Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, August 20, 1994 TAG: 9408220077
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LAURENCE HAMMACK and TODD JACKSON STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The pilot of the single-engine plane, Joseph Kulwicki of Meadville, Penn., was seriously injured in the crash, which occurred within sight of Roanoke Regional Airport. Kulwicki, 55, was transported to Roanoke Memorial Hospital where he was listed in serious condition Friday night.
The only other people aboard the six-passenger plane were killed. David Peterson, 44, of Cochranton, Penn., and his wife Charlene, whose age was not available, were thrown from the plane. Charlene Peterson apparently died instantly. David Peterson was taken to Roanoke Memorial, where he died about an hour later.
No one on the golf course was injured.
The PA-32 Piper stopped to refuel at the airport and had just taken off on its way to Pittsburgh when the pilot radioed an emergency and tried to return to the airport, authorities said. State police said Kulwicki and the Petersons apparently were making their way home from the Bahamas.
Golfers who witnessed the crash said the plane was losing altitude as it passed over Countryside. Between the 13th and 18th fairways, it hit the only large tree on that part of the course and crashed in the rough. The Piper's wings were ripped off and the fuselage tumbled several times before coming to rest, eyewitnesses said.
Jim Mostrando, who witnessed the accident while playing golf, said a woman was thrown from the plane when it struck the cherry tree, about 40 feet above the ground.
"Seeing the woman fly out of the plane was the scariest thing I've even seen," he said.
The course was crowded and dozens of golfers dropped their clubs and gathered around the crash site, which was soon surrounded by police cars, fire trucks, rescue squad vehicles and golf carts.
Mike Robertson and Randy Arm were standing near the17th green when they heard the crash about 150 yards behind them. When no explosion occurred, Robertson and Arm started running toward the plane.
"I took the seatbelt off the pilot," Robertson said. "He was groggy and he was bleeding from the side of his mouth, but he was trying to get out of the plane. I tried to calm him down."
Jerry McMillan and Ray Goins were moving past the cherry tree in a golf cart when the plane crashed just feet from them. Debris hit their cart as they dove for cover. Neither was injured.
Others on the course continued playing, unaware of what had happened.
"We didn't hear a thing," said Dean Hackett, who was playing the fifth hole about 200 yards from the crash. "We didn't even know about it until the police started telling everyone that the course was closed."
Many eyewitnesses said they believe Kulwicki was trying to land the plane in the rough between the two fairways so it wouldn't hit anyone.
John Hinkle, the FAA tower chief, said the crash occurred at 3:17 p.m., only minutes after the plane took off from runway 33 at Roanoke Regional Airport. The privately owned plane was bound for Pittsburgh International Airport.
"He declared an emergency, made a left turn, and attempted to come back to runway 6," Hinkle said.
Investigators also were trying to determine exactly what caused the emergency.
"That's where it starts to get fuzzy," said state police Sgt. V.C. Jones.
Some witnesses told police the plane was sputtering as if it was running out of gas, Jones said, while others said the plane had no power, suggesting possible engine problems.
Representatives from the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board were en route to Roanoke. Meanwhile, the Civil Air Patrol secured the crash site and covered part of the wreckage with a large red tarp.
Kulwicki, a prominent attorney in Pennsylvania and a former member of Meadville City Council, suffered a fractured pelvis, a concussion and internal bruising, said Sally Ramey, a spokeswoman at Roanoke Memorial.
Friday's crash was the first aircraft fatality in Roanoke in 10 years, said Jacqueline Shuck, the airport's executive director. Airport traffic was not disrupted by the accident, she said.
On March 27, 1983, a six-seater Piper Seneca crashed near the Sun Valley subdivision off Williamson Road as the pilot was making a landing approach. The pilot and four passengers were killed.
Since then, the only other fatality was on March 3, 1989, when a Beechcraft Bonanza bound from Northern Virginia to Blacksburg crashed off Green Meadow Road in Southwest Roanoke County, killing the pilot, the only person aboard.
For years, low-flying airplanes have criss-crossed the skies above the Countryside course, usually interrupting play for just a moment.
"There's always a fear something like this might happen here," said Bill Miller, a Countryside employee who witnessed the crash. "Every time a plane comes in for a landing, everyone on the golf course stops to watch it, to see if something might happen."
Staff writers Dan Casey, Randy King and Lisa Applegate contributed to this story.
Keywords:
FATALITY
by CNB