Augusta Georgia Plane Crash

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Five bodies from last night’s plane crash at the Thomson-McDuffie County Airport near Augusta Georgia, have been taken to the GBI crime lab in Atlanta.

The aircraft was much like this Beechcraft Hawker

John Bankhead, public information officer for the GA Bureau of Investigation said that the five bodies will undergo autopsies there in the coming days.

McDuffie County Fire Rescue Chief Bruce Tanner said that the bodies were removed from the scene around 4 a.m. today.

Tanner said that the bodies were strewn throughout the main crash site. He added that the wreckage stretched for about a mile.

NTSB officials say the plane was attempting to land at the Thomson McDuffie Regional airport just after 8 p.m. last night when the pilot over-shot the runway.

Witnesses said that they saw the plane over run the runway then pull up to avoid the Milliken plant building. Tanner said that the plane clipped a set of large electric transmission lines that run behind Milliken, shearing off one entire wing.

Power to more than 5,000 electric customers was out for a brief time last night in McDuffie and Columbia counties. The power at the Kinsgley Mill plant was turned back on this morning. Tanner said there were two survivors. One of the survivors was the pilot who was found by rescue workers as they arrived, walking about 300 feet from the wreckage. The other survivor was found in the wreckage still in his front cockpit seat. Both were airlifted out to the GA Regents Medical Center trauma unit; however GRU says that they have one victim at the hospital who is listed in critical condition.

Members of the NTSB go team have arrived in Thomson and are expected to have a press conference sometime today to give preliminary information on the crash. There is still no confirmation on the identities of the victims.

Cedar's Take: This accident has some surprising similarities to the 2010 crash of Jack Roush's private jet at Oshkosh. WI.

Same identical aircraft also doing a go around.

From Wikipedia:

On July 27, 2010, Roush crash-landed in his Hawker Beechcraft Premier 390 jet, (registration N6JR,) during an approach to the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) AirVenture Fly-In in Oshkosh, Wisconsin in the late afternoon.[5] He walked out of the plane and was taken to a nearby hospital.[6] His condition was listed at serious but stable that evening. On August 3, Roush was upgraded to fair condition.[6] On August 13, Roush made his first at track appearance since the incident at the Michigan International Speedway. During that time he confirmed that he fractured his back, broke his jaw, and lost his left eye as a result.[7] The National Transportation Safety Board attributed the cause of the crash to pilot error, specifically, "pilot's decision not to advance the engines to takeoff power during the go-around, as stipulated by the airplane flight manual, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall at a low altitude."

Also see:

http://aol.sportingnews.com/nascar/story/2012-06-22/jack-roush-plane-crash-pilot-error-2010-oshkosh-wisconsin-ntsb-report

The owners of Vein Guys had recently traded up from the Beechcraft King Air to the higher performance Hawker Beechcraft Jet

Friday Wrap Up - Sunshine Edition

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CMPD Captain Chuck Adkins termination hearing is now set to be called on Monday February 25 at 8:30 a.m.


The Civil Service Board hearings are held at The Charlotte Mecklenburg Government Center Room 14 Room Basement.

CMPD Chief Rodney Monroe is seeking to fire Capt. Chuck Adkins but as with all terminations officers can appeal the termination to the Civil Service Board.

The board, which can overturn the firing, was scheduled to take up Adkins’ earlier this month but the hearing was postponed at the last moment.

According to the Charlotte Observer "Adkins, was assigned to the watch commander's office often overseeing police operations on nights or weekends, has stated publiclly he doesn’t believe his actions warranted termination. and has asked the hearing be held in public."

Cedar's Take: The highly unusual move should shed some "Sunshine" on CMPD's termination process and the effectiveness of the Civil Service Board.

More from the Charlotte Observer here.

Jerry Orr - Charlotte's curmudgeonly airport manager is keeping a low profile as he continues to push his secession plan. Cedar Posts has long pointed out that Charlotte's cash cow, the airport needed tighter control and should contribute to the city's bottom line.

Now a number of revelations have exposed some shady financial dealings and that is just the tip of the "berg". Meanwhile local Democrats are crying foul, yet make no effort to clean up the mess and there are few if any guarantees that taking the airport away from the City of Charlotte will clean up the mess.

CMPD Promotions - Water cooler talk is that Eddie Levins will be promoted to Deputy Chief and Freda Lester will get the nod to Major. Other promotions will follow, but notable are those who were passed over, including Majors Sheri Pearsal and Cam Selvey.

Cedar's Take: Big Head Ed needs to step up his game and honor the spirit of the thin blue line.

In other words, here is a chance for someone in Command to make a difference, to lead by example. One of the most glaring things I've seen since Chief Monroe's arrival was during a Holiday Event. When it came time to form up at the buffet line, the Chief follow by nearly every DC, Major and Captain lead the way. That, as any military commander would tell you is just all sorts of wrong. Troops eat first, always the Chief should have been last. 

