March 16, 2010 Beach Jogger Killed In Lancair Emergency Landing |
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By Mary Grady, Contributing editor
The pilot of a Lancair that was spewing oil made an emergency landing on a beach in Hilton Head, S.C., about 6 p.m. on Monday and a 38-year-old man who was jogging along the shore was struck from behind and killed. The pilot of the Lancair IV-P, an experimental airplane, was en route from Orlando, Fla., to Norfolk, Va., with one passenger on board at about 13,000 feet, when the engine began to leak oil, obscuring the windshield. At some point the propeller was lost -- some reports said it came off in flight, others said during the landing. The two men on board the airplane, who were not identified, were not harmed. News photos show the intact Lancair in the water up to its belly. The jogger, who was listening to an iPod, was identified by the Associated Press as Robert Jones of Woodstock, Ga.
The pilot and passenger were reportedly returning to Chesapeake, Va., after a day trip. The Lancair IV-P is a four-seat airplane with a pressurized cabin and retractable gear.
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