WORLD NEWS & PERSPECTIVES
A Survivors Statement
The following is an edited account of the Tennessee plane crash reprinted with permission of co-pilot James Huff.
n December 2, 2004, John Laswell asked me to join him on a flight from Collegedale, Tennessee, to Knoxville, then to Calhoun, Georgia, and back to Chattanooga. John asked that I arrive at the Collegedale Airport at 12:30 P.M. because the passengers were due to arrive at 1:00 P.M. The passengers arrived at the airport at approximately 1:10 P.M. We loaded a little bit of baggage and boarded the aircraft.
The aircraft was started and we taxied to runway 03 for takeoff. All of the pre-takeoff checks were satisfactory to John. John applied full power and even though I was an ATP (Airline Transport Pilot) rated passenger and not required on the flight, I ran some cross checks of the engine gauges and everything seemed normal as we began the takeoff roll. We started our takeoff roll at approximately 1:15 p.m. The takeoff roll seemed normal and uneventful and I made standard call outs to the pilot throughout the takeoff and liftoff. We established a normal climb with climb power.
Approximately 200-300 feet in the air the right engine lost power. John lowered the nose of the aircraft to maintain flying air speed and simultaneously it appeared that he was moving fuel pump switches. The airplane maintained flying speed, but we began to slightly descend in order to maintain the proper flying speed because the right engine was not yet feathered.
We descended into a grove of trees just short of a field at approximately our 11 to 12 o'clock position. Just before colliding with the trees I observed the right propeller go into feather position and stop. The aircraft collided with the trees and I stayed conscious as the aircraft broke apart. After coming to a full stop I was still in my seat which was still inside the cockpit remains. The pilot, to my left, was slumped over and appeared to be dead. There was plane wreckage and burning debris all around and I did not observe any of the other bodies anywhere.
I stood up and stepped to my right and began exiting the crash site. I came to a fence surrounding a horse pasture, jumped over the fence and ran across the pasture, and met a gentleman from a large house running toward the crash site. I told him to call 911 because there had been a plane crash, and asked him to open the gate to let me out of the pasture. He opened the gate and I proceeded to a house where there was a lady on a deck. I also told her there had been a plane crash and to call 911. I stated that I was in pain and then collapsed on the grass in the back yard.
Somewhere between when I left the horse pasture and collapsed in the back yard, which was approximately 1 1/2 - 2 minutes after I left the crash site, there were three loud explosions, apparently the remaining fuel tanks were exploding.
Next thing I remember paramedic crews arrived and began treating me. At that point I was transported to the hospital and do not know any further details about the rescue operations.
