McSpadden Reported Emergency Before Fatal Crash

Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) senior executive Richard McSpadden and retired professional football player Russ Francis were attempting to return to the airport during a planned air-to-air photo shoot when their single-engine Cessna 177 Cardinal crashed soon after takeoff, killing both men, the NTSB said.

A highly experienced pilot and senior vice president of the AOPA Air Safety Institute, McSpadden was accompanying Francis Oct. 1 when the Cessna turned back toward Lake Placid Airport, New York, but crashed into terrain 440 ft. short of Runway 14.

During the airplane’s hard right turn back, the “pilot-rated passenger” was heard on the common traffic advisory frequency saying, “We have a problem, and we’re returning to the airport,” the NTSB said in a preliminary accident investigation report released Oct. 20.

Francis, who had recently purchased the Lake Placid Airways scenic tour business, was seated in the left seat and expected to fly the Cessna during its takeoff and climb-out. After joining in formation with a lead Beech A36 Bonanza, the pilot-rated passenger would have taken over the controls and flown the Cessna during the photo shoot. “The purpose of the flight was to photograph the accident airplane while airborne for later publication in a magazine article,” the safety board said.

The Cessna took off about 700 ft. behind the Beech A36. “During taxi out, witnesses heard the engine of the accident airplane running when the Beech A36 pulled up next to it,” the preliminary report states. “The accident airplane’s engine then shut off, and about 10 seconds later, the engine restarted. During the takeoff roll, a witness described that the engine sounded as if the propeller was set for ‘climb’ and not takeoff, then he heard the engine surge.

During the initial climb, the witness further described that the engine did not sound as if it was running at full power.”

Manufactured in 1976, the Cessna 177 had accumulated 5,352.2 hr. of flight time; the engine had accumulated 36.7 hr. of operation since a major overhaul, the NTSB said.