Small Plane Crash Albemarle

[gcgrotz]

Albemarle County Fire and Rescue received a call around 11:17am from a citizen reporting hearing a plane flying over her house and then an explosion. First unit on scene reported heavy smoke and fire. It took 15-20 min before it was established that it was a single engine GA aircraft w/4 places that had crashed. No reports on occupants at that time due to extensive damage. Operations on TAC3.

Location was on Plank Rd about 1 mile west of US Rt29 in Southern Albemarle, only a mile or so from the North Garden VFD (Station 3). Wx conditions at time was rain and low clg. This location is on the approach to CHO but is pretty far out, I'm guessing close to 10 miles. Several large mountains are just to the west.

News reports later confirmed 2 fatalities but not known if there were any more. At this time (1:15pm) they have set a search perimeter and are getting tools for extrication and have just asked about renting a lighting trailer.

I was monitoring Potomac approach on 132.850 not 10 minutes before this happened. I had stopped to run an errand and when I got back in the truck I heard the fire call dispatch.

 

[gcgrotz]

Follow up observations

The aircraft was N202EN and according to press reports apparently was trying to land at the 3000 ft grass strip on the farm in rain and fog, came in very hard.

This being probably the biggest incident since the switch to 800 digital in April, it was very interesting to monitor. TAC3 had all the gruesome comms about recovery and body bags and sanitary wipes etc. Previously, on the old low band system, you would have had to be on scene to hear this due to the very short range of the low band portables. In the city, if you were more than a couple of blocks away you'd never hear the interior units. Now you can hear them for 25 miles.