Posted on 08/04/2004 5:23:08 AM PDT by Arrowhead1952
Oklahoma family among dead; homeowners escape burning house By Tony Plohetski
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Wednesday, August 4, 2004
A private plane carrying six people, including an Oklahoma couple and their two young children, crashed into a home in western Travis County shortly after takeoff Tuesday, triggering a fiery explosion and killing all on board.
No one on the ground was injured. The home's owners, Laurence and Jacqueline Elliott, and a dishwasher repair worker were inside and quickly escaped after the twin-engine plane struck the back of the house and disintegrated.
Ellen Roberts, a neighbor and friend of the Elliotts', said the home quickly became "an inferno."
Employees and golfers at the nearby Hills Country Club, which was holding a women's golf tournament, said they watched in horror as the crippled plane flew overhead shortly after taking off from the Lakeway Airpark, barely clearing a beverage cart parked behind the 11th green. Many ran toward the house to help with rescue efforts.
"It sounded like it didn't have any power," said Jason Gaudreau, the golf course's superintendent, who was working on a water leak when the plane flew over at treetop level. "He was really revving it. The engines were just sputtering."
Other witnesses reported seeing the plane banking heavily to the left and right before slamming nose-first into the home at 12:04 p.m. and breaking apart. The aircraft was so heavily damaged that authorities had difficulty locating an identification number on its tail.
The victims included Curtis and Jennifer Treadwell, both 32, of Edmond, Okla., and their children, Patrick, 3, and Hunter, 1. Curtis Treadwell was a real estate broker in Oklahoma City and helped manage a manufactured home business for more than a decade.
Also killed was the pilot, Richard Fisher, a 36-year-old owner of Aviation Flight Specialists, an Oklahoma City business that caters to business executives, The Oklahoman newspaper reported. The Associated Press identified the sixth victim as Jason Jones, who owned Broadway Homes in Edmond.
Access to the Village of the Hills, a gated community in the airport's flight path, remained restricted to only residents through Tuesday evening. The golf course also closed soon after the crash while authorities used its clubhouse to interview witnesses.
Investigators asked that anyone who saw the plane's departure or witnessed the crash but was not interviewed call the Travis County sheriff's department today.
John Clabes, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said family members on the ground in Lakeway watched the plane take off and provided information about its passengers.
Officials from the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board were at the scene to begin their investigation Tuesday evening. Skies were partly cloudy, and the wind wasn't strong at the time of the crash.
Investigators said that they would probably release preliminary findings about what caused the crash next week but that a full report would not be available for six to nine months.
The Lakeway Airpark is tucked into a residential area and serves small private planes. The facility has no control tower, requiring pilots to transmit their movements on a common radio frequency.
Joe Bain, president of Lakeway Airpark Inc., said the crash was the first in the airport's 60-year history.
Rusty Allman, an Austin aviation lawyer and retired naval aviator and airline captain, said the type of plane that crashed, a Smith Aerostar 601P, is a widely used aircraft.
"It is a well-respected airplane," he said. "It is fast and efficient."
'Nothing they could do'
The plane is owned by an Oklahoma City company that offers partial ownership of private planes. Bound for Oklahoma City, it departed from the Lakeway Airpark, about 17 miles west of Austin, after refueling about 11:45 a.m.
Mark Mitchell, an Oklahoma City lawyer and family friend of the Treadwells, said Curtis Treadwell was on the plane when it left Dallas on Tuesday morning.
The NTSB said three people boarded the plane in Lakeway; the Texas Department of Public Safety said it was four people.
Witnesses said the plane appeared to use most of the 3,800-foot runway during takeoff. They said they feared the worst when they saw the plane limping overhead a few seconds later.
"I could have shot a BB gun at it and hit it," witness Michael Abreo said. "I knew it was going to crash."
Gaudreau said it looked as though the pilot was trying to land the plane on the golf course. Players on the 12th tee scattered immediately after impact.
"There were so many people going up there, trying to help," he said. "There was nothing they could do."
Dozens of emergency workers and firefighters from Hudson Bend, Jollyville and Austin responded, lining The Hills Drive with ambulances and firetrucks.
"It was apparent when we got here there were no survivors," said Warren Hassinger, spokesman for Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services.
Paul Clark, a 63-year-old retired pilot, was golfing when he saw the plane apparently trying to gain speed as it flew at what he estimated was an altitude of about 500 feet.
"It was wobbling when I saw it come over the trees," he said. "I knew it was in trouble at that point."
The plane took a sharp left turn, then its left wing dipped, and it plunged straight down, striking the back of the house, Clark said.
Inside the two-story home, Jacqueline Elliott and a repairman were on the lower level, while Laurence Elliott was upstairs, said Roberts, the family friend. The three fled through the front door.
