Displaying items by tag: Akron Fulton Airport

(City of Akron) Today, Mayor Dan Horrigan joined the members of the new Akron Fulton Airport Advisory Board to announce the City of Akron’s recommitment to the future of the airport as an economic development driver for the city and region. The Akron Fulton Airport Advisory Board was formed earlier this year to make recommendations to City leadership and provide insight into how to best channel resources to catalyze business development.


“I established the Advisory Board because I have witnessed, first-hand, that in most thriving cities the regional general aviation airport plays a critical role in fostering and supporting economic development activities,” Mayor Horrigan said. “In light of market trends, we all must be more intentional and aligned in our pursuit of growth—and investing in the Akron Fulton Airport is a key part of our strategy to set Akron apart and attract new job-creating businesses.”

The Advisory Board has been busy developing a strategic plan for the airport’s future use and development to achieve the Mayor Horrigan’s vision. Included in this plan are efforts to enhance service to customers and rebrand and market the airport. The City’s Office of Integrated Development stands poised to assist and support the attraction of new airport customers and development in and around the airport.

The City is making important capital investments in the airport as well, including flight obstruction clearing, which is nearly complete. These improvements will allow for flight operations at night and during low visibility conditions. The resurfacing of main runway 7-25 will take place in 2020, followed by the removal of the north-south runway 1-19. Both projects are funded 90% by the Federal Aviation Administration, 5% by the Ohio Department of Transportation, and 5% by local City funds. These improvements, along with the demolition of the Rubber Bowl, will open up new opportunities for development that can complement flight operations.

“I’m really excited about the possibilities and opportunities at Akron Fulton,” Phil Maynard, chair of the Akron Fulton Airport Advisory Board said. “The sky’s the limit!”

“I appreciate the ground work the Board has done thus far, and I urge them to continue to solicit input from diverse enterprises to determine how we best strengthen the airport together,” Mayor Horrigan continued. “I am encouraged by the immense potential for growth, and I have full confidence in Phil Maynard and the other leaders who have agreed to serve on the Advisory Board. I look forward to collaborating with them and our business community to drive a new, successful chapter in the history of the Akron Fulton Airport.”

The National Transportation Safety Board has a released a report with a number of documents related to that Ellet plane crash that killed nine aboard last November.

What they haven't released - the possible cause of the crash.

Cleveland.com reports that the NTSB won't talk about a possible cause, and isn't giving any analysis of the evidence released.

The plane crashed on approach to Akron Fulton Airport with all nine aboard killled - seven passengers who were scouting locations for a real estate company, and two pilots, all from Florida.

Though the plane destroyed an apartment building and wires on Mogadore Road, no one on the ground was hurt.

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On the Web: Cleveland.com, www.cleveland.com

The National Transportation Safety Board released its first report on last Tuesday's jet crash on approach to Akron Fulton Airport that killed nine. The preliminary report doesn't contain much new that hasn't been reported previously. It does note some of the wreckage including airframe, engines, primary flight controls, and landing gear were recovered and forwarded for further testing along with the voice data recorder.

Former FAA investigator Jeff Rich explains the information in the NTSB's preliminary report

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(FAA) Nonscheduled 14 CFR Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
Accident occurred Tuesday, November 10, 2015 in Akron, OH
Aircraft: BRITISH AEROSPACE HS 125 700A, registration: N237WR
Injuries: 9 Fatal.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators traveled in support of this investigation and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.On November 10, 2015, about 1452 eastern standard time (EST), Execuflight flight 1526, a British Aerospace HS 125-700A, N237WR, departed controlled flight while on approach to landing at Akron Fulton International Airport (AKR) and impacted a 4-plex apartment building in Akron, Ohio. The pilot, copilot, and seven passengers died; no ground injuries were reported. The airplane was destroyed by the crash and a postcrash fire. The airplane was registered to Rais Group International NC LLC and operated by Execuflight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 as an on-demand charter flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The flight departed from Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport (MGY), Dayton, Ohio, about 1413 EST and was destined for AKR.The airplane, which was based at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, departed Cincinnati Municipal Airport-Lunken Field, Cincinnati, Ohio, about 1112 EST on the day of the accident and arrived at MGY about 1125 EST. The airplane remained parked on the ramp at one of the fixed-base operators until departing for AKR.According to Federal Aviation Administration air traffic control and radar data, about 1438 EST, the Akron-Canton terminal radar approach control facility provided radar vectors to the accident airplane for the localizer runway 25 instrument approach procedure at AKR. A Piper PA-28-161 airplane performing flight training at the airport completed the localizer runway 25 instrument approach procedure at AKR before the accident airplane began its approach. According to the flight instructor on board the Piper PA-28-161, the airplane "broke out at minimums" on the localizer runway 25 approach and landed on runway 25. After the Piper PA-28-161 exited the runway, the flight instructor reported that he heard one of the pilots of the accident airplane state "Hawker Jet on a 10 mile final localizer 25" over the Unicom frequency. Subsequently, the flight instructor radioed to the accident airplane and stated "we broke out right at minimums." According to the flight instructor, one of the pilots of the accident airplane acknowledged this transmission with "thanks for the update." About 1452 EST, a motion-activated security camera located about 900 ft to the southeast of the accident site captured the airplane as it came in over the surrounding trees in a left-wing-down attitude about 1.8 nautical miles from the approach end of runway 25 at AKR. An explosion and postcrash fire were observed on the video just after the airplane flew out of the security camera's view.The postcrash fire consumed most of the airplane; however, the airframe, engines, primary flight controls, and landing gear were all accounted for at the accident site. The airplane was equipped with a Fairchild GA-100 tape unit cockpit voice recorder, which was recovered and sent to the National Transportation Safety Board's Vehicle Recorders Laboratory for examination. About 1450 EST, the surface weather observation at AKR was wind from 240 degrees at 7 knots; visibility 1 3/4 statute mile in mist; ceiling broken at 600 ft above ground level (agl); overcast ceiling at 900 ft agl; temperature 11 degrees C (52 degrees F); dew point 9 degrees C (48 degrees F); and altimeter 29.95 inches of mercury. 

