Related Links
Plane Fell Apart
SEBRING - A Federal Aviation Administration investigator was on the scene
Sunday of a plane crash that happened at Golf Hammock Saturday.
The first 911 calls came in at 11:40 p.m. Saturday from golfers at Golf
Hammock, a subdivision on the west side of the city.
They reported hearing the engine over-revving and a loud popping sound,
seeing a black cloud in the sky, and watching the wings, tail section and
engine compartment fall from the sky.
Witnesses also saw the pilot, James Weener, 70, and his passenger James
Ricker, 46, ejected from the plane, and land in a dense group of trees beside
the 10th fairway.
Weener was a missionary pilot and a retired missionary. Ricker lived in
Golf Hammock, according to Lt. Tim Lethbridge, one of the lead investigators
with the Highlands County Sheriff's Office.
"Once we determined it was a recovery effort, not a rescue, we left
everything in place," said Lt. Jess Purvis. The FAA was called, but
investigators
normally don't respond to light plane crashes, the Highlands County Sheriff's
deputy said.
"But because the plane came apart in mid air, and the bodies were ejected,
he took a higher interest in it," Purvis said. The bodies of the pilot and
the passenger were left in the woods until the federal investigators could
come, then they were taken to the medical examiner's office.
The sheriff's office photographed the wreckage and the various pieces that
were found across the debris field, which is more than a mile in diameter.
Bystanders picked up small debris and gave it to the sheriff's office, Purvis
said.
"I'm sure we'll be picking up pieces for the next week," Purvis said Sunday
morning.
The FAA still hasn't offered a reason for the crash, Purvis said.
"At this time, it's a mystery."
He expected FAA and National Transportation Safety Board investigators to
be on the scene for days, looking over the debris field and talking to
witnesses about the sights and sounds before the crash.
One witness described the white aircraft as an Aircoupe. An Internet reader
believed it was an Ercoupe. However, no official report of the make or
model of airplane has been announced.
The Forney Aircoupe is a low wing monoplane with side-by-side seating for
two, according to NationMaster.com encyclopedia. The light aircraft was
manufactured in the mid-1960s.
Any witnesses to the accident who haven't talked to investigators should
call the sheriff's office at 402-7200.
