Kenneth Thode, 62, was practicing touch and go landings near the resort city of North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, when he lost control of his private plane and crashed into an RV park. The plane hit a tree and plowed through a motor home before exploding.
One of the residents of the motor home, Eva Sullivan, 70, was killed instantly. Her husband Thomas Sullivan, 62 was seriously injured with burns and head injuries. He displayed serious disorientation at the accident site, and family members said he still doesn’t understand what happened.
The Sullivan’s were likely having lunch together when the plane crashed through their kitchen. Thode, the pilot, was killed by blunt force trauma to the chest, affecting his heart and lungs. A bystander in the RV park also received minor injuries.
According to voice and radar data provided by the FAA, Thode had requested three approaches at the Grand Strand Airport. He had completed one low approach and was attempting another when he crashed into a tree at the nearby Briarcliffe RV Resort.
Accident investigators determined he collided with a tree and then went through the roof of the Sullivan trailer, penetrating and exiting through the front. After destroying the trailer it smashed into a pickup truck, pushed the truck into a tree, and exploded. Three other RVs were damaged in the accident.
Thode was piloting a Cessna 172S Skyhawk. The Cessna 172 is the most heavily produced aircraft in existence, first manufactured in 1955. Production continues today with a retail price just over $300,000. Thode’s plane was manufactured in 2004 and most recently inspected in December of 2010. The plane was registered to Flynfish, LLC and had been parked at Grand Strand Airport for two months.
(Sources: Examiner & National Transportation Safety Board)
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