COPA Treasurer Barbara Fornell Lost In Accident

ANN REALTIME UPDATE 02.06.06 2130 EST: Coast Guard recovery crews are continuing their search off the coast of Hutchinson Island, FL for the bodies of three people who were onboard a Cirrus SR22 that went down Saturday afternoon after its pilot reported problems with the aircraft's instruments.

Aero-News has learned one of the victims, Barbara Fornell, 52, is treasurer of the Jupiter, FL-based Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association (COPA), the nonprofit group that promotes Cirrus planes and arranges social activities for members.

Also onboard, and presumed lost, were Barbara's husband Glen Fornell, 67, and 32-year-old Mario Alberto Castillo-Zavala, of Honduras.

Crews are also searching for the wreckage of the airplane -- so far, only a few stray pieces of the plane have floated up to the surface.

"They're looking for anything and everything," Coast Guard Petty Officer Nathan Blackwell said Sunday. "They still haven't found the main body of the aircraft. Nothing has been recovered other than small pieces of debris."

Aero-News extends its condolences to the families and friends of all three who were apparently lost in the accident.

ORIGINAL REPORT

Three victims of an accident near Stuart, FL Saturday afternoon have been identified, as the focus now turns to what brought their Cirrus SR22 down.

Glen and Barbara Fornell, as well as Mario Alberto Castillo-Zavala of Honduras, had just taken off from Witham Field en route to St. Augustine Saturday at 4 pm. Their aircraft was over the water when it apparently lost electrical power, according to statements given to the Palm Beach Post by an NTSB spokesman.

The aircraft went down approximately 2 1/2 miles east of the Gilbert's Bar House of Refuge, the NTSB spokesman said.

"Immediately after being handed off from Stuart tower to Palm Beach approach, the pilot or someone else on the aircraft – using the radio -- said they needed to return to Stuart," said FAA spokesman Paul Turk. "The accident happened when they were returning to Stuart."

Apart from the reported electrical failure, additional circumstances surrounding the accident weren't immediately available. Investigators with the FAA and NTSB were on scene Sunday.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov