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Report: Student pilot in crash was on his first training flight
BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
April 11, 2008
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BOULDER - The student pilot of a special light sport airplane that crashed near the Erie airport last year, killing him and his instructor, was on his first training flight, according to a report by federal regulators.
The National Transportation Safety Board report also said the plane was above its listed maximum takeoff weight.
The report did not list a probable cause for the crash Sept. 15 but described what happened that day.
Emmett Murphy, 58, of Riverton, Wyo., was training for a sport pilot certificate, the report said. Murphy was performing "touch-and-go landings" with his commercial certified flight instructor Matthew Crine, 41, of Wheat Ridge.
Witnesses said they saw the plane turn before dropping and spiraling before it hit the ground.
Investigators reported that with the combined weight of Murphy and Crine totaling 435 pounds, the plane weighed "no less than 1,236 pounds." The manufacturer said the plane's maximum takeoff weight is 1,213 pounds, the NTSB said.
The plane was registered to SkyRaider Aviation Inc., an Erie-based commercial club. The report said SkyRaider held a safety meeting this past March to discuss weight and balance calculations for its entire fleet.
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P/CLOUDY 46° 
