According to a National Transportation Safety Board spokesman, the pilot whose plane crashed on Dec. 26 “crashed on go-around after a missed approach.” The spokesman said he couldn’t confirm anything else about the crash, which occurred in the Spruce Creek Fly-In, until the investigation was completed.
One of the callers to 911 said that the plane emerged from a thick fog bank in “an inverted flat spin.” Another caller told the emergency operator, “It looks like there’s not going to be any survivors in this.” Tragically, that caller was right. Both the pilot and one passenger were killed in the crash.
The pilot, who was the chief executive officer and president of Independent Technologies, Inc. in Nebraska owned a home in the Fly-in. The passenger was a woman from Minnesota. The two spent 3 weeks in July on a trip around the world in the plane, which was considered an experimental aircraft.
Shortly before the plane crashed, the National Weather Service from the airport reported that visibility was 2.5 miles. Several planes at the Daytona Beach International Airport either landed late or were diverted to another airport because of the fog.
The plane narrowly missed two houses when it crashed. Emergency responders at the crash site said both the pilot and the passenger died on impact.
It is not known what caused the crash of the Epic LT single-engine plane, although it is possible that weather played a role. However, once the Federal Aviation Administration completes its investigation, they could find that the crash was due to a mechanical problem with the aircraft, pilot error or any number of other causes.
If you are injured in an aviation accident or if you have lost a loved one, and the cause of the accident is due to a, improper repairs poor maintenance or other similar causes, you may have a right to sue the at-fault party or entity in a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit. An experienced attorney can provide additional information on your options.