Was Involved In A Runway Excursion In October

The FAA said pilot Keith George violated four FARs during a flight that ended with the Beech B90 he was flying overshooting a runway and landing on an Interstate highway in Surtevant, Wisconsin in October of last year. The FAA notified George it plans to suspend his Commercial Pilot privileges as a result of the accident, but he is challenging that decision.

In a letter sent by the FAA to George, the FAA says that during a flight under VFR flight rules, he "crossed through a line of aircraft on arrival for Chicago O'Hare International Airport" after violating Class E airspace at 14,500 feet. He had not filed an IFR flight plan or obtained clearance to operate in that area.

The FAA also charged that George and his passenger, reported to be his girlfriend, did not have "the required safety belt or harness fastened or properly secured" during the missed approaches and eventual crash-landing. The also said that he continued VFR into IFR conditions. It all constituted "careless operation so as to endanger the life or property of others."

The NTSB preliminary report on the accident indicates that a Beech B90 airplane, N821DA, collided with a fence and a ditch when it overran runway 8R while landing at the Sylvania Airport (C89), Sturtevant, Wisconsin. The commercial pilot was not injured and his passenger received minor injuries. The airplane sustained damage to its fuselage and both wings. The aircraft was registered to Direct Action Aviation LLC, and was operated by Skydive Midwest. The accident flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which was not operated on a flight plan. The flight originated from the Jackson County Airport-Reynolds Field (JXN), Jackson, Michigan, at an unconfirmed time.

Through his attorney, George sent a letter to the FAA Wednesday ... the deadline for him to make an appeal ... requesting an "informal conference" with representatives from the FAA, according to a report appearing in the Journal-Times newspaper. He and his attorney will discuss the facts of the case with representatives from the agency. He is still able to fly while the appeal process is ongoing. George said during the initial investigation that the weather was above IFR minimums during the entire flight, and that his "approach and touchdown were normal, maybe a little long, but within the first third of the runway."

No date for the informal conference has been set.

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.ntsb.gov