Photo by: news4jax
Two people died in an airplane crash that happened shortly after the aircraft took off from the Northeast Florida Regional Airport in St. Augustine Monday around noon, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies responded to the wooded area near Torres Trace where the crash happened.
The crash involved a Mooney M20 airplane. Officials said the pilot was attempting to return to Northeast Florida Regional Airport following a problem with one of the doors after takeoff.
As the plane was approaching the airport, air traffic control lost communication with the pilot.
News4JAX aviation expert Ed Booth said three factors will likely lead investigators to determine the crash was possibly caused by a baggage door with a vertical hinge coming loose.
“We know the pilot reported a door opening unexpectedly. Number two, we have a picture of the crash site showing the baggage door missing,” Booth said. “The third factor is historically, there have been numerous accidents involving this type of airplane where the baggage door has not been locked or secured; has come open in flight, has become detached from the airframe and has become engaged with the tail of the airplane.”
When that happens, the door can either strike the plane’s rudder or the elevator and cause the pilot to lose control of the aircraft. Booth said the plane would go into a spin and fall straight to the ground.
“If it had any forward movement, we would have seen evidence from broken treetops and a wreckage path, but it came down intact as if it was dropped out of the sky vertically,” Booth said.
A similar crash involving the same type of plane killed two people the day after Christmas in 2021. It happened right after the plane took off from Herlong Airport in Jacksonville.
According to the NTSB report, the baggage door came loose and struck the tail of the plane, causing the Mooney aircraft to go into a spin as it fell to the ground.
Booth said anyone flying a Mooney aircraft must always make sure one thing is certain before take-off:
“Make absolutely certain that the door is closed. The latch is engaged and the lock that secures the latch is engaged,” Booth said.
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Source: news4jax
