1 Dead, 3 Injured In Beaver County Plane Crash

[Silverhawk]

My co-worker's father is good friends with the jump instructor at this school... apparently he his still in serious condition but should recover...

Thoughts and prayers to all the families and those involved ...

Link to Story

1 Dead, 3 Injured In Beaver County Plane Crash


NEW SEWICKLEY, Pa. -- A small skydiving plane went down Wednesday afternoon in New Sewickley, Beaver County, killing one person and injuring three more.


The plane, which was reportedly part of the Beaver Valley Sky Divers club, crashed in a field just off Route 989, not far from the Butler County border.

The crash victim who died has been identified by police as Nancy Jean Elm, 47, of Bellevue.
The survivors -- pilot Emil Kindelberger, 80, instructor Cecil Smith, 47, and Timothy McGraw, 50 -- were flown by medical helicopter to UPMC Presbyterian. Kindelberger was in critical condition, while Smith was in serious condition.
New Sewickley Township police report that the preliminary investigation indicates that the plane was attempting to take off when it struck a tree adjacent to the grass runway.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were notified of the crash and are sending investigators to the scene on Thursday, police said.

 

[C650CPT]

Do ya think the fact that the pilot was 80 yrs. old had anything to do with it? What kind of reaction time does an 80 yr. old have ... hum?

 

[tonyw]

Best wishes for a quick recovery for these folks! And yeah, the fact that one of them is 80 years old definitely raises questions.

 

[Silverhawk]

My thoughts exactly when I first heard the story... but I suppose if the school felt he was qualified physically and in good health all was ok.

 

[Grabo172]

Looks like Emil (the 80 Yr old Pilot) was the DZ owner. So it was up to him whether he gets to fly or not.

Best wishes and condolences to those involved.