What a loss for NASCAR !

Before and after Sunday’s crash, planes diverted from Blue Ridge Regional Airport to Danville because of fog.

By Mike Allen
981-3149
The Roanoke Times
[email]mike.allen@roanoke.com[/email] 981-3149

The Hendrick Motorsports plane that crashed Sunday in Patrick County, killing all 10 aboard, wasn’t the only aircraft to attempt unsuccessfully to land at Blue Ridge Regional Airport in Henry County that day.

At least 20 planes carrying NASCAR-related personnel or race fans originally headed for the Henry County airport landed instead at Danville Regional Airport. The pilots missed their first approaches at Blue Ridge Regional Airport because of the weather, said Mike Rembold, manager of General Aviation Inc., the company in charge of day-to-day operations at the Danville airport.

The planes thwarted by the foggy weather arrived “before the accident and even after the accident,” Rembold said Tuesday.

According to National Transportation Safety Board officials, the Beech 200 King Air plane owned by Hendrick Motorsports tried to land at Blue Ridge Regional Airport using instruments but didn’t succeed. The plane began the procedure for another attempt.

Moments later, about 12:30 p.m., it crashed into the side of fog-shrouded Bull Mountain in Patrick County.

The victims were Ricky Hendrick, 24, son of Hendrick Motorsports chief executive officer Rick Hendrick; John Hendrick, 53, Rick Hendrick’s brother and president of Hendrick Motorsports; Jennifer Hendrick and Kimberly Hendrick, 22-year-old twin daughters of John; Jeff Turner, general manager of the team; Randy Dorton, 50, chief of the company’s engine program; Scott Lathram, 38, helicopter pilot for NASCAR driver Tony Stewart; Joe Jackson, a DuPont executive; and company pilots **** Tracy, 51, and Liz Morrison, 31.

The passengers were on their way to the Nextel Cup race at Martinsville Speedway.

The NTSB investigation at the crash site continued Tuesday. Investigators have not concluded what caused the crash, but could have preliminary findings next week.

NTSB spokesman Terry Williams said that federal investigators still need to collect data from the scene and interview witnesses.

Afterward, the charred remnants of the plane probably will be brought down from the mountain, possibly by helicopter, and stored at a hangar.

The Associated Press

The pet chimpanzee was the captain 😀

LOL

A monkey was likely holding the screwdriver . . . .

From Travelocity Data:

ORD TO PVG (Pu Dong) UA 835 1240PM (1) – 515PM (2) 14:35

PVG TO ORD UA 836 710PM (1) – 705PM (1) 13:55

777 NS 7,065

Classic is great…..just not “too” Classic, if you please . . . .

I am referrring to the cancer causing second-hand (and first-hand) cigarette smoke “throughtout” the cabin, in the “Classic” sense of jet air travel, as it used to be . . . .

From the SQ Website:
Advertising the use of the Airbus 345 (The A340-500):

SQ 21 EWR-SIN 8,506 NM 18:35 * LONGEST BY FLIGHT TIME
(ACCORDING TO THEIR FLIGHT ROUTE — A TRUE POLAR ROUTE)

SQ 22 SIN-EWR 8,965 NM 18:25 * LONGEST BY NM

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

SQ 19 LAX-SIN 7,971 NM 18:15

SQ 20 SIN-LAX 7,971 NM 16:30

I know a.net is not exactly the fountain of all knowledge but someone was saying over there the other day that Boeing had announced improved range on the 772LR in a press released. Apparently the new range would allow for a LHR-SYD non stop flight.

I must say something about this though. This is where the infamous “4 engines 4 long haul” might play into people’s minds. I know that twin-engine jets are infinitely more reliable nowadays, and besides you’re never that far from land in the LHR-SYD route. But nonetheless such ultra long range flights on a 2 engine plane might be contemplated with apprehension by a proportion of the travelling public.

Yesh……Just stay out of the way of any Volcanic ash……because that ash can shut down ALL engines, 2, 3, or even 4 !

June 12, 1987 in front of the Brandenburg Gate near the Berlin Wall, President Reagan stated: “Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down This Wall ! !”

Reagan Quotes

Reagan Quotes Pt. 2

The “Evil Empire” Speech of March 8, 1983