Merion air disaster

In southeastern Pennsylvania on April 4, 1991, a Piper Aerostar propeller-driven aircraft collided in mid-air with a Bell 412 helicopter over Merion Elementary School in Lower Merion Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia. All five people in both aircraft were killed including United States Senator John Heinz, the sole passenger of the Piper.[2] Two school children on the ground were also killed by falling debris.[3][4][5][6] In addition to the seven fatalities, five more people on the ground were injured.

Merion air disaster
DateApril 4, 1991 (1991-04-04)
SummaryMid-air collision
SiteLower Merion Township, Pennsylvania
40.0017°N 75.2568°W / 40.0017; -75.2568
Total fatalities7
Total injuries5
First aircraft

Similar to the Aerostar involved
TypePiper Aerostar
RegistrationN3645D
Flight originWilliamsport Regional Airport
DestinationNortheast Philadelphia Airport
Passengers1
Crew2
Fatalities3
Second aircraft

A Bell 412EP type involved in accident
TypeBell 412
RegistrationN78S
Crew2
Fatalities2
Ground casualties
Ground fatalities2
Ground injuries5[1]

An investigation discovered the cause of the accident to be poor judgment and pilot error of the crews from both aircraft.

Background
Northeast Philadelphia Airport; destination of Heinz Piper Aerostar

Heinz's Piper departed from Williamsport Regional Airport in central Pennsylvania at about 11:25 a.m. EST. Heinz was in Williamsport for a press conference pertaining to funding of U.S. Route 15. His press conference lasted about two and a half hours the morning of Thursday, April 4. Heinz rented the twin-engine Piper Aerostar from Lycoming Air based at the Williamsport airport, Heinz and his two pilots, both from Lycoming County, departed for Philadelphia just before 11:30 a.m.

Crash

As Heinz's aircraft neared Philadelphia, on final approach to Northeast Philadelphia Airport, pilot Richard Shreck noticed that the nose landing gear locked indicator was not illuminated. Shreck executed a missed approach and entered a holding pattern north of the airport. The two pilots began troubleshooting the problem and alerted air traffic control. A passing Sun Oil Company Bell 412 helicopter, headed to the company's headquarters, was enlisted to identify if the gear was indeed down and locked.

The crew of the Bell 412 couldn't identify the condition of the landing gear from a safe distance so moved closer for a better look. At 12:10 p.m., the two aircraft collided over Merion Elementary in Lower Merion, with the helicopter's rotor clipping the left wing and fin of the Aerostar. The helicopter spun out of control and the Aerostar dived to the ground, disintegrating on impact in the elementary school grounds. Two schoolgirls were killed and five others injured by the debris, which fell in a 250-yard (230 m) radius around the school and surrounding area.[7][8][9]

Investigation

An NTSB and FAA Investigation was opened almost immediately. In 1992, the National Transportation Safety Board's finding were announced. It was determined that the "appallingly poor judgment" of both flight crews caused the accident.[10][11][12]

The report later claimed that visual checks of the aircraft from the helicopter were pointless because it is impossible to see into the nose-wheel well of an Aerostar from a helicopter to check whether the nose-gear is locked.

The board's investigators recited a long litany of the mistakes and wrong decisions that led to the deaths and injuries. "This was a senseless accident that didn’t have to happen," said James L. Kolstad, chairman of the five-member National Transportation Safety Board at the time.

The official description of the accident as released by both the NTSB and FAA conclude that the incident was caused by poor judgment and pilot error of crews on the Aerostar and Bell helicopter. The helicopter crew's actions were pointless as the crew would have been unable to appropriately determine the condition of the nose-wheel of the Aerostar from a helicopter. And the Aerostar should have made an emergency landing attempt at Northeast Airport.

The accident caused a change in procedure at many airports as helicopters were not to be used to determine landing gear failure. Aircraft should just fly a low pass or buzz the airport for visual confirmation from services on the ground.[13]

Aftermath
U.S. Senator John Heinz

Reactions
"No one could have stopped this from happening. It was an act of God."

Rebecca Rutenberg, "Remembering the John Heinz Tragedy, Twenty-Five Years Later"

News of Heinz's death at age 52 shocked fellow lawmakers. Senator Tim Wirth of Colorado, saying that he and his wife, Wren, considered Heinz and his wife, Teresa, "our dearest friends in the Senate," paid tribute to his "intense intelligence, sparkling charm, and broad vision."

  • Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole of Kansas called Heinz "a dynamic and dedicated public servant, a tireless champion for Pennsylvania and a good and decent family man."
  • Vice President Dan Quayle, in Los Angeles for a speech, said that "we are going to miss John Heinz tremendously. He made a tremendous contribution to the U.S. Senate."

Word of Heinz's death came from his Washington office. At midafternoon, sobbing members of his staff began walking out of his office in the Russell Senate Office Building. A few minutes later, the senator's legislative director, Richard Bryers, announced Heinz's death to reporters.

Media attention

The crash received multi-national attention making papers and news channels stories in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, and Australia.

No fly zone

A U.S. Army operation out of Fort Dix, New Jersey, was caught filming a commercial with aircraft near Merion Elementary shortly after the accident. Complaints followed. An informal ban on flights in Lower Merion during school hours lasted for a while. Even the media agreed not to fly traffic or news helicopters above the school.[14]

References
  1. "Senator Heinz and 6 Others Killed In Midair Crash Near Philadelphia". New York Times. 5 April 1991. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  2. Duncombe, Ted (April 5, 1991). "Senator, six others killed in crash". Free Lance-Star. (Fredericksburg, Virginia). Associated Press. p. 13.
  3. "Sen. Heinz killed in Philly plane crash". Pittsburgh Press. Associated Press. April 4, 1991. p. A1.
  4. Tuma, Gary (April 5, 1991). "Crash kills Sen. Heinz". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 1.
  5. Smith, Matthew P. (April 5, 1991). "Check by copter branded a mistake". Pittsburgh Press. p. A1.
  6. "Heinz crash probe begins". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). Associated Press. April 5, 1991. p. 1.
  7. "Sen. John Heinz killed in plane crash in Philadelphia". Baltimore Sun.
  8. "U.S. Sen. H. John Heinz III was among the dead in plane crash 25 yrs ago".
  9. "Plane crashes involving major US political figures".
  10. Bowman, Lee (September 17, 1991). "Poor judgment of crews blamed in Heinz death". Pittsburgh Press. p. A1.
  11. Cushman, John H., Jr. (September 18, 1991). "Bad moves by 2 pilots blamed in Heinz crash". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. (New York Times). p. 1.
  12. "Crash blamed on poor judgment". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). wire reports. September 18, 1991. p. A3.
  13. "A twin-engine plane carrying Sen. John Heinz (R-Pa.) collided with a helicopter over a Philadelphia suburb yesterday, killing Heinz and six others, including two first-graders playing..." Washington Post. 5 April 1991.
  14. "Remembering the John Heinz Tragedy, Twenty-Five Years Later". Mainline Today. 4 April 1991.
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