Aviation Club Plane Crash Caused by Overloading, Improper Balance: NTSB

Federal investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have determined that overloading and improper balancing are to blame for a 2009 plane crash in West Virginia that killed six people, including four pilots who were members of a Chicago-area aviation club.

The NTSB findings were released this week, providing further details about the small plane accident that occurred on January 30, 2009. According to a report by the Associated Press, investigators determined that it was the responsibility of the pilot, Wieslaw Dobrzanski, to make sure that the plane’s load and center of gravity were within manufacturer specifications.

Dobrzanski and the five other people on-board were killed when the twin engine Piper PA-34 crashed into power lines as the plane tried to make it to an airport near Huntington, West Virginia on low fuel.

The small plane had a maximum weight limit of 4,570 pounds, but investigators say that the plane weighted 4,902 pounds at takeoff. The weight was also loaded too far to the rear, which threw off the plane’s center of gravity. An overweight and poorly balanced plane can be hampered by performance issues in flight and can potentially face severe problems during takeoff, landing, and maneuvering. The extra weight load can also cause the plane to burn through fuel faster than expected.

Investigators also say that Dobrzanski did not receive a weather briefing, was not certified for instrument flight, and never filed a flight plan.

The plane was flying from Illinois to Florida with four members of the American Polish Aero-Club. The group was headed to Florida on a shopping trip to look at purchasing gliders for the aviation club. Families of two of the crash victims, Stanley Niemiec and his daughter, Monika Niemiec, have already filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the aviation club.