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Highlands Today

NTSB Agrees: Plane Broke Up In Flight

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By GARY PINNELL

Highlands Today

Published: January 2, 2009

SEBRING - Crash investigator Dennis Diaz doesn't know why the Ercoupe 415 broke up in mid-air and crashed into the Golf Hammock golf course on Dec. 13.

But, he said Wednesday, Dec. 17, "I did not observe any evidence of a fire or explosion."

Diaz, who works in the National Transportation Safety Board's Mid-Atlantic office, flew here from Ashburn, Va., to examine the wreckage.

The pilot, James Weener, was a 70-year-old missionary. His passenger, James Ricker, 46, was being thanked for his service to the local missionary village.

Dennis Norris, a pilot himself until 20 years ago, was one of a hundred golfers who heard the engine over-revving, then witnessed the Saturday afternoon crash.

"It was totally out of control," said Norris. He saw grayish-white smoke. Other said the smoke was black. The two-seater went into a spin dive, then rolled.

Diaz brought parts of the plane, built more than 60 years ago, back to the NTSB lab. It will be studied in the coming days and weeks, and he may return to examine the rest of the plane to determine the cause of the mysterious break-up.

"We talked to several witnesses," Diaz said, "and all of them were fairly consistent, that the airplane did break up in flight."

Norris thought the plane may have broken up because of the roll, dive, or other aerobatic stress.

"It is possible," Diaz said, "and that's part of our investigation."

The debris field also proved Norris's point, with the tail dropping onto the 10th fairway, one wing in a tree, and the fuselage hundreds of yards away.

They found the first part about 3,100 yards away from the last part, Diaz said.

They'll also look at the aircraft's records, the pilot's license, the recentness of his flight experience, his medical certificate and his background.

There's no evidence at this point that the pilot had a heart attack, stroke or another catastrophic medical condition while he was flying.

"But that's part of our operation," Diaz said. "We're looking at previous history and experience, and there was an autopsy and a toxicology examination. We'll look at all that."

First Report

Diaz has finished his preliminary report. It was submitted to his supervisor, who will publicly release it within the coming weeks. In six to nine months, a factual report will be written, and about 60 days later, a probable cause report will contain Diaz's final conclusions.

"It will include what happened, why it happened, and we may make recommendations to keep this from happening again," Diaz said.

The plane was owned by Albert Kenneth Hannum, and hangared at Avon Park Executive Airport, said airport manager C.B. Shirey.

Gary Pinnell can be reached at 863-386-5828 or gpinnell@highlandstoday.com

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