Didn't I Tell You So? The NTSB Only Knows One Tune

[Mortimer Schnerd, RN]

Pilot not cited in crash that killed 2

http://www.heraldonline.com/local/story/5514063p-4968571c.html

By Andrew Dys The Herald
Federal regulators investigated but did not cite the pilot in Rock Hill's
double-fatal small plane crash in July, although investigators say the crash was
caused by pilot error.

Pilot Matthew Sullivan, the only survivor, mismanaged fuel supply and selected
the wrong fuel tank, a National Transportation Safety Board report concluded.
The other passengers, Rock Hill native Eric "Ted" Johnson, 43, and Ohio's Dr.
Bill Coulman, 49, the plane's owner, died in the crash.

Federal Aviation Administration officials, who certify pilots and enforce safety
regulations, declined to give any details about the post-crash investigation
into Sullivan.

"The FAA did an investigation, the case is closed and no action was taken," said
FAA spokesperson Kathleen Bergen of the FAA's Atlanta office.

The NTSB only issues crash findings, a spokesperson said. The FAA is the
regulatory agency for pilots.

Sullivan, of Dublin, Ohio, was seriously injured and could not recall the flight
or the crash, the NTSB said. A commercial pilot for Cardinal Health of Columbus
at the time, Sullivan also was a certified flight instructor. He had been a
commercial pilot since July 2003 with 900 hours of flight time.

Sullivan and family members could not be reached Wednesday. He went on
disability after the crash and has not returned to work, Cardinal Health
spokesman Jim Mazzola said Wednesday.

Johnson, an Air Force and Persian Gulf War veteran, was a lawyer, volunteer
emergency responder and magistrate for the suburban Columbus, Ohio, town of
Minerva Park. Johnson's service to community, state and country will be honored
in a ceremony Feb. 24, said Lynn Eisentrout, Minerva Park mayor.

Rock Hill's Ann Johnson will accept the award for her son. Johnson was happy to
find out the NTSB ruled her son was not flying the plane at the time of the
crash, but "that's not going to bring my son back."

The flight was headed to Rock Hill/York County Airport from Ohio State
University airport in Columbus on July 24; it crashed a mile from the airport in
a subdivision. The plane went 10 miles past the airport before turning around.
The left wing fuel tank where the fuel selector was pointed was empty, but the
two main tanks on the plane had two to three gallons of fuel each after the
crash, the report stated. The fullest tank should be used for landing, the
report stated.

Witnesses near the crash site heard the plane sputter. Fuel starvation caused
the plane's engine to quit, the NTSB report stated.

Andrew Dys . 329-4065





--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

[john smith]

In article >,
"Mortimer Schnerd, RN" > wrote:

> Pilot not cited in crash that killed 2
>
> http://www.heraldonline.com/local/story/5514063p-4968571c.html

Interesting that none of our local Columbus newspapers have any mention
of the report.

[Mortimer Schnerd, RN]

john smith wrote:
>> http://www.heraldonline.com/local/story/5514063p-4968571c.html
>
> Interesting that none of our local Columbus newspapers have any mention
> of the report.


All I can say is the accident happened in Rock Hill, SC and two of the guys were
raised around here. In your case, although the men involved were "from there",
they crashed here.

Maybe you could give your local paper a heads up?

And whoever said they mismanaged the fuel was right on target. From what I
read, it didn't look like any of the tanks really had much left in it... 2-3
gallons each. I was the guy who said the NTSB would find pilot error, no matter
what. No surprise there.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

[john smith]

In article >,
"Mortimer Schnerd, RN" > wrote:

> john smith wrote:
> >> http://www.heraldonline.com/local/story/5514063p-4968571c.html
> >
> > Interesting that none of our local Columbus newspapers have any mention
> > of the report.
>
>
> All I can say is the accident happened in Rock Hill, SC and two of the guys
> were
> raised around here. In your case, although the men involved were "from
> there", they crashed here.

I personally knew the owner, as he belonged to the same flying club. The
aircraft was for sale and the owner was in the process of purchasing a
"newer" Bo.

> Maybe you could give your local paper a heads up?

I was thinking about doing that.

> And whoever said they mismanaged the fuel was right on target. From what I
> read, it didn't look like any of the tanks really had much left in it... 2-3
> gallons each. I was the guy who said the NTSB would find pilot error, no
> matter what. No surprise there.

Recall that this aircraft had something like nine separate fuel tanks.
The aircraft had been flown around the world by it's first owner, who
had all the extra tanks installed.

[Mortimer Schnerd, RN]

Mortimer Schnerd, RN wrote:
> And whoever said they mismanaged the fuel was right on target. From what I
> read, it didn't look like any of the tanks really had much left in it... 2-3
> gallons each. I was the guy who said the NTSB would find pilot error, no
> matter what. No surprise there.


Believe me, I'm not pointing the finger at the pilot. They call it an
"accident" for a reason. He wasn't trying to hurt anyone; far from it. When
somebody has an accident, it usually isn't any one thing that gets them... it's
an accumulation of factors until there's more than you can fix. That's what I
think happened here. It's the reason I start getting really nervous when things
start going wrong on a cross country.

First you notice the DME is out... then the number two nav-com decides to step
out for a beer. Then you notice the oil temp is at the top of the green and the
oil pressure is at the bottom of the green. Then you stumble into an embedded
cell. Shortly after that, you're featured in the film at 11.

No doubt it was a progression of small events which led to the big one. I feel
very bad for the guy who was flying and lived. Have you any idea how he's doing
these days? When I had my accident, I was out of work on medical leave for 16
months or so. Some injuries heal; some don't. I was very lucky.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN