Hendrick Motorsports plane down?

[KeroseneSnorter]

How could anything be VFR with a ceiling steady at around 700'?

Like I said, that is what the illustrious news media reported. My only guess would be if they cancelled after breaking out so the next guy could start the approach, then lost the field. Pretty common practice on a field with no RCO.

I doubt anybody would do that with 700 ceilings in high terrain though.

We'll have to wait for the NTSB report.

 

[350DRIVER]

How could anything be VFR with a ceiling steady at around 700'?

It was "extremely foggy" in the area of the crash, said Dale Greeson, who lives about a mile from where the plane went down.

"It was just like a cap on top of Bull Mountain," said Greeson, adding that he had heard what sounded like a small plane circling overhead at the time of the crash.

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Disclaimer: 350DRIVER is not implying anything by the above nor should his opinion(s), posts, be taken overly seriously, he is merely a member passing a long information, nothing more and nothing less.

 

[350DRIVER]

It was foggy at the time of the crash. Sources with Robert Yates Racing said the plane overshot the runway and then crashed into the side of Bull Mountain. According to the FAA, there was no distress call.

http://www.wcnc.com/news/topstories/stories/wcnc-102204-ds-nascarplane.1efe8035.html

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Disclaimer: 350DRIVER is not implying anything by the above nor should his opinion(s), posts, be taken overly seriously, he is merely a member passing a long information, nothing more and nothing less.

 

[FracCapt]

My only guess would be if they cancelled after breaking out so the next guy could start the approach, then lost the field. Pretty common practice on a field with no RCO.

I doubt anybody would do that with 700 ceilings in high terrain though.

According to the Metar approximately 5 minutes before the estimated time they crashed the vis was 1 3/4sm and 400' ceiling.....not conditions during which anybody even close to being sane would cancel in the air. It wouldn't even be close to LEGAL to do so. I doubt they cancelled. If so, why would ATC think anything of the fact that they lost radar contact?

 

[KeroseneSnorter]

I doubt they cancelled. If so, why would ATC think anything of the fact that they lost radar contact?

News here said the crash happened about 12:30 or so. According to them the first report came at 3 pm or so.

Was the weather 400 to 700 all day or did it clear part of the day?

Any Nascar boys out there that have a better time frame for the sequence of events? My impression was that the crash happened just prior to the race but the search did not start until 2 or so.

 

[350DRIVER]

"The plane had been attempting to land in Martinsville, but the pilot opted to abort the landing and climb away from the runway, Martin said. The plane struck a wooded area minutes later in poor visibility." Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Greg Martin

Aborting an attempted landing is not unusual in bad weather. The airport maps that pilots use typically include instructions for how to climb safely away from the runway during an aborted landing.

An automated weather system at the airport reported that horizontal visibility along the ground was 5 miles or greater at the time of the crash. A layer of clouds hovered 600 feet over the airport. The winds were light.


It went down at 1230pm.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor/nascar/2004-10-25-air-travel_x.htm

I guess the question remains then why she didn't fly the published missed if early indications are correct?.

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[philo beddoe]

I am assuming from the discussion here that the published miss was not flown?

 

[TrafficInSight]

I am assuming from the discussion here that the published miss was not flown?

either that or Jeppesen has some explaining to do

 

[Freebrd]

Sad deal for the Hendrick organization. Looking at the approaches into this airport and the missed approach procedures for runway 30 shows immediate left or right turn (depending on the approach) back to the southeast for the hold. If they didn't turn, and they were at the missed approach altitude of 2600, 2800, or 3000', and flew straight ahead, then that mountain was there at 3211'. Runway 12 has one approach which has a missed straight out to the southeast to hold.


Very sad for a fine man, Mr Hendrick, to lose not only some of his finest employees, but also his son, twin daughters, and his brother. God speed.
__________________
Freebird

 

[rumpletumbler]

Word on the street is that the published missed was not flown.

Did Ms. Cleo tell you that??

lol....

 

[low-n-slow]

Sad day indeed.

I attended both Saturday's truck race and Sunday's Cup race, had a great time right up untill the track announced the sad news. Jimmy had taken the checkered flag, came around and nosed his car on the inside wall out of turn four where he did a short burnout and then proceded to slowley drive his car around the track to the pit entrance where the crew and some other folks gathered around the car. They announced a couple of minutes later about the news of the missing Hendrick plane and not another word was said on the PA system.

The Blackhawk(s) fly-by was cancelled due to low ceilings. We left out of MCO Friday afternoon and never once saw the sun untill landing back into MCO this morning.

Prayers out to all.

 

[BlueBusDriver]

Sad......

God Speed.

 

[meanstreak]

Wasn't there a previous post on the improper use of the word GOD SPEED?

 

[AA717driver]

meanstreak--Since the previous overuse of the phrase "God speed"(including all the variations on spelling) the moderators have decided to issue licences to use the term during certain threads.

Bluebus driver is the only authorized user of the phrase "God speed" in this thread.

The moderators appreciate your understanding in this matter. Thank you.TC

 

[Long Time Gone]

A clip that I just saw on the news showed the crash site....a couple of hundred feet from the top of a mountain (large hill). Unfortunately, it looks like CFIT. According to the information guessers (newscasters), the aircraft were not equipped with a CVR or FDR (not required, anyway).


LTG

 

[Headwind]

TAWS will be required soon.

HEADWIND

 

[FN FAL]

Aren't a lot of those stock car corporate flight departments staffed by aquaintances of the racer?

 

[rajflyboy]

Hendrick Motorsports has a fleet of aircraft with complete corporate flight department.


I imagine some of the smaller teams have acquaintances flying them around. Aviation is so important in the lives of nascar teams and drivers. Most of them have flight departments!

 

[FN FAL]

A flight department is one person. I wasn't asking about whether or not there was a compartmentalization between accounting, shipping and recieving, payroll and the department of corporate aviation...I was asking if bubba drives the airplane.

 

[Race Pilot]

A flight department is one person. I wasn't asking about whether or not there was a compartmentalization between accounting, shipping and recieving, payroll and the department of corporate aviation...I was asking if bubba drives the airplane.

Most flight departments at the big teams are very well staffed with most of the pilots having 121 experience. Many of the pilots like myself do the NASCAR thing part time while holding another job in the industry as well. Hendrick has a few part time folks I believe but mostly full time. And I don't know how closely related any of them are to any others, but I can tell you they are an absolutely professional organization, no "bubbas" there!

I knew the pilot involved in this accident and had met the copilot as well. He always projected the utmost in professionalism and was a great guy! There will of course be tons of speculation about how and what happened but we as professional aviators should let the investigators do their jobs and give us the answer when the time is right.

I just hope that Dick and Liz's families are remembered and prayed for as much as Rick's. I realize Rick has lost a lot and he is a great individual, have spoken with him at length many times, but the pilot's families need our prayers too.

 

[CitationLover]

SPECULATION

the guys in the JQF tower had heard that the plane impacted terrain at 2600', 7 miles from the airport. it APPEARS they went straight ahead to 2600' and not a climbing right turn to 2600'.

god bless them as i knew liz and other pilots at hendrick motorsports.