THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 2, 1995 TAG: 9508020443
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Short : 35 lines
A federal investigation concluded Tuesday that mistakes by the crew of a Navy helicopter are the most likely cause of a midair collision above the Chesapeake Bay last summer that killed Portsmouth pilot William M. Sklar. The National Transportation Safety Board said the failure of air traffic controllers at Norfolk Departure Control to issue a traffic advisory also was a factor in the crash.
The safety board said that the crew of the MH-53E Sea Dragon chopper had minutes to spot and avoid Sklar's Cessna 172 as they approached him from above and behind on the afternoon of July 11. Sklar, who had taken off earlier in the day from Hampton Roads Airport, was working as a fish spotter for Zapata Protein Fishing Co.
Sklar, in contrast, was unaware of the helicopter's presence until seconds before the crash and had no opportunity to take evasive action, the board said.
The collision at about 3,500 feet sent Sklar's plane plummeting into the bay, killing him. The helicopter was seriously damaged but landed safely in a field near Kiptopeke. None of its four crew members were injured.
Sklar, 62, was a veteran pilot who had logged more than 40,000 hours at the controls of various planes. Lt. James D. Rocha, who was at the controls of the helicopter, was younger and less experienced but had put in more than 700 hours in the MH-53. by CNB