Commercial Flights Resume At GNV
ANN REALTIME REPORTING 04.17.06 1545EST: The commercial
terminal at Gainesville Regional Airport reopened for business
Monday afternoon, after being evacuated 24 hours before following a
plane crash that claimed the lives of three people
onboard.
The Gainesville Sun reports the first incoming flight, from
South Florida, was scheduled to arrive at 12:30 pm Monday.
Temporary repairs to the terminal -- including removal of water,
debris, and soot -- are expected to be completed by Tuesday.
The NTSB has arrived on the scene to investigate the
accident.
Original Report
The commercial terminal at Gainesville Regional Airport (GNV)
remained closed Monday morning while authorities investigate the
damage caused by a Beechcraft Duke that went down shortly before
noon Sunday at the airport. The aircraft impacted a parked car,
sending the vehicle through a wall at the passenger terminal and
resulting in a fire that forced the evacuation of approximately 150
people from the terminal.
The three people onboard the Duke perished in the accident, but
no one on the ground was injured. Officials have not released the
names of those onboard the aircraft, but family members told The
Gainesville Sun pilot Giuseppe Basile, Steve Varosi, and Varosi's
12-year-old nephew Michael were onboard the plane.
Relatives also told the paper the flight was to test a new
autopilot system Basile, a retired University of Florida
engineering professor, and Steve Varosi, his former student, had
developed.
Witnesses say the aircraft -- a 1977 Beechcraft B-60 Duke,
registry N999DE (file photo of TYPE, not actual aircraft, above) --
had just taken off from the airport, then circled several times
before attempting to land. FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said no
distress call was transmitted from the aircraft before it went
down.
All commercial flights from the airport were cancelled Sunday.
US Airways, Delta, Continental, and Northwest Airlines fly from the
airport. Airline service was expected to resume Monday
afternoon.
General aviation traffic continues to operate from the airport,
authorities said Sunday.
** Report created 4/17/2006 Record
3
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IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 999DE
Make/Model: BE60 Description: 60
Duke
Date: 04/16/2006 Time: 1553
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury:
Fatal Mid Air: N Missing:
N
Damage: Destroyed
LOCATION
City: GAINESVILLE State: FL Country:
US
DESCRIPTION
ACFT ON DEPARTURE VEERED, HIT A PARKED VEHICLE AND SLID INTO
THE WEST SIDE
OF THE AIRPORT TERMINAL, THE THREE PERSONS ON BOARD WERE
FATALLY INJURED,
NO GROUND INJURIES REPORTED, GAINESVILLE, FL
INJURY DATA Total
Fatal: 3
# Crew: 1 Fat:
1 Ser:
0 Min:
0 Unk:
# Pass: 2 Fat:
2 Ser:
0 Min:
0 Unk:
# Grnd:
Fat: 0 Ser:
0 Min:
0 Unk:
WEATHER: 161553UTC WIND 240 11KTS VIS10 CLR 25/16 A3000
OTHER DATA
Departed: GAINSVILLE,
FL
Dep Date: Dep.
Time:
Destination:
Flt
Plan:
Wx Briefing:
Last Radio Cont: CLRD FOR T/O
Last Clearance: CLR FOR T/O
FAA FSDO: ORLANDO, FL
(SO15)
Entry date: 04/17/2006
Classic Aero-TV: Extra; the Airplane, the Man, and His Grand DeLand Plan
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