Social Media Follies - While a number of Charlotte's news personalities have Facebook and Twitter accounts, apparently only WCNC "requires" reporters and anchors to "tweet" at least once a day and follow strict guidelines and polices which are deemed to "enhance" the stations visibility.

WCNC's Dianne Gallagher created her "required" Facebook page adding "I reluctantly present my mandatory Facebook Page. I just didn't want to make a page....but I don't really have a choice."



Dianne Gallagher is an award winning reporter/anchor at NBC Charlotte/WCNC. Political junkie. Sport nut. Dog Lover. Polyglot (x6) News tips: dgallagher@wcnc.com
Cedar's Take: Micro managers are the scourge of the business world. In other words, if it is not broken don't fix it.

Charlotte's Mayor Foxx - had his twitter account hacked over the weekend and suddenly his followers found themselves on the receiving end of tweets advertising "Sunshine wants to share her private photos with you".

Cedar's Take: Only an idiot would actually click on the link and then enter his password which automatically turned his account in a spambot.

CMPD Officer Trial Postponed - Cecil Brathwaite who is still on the CMPD payroll was on the Mecklenburg Superior Court calendar this week, but his trial was moved back to April 25, 2013. Brathwaite is charged with false imprisonment and assault with a gun during a domestic dispute with his ex wife and the victim the ex wife's boyfriend.

More on Brathwaite's arrest here.

NOTE: It is not often that CP shuts down the comments on a post. However, when it starts going over the top and the personal attacks get out of hand, it is time to take a deep breath.

If you have a point to make about any of the above items just drop an email to cedarposts@gmail.com and we'll be happy to add your comment.

Carry On - Cedar

Vein Guys Plane Crash Victims Named

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GBI Crime Lab positively identified victims in Wednesday's plane crash as Dr. Steven Roth, a managing partner of the Vein Guys, and Vein Guys employees; nurse anesthetist Lisa Volpitto, ultrasound technician Tiffany Porter, and Dr. Roth's Administrative Assistant, Kimberly Marie Davidson, 43.

The medical examiner is still working to identify a fifth fatality. However, the family of Heidi McCorkle, an ultrasound technician, said they had been notified that she had also died.

Clockwise from the top left Heidi McCorkle, Lisa Volpitto, Dr. Steven Roth, Tiffany Porter, Kim Davidson

Local papers have reported that Richard Trammell, was being treated and was in critical condition they have no named the pilot who was reported as having only minor injuries.

Cedar Posts has learned that the private jet that crashed Wednesday night is the same type and model that Jack Roush crashed in 2010. In fact Jack Roush was attempting to abort a landing in Oshkosh Wisconsin when his plane crashed.

Jack Roush's Hawker Beechcraft 390 Premier I N6JR

The Hawker Beechcraft 390 I has been very popular with the NASCAR crowd in that it is very fast and relatively affordable.

Clint Bowyer Racing owns the same type and model as well.

Clint Bowyer Racing's Hawker Beechcraft 390 Premier 1 N78CB

Additionally Cedar Posts has learned that Thomson McDuffie Regional Airport is known to have a deer hazard. One pilot who has flown into the airport at night said he was surprised to find a number of deer standing just off the runway one night a couple of years ago.

Since the airport doesn't have a control tower often at the night the airport is void of staff or other pilots who might notice the deer. The airport information available on line also notes: "DEER ON RWY AT NIGHT".

In depth coverage from the Augusta Chronical here.

The following is an update from the Associated Press:

THOMSON, Ga. (AP) - A small private jet carrying a surgeon and members of his clinic staff aborted its landing at a Georgia airport before it hit a 60-foot utility pole and crashed in a flaming wreck, killing five people onboard and injuring two, federal authorities said Thursday.

Workers from Georgia Power repair electrical lines near the site of a private jet crash east of the Thomson-McDuffie County Airport.

National Transportation Safety Board member Robert Sumwalt said fuel leaking from the plane ignited in flames Wednesday night after it hit the concrete pole with enough force to sheer off the left wing. He said investigators found pieces of the plane strewn over 100 yards.

View of Vien Guys Jet Crash Site Thomson-McDuffie Airport

"The wreckage was severely fragmented, and it is almost completely destroyed by fire," Sumwalt said at a news conference Thursday afternoon. "...You walk up and you say to yourself, `Where is the airplane?'"
Investigators don't yet know why the plane aborted its landing at Thomson-McDuffie Regional Airport, a small terminal with a 5,500-foot runway about 30 miles west of Augusta.

The plane with seven people aboard had departed from John Tune Airport in Nashville, Tennessee, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said.

Sumwalt said investigators would interview air-traffic controllers to see if the pilots made a distress call and search for a flight-data recorder from the plane that might yield clues. He also said authorities had obtained video from a security camera at the airport but had not yet reviewed it.

The Hawker Beechcraft 390/ Premier I, a small business jet that seats two pilots and six passengers, was carrying five staff members of the Vein Guys clinic of vascular medicine specialists in Augusta, said Dr. Stephen Davis, a plastic surgeon who works for an affiliated Vein Guys clinic in Nashville.

