Twin Commanche Told To Descend By Controller

A mid-air collision Saturday over the Everglades has claimed two pilots and has triggered an investigation by the National Transportation and Safety Board into how the accident happened. NTSB Investigator Paul Cox flew to the crash scene mid-day Sunday, said Peter Knudson, a spokesman for the safety board. An inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration will assist him, Knudson said, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

One of the aircraft was a 1964 Piper Twin Comanche (illustration below) on a flight plan from Ocala to Pompano Beach Air Park, and a Miami approach controller was giving the plane directions to the airport when the mid-air occurred. A student pilot was reputedly in the second plane, a Cessna 152. Jeff Rozelle, owner and manager of Rohan Aviation said he left Lantana Airport on his way to Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport.

An air traffic controller instructed the Piper to descend to 2,000 feet and advised the pilot that there were other aircraft nearby, according to Jim Marinitti of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

The controller was described as 'moderately busy' and made radio calls to a few other aircraft. Then he heard a "conflict alert" at his work station, warning him of two aircraft approaching minimum separation.

The controller was going to radio the Twin Comanche, just when both planes disappeared from the screen. Cox will examine the wreckage, taking photographs, getting air traffic control tapes and maintenance records. Knudson said the final outcome of the investigation won't be known for a year.

This weekend's mid-air collision is the seventh prop-plane accident this year in South Florida, more than doubling the number last year. This accident is the fourth midair collision of general aviation aircraft over South Florida, since 2000.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said that they along with other agencies found wreckage about 3:30 p.m. along the Broward County line. Investigators determined the impact of the planes killed everyone on board.

"The planes are underwater," Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue Capt. Don DeLucia said. "There is no chance of survivors."

"It's a textbook problem with the Comanche. It's a low wing aircraft, and he doesn't have total visual reference of everything below it," Rozelle said. "The Cessna (illustrated below) is a high wing, and he doesn't have visual reference on a wing descending on top. No one sees each other."

The Piper is registered to Harry Duckworth, 56, of Waverly, Penn. Family members confirmed that Duckworth flew his plane Saturday the Pompano Beach area. Several of Duckworth's friends and family said he was a safety oriented pilot, the kind who would double-check that everyone had on seat belts and that his GPS systems were in order.

"It's always a nice smooth ride, as nice as he could make it," Smith said. "He always made sure everything was perfect. He could take that airplane apart and rebuild it with his eyes closed."

Duckworth, who had learned to fly from his father, had been flying for about 40 years, his family said.

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.ntsb.gov