Fatal Falmouth Plane Crash Was Caused by Sun in Pilot’s Eyes, Safety Report Says
An airplane crash that killed a pilot and injured a passenger in Falmouth earlier this month was caused by the sun obscuring the pilot’s vision, according to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The Dec. 2 crash at Falmouth Airpark killed Carl Willis, 83, and seriously injured his wife, Candace Oldham, 70, when they were returning from a day trip in the single-engine plane.
According to the report, Oldham told investigators that she asked Willis as the plane was approaching the airpark if the sun was in his eyes, and he said that it was. She adjusted the sun visor then looked down to perform a “GUMPS check,” a common checklist of final items to remember before landing.
“When she looked up, she knew they were going to hit the trees,” the report said. “She believed the pilot couldn’t see because of the bright sunlight at the time of the approach. She stated that the engine was running fine, and they had no flight control anomalies at the time of the accident.”
The couple had flown to Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport earlier in the day with several other couples, who had flown in their own planes, MassLive previously reported. They left Westfield at 2:22 p.m. and crashed on the northeast side of Runway 25 at Falmouth Airpark at 3:10 p.m. According to the NTSB report, the plane came to rest 200 feet from the end of the runway.
The plane, a 1980 Mooney M20J, was registered to Willis.
Willis and Oldham were both brought to the hospital, where Willis was pronounced dead. Oldham has since left the hospital, the Cape Cod Times reported.
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