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Old June 19th 09, 05:03 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Dave Doe
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Posts: 378
Default Winch Launch Fatality

In article ,
says...
Who knows details about this?

http://www.mlive.com/news/annarborne...170.xml&coll=2

There is some more info here...

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/2515...wi-pilot-named


United States police today released the name of a New Zealand pilot
killed last Sunday when the glider in which he was a passenger crashed.

Timothy John Moxham, 29, was a pilot for an air ambulance, Midwest
Medflight.

Police said a delay in releasing details of his identity was because of
the difficulty in reaching his parents in New Zealand.

Mr Moxham died in a glider owned by the Sandhill Soaring Club and flown
by the club president when it crashed near Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Preliminary investigation indicated a winch cable used to help the
aircraft take flight may have failed on takeoff, police chief William
Cook of the nearby Unadilla Township told the Daily Press and Argus
newspaper. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.

The glider pilot, Orrin Burns Beckham, 63, of Ann Arbor, is in a serious
condition in a local hospital.

A colleague of the New Zealander, Medflight paramedic Andrew King said
Mr Moxham took his job to heart.

"Not only did Tim love flying and love being a pilot, but he loved being
a part of the (team) and getting people to the appropriate hospitals."

Mr King said Mr Moxham's desire to go gliding was recent. He said prior
to the trip, Moxham told him: "This is true flying. It's just you and
(nature)."

The New Zealander had been flying for more than 15 years, starting at
the age of 13 when his father taught him, and had logged more than 3000
hours of flight time, including flying offshore, corporate work and
flight instruction.

He also held certification to an FAA standards on airframe construction
and engine mechanics.

"People say we've lost a pilot, but he was so much more than that," said
another colleague, Medflight nurse Doug Berry. "He had such compassion
for the job and the people we transported. He cared about people.

"He touched the lives of hundreds of people," Mr Berry added, choking
back tears. "He was amazing."

- NZPA


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Duncan