Renter Speculates Medical Issue To Blame

A resident of New Lenox, IL died Monday afternoon in the crash of his six-week-old light-sport aircraft just south of Cushing Field in Newark Township. The Morris Daily Herald reports Joseph E. Johnson was 77 years old.

Airport owner Charles Cushing retired after 30 years with TWA. He told the paper early speculation is that Johnson may have been incapacitated by a medical problem. "The plane was in the airport traffic pattern. If it had experienced engine failure, he should have been able to glide it into the airport."

An autopsy was scheduled for yesterday, and results may certainly lead to a debate within the aviation community. Johnson was a Sport Pilot who learned to fly over last winter in Florida, and was using a drivers license in lieu of an FAA medical certificate.

Cushing rented Johnson the plane involved in the accident, a Czech Aircraft Works Sportcruiser LSA. The aircraft had only logged about 100 flight hours since new.

Asked if he's nervous about entrusting his rental fleet to pilots who haven't passed the FAA medical, Cushing remarked, "The same person can travel on Illinois 71 at 80 miles an hour, and have a medical problem. I worry more about people like that. This fellow was a very cautious pilot."

The initial FAA report listed weather at the time of the accident as simply, "not reported."

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 602CF        Make/Model: LSA       Description: CZECH SPORTCRUISER
  Date: 07/21/2008     Time: 2100

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Destroyed

LOCATION
  City: NEWARK   State: IL   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THE ONE PERSON ON BOARD WAS
  FATALLY INJURED, NEAR NEWARK, IL

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   1
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   1     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: NOT REPORTED

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Unknown      Phase: Unknown      Operation: OTHER

  FAA FSDO: LINCOLN, NE  (CE09)                   Entry date: 07/22/2008

FMI: www.faa.gov