ZELLEWOOD, Fla. — The National Transportation Safety Board – NTSB – is now looking into what could have led to a plane crash that left one person dead Saturday morning. First responders received a call about a possible explosion near Jones Avenue at Bob White Field Airport in Zellwood. That is a small airport for smaller planes.
According to the Orange County Fire Rescue, which initially responded to the call, the crash happened during takeoff. The pilot, a man in his 70s, was the sole passenger of the aircraft. “It is too early to know what happened, and there’s so much that could’ve gone wrong,” said Captain Richard Levy, an aviation expert with more than 40 years of flying experience.
“The weather apparently, is good in Orlando, so you can discount weather as long as the winds were not added limits. The other problems that happen in light aircraft is when a pilot is doing something that’s beyond his or her limitations. That is, they’re flying in a weather that they’re not qualified to find, for example, fog.”
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputies blocked the airport’s main entrance for most of Saturday morning. According to the expert, the reports of explosions could indicate the source of the problem that led to the crash.
“The majority of aircraft accidents, especially light airplane accidents, do happen during the riskier part of the flight that is to take off and the landing,” Levy said. “What comes to mind – again, without all the facts about the case yet – is, did the aircraft experience an engine failure? That is the most common reason, if weather is not an issue, is an engine failure, or the airplane is overweight. If there was an explosion, and likely there was fuel in the plane, we can discount not having sufficient fuel. Now we’re talking about an engine failure and if there’s any problem with the engines.”
The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to join the NTSB in the investigation into the crash. “Flying a single airplane is safe. It is not dangerous in itself,” said Levy. “What is dangerous is when a pilot does operate the airplane in an unsafe manner that they’re not qualified in, they’re basically taking a risk.”
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