Extra Flugzeugbau EA-200 - Delaware County, Ohio
Posted by: Mr. 0
N 40° 24.410 W 083° 13.338
17T E 311428 N 4475284
A small plane crash at Packer Airport in Delaware County, Ohio. This accident received little media coverage and is unknown to most.
Waymark Code: WM30W6
Location: Ohio, United States
Date Posted: 01/21/2008
Views: 142
According to the NTSB report, an Extra Flugzeugbau EA-200 aerobatic stunt plane, with the tail number N11EX crashed on October 21, 1997 at approximately 12:20pm. The plane took off from Packer Airport (5E9) and performed a reverse half-Cuban eight during take off. At approximately 500 feet above ground he attempted to complete the maneuver from and inverted position, however the plane hit the ground, and exploded, killing the pilot instantly. Officially the probable cause is listed as "The failure of the pilot to obtain the proper altitude/clearance above the terrain, to perform an aerobatic maneuver. A factor was the pilot's lack of total experience in make and model."
The pilot, Ken Hadden, purchased the plane in June of 1997 and had approximately 30 hours experience flying this make and model of aircraft though his flying career extended well beyond just this type of plane. Through his years of flying he earned various awards including the United States National Glider Aerobatic Champion. Most of his experience was with gliders, and witnesses say that the maneuver he attempted requires a 500 foot altitude clearance in a glider, 800 feet in this make and model of plane. So it would appear that he may have mistakenly used the glider clearance number when attempting the maneuver in a powered aircraft.
The wreckage was examined on site and no mechanical malfunctions were noted. The wreckage was then buried under the rock, with 2 plaques attached, shown in the pictures.
On a side note, Russell Sheets, a long time friend of Hadden's, who had accompanied Hadden's widow to the crash site was also killed in an aircraft accident in March of 2007. Sheets had taken off from Packer Airport and crashed in a field outside of East Liberty, Ohio. He was flying a Camair model 480, registration N209.