2015 Acclaim down. KLAL; 1 minor injury

[FloridaMan]

1 minor injury. Brand new Acclaim. 

 

http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/bn9/2015/4/20/small_plane_crashes_.html

 

 

Looks like he was long established on final for 27. There are storms in the area, but the METARs look fairly benign. Last two points were at 82 and 77kts over the ground at 1000 MSL. Winds on the surface were <10kts out of the southwest

[Marauder]

Still registered with Mooney. Is it a factory demo unit?

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[FloridaMan]

http://www.controller.com/listingsdetail/aircraft-for-sale/MOONEY-ACCLAIM-TYPE-S/2015-MOONEY-ACCLAIM-TYPE-S/1332995.htm

 

It's listed on Controller for $733,000 by Premier. I'm guessing they were flying it up to Lakeland for Sun-n-Fun. I wonder what happened. The weather isn't good today. 

[omega708]

Glad that the pilot / sole occupant is okay.  Hate to see that incinerated airframe...

[Parker_Woodruff]

I just saw this airplane two weekends ago in Dallas. Premier was showing it. Quite a shame - glad the pilot was ok

[22 others]

Glad the pilot is OK.  That can't be good for business.

[DonMuncy]

Richard Simile flew the plane to Dallas from Kerrville two weeks ago (assuming Parker is correct that this is the same plane)and it had about 8 hours on it. He told me this was the first "commercial sale" Acclaim since the factory reopened. The first one was the one auctioned off and the 2nd went to China. This was the 3rd.

I wonder if Richard was flying it at the time of the crash. Glad he, or whoever it was, had only minor injuries.

[par]

I hope they paid their last insurance bill. I'm sure the insurance company execs will be happy to see the TPS report on this one...or whatever they call it.

[Joe Zuffoletto]

Very concerning to me, for obvious reasons. Very glad the pilot escaped the post-crash fire with only minor injuries. Can't wait to hear more about what happened.

[Piloto]

It is sad to see a brand new plane destroyed like this. But the same happened to the Titanic and the Hindenburg. Looks like engine power loss on final approach. Kind of rare since there is no stress on the engine. Maybe caused by the throttle idle setting. If the idle setting is set to very low rpm the engine may quit when the throttle is pulled all the way back. The prop will stop windmilling due to the low airspeed and the engine just quit. At low altitude a starter restart may not be soon enough. Glad the pilot made it because the cockpit fire looks pretty intense.

José

[Jeff_S]

I called Richard to see if he was alright or knew anything about this, but it went to his voicemail. I left him a message so we'll see. He generally does represent Mooney and Premier at these functions. It will be interesting to learn more about this.

[Jeff_S]

Okay, having just looked at FlightAware, I see that the plane started today in Auburn, which pretty much indicates that Richard was at the controls because that's his home base.  I can't tell much else from the track log.  Too many unknowns at this point.

[gsxrpilot]

Wow, talk about bad luck... regardless of the cause. I feel terrible for all the good folks in Kerrville.

[Greg_D]

The main picture on his (Richard's)FaceBook is of this airplane, and it was taken very recently.

[kmyfm20s]

No Bueno! Glad to hear it's limited to minor injuries.

[Deb]

According to news reports, it was Richard flying alone. According to those reports, he was able to exit the plane prior to its catching fire. Reports were he had minor injuries. We called him, but like Don, we got voicemail. We're certainly glad he's OK.

http://www.wfla.com/story/28850351/pilot-walks-away-from-lakeland-plane-crash

http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Pilot-Survives-Fiery-Small-Plane-Crash-in-Lakeland-300708321.html

[Hank]

Glad he's alright! What a shame about the plane, though. And the boat . . .

Looks like there's a shattered stump by the tail, maybe that's what broke off the right wing and sparked the fire?

[Danb]

That's horrible hope Richard is actually ok, I spoke with him a couple weeks ago, actually rapped about purchasing the Acclaim, as Joe it's concerning...my gut is telling me to keep my Bravo GX...did anyone talk to Fred Ahles to get any info, Corby also does a lot of their flying he's a great instructor and transitioned me to the G1000. I so sorry for Richard and the Premiere family....

[Will W]

It is Richard

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-richard-simile-plane-crash-mooney-20150420-story.html

[Tommy]

From the photo that looks almost like a non-survivable crash - wing broke off, intense fire. And he walked away with minor injuries only...

 

I am sure pilot's decision and skill also played a part but you really have to give it to the folks at Kerrville!

 

Speed recovery, Richard!

[ryoder]

Weather today is really crappy in the Tampa area. I was wondering about people coming in for Sun n Fun, Heavy rain, thunderstorms, and lots of clouds today. I hope he is ok.

[N601RX]

Anyone know if the new planes have airbags?

[Piloto]

On the positive side the company is getting the insured value quicker than the sale. No need to worry about warranty claims.

José

[Joe Zuffoletto]

My Acclaim has airbags; I'm sure this one did too.

First Acclaim down that I know of. Have there been any others?

I'm so glad that RS escaped with minor injuries. The wreck looked fatal just from the pix. What a relief.

[Joe Zuffoletto]

Piloto, in response to your earlier comment, I doubt he chopped the power back to idle if he was conducting a normal approach. That turns the Acclaim into a rock if the gear and flaps are down. Richard certainly knew that; he probably has as much Acclaim time as anyone. But we're all speculating at this point.