Waco Biplane Down at KSBA

Did this attempted turn-back result in a stall?



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Tour company biplane crashes after takeoff

5/23/05
By MELISSA EVANS


Pilot, two passengers walk away from wreck

NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

A bright-red biplane that was a familiar sight in Santa Barbara skies
crashed shortly after takeoff from Santa Barbara Municipal Airport on
Sunday afternoon, injuring the pilot and two passengers.

Rescuers had to wade through a marsh to reach the three victims, who
were taken to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. They were listed in fair
condition Sunday and would likely remain at the hospital through
today, a nursing supervisor said.

A manager with Santa Barbara Biplane Tours, the company that owns the
plane, said the pilot was John Clark, a retired commercial pilot who
had 40 years of flying experience. The two passengers were a father
and daughter taking a day trip; their names were not released.

Witnesses said the seven-year-old Waco Super biplane -- modeled after
a 1940s aircraft built under the same name -- began having trouble as
soon as it took off heading south toward UCSB. The engine started
sputtering, and the pilot immediately turned back toward the airport,
said Patrick Price, a manager at a shuttle business near where the
plane went down.

"You could hear the engine," he said. "He got about three-quarters of
the way back around, and then it just took a dive. ... He did a good
job. He did his best."


The plane landed just beyond a marsh that runs between the airport
runway and the bluffs west of Goleta Beach, making rescue efforts a
bit tricky, authorities said. Emergency workers sloshed through
thigh-high water to reach the scene as onlookers near UCSB snapped
pictures of the wreckage from above.

Brookes Regenhardt, office manager for Santa Barbara Biplane Tours,
said the pilot and passengers clambered out of the plane even before
emergency workers responded. An airport worker rushed to the scene
with a fire extinguisher, she said, although the plane didn't burn.

"Fortunately, it didn't catch fire," said John Ahlman, spokesman for
Santa Barbara City Fire Department. "That could have been disastrous."


Airport authorities closed the main runway for about 30 minutes
shortly after the 4 p.m. crash, which caused minor delays for two
Southwest Airlines flights. The smaller runway near where the plane
crashed was closed most of the afternoon to make room for emergency
workers.

The biplane crumpled on impact. The engine flew off when it hit the
ground, and other pieces were strewn along the grassy field.

The company that owned the biplane just opened about a year ago and
employed three pilots, Ms. Regenhardt said. After surveying the
wreckage, she said she is not sure how the company will survive -- it
was their only plane.

"There's a lot of damage," she said.

The company is owned by Alex Soffici, a local doctor, who wanted to
start the business after seeing his first Waco plane two years ago in
Santa Paula. He invested about $100,000 in the biplane, doubling its
value, for high-tech equipment such as video cameras and a satellite
guidance system. The company charges $295 and up for trips over Santa
Barbara beaches and wineries. It takes trips four or five times per
day on weekends and sporadically during the week, workers said.

The plane will likely be removed from the airport today, said Tracy
Lincoln, operations manager at the airport. As with all plane crashes,
the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the
accident. Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration are
expected to arrive today to inspect the scene.

The good news, Mr. Lincoln said, is that very little fuel spilled from
the craft, which would have posed a fire danger and an environmental
hazard. Fire officials said a fuel line broke but said there were no
serious hazards.

In all, at least two dozen emergency vehicles responded from the UCSB
Police Department, Santa Barbara city and county fire departments and
other agencies.

This is the second biplane in crash in six months at the airport, but
the earlier incident was less serious. On Dec. 13, the landing gear on
a biplane gave way, causing damage to the wing of the 1920s-style
plane. No one was hurt in that incident.