Airplane Went Down Near Monroe County Airport West Of Bloomington

A Seawind 3000 went down Thursday near Monroe County Airport west of Bloomington, IN resulting in the fatal injury of two people on board the aircraft.

The Associated Press reports that, according to Monroe County coroner Nicole Meyer, the two on board were 72-year-old Thomas Saccio of Blounts Creek, NC and 51-year-old Russell Kotlarek of Saukville, WI. Meyer said both were licensed pilots.

The Indiana State Police said that one of the men had reported a mechanical issue to air traffic controllers at Monroe County Airport, and the airplane had been cleared to land. It went down in a wooded area west of town, and a post-impact fire ensued.

There had been some initial confusion about the type of aircraft. The Indiana Daily Student reports that FAA spokesman Tony Molinaro had initially said the N-number of the accident airplane was 5160W, which was assigned to a Hurricane homebuilt but had not been renewed. That was later corrected to N516SW, a Seawind 3000 registered to Saccio. That airplane is also registered as an Experimental Amateur-Built airplane that received its initial airworthiness certificate in 2007.

(Seawind 3000 pictured in file photo. Not accident aircraft)

FMI: www.ntsb.gov