Skymaster Crash at Lantana Airport, Florida

[Seagull Tango]

Two planes crash on the ground at Lantana airport, two dead
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/loc...,1369497.story

SKYMASTER CRASH PHOTO:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/media/al...8-06092639.jpg

Jerome Burdi | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
11:45 AM EDT, May 6, 2009

WEST LANTANA - Two planes crashed while on the ground, at Lantana Airport about 11:30 a.m. today, county fire-rescue said.

Two people died there in the 5900 block of Lantana Road, west of Lantana.

The cause is still under investigation.

[Seagull Tango]

That's my old home base airport, by the way. I am very familiar with the site of the crash -- apparently it was a ground collision between two airplanes while taxiing.

More to come, no doubt.

Lantana is a classic oldtimer airport with a nice sitting porch there beside the ramp, a little kitchen truck and pilot shop, an aircraft memorabilia collection at the main FBO, which was founded and continuously run by a guy who built the place back in the 1940s -- his name is Owen Gassaway.

A lot of oldtimer guys were always hanging out and talking airplanes there so I always liked to drop by. It is/was a bit like what small town airports were like in the 1960s -- at least that's how things were when I was last down there in 2003. In Florida it is quite unique. There are about 40 airplanes parked on the ramp, including five or six Ercoupes, plus some old Wacos and Stearmans, etc., plus some newer aerobatic aircraft.

Here is their website:
http://www.lantanaairport.com/

[WebMaster]

http://www.winknews.com/news/local/44463057.html

http://www.baynews9.com/VideoPlayer/?Plane_Crash_0506

Apparently the Skymaster was unoccupied, when a Bonanza crashed into it. The Bonanza reportedly had engine trouble, and was returning. Both fatalities were occupants of the Bonanza

[Seagull Tango]

CNN now has a video of the crash site:
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/...f=mpvideosview

You can see that the Skymaster has the sun shield in place.

Terrible.

Thomas.