"Rut in airport runway may be factor in crash"

["Stephen Irwin" <stepheni@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Rut in airport runway may be factor in crash
The Stockton (CA) Record


STOCKTON - A long rut running along the shorter of two runways at Stockton
Metropolitan Airport that officials identified as a repair priority more
than a year ago may have been a factor in a small-plane rollover crash in
January, according to a preliminary report under review by federal
officials.

The pilot in the Jan. 24 crash, identified as World War II veteran Herb Ross
of Stockton, suffered minor injuries after his stunt plane flipped before
takeoff on runway 29-L, a 4,400-foot strip that runs parallel to the
airport's longer main runway. Ross told investigators he aborted his takeoff
because of engine problems, and that the plane flipped after a sudden, sharp
turn, "as if one of the wheels went into a hole or a rut," according to the
report filed with the National Transportation Safety Board.

The report also cites a Federal Aviation Administration inspector's account
that the runway has two lengthwise grooved depressions in the asphalt
corresponding to the width of the tires on Ross' plane. A final
determination into what caused the crash has yet to be made, however, and
Airport Director Barry Rondinella said the runway has been fully inspected
and is safe for use.

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