Two Ohio men killed in 1910 replica plane crash
August 2, 2011, 01:57 pm
Two men were recently killed in a general aviation accident involving a replica of a 1910 aircraft constructed by the flight pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright. On July 20, the plane crashed in a field outside of Springfield, Ohio.
The two men who lost their lives were Don Gum, a 73-year-old from Beaver Creek, and Mitchell Cary, a 65-year-old hailing from Yellow Springs. The plane was owned by Wright "B" Flyer Inc. in Dayton, Ohio. The replica plane performed well in test flights during June.
CNN reports that the cause of the plane crash still remains unknown, and the highway patrol, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board are conducting an investigation.
Phil Beaudoin, president of Wright "B" Flyer Inc., told CNN-affiliate WHIO-TV "Mitch and Don were highly competent pilots with extensive experience flying Wright 'B' Flyer airplanes and other experimental aircraft."
The FAA reports that over the past two decades, with a few exceptions, the accident rate per 100,000 flight hours in general aviation has declined. In 1990, for instance, there were 2,242 total accidents resulting in 770 deaths. In 2010, there were 1,384 total accidents resulting in 453 fatalities. Despite the lowering rate of accidents, all aviators can still benefit from life insurance for pilots.
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