THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 28, 1995 TAG: 9509280362
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JACK DORSEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines
One of the stunt planes that performed last weekend over Virginia Beach crashed this week in a forest near Buggs Island Lake on the Virginia-North Carolina line, killing its lone occupant.
The pilot of the Pitts S-2 biplane, identified as Carl Henning, 31, of Santa Cruz, Calif., was ferrying the aircraft to an air show in Tennessee.
The royal blue and gold biplane, with its distinct ``1-800-COLLECT'' insignia on its wing, had performed three shows at Oceana Naval Air Station from Friday to Sunday.
Sean D. Tucker, the nationally known performer who flew in the shows, arrived at the crash site Wednesday to recover Henning's body.
``It's a big loss,'' Tucker said of Henning's death. ``He certainly had the skills and always did a good, safe job. I wouldn't have hired him to fly my airplane otherwise.''
Henning had taken off from Oceana for Knoxville about noon Monday, flying next to another plane, a Cherokee Six, piloted by Brian S. Norris.
Norris, a certified flight instructor, is the operations and logistics coordinator for the Tucker Power Aerobatic Team.
``Of course, the cause is still under investigation,'' said Tucker, ``but it looks like he got in the clouds.
``The airplane is strictly an air-show airplane. It is not to fly in the clouds, but it looks like he inadvertently entered the clouds.''
Norris told Tucker that the two planes realized they were flying into some weather and decided to fly around the system, to the west.
``The next thing Brian heard from Carl was that, `I'm in IMC, which means Instrument Meteorology Cold conditions,' '' Tucker said. The term also means that Henning would have been unable to maintain visual contact with the ground.
``His next statement was, `My air speed is picking up,' and his last was, `I'm bailing out.' ''
Henning was wearing a parachute, Tucker said, ``but it doesn't appear he got that far.''
Norris landed at nearby Chase City Municipal Airport and notified authorities, who began an immediate search.
Search dogs and police, fire and rescue units searched the wilderness through the night. An aerial search was conducted Tuesday.
Henning's body was found at the crash site in a forest, Tucker said, after a dog team led rescuers there.
The aircraft, a 350-plus-horsepower Challenger, is an extensively modified, factory-built Pitts S-2S biplane. Its engine is overhauled and its wings completely rebuilt at the end of each season.
The plane is not intended for cross-country flying and normally carries only 22 gallons of fuel while performing. For the ferrying flights, two external tanks hang beneath the aircraft to add 42 gallons of fuel.
Henning is survived by his wife, Lee, and daughter, Chloe, 4.
KEYWORDS: ACCIDENT PLANE FATALITY by CNB