000 although the lowest CIG or VIS that were reported for SFF was OVC002 with 7sm visibility at 1525z.

 

[340drvr]

dammit! Another one of "us" gone. Gotta stop doing this!

Thoughts and condolences to friends and family.

 

[WrightAvia]

dammit! Another one of "us" gone. Gotta stop doing this!

Thoughts and condolences to friends and family.

I hear you bro. Freight is a great job. I'm glad I'm flying single pilot in my NERF plane, as opposed to those merlins our competitor uses. They look...rode hard and put away wet.

 

[traffic pilot]

What is a NERF airplane?

 

[WrightAvia]

Never
Ever
Really
Flies