Pilot Was On Maiden Flight In His New Airplane

An NTSB investigator looking into the fatal downing of a Cessna twin this weekend said it is not yet known if a three to four inch hole found in the crankcase of the airplane's left engine may have been a factor in the downing -- or if the hole may have been caused by the accident itself.

The family of 50-year-old William Holdgate said he had been flying his new Cessna 411 (file photo of type, below) home from Georgia for the first time when it went down in the middle of an East Hampton, Long Island neighborhood Sunday afternoon.

Holdgate, who reportedly owned a Nantucket construction business, had purchased the piston twin several months ago, said family members to the Associated Press. He had been a pilot for ten years.

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 7345U        Make/Model: C411      Description:
  Date: 10/23/2005     Time: 1800

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Destroyed

LOCATION
  City: EAST HAMPTON   State: NY   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  ACFT MADE A FORCED LANDING IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA UNDER UNKNOWN
  CIRCUMSTANCES, THE ONE PERSON ON BOARD WAS FATALLY INJURED, EAST HAMPTON, NY

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   1
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   1     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: KHTO 231758Z 31010KT 10SM OVC015 10/05 A2973

OTHER DATA

  Departed:                             Dep Date:    Dep. Time:     
  Destination: EAST HAMPTON, NY         Flt Plan:              Wx Briefing: 
  Last Radio Cont: 
  Last Clearance: 

FAA FSDO: FARMINGDALE, NY  (EA11)               Entry date: 10/24/2005

FMI: www.faa.gov/data_statistics/accident_incident/preliminary_data