Roberts, who lives a couple of houses away, said she was inside her house when she heard a loud boom. She said she sent her husband to investigate outside, where other neighbors were screaming that the Elliotts' house had been hit by a plane.
"It just became a huge fireball," she said.
The crash charred two floors on the back of the Spanish villa home.
The Elliotts had lived in the house for a couple of years, Roberts said, but had lived in the subdivision for much longer.
"They know a house can be replaced," she said. "They feel terrible about the loss of the passengers."
She said the Elliotts were considering conducting a prayer service at the site.
'A nice couple'
Word of the plane crash had reached the Treadwells' family and friends Tuesday night.
According to Curtis Treadwell's biography on his business's Web site, he was born in Wichita, Kan., and graduated from the University of San Diego with a degree in business administration. He met his wife while living in Southern California, and the couple married in December 1998.
"They were just such a nice couple," said Mitchell, the family friend. "They were just nuts about those kids. They spent all their time with them."
Mitchell said Treadwell moved to Oklahoma City a decade ago to manage an expansion of his father's manufactured home business. The Web site said the business placed more than 500 families in homes that year.
"He was so full of zeal and zest for life," Mitchell said. "He was very much a people person, and that's how he conducted his business. He tried to make people happy."
Other recent crashes
Tuesday's crash was the fifth in Central Texas this year:
Feb. 22, Llano County: A Richmond man died when his Cessna 210 crashed about four miles east of Valley Spring.
April 10, Burnet: A World War II fighter plane crashed at Burnet Municipal Airport. The pilot walked away from the Navy Grumman F4F Wildcat without injuries.
May 9, Georgetown: Two single-engine airplanes collided at Georgetown Municipal Airport as both made final approaches. The pilots suffered minor injuries.
May 29, Caldwell County: Two men died when their private plane, a single-engine Aviat Husky, crashed shortly after takeoff in a field northeast of Luling.
Full story on yesterday's private plane crash in Lakeway.
Bad fuel pump?
Clogged fuel lines?
Sad thing to see happen.
Not much, but speculation as of now. The fuel was tested yesterday and checked out as clean and no contaminants. I heard some pilots on one of the PM talk shows say the heat and weight distribution may have been two of the causes of the crash.
The flight had come from Oklahoma to Lakeway, took on 18 gallons of fuel and took off for a return trip. Apparently, the pilot knew that too much fuel would have overloaded the craft and he took just enough to reach another airport.
Pictures in this am's "Austin Statesman Pravda". Am so glad the home owner's were not hurt.
Question, please..if I might..From reading the passenger list, no co-pilot is listed. Is it a requirement, or exempt because this was an "owner-operated" type of arrangement. If I walked up to charter the same plane for a flight, could they take off without a CP?
I hitched a right-seat ride in an Aerostar with my flight instructor several times back in the '80s. As I recall, once you filled the tanks and put four grownups in the (six) seats you were right at gross weight. Couldn't even put an overnight bag in the baggage compartment.
That's some house.
The local news said it was a "4,000 SQFT mansion" lcoated jus at the edge of # 11 green.
Thanks for the post/ping.May they rest in peace .....
Here we are with six people, luggages, full fuel load, short runw;ay, and hot, HOT making for high desnity altitude! Probably 100 degrees plus on the runway surface.
That appears to be pilot error to me!
Glad this wasn't your house.
The plane took on only 18 gallons of fuel. The pilot probably knew he was close to being overloaded. Also, I will post part of an article on FR today stating the pilot had two crash landings during the past two years and was having action to be taken by the FAA. One was on Sept. 16, 2002 and the other was this past April, in the same aircraft that crashed Tuesday.
Good information there. Especially about the 18 gallons of fuel. That is an indication the pilot was aware of being close to overload condition.
I believe that the Arrowstar requires at least 2500' of runway at sea level, standard temperature (72 F), and at maximum gross wt. to take off. I could be wrong about the numbers but I think it is close.
Pilot of ill-fated flight was sanctioned twice (LAKEWAY PLANE CRASH UPDATE)
Good information there. Especially about the 18 gallons of fuel. That is an indication the pilot was aware of being close to overload condition.
I believe that the Aerostar requires at least 2500' of runway at sea level, standard temperature (72 F), and at maximum gross wt. to take off. I could be wrong about the numbers but I think it is close.
Arrowstar=Aerostar
From the article ... "Mark Mitchell, an Oklahoma City lawyer and family friend of the Treadwells, said Curtis Treadwell was on the plane when it left Dallas on Tuesday morning."
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 Specifications & Performance Data for the SUPER 700 AEROSTAR and SUPERSTAR 700
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