In a post on X, the agency said a Beech V35B plane (tail number N2UZ) crashed in northern Albemarle County on Saturday. Local news reports state the crash site is located just off East Monacan Drive. The pilot, the only person aboard the plane, died in the accident.
An audio recording of communications between Charlottesville Airport and the pilot posted to the Internet provided some details before the crash. The pilot reported an emergency 10 miles south of Charlottesville's airport.
“Declaring an emergency,” the pilot reported. “I’m 10 miles south. Just lost my engine. I hope I make the airport.”
Charlottesville airport tower gave Highway 29 and a few golf courses in the area as alternate landing spots if he didn’t reach the airport.
“2 Uniform Zulu is not gonna make it,” the pilot reported. “I’m
gonna go for a field in front of me. Three or four miles south of the airport.”
Watching air traffic control radar in the tower, Charlottesville controllers asked two pilots flying in the local area to begin searching for
the aircraft on the ground. One of those aircraft was the Civil Air Patrol trained
in search and rescue.
Fire and rescue units found the aircraft later. The plane was destroyed by a post-crash fire.
The plane is registered to Brent E. Hippert of Titusville, Fla., according to Federal Aviation Administration records. The pilot was enroute to Charlottesville from Richmond County Airport, N.C.
2 comments:
Rest in peace, Brent.
May you fly on wings of eagles now. Only a couple of hangars down from you at Arthur Dunn but we never met. Godspeed fellow flyer…
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