Fri, Dec 02, 2011
ATC Recording Confirms Crew Declared An Emergency
Recordings obtained from liveATC.net confirm that the crew of a
Piper Navajo on a medical transport flight reported fuel exhaustion
short of the flight's intended destination. The plane went down in
a Chicago suburb resulting in the fatal injury of three of the five
people on board.
Piper Navajo File Photo
Media sources including the Daily Herald which covers
the Chicago suburbs report that either the pilot or a pilot-rated
passenger declared an emergency with ATC, as indicated on the
recording. When asked by a controller if the pilot still wanted to
try to land at Palwaukee (Chicago Executive), a different voice
responds "Unable. We are out of fuel and coasting."
NTSB investigators found no trace of fuel in the debris field
left when the airplane impacted the ground, though lead
investigator Edward Malinowski said that he would not speculate as
to the cause of the accident. He did say fuel exhaustion would be
taken into consideration along with all other factors relevant to
the flight. Both fuel tanks were reportedly compromised in the
accident.
The aircraft had refueled in Jesup, GA. It went down less than
three miles from its destination. Two passengers, one of whom has a
pilot certificate, survived the accident with non-life-threatening
injuries. One of the victims, John Bailek, reportedly suffered a
heart attack as the result of the stress of the accident, according
to an autopsy performed by the Cook County Medical Examiner's
office. Bailek was the patient being transported back to his home
in suburban Chicago from West Palm Beach, FL. His wife is the other
survivor.
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