http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35911154/ns/us_news-life?GT1=43001Beach jogger likely never saw or heard plane
Man was listening to iPod when fatally struck by small aircraft in S.C.
updated 10:17 a.m. CT, Wed., March. 17, 2010
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. - The kit-built single-engine plane was gliding quietly as it came down for an emergency landing on a beach. Pharmaceutical salesman Robert Gary Jones, listening to his iPod while jogging, likely never saw or heard it before the aircraft hit him from behind and killed him.
"There's no noise," aviation expert Mary Schiavo, a former inspector general for the National Transportation Safety Board, said of the Monday evening accident. "So the jogger, with his ear buds in, and the plane without an engine, you're basically a stealth aircraft. Who would expect to look up?"
The 38-year-old Jones, whose mother said he was serious about nutrition and exercise, especially jogging, was on a business trip to Hilton Head for GlaxoSmithKline. He was looking forward to getting home to the northern Atlanta suburb of Woodstock, Ga., for his daughter's third birthday Wednesday, Pauline Jones said.
"I was never so shocked in all my life," she said of learning the news, her voice shaking. "They say that God only gives you what you can handle. I said, 'You know what, I've reached my max.'"
The pilot, Edward I. Smith of Chesapeake, Va., and his lone passenger walked away from the crash-landing near the Hilton Head Marriott Resort and Spa. The Beaufort County Sheriff's Office named the passenger as David Henry, 59, also of Chesapeake, The Island Packet newspaper reported.
Smith was on the beach Tuesday, when the four-seater aircraft was hoisted onto a trailer hitched to a pickup truck and towed away.
"I've got a lot of issues going on right now," Smith said. "I've got a plane that's all torn up. And I've got a young man that I killed."
'Sink like a rock'
The Lancair IV-P aircraft had lost its propeller, with oil smeared all over its windshield, making visibility difficult, authorities said. It was "basically gliding" when it instantly killed Jones, said Ed Allen, the coroner for Beaufort County on the South Carolina coast.
The plane took off from Orlando, Fla., at 4:45 p.m. Monday and was en route to Virginia when it started leaking oil at about 13,000 feet, said Joheida Fister, spokeswoman for Hilton Head Island fire and rescue.
National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Keith Holloway said no cause had been determined. He said the plane would be inspected in Virginia and that investigators would interview the pilot and any witnesses.
"We don't know what occurred, especially since we haven't actually examined the aircraft," Holloway said. "We are still gathering facts."
A Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman referred inquiries to the NTSB.
Even with oil smeared on the windshield, Schiavo, the former NTSB official, said Smith should have been able to see through a small window on the side of the plane and possibly yell out to anyone below. Still, there may have been little time to try to avoid hitting the jogger, she said.
She said Smith made the right choice in landing on the beach rather than the water. The aircraft likely wasn't carrying flotation equipment.
"Planes like this sink like a rock," she said.
Click for related content
Read more news from across the U.S.
Deadly landing
The airplane model that killed Jones has a turbine engine, can be built from a kit and can fly up to 370 mph, according to the Lancair Web site. The "fastbuild kit" for the IV-P model, which has a pressurized cabin, is listed as costing $129,000 and is "fully FAA approved," the site says.
The plane "has proven over the years to be very safe, reliable and extremely low in maintenance," the site says.
Joseph Bartels, chief executive officer of Lancair International, the Oregon-based company that produces the aircraft kits, said Tuesday that the kit produces a "light, fast and strong aircraft."
"This particular aircraft is one of about 1,000 sold either as kits or completed," Bartels said, though he added he had no specific knowledge about the airplane that had crashed. His firm does not produce the engine, which is purchased separately, he said.
Bartels, who had seen online news photos of the damaged plane, called the landing "miraculous" given the damage to it, but also expressed sorrow at the deadly outcome.
Jones' mother, who lives in Dunedin, Fla., said he was a wonderful husband to his wife, Jennifer. The couple also has a 5-year-old son.
Pauline Jones said she's going on "borrowed strength."
"It's been very difficult," she said. "I haven't been to bed since I heard. I haven't had any sleep."
More from msnbc.com
Whip, vote, vote, sign... (a guide to health reform)
Wal-Mart worker fired over medical marijuana
Thai protesters take ‘red’ theme to extremes
Is hipster-heavy Foursquare the new Facebook?
'Made in U.S.A.' makes Cozy Coupe a rarity Video
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Discuss Story
On NewsvineRate Story:
View popularLowHigh
4 after 206 ratingsEmailInstant MessagePrint
MORE FROM LIFE
Gays often excluded from medical studies
Fargo area at 'major flood' stageWolf killing unnerves Alaska villageBeach jogger likely never heard plane Gays often excluded from medical studiesCause of death sought for snack food heirStoried N.Y. village votes to dissolve itselfDetroit to close 44 schools in JuneMontana man spends 4 days stuck in car in snowba
• More RSS feeds from MSNBC.com
Top msnbc.com stories
CIA chief: Al-Qaida crippled, leaders hiding
Sources: Missile strike kills top al-Qaida leader
Obama on House health vote: A vote's a vote
Irish at home, worldwide cheer St. Patrick’s Day
Wal-Mart worker fired over medical marijuana
MSN highlights
Everything you love, plus more
Local information around the clock
A new, simplified look & feel
Access to Facebook & Twitter
Bing at your fingertips
Sponsored LinksGet listed here
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Online College Courses
Boost your career with an online Degree. Pick from Leading Colleges!
www.EarnMyDegree.com Birmingham: Mom Discovers $3 Whitening Trick
Dentists Do NOT Want You To Know About This Teeth Whitening Secret!
ConsumersDigestWeekly.com
Acai Berry EXPOSED (Birmingham: Report)
Birmingham Warning: Health Reporter Discovers The Shocking Truth!
News6Report.com
Birmingham: Mom Makes $6397/Month
She makes $6397 a month working online. Read her story to see how.
LosAngeles-Gazette.com/JOBS
Birmingham:News -1 Sexy Stomach Rule to Obey
I Lost 12lbs of Stomach Fat in just 1 week by obeying this Diet Rule!
www.consumeralertsdaily.comSponsored links
Birmingham: Mom Discovers $3 Whitening Trick
Dentists Do NOT Want You To Know About This Teeth Whitening Secret!
ConsumersDigestWeekly.com
Acai Berry EXPOSED (Birmingham: Report)
Birmingham Warning: Health Reporter Discovers The Shocking Truth!
News6Report.com
Castrol Community Site
Join the Liquid Engineering Crew & Engage with Other Car Enthusiasts.
CastrolLEC.com
Birmingham: Mom Makes $6397/Month
She makes $6397 a month working online. Read her story to see how.
LosAngeles-Gazette.com/JOBS
Birmingham - Mom Obey 1 rule and lost 46lbs
I cut down 46lbs of stomach fat in a month by obeying this one rule!
www.consumeralertsdaily.comResource guide
Netflix-Try for free
Our rates vs. the others
In & Out Auto Leasing
Who’s Searching for You?
FeaturingTODAY Nightly News Dateline Meet the Press msnbc tv Newsweek Newsvine EveryBlock CategoriesTop stories Local news U.S. World Politics Business Sports Entertainment Health
Tech & science Travel Weather msnbc.com on your phone Sign up for e-mail & SMS alerts
msnbc.com on Facebook Subscribe to our RSS feeds
msnbc.com on Twitter Subscribe to our podcasts
More NewsTools from msnbc.com
5 Replies
1318 Views