Posted on 01/22/2024 5:22:49 AM PST by Red Badger
The fourth victim who died when a plane built from a kit crashed in California has been identified as the son of a Zoom executive.
Isaac Zimmern, 27, was with his long-time girlfriend Emma Wilmer-Shiles when they boarded the homemade aircraft piloted by their friend, Lochie Ferrier, who also died in the crash last week along with his fiancee, Cassidy Petit.
Zimmern is the son of Johann Zimmern, 59, the head of Global Education Marketing at Zoom who lives in San Francisco’s Sunnyside neighborhood in a $1.1 million home, the International Business Times reports.
The younger Zimmern was also living in San Francisco with Wilmer-Shiles, 27, and the couple had been together for 10 years.
Zimmern had left his hometown to spend the last three years working in New York City, most recently serving as a senior operations associate for Burrow, a Brooklyn-based furniture manufacturing company, according to his LinkedIn profile.
He was identified as the fourth person who was aboard the Cozy Mark IV, a single-engine, four-seater plane that crashed last Sunday at around 4 p.m. off the coast of Half Moon Bay.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
There was one of these Cozy MK aircraft at Osh Kosh last year. I looked it over and it was really an interesting airplane. I told a pilot buddy that I would like to fly one someday.
That same Cozy I was looking at crashed after leaving Osh and refueling. Crashed on takeoff. Cause unknown (to me).
Yea I ‘m not getting in one.
I’ll stay in my Vans RV6!
No way I’m flying that thing with four on board. Gross weight and CG issues for sure.
Actually, I heard that joke from a family friend who had built a kit plane. He and his wife flew it all over the Midwest, including a few trips to Oshkosh, with no problems. He finally had to sell it because he developed medical issues and couldn’t keep his pilot’s license.
There are so many things that can go wrong. I have a cousin whose husband's plane had its alternator stop charging the batteries during a night flight. He was able to find a runway before his batteries died, but the batteries were so low that they could not be recharged and had to be replaced. Around a decade ago, a bird struck a single prop plane. The bird strike broke the prop, which flew into the cockpit and killed the pilot. Many bad things can cause a plane crash and many of them have nothing to do with pilot error or plane construction. Unlike a car, you just can't get out and push.
I built a Velocity SE RG and only have to finish one aileron and one rudder before I mount the engine and start on the avionics. I will finish in a few weeks after I take my 172 in for the annual and have extra room in the hangar.
Airplane kits. A great way to kill yourself.
Inadvertent IMC after take off. Get thereitis and lack of skills claims 4 more lives. Half Moon bay weather conditions are not to be trifled with in light planes with questionable skills.
Negative
Hello Fini,
I certainly do agree with you. My wife lived in AK for 16 years and lost a few friends while they were flying their float planes in the various passes while on hunting trips.
We lost a dear friend 11 years ago. He was the AK State Patrol’s helicopter pilot for search and rescue. He lost his life in a freak accident while rescuing a snowmobiler near Talkeetna.
Take care, and happy New Year!
MFO
“I was wondering if the plane flew before.”
The aircraft has to be test flown by an experienced pilot and a certain number of hours flight time near the airport are required and an inspection before the FAA will sign off on it.
Looks like a Lawn Dart.
They may have needed specialist supervision to ensure they followed the specifications.
Looks as safe as a kit submarine.
Thanks. That was helpful.
Negative
How do you know? The article is not clear, but it does mention the engine "sputtering." So that's a clue.
But if you read the comments in the NY Post article, many of them are declaring that this was a battery powered aircraft.
So I'm confused on this matter.
My uncle was almost killed when the small plane he was renting lost power and crashed.
ISWYDT!........................
How do I know?
Let’s see, there are no EV aircraft certified for flight under FAA rules. There are however 1 or 2 aircraft in development under an FAA manufacturers exemption for research only. Do your own research https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cozy_MK_IV
My pilot, 2 engine, would fly us to Auburn,Tahoe, etc. But he would not fly to Half Moon Bay because all the pilots said it was haunted. This was in the 1980’s.
For anybody interested this 10 minute discusses preliminary accident details...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdcFhOdU-eQ
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