2004 Hendrick Motorsports aircraft crash
Concord Regional Airport Concord, North Carolina | |
Destination | Blue Ridge Airport Martinsville, Virginia |
---|---|
Passengers | 8 |
Crew | 2 |
Fatalities | 10 |
Survivors | 0 |
On October 24, 2004, a
All ten people on board were killed; among them, members of the Hendrick family including John Hendrick, president of Hendrick Motorsports, his twin daughters, and
Crash
This section needs additional citations for verification. (April 2024) |
The King Air took off from
NASCAR received word of the plane crash halfway through the race at Martinsville. Jimmie Johnson, a Hendrick driver, won the race. Due to the circumstances, the usual victory lane celebration did not take place. Upon the conclusion of the race, NASCAR called all Hendrick personnel to its mobile operations trailer where details of the accident were disclosed to the team.[5]
Investigation
An investigation conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) followed soon after the crash.
Weather
There were foggy conditions at the time of the plane crash.[6]
Pilot error as a cause
The NTSB suggested that pilot error was the cause of the crash, partly by:
- the plane missing its first landing attempt before veering off course and crashing;[7]
- the plane not climbing to its temporarily assigned altitude of 2,600 feet (790 m); it instead descended to 1,800 feet (550 m) before crashing.[8]
The NTSB concluded its investigation by suggesting that the pilots failed to execute an instrument approach procedure and that both failed to use all navigational aids to confirm the airplane's position during its approach.[9]
Aftermath
Impact on Hendrick Motorsports
On February 18, 2005, Marshall Carlson, Rick Hendrick's son-in-law, signed on as new general manager.[10]
Memorials
The week following the crash, officials at the
The Randy Dorton Trophy now goes to the winner of the Mahle Engine Builders Challenge.[13][14]
See also
References
- ^ NTSB. "Controlled Flight Into Terrain, Beech King Air 200, N501RH, Stuart, Virginia, October 24, 2004" (PDF). Retrieved October 24, 2014.
- ^ "FAA Registry (N501RH)". Federal Aviation Administration.
- ^ The Martinsville Plane Crash, October 25, 2004. Accessed August 9, 2006.
- ^ "Ten die in crash of Hendrick plane". Usatoday.Com. October 26, 2004. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
- ^ Hendrick plane crashes en route to NASCAR race; 10 killed Archived June 28, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Kurz jr, Hank "Hendrick Motorsports Plane Crash Kills 10. Accessed August 11, 2006.
- ^ MSNBC "All 10 bodies located from Hendrick plane crash, Associated Press. Accessed August 11, 2006.
- ^ "NTSB: Hendrick plane did not climb before crash", Associated Press. Accessed August 11, 2006.
- ^ NTSB (2004) NTSB Report on the Crash. Link updated October 15, 2011.
- ^ Clarke, Liz: Washington Post article. Accessed August 11, 2006.
- ^ "Jimmie Johnson nabs poignant win". Associated Press. November 1, 2004. Retrieved September 22, 2006.
- ^ Felix, Ron Tragedy At Hendrick Motorsports Archived September 2, 2006, at the Wayback Machine (insiderracingnews.com). Accessed August 11, 2006.
- ^ Press Release (April 26, 2005). "Engine competition pays tribute to Randy Dorton - Apr 26, 2005". Nascar.Com. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
- ^ "Clevite Engine Parts, NASCAR Technical Institute and Dianne Dorton Team Up to Honor Late Engine Builder Randy Dorton". aftermarket News. May 2, 2005. Archived from the original on December 4, 2010. Retrieved August 9, 2012.