[captain2k_ca]

He almost made it

36-year-old from florida en route to vernon to visit his wife, daughter

By DELON SHURTZ

Lethbridge Herald

A pilot who died in a fiery plane crash Wednesday was trying to return to the Lethbridge County Airport when his kit-built VariEze aircraft went down only minutes after taking off.

"He tried to make it back and couldn't," said Ron Singer, spokesman for Nav Canada, which provides navigation services at the airport.

Singer said Glenn Saunders, 36, radioed the airport his engine was on fire and he was turning around. He crashed about 3:30 p.m. just short of his goal, on a gravel road northwest of the airport.

"Our flight services station did receive a distress call and we passed it on to the fire department," Singer said.

The pilot's brother, Mike, who lives in Westford, Mass., said Saunders was flying from his home in Oakland Park, Fla., to Vernon, B.C. where his six-year-old daughter and wife were visiting her family.

"He was on the last leg of his trip," Mike said.

He said his brother had been flying for about 15 years and was a certified aviation mechanic and airframe specialist. He bought the airplane used but installed a Rotax 914 supercharged engine, a type he had worked on many times before.

The aircraft was similar, although not identical, to one being piloted by country singer John Denver when he crashed and died in 1997.

Although he loved airplanes, Mike said Saunders' family was the most important part of his life.

"He was a great father. He was a real family man; quiet and down to earth."

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating the tragic incident and was combing the site Thursday for clues to the cause. Senior investigator Bill Kemp said his main objective is to determine what caught fire and why.

The scene shows evidence where the plane may have skimmed across a field before it flipped over, struck an embankment and tore apart on a gravel road. Fuel spilling from the wing tank, which ripped off on impact, fed the fire which had erupted.

Jon Lee, western regional manager for the safety board, said it's too early to determine the cause of the fire or crash and it could take days or weeks before the investigation is complete. He said investigators begin by collecting as much data as possible and, by the process of elimination, try to determine what contributed to the incident.

"We cast the net very wide at the beginning," Lee said.

Investigators consider whether human error may have led to the crash but they also look at environmental conditions and mechanical failure which could indicate safety deficiencies.

"We try to answer why did that aircraft crash."

The crash has caught the attention of an American lawyer who is investigating accidents in the U.S. involving small, kit-built airplanes. A Lethbridge man working for attorney Brian Goates said there have been other crashes which may have been caused by faulty mechanical parts, and he wants to know if there was a mechanical problem with Saunders' plane.

"Airplanes don't just catch fire and crash," he said.

Lee said this is the first accident involving one of these planes in his region, which comprises Alberta, the Yukon and Northwest Territories. The last crash at or near the Lethbridge airport was in 1990 when a Piper Cherokee crashed killing one person. And 68-year-old Robert Drake of Lundbreck died after the ultralight aircraft he was piloting June 16, 1999, clipped a power line and crashed just after takeoff from the Pincher Creek airport.



Safety main concern for all pilots

Licensing process for pilots is heavily regulated

By KRISTEN HARDING

Lethbridge Herald

The death of a 36-year-old American pilot killed in a crash north of the airport is a loss that hits close to home for the aviation community but local fly boys say driving to the airport is still more of a risk than taking to the skies.

"Once you're a pilot, you tend to relate to all other pilots," said Joe Harrington, past president of the Lethbridge Sport Flyers, a club for ultralight and amateur-built aircraft enthusiasts. "As a group, something like this does affect us. It's a very unfortunate tragedy."

Glenn Saunders, the lone occupant in an amateur-built VariEze, died Wednesday after crashing in a field just north of the Lethbridge County Airport.

"A lot of people view flying as a daredevil thing but that couldn't be farther from the truth," said Harrington, who owns a Beaver RX-550 and has been flying for more than 15 years.

"We have safety in our minds at the forefront. Pilots tend to be the opposite of risk-takers. Your life depends on it."

But whenever there's a crash, particularly one that's fatal, the tragedy is often accompanied by negative publicity and criticism of the aviation industry, something most pilots agree is unfair.

"The licensing process is fine," said Harrington. "It's heavily regulated."

Hugh Laycock, co-owner of Lethbridge Adventure Flight Centre and a pilot of more than 28 years, explained there are a variety of pilot permits and licences available including ultralight, recreational and private pilot right up to commercial levels -- all requiring extensive training.

Ultralight pilot permits require a minimum of 10 flying hours, where a recreational permit can be obtained after at least 35 hours. For a private pilot licence, high fliers are looking at 45 hours. The difference between them include the weight of the plane that can be operated, whether passengers are permitted on board and if the pilot can fly at night.

Extensive ground schooling -- including emergency procedures -- a medical, air and written examinations are required to obtain any of the various licences available.

"Very few do it in the minimum hours. Most take extra time, to be sure," said Laycock. "When people ask if flying's dangerous, I say yep, as dangerous as walking across the street.

"The best safety device anyone has is under their hat."

Stephen Williams, an instructor and commercial pilot with Excel Flight Training, added amateur-built or kit planes, like Saunders' VariEze, are inspected during various stages of their construction and pilots must maintain their airworthiness.

To be considered current, pilots must perform five take-offs and five landings every six months. If not, a re-currency exam -- similar to a mini-flight test -- is required.

"Accidents happen and we're all touched by it personally," said Williams.

But it's that love for flying that keeps every pilot in the air.

"Your odds of getting killed driving to the airport are much higher than flying in your plane," said Harrington. "I love flying, I never get tired of it."