[Attached video: Previous Fox 8 I-Team coverage]
ASHLAND COUNTY, Ohio (WJW) — The FOX 8 I-Team has found investigators believe weather played a significant role in a deadly plane crash last month in Ashland County.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) just issued its preliminary report on the crash of an Express 2000 FT single-engine aircraft that killed the pilot, 72-year-old Gary Wolfelt, of Indiana.
The report shows, “The area where the airplane’s flight path became erratic was within an area consistent with heavy precipitation.”
And, an alert had been issued for aircraft regarding “severe thunderstorms…hail to 1.5 inches, and wind gusts to 60 knots possible.”
Radio traffic recordings reviewed by the I-Team between air controllers and the pilot indicated the pilot was in distress dealing with the weather.
And, the report shows the “pilot reported a rough ride and expressed difficulty with controlling the airplane.”
Investigators also found, “There was no evidence of an inflight fire, explosion, or structural failure…”
The preliminary report also shows, “According to FAA and pilot records, the pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, and rotorcraft-helicopter. He did not possess an instrument rating.”
Just this week, the I-Team reported Burke Lakefront Airport didn’t capture any video of the plane taking off the night it crashed.
No cameras captured that plane even with an incident on the runway.
Radio traffic revealed an incident, but we found the Airport has no video from the runway and no video of the plane taking off.
An air controller had told the pilot he was not following instructions, saying, “You were instructed to taxi runway 6 right…” and, “You were instructed to get off the runway, sir. You can hold short runway 6 left alpha.”
So, the I-Team requested video from the runway and the departure. Yet the City told us Burke Lakefront had no video.
We asked an Airport spokesperson about that.
“We did look at all of our cameras and there was no video in your request,” Michele Dynia told the I-Team.
She added, on the night in question, one Airport camera was down. So, no video.
Dynia also said the Airport is not required to have a camera on the runway.
We checked. In fact, the FAA does not have requirements for security cameras on runways, taxiways or ramps.
Still, we asked, why wouldn’t the City want that anyway?
“We do have cameras around the airport. However, we are focused on the cameras we are required to have,” Dynia said.
We also found the camera that did not capture that plane taking off had been out of service, on and off, for a very long time – more than a year. The Airport told us fixing that camera was not a priority.
But, after we started investigating, we received an e-mail telling us the camera, suddenly, had been fixed.
More radio traffic from Burke Lakefront Airport shows a controller telling the pilot, “You have to confirm what runway you are taking off from. You have to read that back.”
The NTSB preliminary report includes the disclaimer, “This information is preliminary and subject to change.”
