oct 23, 2002 - Low-Flight Collision
Oct 2002
Description:
Who: Thomas Prezoise, 54yrsold, 4 000 total flight hours at the time, solo
What: A low altitude, in flight collision. The Cessna 208B Cargomaster was a high-wing, single engine commercial plane which had a 420 pound paper records cargo, when it collided with an unknown object in-flight.
Where: Northeast of Mobile, Alabama, United States of America en route to Montgomery.
Crashed into a swamp of Big Bateau Bay in Spanish Fort, Alabama
When: Oct 23, 2002, 7:40pm, crash occurred 6 minutes after take off at about 7:46pm
Why (importance): The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued a report that excluded any mention of a collision with an unknown object
How: there was a layer of scattered clouds at 700 feet and a solid overcast beginning at 1 200 feet with clear air in between the two, visibility was a 5 mile radius. The wind was "11 knots" or 12.7/12.65 mph. It was never confirmed but something that might be significant or the cause of this fatal accident was that a DC-10 passed 1000 ft above the Cessna 208B after approaching it at an eleven o'clock position at 7:45, right before the crash, and it would have created wingtip turbulence/ vortices which trail behind the trailing edge and deflection of the wing for induced drag and lift would have induced a downwash which would have hit the Cessna below it. Wingtip vortices are like "tiny horizontal tornadoes, and pose a danger to smaller craft. and as a DC-10 plane would be significantly larger than a single cockpit of a Cessna, then the artificial turbulence could flip the smaller plane and cause force flight pattern separation. Though it is not clear if this was the cause of the crash, it may be more likely than an in-flight collision with an unknown object, however which the pilot's last words before his death supporting it.
19:42:21 Night Ship 282: "Mobile departure night ship ah two eighty two is with you at one thousand going to two thousand."
19:42:25 ATC: "night ship two eighty two mobile departure radar contact maintain three thousand turn right join victor four fifty four please."
19:42:30 Night Ship 282: "Roger right turn four fifty four."
19:44:25 ATC: "Night ship two eighty two traffic at twelve o'clock of you and seven miles south bound heavy DC ten at four thousand."
19:44:29 Night Ship 282: "Night ship two is looking I'm IMC."
19:44:32 ATC: "Roger."
19:45:34 ATC: "Night ship two eighty two your still IMC but that DC Ten is one o'clock and two miles south bound at four thousand."
19:45:41 Night Ship 282: "Roger I got him above me right now."
Then, just seconds later:
19:45:57 Night Ship 282: "I needed to deviate, I needed to deviate, I needed to deviate, I needed-"
End of Transmission
Glossary:
IMC: Instrument meteorological conditions means weather conditions below the minimums prescribed for flight under Visual Flight Rules (VFR)
Deviate: depart from an established course
ATC: a person who is responsible for remotely monitoring and directing the movements of aircraft as part of a system of air traffic control.
Pages: 61-62
(UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record by Leslie Kean)
For an image of a DC-10:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.airliners.net%2Fphoto%2FHawaiian-Air%2FMcDonnell-Douglas-DC-10-10%2F230094&psig=AOvVaw2WIdIIRYorLpntb-jmW3om&ust=1651013483568000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAwQjRxqFwoTCID2_92msPcCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
For an image of a Cessna 208B:
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fb%2Fb3%2FIraqi_Air_Force_Cessna_208_Caravan_training_mission.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FCessna_208_Caravan&tbnid=OlEaHyGWGxkbwM&vet=12ahUKEwjX9tChp7D3AhWzJn0KHePVAR8QMygAegUIARDTAQ..i&docid=66n3_VnGIYFlEM&w=1035&h=667&q=cessna%20208B&safe=active&ved=2ahUKEwjX9tChp7D3AhWzJn0KHePVAR8QMygAegUIARDTAQ
More info on wing turbulence and vortices:
https://www.imeche.org/news/news-article/%27it-can-flip-you-over%27-wing-shape-research-could-reduce-dangerous-vortex-turbulence#:~:text=Like%20%E2%80%9Ctiny%20horizontal%20tornadoes%E2%80%9D%20trailing,could%20help%20lessen%20the%20risks.
More info on Night ship 282 (the collision):
https://www.google.com/search?q=night+ship+282&source=lmns&bih=746&biw=1536&safe=active&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjtyI-YqLD3AhVYFjQIHZpPDigQ_AUoAHoECAEQAA
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