Two Lost In Takeoff Accident
The FAA reports engine failure on takeoff was a possible cause
of an accident this week in McAllen, TX that claimed two Mexican
nationals.
The aircraft went down at 10th Street between Dicker Drive and
Military Highway about 1900 local time Wednesday night, according
to McAllen's The Monitor. Efforts to remove the wreckage closed the
street to traffic for most of Thursday.
The single-engine Lancair IV-P was enroute to Tampico's
Francisco Javier Mina airport from Houston, when it went down about
2 1/2 miles from McAllen-Miller International Airport after a fuel
stop.
While engine failure appears to be a factor in the accident, FAA
spokesman Roland Herwig cautioned against jumping to
conclusions.
"That information could have come from investigators, or the
pilot could have radioed in the cause of his problems before the
plane went down," Herwig said "But it's still several months
before we will know for sure."
Georgina Grimaldo, 24, perished in the crash. Pilot Jose
Francisco Ortiz, 34, died Thursday morning in the burn unit of San
Antonio's Brooke Army Medical Center from burns on more than 90
percent of his body, Mexican consular officials said.
According to the newspaper, NTSB investigators will not be going
to McAllen to study the scene. Instead, they will rely on
information from local emergency responders and FAA investigators
to compile a preliminary report expected to be released next week,
Hector Casanova, an Arlington (TX)-based regional director for the
board, said.
This is the second crash the McAllen area has seen in as many
weeks. Last week, US Customs and Border Protection pilot Clint
Thrasher, 32, died when his Cessna 182 went down about 15 miles north
of San Manuel. The accident happened about a mile
north of the Hidalgo County line.
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#:
119TC Make/Model:
EXP Description: LANCAIR IV
P
Date: 05/02/2007 Time: 2358
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury:
Fatal Mid Air: N Missing:
N
Damage: Destroyed
LOCATION
City: MCALLEN State: TX Country:
US
DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT AFTER DEPARTURE, ENGINE FAILED AND CRASHED 2 1/2
MILES SOUTH OF
THE AIRPORT, THERE WERE TWO PERSONS ON BOARD, ONE WAS
FATALLY INJURED, ONE
SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES, MCALLEN, TX
INJURY DATA Total
Fatal: 1
# Crew: 2 Fat:
1 Ser:
1 Min:
0 Unk:
# Pass: 0 Fat:
0 Ser:
0 Min:
0 Unk:
# Grnd:
Fat: 0 Ser:
0 Min:
0 Unk:
WEATHER: MFE METAR 030003Z 13014KT 10SM CLR 29/20 A2968
OTHER DATA
Activity: Pleasure Phase:
Take-off Operation: OTHER
Departed: MCALLEN,
TX
Dep Date: Dep.
Time:
Destination: MCALLEN,
TX
Flt Plan: IFR
Wx Briefing:
Last Radio Cont:
Last Clearance:
FAA FSDO: SAN ANTONIO, TX
(SW17)
Entry date: 05/03/2007