Plane Reported Down in Long Island Sound

[Gerard]

Saw this story first on my FB News12 newsfeed!! The ABC News app saying it was a "small experimental aircraft" but at 11AM, a live report on News12 said it was a Cessna Caravan which is a much larger plane. CG, PD and other rescuers racing to the scene 7 miles north of Mattituck. First report came in at 8:50AM.

[moose135]

From Newsday.com:


The Coast Guard initially identified a tail number for the aircraft involved, which identified it as a Cessna 208 Caravan -- a single-engine, high-wing plane that can seat up to 13 people. Later, the FAA said the Coast Guard had informed it that the aircraft may have been a home built ultralight.

An FAA spokesman said that, as of 11:15 a.m., it remained unclear what type of aircraft the downed plane actually is -- and a Coast Guard spokesman said he also could not explain the discrepancy in reports.

ETA:

Update from Newsday:

Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley confirmed one person, identified only as a male pilot, was dead. Flatley said the body was recovered from the Sound and said the victim was being taken to the Suffolk County Medical Examiner's Office for identification.

[moose135]

Latest update from Newsday - the FAA said the Coast Guard later confirmed the aircraft that crashed was an experimental, amateur built fixed-wing Raven powered by a Lycoming engine, registered in New York. One man aboard, his body was recovered. Some of the initial confusion over aircraft type appears to be because the accident was reported by the pilot of a Cessna 208 seaplane.

[Speedbagel_001]

I don't think the FAA/Coast Guard got it right either. Can anyone confirm the type of aircraft this was? I'm speculating that it is not, in fact, a Raven, as had been reported in the Newsday article. Based on the Newsday video of the wreckage, it looks to me like a Rutan design, with a canard wing in front, no tail and winglets on the tips. Raven aircraft (AFAIK) bear no resemblance to the Rutan design. So I'm thinking it was either a Rutan Long E-Z, or perhaps one of the Velocity Aircraft models that were based on the Long E-Z.

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/suffolk/zubair-khan-41-of-manhattan-confirmed-as-pilot-of-plane-that-crashed-in-long-island-sound-1.8701670

Anyone have any additional information or updates on this?

[moose135]

According to the N-number shown on the wreckage (N79ZR), the FAA is calling it a Raven:

http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=79ZR

[Speedbagel_001]

Hmmm... Perhaps there is more than one kind of "Raven" that has that particular configuration. I'm curious to know more about it.

[Speedbagel_001]

After some more internet searches, I found a YouTube of the accident aircraft making its first landing:

http://youtu.be/txO15Hl2_sQ



Here’s a link to the article in the NYPost with a photo of the aircraft still in the water:

http://nypost.com/2014/07/07/pilot-dies-after-small-plane-crashes-into-long-island-sound/

Interestingly, they claim the pilot was a known "daredevil" who was known to do loop-de-loops. Regardless, very tragic and sad, whatever had occurred here.

[moose135]

I did a little more Googling (slow day at work...) Apparently, the aircraft was originally a custom-designed twin-engine Cozy (Rutan-style canard) which the pilot purchased a couple of years ago and converted to a single engine configuration.

I came across this thread the pilot started on Canard Aviation Forum, from when he first bought the aircraft through his first flight in it this past March...

http://forum.canardaviation.com/showthread.php?t=5859

[Speedbagel_001]

I did a little more Googling (slow day at work...) Apparently, the aircraft was originally a custom-designed twin-engine Cozy (Rutan-style canard) which the pilot purchased a couple of years ago and converted to a single engine configuration.

I came across this thread the pilot started on Canard Aviation Forum, from when he first bought the aircraft through his first flight in it this past March...

http://forum.canardaviation.com/showthread.php?t=5859

Nice find! Only had time to skim the first page though. Interesting reading for sure, especially in light of what just took place.
The Cozy looks really cool in twin engine configuration, based on the photos shown. Wonder what kind of performance difference it has, between single or twin.

[Gerard]

. Some of the initial confusion over aircraft type appears to be because the accident was reported by the pilot of a Cessna 208 seaplane.

They actually said that it was based at Sheltair in Farmingdale and there is a nice blue/white seaplane I've seen on the tarmac on the backside of the Sheltair hangar!!
And I've seen the model of the one that crashed at Sheltair but not sure if it was the same onE!!

[Speedbagel_001]

I just read a little bit more in that thread that Moose linked to. As previously mentioned, the owner/pilot bought the Cozy-based aircraft with the intention of rebuilding/modifying it. Took him two years. He himself gave it the name "Raven". Interestingly, some of the folks on that board were trying to advise him to avoid making very risky decisions (i.e.: not cutting corners) during the build.

From what it says, the aircraft was based out of Brookhaven KHWV. (Not sure if it stayed there or not).

Here is the YouTube of the first test flight:

http://youtu.be/5PzlKbUTxB4

It seemed that Mr. Khan was very enthusiastic about building his Raven and then going flying in it. From the photos of the aircraft post-crash, it looked like he attempted to use the emergency parachute. Very sad that it was not enough to save him.