Accident at Palm Beach County

Early reports states that an aircraft was departing and experienced engine trouble. While trying to return to the airport the engine completely stopped and then the aircraft collided with a parked aircraft on the ground. After that the aircraft continued until it came to rest under a trailer (semi-trailer). No post crash fire but both pilots were killed.
 
I think I know this plane and owner.... All red bonanza with a very short tail number. Also looks like it nearly hit one of my former student's 421 and her 172.
 
I think I know this plane and owner.... All red bonanza with a very short tail number. Also looks like it nearly hit one of my former student's 421 and her 172.

They're reporting the guy was a retired cop - was this him? Very sad.
 
Why the hell does the media think that a control tower and whether or not an airport has one has anything to do with a crash or incident?
 
terrible news. I love that little airport. Overnighted there two nights ago. my thoughts go out to his family. :(
 
RIP.

MikeCWeb....sorry, bro. I know what it's like to lose an acquaintance to aviation.

Yeah the sad/sick thing is I've lost count of how many I've lost. I've been in this deal since '03 and it's over 15.

Now that his name is out there I'll tell you a little more about Jack. Don't know his family, don't know much about him. Jack fueled planes for Florida Airmotive there in LNA. I flight instructed at Lantana for two stints lasting about a year. Jack must have fueled 90% of the planes I flew so I talked to him alot. Definetly a quiet, unassuming, good guy who didn't say much but I was always able to strike up a conversation with him. I hated how some students would just bark a fuel order at him like he was their servant. I know that Red Bonanza of his didn't fly much and I always wondered whose it was until someone told me Jack was a partner in on it. I never knew he was a pilot. He never really talked about flying but I'm sure he had some good stories.

Crash is kinda of a scary deal. I used to hang out a lot right where he went in. In fact two planes owned by one of my former students are right short of the skymaster that got hit. I'm sure Dave and the guys at Palm Beach Aircraft got quite a scare when Jack went in next to their hangar.

RIP Jack.
 
Yeah the sad/sick thing is I've lost count of how many I've lost. I've been in this deal since '03 and it's over 15.

RIP Jack.

Unfortunately, won't be the last. It keeps happening, and will continue to do so.

Since '85, I'd have to actually sit and think about, year to year, names of the many I've known, both in the civil as well as the military career; due to any number of causal factors.
 
Jack was definitely an interesting guy... Like Mike experienced, he's probably filled most of the planes I instructed in. A few years ago when I was learning to fly, he yelled at me for turning the master on while he was fueling, :laff:. Of course he was right, and it was a good lesson for me as a student.

When he was outside of work, he was actually pretty different. He opened up and was just much more talkative. He was at a Christmas party for one of the flight schools a couple of years ago, and was having a good time with everybody!

Unfortunately it's been a sad couple of years at Lantana for whatever reason. My heart just sank when I heard about this, and I was practically trembling as I started dialing numbers of my many friends that still fly out of LNA. It's such a small, tight knit community that you're pretty much guaranteed to know anybody involved in an incident there.

Blue skies and tailwinds, Jack.
 
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