[JYO] A few more deails on the Katana Crash from the Washington Post
- From: FlyboyEd@xxxxxxx
- To: jyo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 8 Jul 2002 11:44:01 EDT
<A
HREF="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33761-2002Jul6.html";>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33761-2002Jul6.html</A>
Pilot Steers Plane Away From Town, Dies in Crash
Craft Plunges Onto Driveway Off Leesburg Area Cul-de-Sac
By Carol Morello
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, July 7, 2002; Page C01 The pilot of a single-engine plane was killed
yesterday when he steered his disabled aircraft away from downtown Leesburg
and crash-landed nearby in a driveway at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac,
authorities said.
Police and witnesses credited James M. Scambos, a United Airlines pilot who
lives in Ashburn, with averting further disaster after the engine of the
aircraft apparently lost power, forcing Scambos to land in the middle of a
subdivision.
Scambos's 22-year-old son, Paul, an Air Force pilot home on leave who was a
passenger in the plane, suffered minor injuries. No one on the ground was
injured.
"He didn't hit any buildings. He didn't hit any cars. He didn't hit any
people," Virginia State Police Sgt. Richard Keevill said of Scambos, 44, who
was from a family of pilots. "It's a miracle and a tribute to his flying
skills."
The plane, a Canadian-built Diamond DA-20 training plane leased from Av-Ed
Flight School at Leesburg Airport, is a lightweight two-seater made of
composite materials. It had been certified to fly Dec. 10, Federal Aviation
Administration records show, and was new when it was delivered in January,
said Don Robb, owner of the school. It had just passed a routine inspection
given every 100 flight hours and had never shown problems, Robb said.
A spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board said the agency
would investigate the crash.
Scambos, who was a captain on Boeing 777s flying to Europe, frequently
rented the aerodynamically nimble plane on weekends for pleasure.
Scambos and his son took off from Leesburg Airport about 9:30 a.m. About 45
minutes later, he radioed that he had engine failure.
Drew Steketee, a pilot flying nearby, heard Scambos's report and radioed
that he was flying to rendezvous with the stricken plane. Steketee, a
longtime national official in general aviation, said Scambos told him he had
partial power and would head toward the airport.
But Steketee said that as Scambos approached Leesburg, he made a 180-degree
turn in an apparent attempt to position himself for an emergency landing in
Ida Lee Park, a grassy field several blocks north of downtown.
"Whether he had total engine failure or he decided he was too low to fly
over Leesburg, it was very clear he made a decision to go for an emergency
landing," Steketee said.
A block short of Ida Lee Park, as Scambos was repositioning the plane for
final approach, it suddenly dropped to earth, landing in the circle of Tudor
Court, a subdivision of 10-year-old two-story, Colonial-style homes.
Paul and Shelley Hossenlopp were drinking coffee on their porch when they
saw the plane approaching. Steketee already was radioing for emergency
vehicles.
The plane's left wing touched the asphalt, police said, and it skidded into
the driveway of David and Katie Chappell.
"He could have gone right into the house," said a rattled Katie Chappell,
who was in a front room when the plane stopped and tipped onto its nose,
snapping off at the tail, just inches short of their pickup, parked in front
of the garage.
Residents rushed to the plane, some of them still in their nightclothes,
carrying garden hoses and kitchen fire extinguishers. Shelley Hossenlopp, who
has trained as an emergency medical technician, said she immediately noticed
that the pilot had poor coloring and labored breathing, but that the
passenger opened his eyes and nodded his head to acknowledge her presence. At
her urging, several residents spoke to the injured men, trying to keep them
conscious.
Police said Scambos died at the scene of impact injuries. His son suffered a
fractured ankle.
The Scambos family has three generations of aviators. Like his son, James,
Ernest T. Scambos of Alexandria was an Air Force pilot. He said his grandson,
Paul, is at the top of his Air Force pilots' class in Columbus, Miss.
"It was their entire careers," Ernest Scambos said of his son and grandson.
"They flew together a lot. It was their life."
The family had planned a belated birthday celebration for Paul Scambos last
night. Instead, they coped with mixed emotions of mourning and pride. Ernest
Scambos said his son was a hero for steering the plane clear of buildings and
people.
"They were both extraordinary pilots, and under most circumstances would
have handled it," he said.
Staff writer Paul Glader contributed to this report.
© 2002 The Washington Post Company
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