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NTSB: Pilot Error Likely Cause of Fatal IC Plane CrashThe Gazette
IOWA CITY - The National Transportation Safety Board said pilot errors were the probable cause of a June 2008 plane crash in Iowa City that left one toddler dead.
The board determined the pilot improperly decided to depart with a pre-existing tail wind and failed to abort takeoff. The board also said Sydney Blanton, the 2-year-old passenger killed in the crash, was not properly restrained. The child was held by her mother, Christina Blanton, 29, during the flight. Airline standards require any child over 2 to be secured during takeoff. The mother and pilot, Lewis Martin, 57, of Bloomington, Ill., survived the accident that happened on the west side of Iowa City near the airport. An autopsy showed Sydney died from head injuries. The National Transportation Safety Board said the airplane experienced an aerodynamic stall while flying about 30 feet above the runway, and its left wing dropped before it hit the ground. The board found during its investigation no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. The pilot was a volunteer for Angel Flight Network and was flying the Blantons home to Thomasville, Ga. after Sydney’s treatment for clubfoot at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. More Good Stuff |
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