Lakeland, FL, FireFighters Take 10 Minutes to Get To Crash

A Cessna 337 Skymaster, specifically reported to be a 1976 Cessna 337P, was involved in a takeoff from LAL's Runway 27 when it aggressively pitched up, achieving an altitude estimated at between 100 and 150 feet before rolling left and impacting the ground. The aircraft slid off the runway and into the grass where, after a minute or two, it caught fire and burned for nearly 10 minutes before Lakeland Firefighters arrived.

The accident occurred at approximately 1530 local time and carried two people. The owner of the aircraft, Danny Ferrer, ID'ed the PIC as an experienced local flight instructor, Don Palas, 53. His passenger was reported in local media as Dr. Jose "Pepe" Martinez, 48, an internist. The flight was to be headed to Tallahassee and would have also been carrying Ferrer had he not been occupied by other business.

Palas was a 15,000 hour commercial pilot and CFI.

The NTSB has been onsite and refused to overtly speculate on the cause of the accident though local media has latched onto the possibility of an unlatched seat rail as a possible contributor to the accident. The accident did not appear to be survivable and both occupants were so badly burned that ID's were to be conducted through use of dental records. 

According to the Lakeland Ledger, the LFD took their first call on the crash at 1537, with a dispatch some 1 minute later and arrival at 1547... by which time reports indicate that the aircraft was pretty thoroughly consumed by fire. Six fire and/or rescue vehicles responded.

Local print media reporting has been fairly accurate, especially that of the Ledger's Rick Rousos, who obviously did a lot of research -- without reaching for straws. The TV media, on the other hand, was embarrassing. One local affiliate latched onto the "Pull-Push" configuration of the 337 and tried to imply that this airframe configuration was not as safe as the "standard" wing-mounted design seen on most light twins.

ANN's note to the station's General Manager noted that, "When your reporter tried to suggest, this evening, that a Lakeland Cessna 337 crash was complicated by the trickier characteristics of its center-line thrust (CLT) configuration, his ignorance was apparent. A center-line thrust configuration is NOT harder or more difficult to fly (than the standard configuration you compared it to)… it tends to be easier since, in the event of a power failure, there is no asymmetric thrust issue to have to counter (making initial control of the stricken aircraft more difficult, due to asymmetric drag and thrust)."

E-I-C Note: Mind you, we didn't get into the double-edged sword about CLT failed-engine recognition issues and the like, but the inference about CLT airframes being trickier seemed to be begging for correction. If ANN readers see similar errors in other aspects of local, national or international aviation coverage, we'd appreciate seeing them... we're working on a novel program right now that may help to counter some of these issues in the future and all such references would be most helpful. -- Jim Campbell, ANN E-I-C.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov, www.cessna.com, www.theledger.com