Crash Report: Pilot Flew in Turbulence to Get to Daughter's Birthday

The top of the accident report into the pre-Thanksgiving 2017 airplane crash that killed 73-year-old Tennessee pilot Herman Eugene Steele is succinct.

"Loss of control in flight," the National Transportation Safety Board report says.

But the nine-page report on the 3:15 p.m. crash at the Camp Blanding Joint Training Center on Florida 16 just east of Starke goes deeper into what led up to the death of the Mount Pleasant pilot on his way to Jacksonville for Thanksgiving. It states windy, rainy weather and heavy clouds caused the fatal crash.

A review of the pilot's logbook revealed he did not meet Federal Aviation Administration requirements to fly under "weather conditions less than the minimums prescribed for visual flight rules," the report states.

Steele was the only person on board the 1968 Mooney M20C Ranger aircraft when it crashed in the center of the 73,000-acre National Guard training site. He was flying the four-seat, single-engine plane from Ocala's Jim Taylor Field to Cecil Airport.

The NTSB report said that Steele and a friend flew into Ocala earlier in the day, telling investigators the flight was uneventful until they got closer to the airport. That's when the friend said the weather became "very turbulent." Steele said he was trying to maintain altitude as he prepared to land and that it was "very windy and raining very hard" when they finally touched down.

Steele told the airport staff that he had to get to Cecil Airport for his daughter's birthday and Thanksgiving, and was told he should "wait it out," the report said. Steele agreed, waiting for the weather to improve.

After about 45 minutes, the pilot said he was "heading out." When Steele was asked if he found a break in the weather, he laughed and said he was "gonna go for it," the report said.

An NTSB review of air traffic control radar and radio communication revealed that Jacksonville air traffic controllers told Steele to proceed directly to Cecil Airport, advising him to expect instrument landing system conditions there, the report said.

As he was cleared for approach, the controller radioed Steele that "Your target's going all over the place. You having issues?" the report said. Steele attributed his plane's motion "due to wind and further indicated that he was not having any issues."

The Jacksonville approach controller asked Steele if he wanted to try a different altitude, but the pilot declined and responded "I'm OK," the report said.

The flight situation deteriorated a few minutes later as the Jacksonville controller passed on a low-altitude alert, noting the plane was "going back and forth," the report said. He asked Cecil's controller if he could see Steele's plane, and was told no due to the low clouds.

Jacksonville's approach controller then saw his airplane was triggering low-altitude alarms. At 3:11 p.m. Steele was asked if he was able to climb and turn, and he said "he could but needed to go out for a long approach," the report said. Two minutes later the controller asked Steele if he wanted to divert to Jacksonville International Airport, with better visibility. Steele decided to do that and was given the vectors, which were repeated.

"The pilot initially acknowledged the heading but did not acknowledge the altitude assignment," the NTSB report said. "Shortly thereafter, at 3:15 p.m., radar contact with the airplane was lost."

Steele's airplane was found at 4 p.m. in a Camp Blanding field about 18 miles southwest of Cecil Airport, the report said. Its fuselage was broken into two parts. A review of the wreckage showed "no anomalies of the airframe and engine" that would have precluded normal operation.

Steele held a private pilot certificate with ratings for single-engine land and instrument airplanes, the report said. A review of his logbook showed 3,146 total hours of flight experience, the most recent two months prior to the crash.

Dan Scanlan: (904) 359-4549

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