2021 Percy Priest Lake Cessna Citation crash

Last updated

2021 Percy Priest Lake Cessna Citation crash
N66BK Cessna 501 Citation I at Okeechobee County Airport.jpg
N66BK, the aircraft involved in the accident, in 2018
Accident
Date29 May 2021 (2021-05-29)
Summary Loss of control during climb
Site Percy Priest Lake, Tennessee, United States
36°09′22″N86°36′47″W / 36.156°N 86.613°W / 36.156; -86.613
Aircraft
Aircraft type Cessna 501 Citation I/SP
OperatorJL&GL Productions LP
Registration N66BK
Flight origin Smyrna Airport, Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States
Destination Palm Beach International Airport, Palm Beach County, Florida, United States
Occupants7
Passengers6
Crew1
Fatalities7
Survivors0

On 29 May 2021, a Cessna 501 Citation I/SP crashed into the Percy Priest Lake in Tennessee, United States. All seven occupants died, including diet guru Gwen Shamblin Lara and her husband, actor Joe Lara, [1] [2] who was piloting the aircraft. [3]

Contents

Accident

The aircraft took off from Smyrna Airport in Smyrna, Tennessee, at 10:50 a.m. for a planned Federal Aviation Regulations Part 91 personal flight to Palm Beach International Airport. [1] After takeoff, the aircraft started a right turn and climbed to an altitude of 2,900 ft (880 m) before descending to 1,800 ft (550 m), climbing again to 3,000 ft (910 m), and then descending into the lake. [4]

Weather conditions

Weather reports indicated the presence of an overcast cloud layer at 1,300 ft (400 m) in the area at the time. [4]

Aircraft

The aircraft involved, owned by JL&GL Productions LP, was a Cessna 501 Citation, registered as N66BK. It was equipped with two P&WC JT15D-1B engines. When the aircraft was last inspected, it had accumulated 4781.4 hours. The aircraft was manufactured in 1982, and had its maiden flight the same year. [4] [5]

Investigation

By 1 June 2021, searchers had recovered both aircraft engines, a significant portion of the fuselage, and unidentified human remains. Authorities had named the seven victims, all of whom were leaders at the Remnant Fellowship Church.

On 22 March 2023, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the cause of the accident was "the pilot's loss of airplane control during climb due to spatial disorientation." Flight tracking data revealed that after takeoff, the aircraft entered clouds at 1,300 ft (400m) and made a series of heading changes, along with several climbs and descents, before it entered a steep, descending left turn. Accelerations associated with the airplane’s increasing airspeed were likely perceived by the pilot as the airplane pitching up although it was in a continuous descent. This occurred because Lara was experiencing a type of spatial disorientation, a somatogravic illusion, and he probably did not effectively use his instruments during takeoff and climb. As a result, Lara most likely experienced a high workload managing the flight profile, which would have had a negative effect on his performance. As such, the airplane entered a high acceleration, unusual attitude, descending left turn from which he was not able to recover.

The NTSB investigation reviewed Lara's pilot training in the CE-500-type aircraft and reported that at the end of a 12-day series of training sessions at a flight school in January 2020, "the pilot did not meet the requisite performance level to attempt the CE-500 type rating check ride." Lara returned to his local instructor for more training and subsequently passed his check ride. Nonetheless, a pilot who flew in the accident aircraft with the accident pilot on several occasions judged him to be "weak" when flying in instrument meteorological conditions. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Dubroff</span> American pilot trainee (1988–1996)

Jessica Whitney Dubroff was a seven-year-old American trainee pilot who died while attempting to become the youngest person to fly a light aircraft across the United States. On day two of her quest, the Cessna 177B Cardinal single-engine aircraft, piloted by her flight instructor, Joe Reid, crashed during a rainstorm immediately after takeoff from Cheyenne Regional Airport in Cheyenne, Wyoming, killing Dubroff, her 57-year-old father Lloyd Dubroff, and Reid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwen Shamblin Lara</span> American weight loss guru and preacher (1955–2021)

Gwendolyn Henley Shamblin Lara was the founder of the Remnant Fellowship Cult, founder of the Christian diet program The Weigh Down Workshop, and an American author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182</span> 1978 mid-air collision over San Diego

Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182 was a scheduled flight of Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) from Sacramento to San Diego with a stopover at Los Angeles. On September 25, 1978, the Boeing 727-214 serving the flight, registration of N533PS, collided with a private Cessna 172 light aircraft, registration N7711G, over San Diego, California. It was Pacific Southwest Airlines' first fatal accident, and it remains the deadliest air disaster in California history. At the time, it was the deadliest air crash to occur in the United States, and remained so until American Airlines Flight 191 crashed in May 1979.

Spatial disorientation is the inability to determine position or relative motion, commonly occurring during periods of challenging visibility, since vision is the dominant sense for orientation. The auditory system, vestibular system, and proprioceptive system collectively work to coordinate movement with balance, and can also create illusory nonvisual sensations, resulting in spatial disorientation in the absence of strong visual cues.