The crash started a brush fire in the woods behind an industrial plant near the airport. Witnesses reported power outages in the area as well.

The private jet had been flying fairly frequently from the Thomson airport during the past several months, said Keith Bounds, the airport's general manager.

"The pilots were familiar with the facility, familiar with the area and familiar with the runway," Bounds said.

"And the airplane was immaculate. The pilots kept it in pristine condition."

The pilots had sent an electronic message to close out their flight plan before the jet overshot the runway - a sign that they began their landing approach without problems, Bounds said. Skies in the area were clear Wednesday night with light wind, he said.

There was no damage or other physical signs that the jet ever touched down on the runway, Bounds said. The plane crossed a five-lane state highway near Interstate 20 before it struck the utility pole about a quarter-mile from the end of the runway.

In Case You Missed It - CMPD' s Internal Affairs Division AddressesCitizens Review Board

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How CMPD's Internal Affairs fits with the Citizens Review Board.


Before citizens take complaints of misconduct to the Citizens Review Board, they must wait for findings from CMPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau.

CMPD disciplined hundreds of officers between 2004 and 2011, Internal Affairs reports show.

More than 3,500 allegations accusing police of misconduct were filed during those eight years. A majority of the complaints – more than 2,100 – were levied by police officers against fellow officers. Citizens filed more than 1,400 complaints.

Internal Affairs found police misconduct in 26 percent of complaints lodged by citizens. When CMPD supervisors and officers filed complaints, 85 percent, more than 1,800, led to findings of misconduct.

More than 3,000 disciplinary actions, including more than 500 suspensions, were levied against officers during the eight-year period. Officers were given written reprimands more than 900 times. They were ordered to undergo counseling more than 1,300 times.

Fifty-four officers were fired. Seventy-five resigned.

Offenses included rule violations, unbecoming conduct, neglect of duty and use of force.

When citizens aren’t satisfied with outcomes of the Internal Affairs investigations, they can appeal to the Citizens Review Board. But citizens have never won a case before the 11-member panel.

Maj. Cam Selvey, who heads CMPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau, doesn’t believe the review board is a rubber stamp for the police department.

“It means the CMPD does a good job of taking care of discipline in the organization,” Selvey said. “I think the people of this community would have reason to be concerned if the Citizens Review Board was disagreeing with us a lot. That would be an indication of a systemic problem within the organization. We don’t have that type of problem here.”

The Onion Stinks

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Someone at The Onion thought Tweeting the "C" word would be funny, and apparently thought directing it at 9-year-old Best Actress Oscar nominee Quvenzhane Wallis. would be funnier.

Caution: The Below Image contains the "C" word and is pretty tasteless.

Moments after the above tweet appeared @TheOnion received a phalanx of tweets condemning the poor judgement.

The Onion deleted the tweet about a hour later and their tweeter feed fell silent.

But then things went crazy, when some wacko, Elizabeth Hawksworth from Canada thought it necessary to point out the Wallis was a women of colour and that this would have never happened to Dakota Fanning.
Cedar's Take: I thought shock humor went out of style with Andrew Dice Clay and Richard Pryor?

Sheriff’s Office continues checking underage alcohol sales

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On February15, 2013 the Special Investigations Division conducted anoperation checking businesses that sell alcohol in the Upper Keys. Seventeenbusinesses were checked including restaurants, convenience stores andbars. Two of the businesses served alcohol to minors during theinvestigation. The two people were given notices to appear before a MonroeCounty Judge.

The following area list of the businesses and suspects who sold the alcohol:

·        Walgreens 99501 Overseas highway Key Largo, Fl  – 66 year old Carlos Ruiz Hernandez wasissued a notice to appear in court. ·        Bill’s Liquor store 91400 Overseas Hwy Islamorada, Fl  – 48 year oldKim Pravata was issueda notice to appear in court.
The Sales Clerkviolations are punishable with up to 60 days in jail, a $500 fine, $235 incourt costs, $75 in the cost of prosecution, and $40 in the cost ofinvestigation.

The LicenseeViolations are:
·        1st offense $1000 fine and 7 day suspension·        2nd offense $3000 fine and 30 day suspension·        3rd offense Revocation of license.The remainingbusinesses checked, were in compliance with the law.

This operationwas conducted in cooperation with the Monroe County Coalition for a Safe andDrug Free Community.

Easter on the Animal Farm March 24th

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Join the Sheriff’s Office and the Sheriff’s Animal Farm onSunday, March 24th for the Annual Easter on the Farm celebration!
Bring the family and join the fun at the farm; the event isfree of charge and offers something for everyone. The Easter bunny will bethere to hide eggs for the kids and to take pictures with them as well. TheEaster egg hunt starts at 1 p.m. so don’t be late or you will miss it! Bringyour own Easter basket. There will also be face painting, arts and crafts and,of course, visits with all the animals at the farm.
Mark your calendars and come to the farm between 1 and 3p.m. on March 24th. The farm is located just off of College Road, at theSheriff’s Office on Stock Island.