I hope the problem is found
Pilot Lost In Lancair Downing Near Southern UT
Airport
Wife
Survives, Severely Injured In Saturday Accident
The
pilot of a Lancair Legacy was killed, and his passenger critically injured,
when the aircraft crashed for unknown reasons Saturday afternoon in southern Utah.
The
Salt Lake Tribune reports William Phillips and his wife, Janice, took off from
Parowan Airport (IL9) bound for Las
Vegas, NV. Initial
reports state the aircraft experienced mechanical trouble soon thereafter.
Iron
County Sheriff Mark Gower said the aircraft crashed about one mile north of the
runway, at around 1:45 pm local time Saturday. Gower said it appears the pilot
was attempting to return to the airport when the aircraft (shown below)
crashed.
"It
looks like it came in nose first," Gower said. "At this point, it is
speculated that the crash was caused by mechanical failure."
Investigator
Tony Gower told the St. George Daily Spectrum the aircraft largely
disintegrated on impact. "It didn't burn, but the plane hit the ground at
a high rate of speed," he said.
Local
reports state Bill Phillips survived the initial crash, but later died at the
scene. His wife was airlifted to a hospital in Murray, UT
with broken bones and internal injuries. She is presently listed in critical
condition.
The
FAA and NTSB were on the scene Sunday to conduct parallel investigations into
the accident.
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#:
151HT Make/Model:
EXP Description: LANCAIR LEGACY
Date: 10/18/2008 Time: 1903
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Fatal
Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Destroyed
LOCATION
City: PAROWAN State: UT Country: US
DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THERE WERE TWO PERSONS ON
BOARD, ONE WAS FATALLY INJURED, AND ONE SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES,
PAROWAN, UT
INJURY
DATA Total Fatal: 1
# Crew: 1 Fat:
1 Ser: 0
Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass: 1 Fat:
0 Ser: 1
Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat:
0 Ser: 0 Min:
0 Unk:
WEATHER:
CDC 181953Z METAR AUTO 17010G21KT 10SM CLR 23/M07 A3021
OTHER
DATA
Activity: Unknown Phase:
Unknown Operation: OTHER
FAA
FSDO: SALT LAKE CITY, UT
(NM07) Entry
date: 10/20/2008
E-I-C
Note: I hate this.One of the tragedies
of aviation is that the boundless joys of flight are occasionally tempered by
tragedies of incalculable measure.
The
Bill Phillips involved in this story is my friend, "Badwater Bill."
An accomplished aviator and a person with more opinions than any ten people I
know, losing Bill at the "tender" age of 59 is a huge low... and
leaves me looking for the right thing to say... and not finding it.
Bill
and I started our friendship in the worst possible way (NOT as friends) and
through a ponderous series of events, came to value the common bond that ties
flyers together... as well as the amazing discourses we ventured upon at
various times. Over time, we became really good buddies and got involved in
some truly wild shenanigans. Bill was possibly the most unique personality I
have ever met, an amazing mind and an irascible old coot who once made me
promise that if I ever had to write his obit, that I had to be sure to tell
everyone what a 'rat bast*rd' he was.
I
can't do it.
Aviation
is an amazing community, for all manner of reasons... but it is the
variety of personalities that flock to it that are potentially its greatest
resource... and Bill was easily one of the most remarkable souls I've ever met.
I'll
miss him like hell... and the one thing I can promise is that I'll never forget
him. We offer his wife, Janice, our sincere wishes for a full and speedy
recovery and our prayers that the days ahead are somewhat softened by the fact
there were a lot of people who liked/loved Bill, or were amused by Bill and/or
couldn't forget Bill if they tried (and yeah, I think he'd like that
description).
Fair
winds, Bill... it was a privilege to know ya... -- Jim Campbell, ANN E-I-C.