Was Readying Plane For Sale

The pilot of a Beechcraft Bonanza was killed Wednesday afternoon during an apparent high-speed taxi test in Florida, when the airplane lifted off the runway and then nosed into the ground.

Authorities identified the pilot as Donald Schempf, 81, a retired pilot for Pan Am. Witnesses told police Schempf was performing ground runs along the grass strip at the Lake City (FL) Airpark when the accident occurred at approximately 4:30 pm.

"(He) was kind of testing the engines up and down the grass strip, and for some unknown reason the plane lifted several feet up in the air and then nose-dived into the ground and burst into flames," said Columbia County Sheriff Bill Gootee to Jacksonville's News-4 television station.

The accident sparked a fire along the runway, and the plane was engulfed in flames when rescue crews arrived.

Schempf's wife told investigators her husband was preparing to sell the Beech, and had not flown it in years.

FAA investigators were on the scene Thursday.

**   Report created 9/28/2006   Record 1
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IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 5852S        Make/Model: BE35      Description: 35 Bonanza
  Date: 09/27/2006     Time: 2010

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Destroyed

LOCATION
  City: LAKE CITY   State: FL   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  LANDING ACCIDENT AT LAKE CITY AIRPARK, LAKE CITY, FL

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   1
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   1     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: WIND 320 AT 6 KTS, VISIBILITY 10SM, CLEAR SKIES

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Pleasure      Phase: Landing      Operation: Other

  Departed: LAKE CITY                   Dep Date:    Dep. Time:     
  Destination: UNKNOWN                  Flt Plan: UNK          Wx Briefing: 
  Last Radio Cont: 
  Last Clearance: 

  FAA FSDO: ORLANDO, FL  (SO15)                   Entry date: 09/28/2006

FMI: www.faa.gov