Plane crash nola east (Fox 8 News anchor Nancy Parker killed in the crash...RIP) (1 Viewer)

[St. Geezy]

It appears that the crash occurred almost immediately after takeoff. Probably still climbing out and hadn't yet flown to the airspace where he would have been performing the aerobatic maneuvers. Whatever went wrong seemed to happen within moments of breaking ground and ended just south of the airport property.

I know of an incident where a pilot set him fuel selector handle to chose the fuel tank noted on the preflight check list. However he only thought he had fully rotated the valve handle but was actually not drawing fuel from either tank. There was only enough fuel in the line for a takeoff and climb out to about 75 feet when his engine quit due to fuel starvation. The pilot was too low to do anything but make a controlled glide into the trees ahead. He survived with minor injuries, but his airplane was totalled.

There is absolutely no reason to believe this pilot was attempting any aerobatics at that point in his flight.

I believe the Fox 8 camera guy filming the story said he saw them flying then he lost vision as they swung around a building obstructing his view, and he never saw them again. So I believe they were well in the air.

 

[Mr. Blue Sky]

On Fox 8's broadcast last night, I believe they said she came to Louisiana in 1996 to work as an anchor in Baton Rouge.

I read that she’d been in the New Orleans market since 1996 (seems like even longer), and she’d been in Baton Rouge from 1990-96, I believe .. i vaguely remember seeing her on air there while a student at LSU in the early 90s.

 

[Bill]

I believe the Fox 8 camera guy filming the story said he saw them flying then he lost vision as they swung around a building obstructing his view, and he never saw them again. So I believe they were well in the air.

I flew out of Lakefront airport for the first few hours of my pilot training. I took off from that very runway many times. From the perspective of someone standing on the ramp watching the takeoff (to the south), an airplane climbing on takeoff would eventually pass behind the airport complex and tower.

So the cameraman really is establishing/confirming that the airplane crashed soon after takeoff.

 

[baron8]

The plane crashed approximately 1/2 mile from the airport, which is roughly half the length of the runway to put it in perspective. To have only traveled that distance, whatever happened did so within seconds of liftoff.

 

[Bill]

I believe the Fox 8 camera guy filming the story said he saw them flying then he lost vision as they swung around a building obstructing his view, and he never saw them again. So I believe they were well in the air.

I will add that it is possible (though not very likely) that the pilot and the news crew had attained special permission to do aerobatic maneuvers over the airport and down the centerline of the active runway. But such permission usually is only granted when an airport is shut down for a public airshow. A pilot simply cannot choose on his own to perform aerobatic maneuvers over a public airport in a controlled airspace.

It's much more likely that the pilot was about to head out to the area over New Orleans East where we used to practice our flying skills, maneuvers, and emergency procedures. If he was buzzing over the airport for a while doing stunts with Nancy just to get video for the news story, they would certainty have had to get special clearance to do so and the FAA would have issued special Notice To Airmen alerts for the area.

 

[Bill]

The plane crashed approximately 1/2 mile from the airport, which is roughly half the length of the runway to put it in perspective. To have only traveled that distance, whatever happened did so within seconds of liftoff.

I agree. It's likely that whatever happened gave the pilot little chance to respond due to their close proximity to the ground. There has been no report of the pilot making an emergency radio callout. So the time from the problem on board to impact, was practically instantaneous.

 

[nolaspe]

Plane in fatal crash appeared to have engine problems, investigators say

Investigators say the plane involved in a fatal crash in New Orleans East appeared to have engine problems before it crashed Friday afternoon (Aug. 16), according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

www.fox8live.com

The investigation is still underway, but an NTSB news release reported the pilot -- Franklin J.P. Augustus -- radioed back to the controller at the Lake Front Airport, shortly after takeoff. Augustus said he was having “problems,” NTSB said, but did not go into details. The controller gave Augustus permission to return to the airport.

As the plane was turning back, a witnesses said it “pitched down" and crashed into the ground. According to the NTSB, witnesses said shortly after takeoff, the airplane appeared to have engine problems.

 

[Bill]

Plane in fatal crash appeared to have engine problems, investigators say

Investigators say the plane involved in a fatal crash in New Orleans East appeared to have engine problems before it crashed Friday afternoon (Aug. 16), according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

www.fox8live.com

Thanks for this information.
This will be a big key to the investigation.
If he lost his airspeed, he easily could have experienced a stall, and not have had the altitude to recover from it.

 

[Bill]

Now information is coming out that the airplane was given clearance to land after the pilot radioed about the trouble he was having. This may have simply been an okay from the tower controllers that he could return to the runway if possible. Every pilot knows that trying to make a 180 degree turn with an engine out is almost impossible at low altitude and usually results in an accelerated stall. At low altitude and airspeed, the best chance is to land as straight ahead as possible. A low altitude stall in a Pitts without power is doomed every time.

Report: Pilot reported problem shortly before deadly crash that killed WVUE news anchor

Shortly before a crash that killed him and WVUE news anchor Nancy Parker, the pilot of the airplane radioes Lakefront Tower to report he was having trouble with the aircraft, according to the National Transporta

wwl.radio.com

 

[efil4stnias]

Looks like Theophile Bourgeois also died sunday while piloting sea plane.

Famous charter boat buisiness out of Lafitte, LA.

wow

 

[Bill]

Looks like Theophile Bourgeois also died sunday while piloting sea plane.

Famous charter boat buisiness out of Lafitte, LA.

wow

Lots of deadly aviation accidents lately. It's a shame because flying is still statistically safer than driving. But that's not how many will see it.

 

[gboudx]

Looks like Theophile Bourgeois also died sunday while piloting sea plane.

Famous charter boat buisiness out of Lafitte, LA.

wow

My uncle runs his own charter business out of Lafitte/Barataria. He knew Theophile well. He and my aunt are devastated. I never met Theophile, but knew members of his family. From all I've ever heard, he was a great guy. Sad news.

 

[ThibodauxSaint]

Looks like Theophile Bourgeois also died sunday while piloting sea plane.

Famous charter boat buisiness out of Lafitte, LA.

wow

Was he the one that would be on the Don Dubuc radio show every Saturday morning on WWL? I'm not a fisherman or outdoorsman myself, but I'd listen to them early Saturday mornings on my way to work. He was always entertaining.

 

[nolaspe]

A nice Saints-related tribute to Nancy...

Remembering Nancy Parker: Saints fans in Florida for the 2010 Super Bowl

www.fox8live.com

 

[Madmarsha]

Was he the one that would be on the Don Dubuc radio show every Saturday morning on WWL?

Yep.