KING AIR B-200, PIQUA, OHIO, AUG. 24, 2001–The chief pilot for the Hartzell Propeller Co. waited for a chartered King Air to shoot the approach into the Piqua Airport after the turboprop circled while waiting for fog to dissipate. As he heard the airplane on final approach, the Hartzell pilot heard the “terrible sound of impact” followed by silence. The King Air’s ATP-rated pilot died in the crash.
In an interview with the NTSB, the chief pilot for Hartzell said he saw “some fog” when he got up around 0430. He told investigators he remembered thinking if the airplane had not arrived the previous evening it was doubtful he’d get in that morning. He drove to the airport to get the company airplane ready to do the flight himself. The accident pilot called the Hartzell chief pilot to ask about the fog and, after looking outside, the chief pilot told him he could see the stars and the runway lights. The accident pilot said he’d fly to Piqua from the King Air’s home base in Dayton, and the chief pilot said he’d be at the Piqua airfield with a handheld radio.
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