Federal investigators are trying to determine why a 2010 PiperSport LSA (N420PS) crashed near Brooksville, Florida late on the night of 6 May, possibly after an in-flight explosion and breakup at altitude.
Tragically, the lone pilot and flight instructor, 23-year-old Scott Tezak from Illinois, was killed. Tezak was apparently flying the aircraft back to Illinois for friend who had recently purchased it in Florida.
Media reports and web tributes paint Tezak as an avid skydiver and all-around good guy, who was engaged to be married to the mother his young daughter.
Maybe it was linked to his skydiving experience, but news stories say Tezak was found 3/4mi from the wreckage, with his belongings in a bag nearby.
Witnesses told local news reporters that the "pilot actually landed on his feet", and that the plane had been in a flat spin and had come apart in the air.
"We kind of figured he had jumped out," another witness told the Hernando Today. "It looked like he had tossed out all of his things before he jumped.";
The NTSB has yet to issue a preliminary report.
Piper discontinued its licensing relationship with the manufacturer of the LSA - Czech Sport Aircraft - in January this year citing different business perspectives between the two manufacturers.
Leave a comment
Want a user picture? Get a Gravatar!