NTSB finds wrong turn led to fatal Icon crash
Aircraft hit terrain near Lake Berryessa
Dave Hirschman
The accident that claimed the life of renowned aircraft designer Jon Karkow and a passenger took place after Karkow mistakenly turned into a steep-sided canyon at low altitude, the NTSB concluded.
The May 8 crash happened in clear skies and light winds, and there were no mechanical problems with the amphibious Icon A5 Karkow was flying, according to the NTSB final report. The board concluded that “the pilot’s mistaken entry into a canyon surrounded by steep rising terrain while at low altitude” triggered a series of events that ended with the airplane striking the ground in a failed turnaround attempt.
Karkow was an accomplished test pilot who had designed and proven the A5’s spin-resistance flying characteristics, and he had logged 595 flight hours in the Light Sport A5. The accident flight was a new employee familiarization flight for Cagri Sever, who had just joined Icon after years at the Ford Motor Co.
The accident took place at Lake Berryessa, a reservoir near Icon’s factory and training facility at Vacaville, California, that’s well-known to company pilots. Karkow had flown there many times, but he wrongly turned into a place known as Portuguese Cove, which is adjacent to the narrow canyon that leads to the main body of the lake.
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Pilots get pinned
Able Flight recognizes new pilots
By Jill W. Tallman
Eight sport pilots earned their wings at a ceremony in July at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh. The pilots received scholarships from Able Flight, a nonprofit organization that helps people with disabilities learn how to fly.
Able Flight has been working with Purdue University to train pilots since 2006. Six pilots completed six weeks of intensive flying at the university with volunteer flight instructors: Melissa Allensworth, Kathryn Brenner, Ferris Butler, Benedict Jones, Kunho Kim, and Zackary Kukorlo. This year, Able Flight also partnered with the Ohio State University, and Brice Lott and Chris Corsi earned sport certificates at the OSU campus.
As the new pilots received their pins, Able Flight Executive Director Charles Stites praised each scholarship recipient’s tenacity. For example, Jones “wasn’t one with a lifetime dream of becoming a pilot,” Stites said. “But when he found it was possible, he gave it his all and he excelled at our program at Purdue.” Jones was paralyzed in an accident when he was young. Brenner is a “classic aviation dreamer,” a child with her fingers through the airport fence, Stites said. She wanted to build a career in aviation, but when diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes “she was told it would diminish her dreams,” he said. “We decided to give her a scholarship and get out of her way.” Kim, a student at Harvard University, promotes accessible travel and has created a website and published a book for people with physical challenges. He uses a wheelchair, and he realized he would have greater mobility and broader horizons at the controls of an airplane, Stites said.
Stites said Able Flight rented five aircraft from Philly Sport Pilot, Hansen Air Group, and Racine Sport Flyers. “We ferried them here, checked out instructors, and then [came] back and [got] them at the end [of the program],” he said. “We’re proud to be supporting these companies by purchasing 330 hours of aircraft rental in less than two months. That’s part of what we do with funds” from sponsors, he said.
The deadline for applications for 2018 scholarships is December 31. See the website for more information.
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