Castle Aviation is a cargo airline and private passenger airline based in North Canton, Ohio, United States. It offers charter cargo and private passenger services, but primarily provides priority freight service for the Canadian parcel post service Purolator. Its only base is the Akron–Canton Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Addison Airport</span> Public airport in Addison, Dallas County, Texas

Addison Airport is a public airport in Addison, in Dallas County, Texas, United States, 9 mi north of downtown Dallas. It opened in 1954 and was purchased by the town of Addison in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piedmont Airlines Flight 22</span> 1967 mid-air collision

Piedmont Airlines Flight 22 was a Piedmont Airlines Boeing 727-22 that collided with a twin-engine Cessna 310 on July 19, 1967, over Hendersonville, North Carolina, United States. Both aircraft were destroyed and all passengers and crew were killed, including John T. McNaughton, an advisor to U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. The aircraft were both operating under instrument flight rules and were in radio contact with the Asheville control tower, though on different frequencies. The accident investigation was the first of a major scale conducted by the newly created National Transportation Safety Board. A review of the investigation conducted 39 years after the crash upheld the original findings that had placed primary responsibility on the Cessna pilot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smyrna Airport (Tennessee)</span> Airport in Smyrna, TN, US

Smyrna Airport is a public general aviation and military use airport located two nautical miles (4 km) north of the central business district of Smyrna, a town in Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. It is owned by the Smyrna / Rutherford County Airport Authority. Smyrna Airport is the third largest airport in Tennessee and is the state's busiest general aviation airport. Prior to March 1971, the facility was an active military installation known as Sewart Air Force Base.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Lara</span> American actor (1962–2021)

William Joseph Lara was an American actor, martial artist, and musician, known for the role of Tarzan in the American TV series Tarzan: The Epic Adventures.

Mesquite Metro Airport is a public use airport in Dallas County, Texas, 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) east of the central business district of Mesquite. The airport is west of the border of Dallas County and Kaufman County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SIAI-Marchetti SM.1019</span> Italian STOL liaison monoplane by SIAI-Marchetti

The SIAI-Marchetti SM.1019 is an Italian STOL liaison monoplane built by SIAI-Marchetti for the Italian Army. It is a turboprop-powered derivative of the Cessna O-1 Bird Dog.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cessna Citation I</span> Business jet manufactured 1971–1985

The Cessna 500 Citation I is a small business jet produced by Cessna, the basis of the Citation family. The Fanjet 500 prototype was announced in October 1968, first flew on September 15, 1969, and was certified as the 500 Citation on September 9, 1971. It was upgraded in 1976 as the Citation I, and the 501 Citation I/SP single-pilot variant was introduced in 1977. Production ended in 1985 with 689 of all variants produced. The straight wing jet is powered by JT15D turbofans. The aircraft was developed into the Citation II.

Northwest Regional Airport is a privately owned, public use airport 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) northwest of Roanoke, in Denton County, Texas, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sault Ste. Marie Municipal Airport</span> Public airport in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

Sault Ste. Marie Municipal Airport, also known as Sanderson Field, is a city-owned, public-use airport located one nautical mile (1.85 km) southwest of the central business district of Sault Ste. Marie, a city in Chippewa County, Michigan, United States.

Paul C. Miller–Sparta Airport is a public airport located 3 mi (5 km) southeast of Sparta, Michigan. Established in 1941, the airport is currently owned and operated by the Village of Sparta and is self-supporting, requiring no public funding. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a regional general aviation facility.

Flight Express, Inc. was a cargo airline owned by Bayside Capital. Bayside Capital acquired Flight Express on November 4, 2008. Flight Express, Inc. operates as an air courier company in the Southeast and Midwest United States. It offers air freight and ground courier services. The company also operates aircraft. It specializes in the transport of cargo for banking and financial institutions, life sciences organizations, newspaper publishers, overnight freight delivery companies, and payroll and photographic processors. It operates 84 aircraft from facilities in eight states. It was founded in 1985 and is based in Orlando, Florida, USA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AVAir Flight 3378</span> 1988 aviation accident

AVAir Flight 3378, was a scheduled flight under the American Eagle branding from Raleigh–Durham International Airport to Richmond International Airport which crashed after takeoff from Raleigh-Durham International Airport late on the night of February 19, 1988. All 12 people on board were killed in the accident.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1963 Camden PA-24 crash</span> Aviation crash in 1963

On March 5, 1963, American country music performers Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas, and Hawkshaw Hawkins were killed in an airplane crash near Camden, Tennessee, United States, along with pilot Randy Hughes. The accident occurred as the three artists were returning home to Nashville, Tennessee, after performing in Kansas City, Kansas.

Parker County Airport is a privately owned public airport in Hudson Oaks, Parker County, Texas, United States. The airport serves the city of Weatherford, and is located approximately 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) east of the central business district.

References

  1. 1 2 Barnes, Mike (30 May 2021). "Joe Lara, Star of 'Tarzan: The Epic Adventures,' Dies in Plane Crash at 58". The Hollywood Reporter. Associated Press. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  2. ↑ Bacon, John; Sharon, Keith (30 May 2021). "Plane carrying diet guru Gwen Lara, 6 others crashes into Tennessee lake; all on board presumed dead". USA Today. Gannett. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  3. ↑ "NTSB: Pilot error in crash killing diet guru Gwen Shamblin". 22 March 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 "NTSB final report". www.ntsb.gov. NTSB. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  5. ↑ "N66BK Aircraft Registration". flightaware.com. FlightAware. Retrieved 19 April 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ↑ "NTSB Docket - Docket Management System". data.ntsb.gov. National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.