Investigators descended on Ellet Tuesday in the wake of the plane crash that killed nine people aboard a Hawker H25 jet headed for Akron Fulton Airport.

Former FAA investigator Jeff Rich says the National Transportation Safety Board is conducting what is called the "field phase" of the investigation, which could take as long as a week. This first stage begins by making sure that all of the debris is at the crash site. Next, investigators will try to determine the physical characteristics of the plane, including the positions of the landing gear and ailerons.

Within 30 days, the NTSB must issue a preliminary report that includes some basic details about the plane and the crash.

Investigators can move the wreckage to another location once the Medical Examiner's Office has completed its work. Rich says that location could be as close as a hangar at Fulton Airport. 

Rich described the Hawker H25 as an older type of aircraft, but a sturdy one with no known major safety issues.

Jeff Rich analyzes the Ellet plane crash and talks about the next steps in the investigation

It's now official: nine dead from yesterday's jet crash on approach to Akron Fulton Airport.

Lt. Bill Haymaker of the Ohio State Highway Patrol said all of the victims were on the jet's manifest from Ft. Lauderdale to Dayton, then Akron. Officials said not all of the victims may be from Florida and notification of family is underway, with no names released.

The company is Pebb Enterprises, of Boca Raton, Florida. They posted the following on their website: Our hearts are broken this morning with the news of the tragic accident that took the lives of two principals and five employees of Pebb Enterprises. We are shocked and deeply saddened for the families, colleagues and friends of those who perished. Our first priority is to give our fullest support to the family members and loved ones of our co-workers. We ask for the media's understanding and cooperation at this time of unimaginable loss and mourning and are not responding to media requests at this time.

Haymaker confirmed that up to 12 families were impacted when the jet crashed into the four-unit apartment building on Mogadore Road; while no one was inside the building and adjacent apartments and homes were also damages. The American Red Cross provided relief for 11 families in the short-term.

Click here to view the entire press conference on Periscope.

The head of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) now has a full team in Akron.

NTSB vice-chairman Bella Dinn-Zarr - heading up the team here - told an afternoon press conference on Wednesday that the cockpit voice recorder has been recovered.

Dinn-Zarr said that a number of factors will be considered as they look into the crash...including flight controls, engines, weather, air traffic control and operations.

She called weather a "key factor" that will be investigated, along with surveillance video from a nearby business that shows the plane's approach.

Dinn-Zarr says they looked at the ground after seeing a surveillance video showing the aircraft flowing at a low altitude and banking left, finding evidence that the left wing hit the ground first.

There will be no determination issued by the NTSB while it is here the next four to five days.

Meanwhile, more residents in the immediate neighborhood are coming forward with video and testimony as the jet came down. In an interview with WAKR's Amani Abraham, Seth Yergin, 23, of Akron, said he heard the explosion and went outside to see what happened; there was already the apartment building "completely on fire...there was nothing I could do."

"It's kind of surreal," Yergin said. "It's pretty scary. It's strange to think the slightest thing, it could have been us."

NOTE: Video captured by Seth Yergin is at the bottom of this story.

Questions on whether Akron should keep and maintain Fulton Municipal Airport arising again in the wake of the worst air disaster in the history of Summit County.

Akron city council's Bob Hoch represents Ward 6, which covers much of the area around the airport and the Ellet neighborhood. He says he's thankful nobody on the ground was hurt or killed, and his thoughts and prayers went to those aboard the jet, but comments from residents is a fairly routine topic.

"When you live in Ellet, you see and hear air traffic day and night. It becomes commonplace to see and hear these small planes, jets, helicopters and blimps. Normally, you don't react, you don't pay a whole lot of attention to them," Hoch says.

Hoch noted the future of Fulton Airport came up during the most recent mayoral debates.

"All those points have to be scrutinized," Hoch said. "How much is that airport costing the city of Akron and the residents of Akron now, and is it a necessary piece in our community and do we need to keep it there?"

Mayor Jeff Fusco counters Fulton is "...an economic driver, if you will. There's corporate and recreational use and it's heavily looked at by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) on what we can and cannot do. It's regulated heavily by the federal government." He said the airport does "quite a bit" to keep the airport safe.

"there's airports like this all around the country," Fusco said, with operations handled by pilots.

The airport also serves as a refueling center for medical emergency helicopters.