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NTSB: Plane May Have Stalled Before Plunge Into Bay

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By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 22, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - Federal investigators say witnesses to a January single-engine plane crash into Old Tampa Bay said they saw the plane bank right and then left, then sweep up into the air before stalling and plunging into the water.

Before that, there was some apparent confusion as to which landing strip at the St. Petersburg/Clearwater International Airport, the Cessna 172-L was using.

The crash killed a Pinellas Park man and his parents.

The report, a finding of facts, was issued by the National Transportation Safety Board. A ruling on what caused the crash may come within a month or so. The report said the Cessna was in fine shape, even though it was more than three decades old. Investigators even managed to start the engine after it was fished out of the water.

The pilot, James P. Bellamy, 31, was an experienced pilot and toxicology tests on him and his parents, Gordon, 55, and Susan, 53, of Palatka, showed negative results for alcohol and drugs.

The cause of death for all three was drowning, coupled with blunt trauma caused by the impact with the water, the report said.

The Cessna was registered to the Pinellas Pilots Association, a Clearwater corporation established in 1998 to reduce the costs of renting an aircraft, the group's Web site said. Several members of the association were interviewed by the investigators and they all agreed that the plane was in excellent condition.

The plane crashed about 100 yards from the end of Runway 22, which was the runway controllers had cleared for Bellamy to land. The weather was clear, but as the plane approached, it appeared to have shifted to land on another runway. The controller questioned the pilot and Bellamy replied, "… sorry about that." The report said that was the last transmission.

Witnesses told investigators they saw the plane bank to the right then, roll to the left then pull up. Then, witnesses said, the plane appeared to stall and then nose-dived into the bay.

The Cessna 172 is the world's most popular mass-produced aircraft and is used extensively for flight training, according to the Air Safety Foundation. About 43,000 have been sold since the model's debut in 1956. The plane that crashed last January was manufactured in 1972, records said.

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760.

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