He Had Gotten Out Of His Airplane In The Run-Up Area

An experienced flight instructor was struck and killed by a moving propeller in the run-up area of runway 34 at Beverly Airport (KBVY) in Beverly, Massachusetts last last week. Witnesses said 30-year-old Michael Costales of Weymouth, MA was trying to help the pilot of a Piper Sport close the canopy on his airplane.

Piper Warrior File Photo

The accident occurred about 1215 EDT Thursday. Costales reportedly was waiting with a student in a Piper Warrior for departure clearance  alongside a student and another instructor in a PiperSport, and the student pilot was having difficulty closing the canopy of his airplane. It is still not known if Costales walked into the moving prop, or the plane moved. Beverly Airport Commission Chair Paul Vitale said the student was in the left seat of the PiperSport, and he is being interviewed as part of the investigation. "Whether the plane jerked forward or whether he had the plane under control will be determined by the investigation," Vitale said.

PiperSport Canopy Open File Photo

The North Andover Eagle Tribune reports that both aircraft are owned by the Beverly Flight Center, and both were involved in flight training operations when the accident occurred. Costales reportedly had been flying since he was 20, and had become a flight instructor at 21. The names of the others in the airplanes at the time of the accident have not been released.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov