ATC Recording Confirms Crew Declared An Emergency

Recordings obtained from liveATC.net confirm that the crew of a Piper Navajo on a medical transport flight reported fuel exhaustion short of the flight's intended destination. The plane went down in a Chicago suburb resulting in the fatal injury of three of the five people on board.

Piper Navajo File Photo

Media sources including the Daily Herald which covers the Chicago suburbs report that either the pilot or a pilot-rated passenger declared an emergency with ATC, as indicated on the recording. When asked by a controller if the pilot still wanted to try to land at Palwaukee (Chicago Executive), a different voice responds "Unable. We are out of fuel and coasting."

NTSB investigators found no trace of fuel in the debris field left when the airplane impacted the ground, though lead investigator Edward Malinowski said that he would not speculate as to the cause of the accident. He did say fuel exhaustion would be taken into consideration along with all other factors relevant to the flight. Both fuel tanks were reportedly compromised in the accident.

The aircraft had refueled in Jesup, GA. It went down less than three miles from its destination. Two passengers, one of whom has a pilot certificate, survived the accident with non-life-threatening injuries. One of the victims, John Bailek, reportedly suffered a heart attack as the result of the stress of the accident, according to an autopsy performed by the Cook County Medical Examiner's office. Bailek was the patient being transported back to his home in suburban Chicago from West Palm Beach, FL. His wife is the other survivor.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov