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Pilot, Plane Faulted In '06 Davis Islands Crash

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By JOSH POLTILOVE and TED JACKOVICS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 2, 2008

TAMPA - Federal investigators have determined that mechanical troubles combined with pilot error to cause the fiery crash two years ago of a twin-propeller aircraft that slammed into a Davis Islands home, killing the pilot and severely injuring the co-pilot.

Gutted in the fire, the home at 629 E. Davis Blvd. was eventually torn down by the hit television show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," which built a larger home in its place.

A National Transportation Safety Board report said the crash on June 12, 2006, resulted from a failure or malfunction of a hydraulic control on both propellers of the Beech 65-A90-1 aircraft, excessive speed on approach to landing, and the failure of the pilot to align the aircraft with the runway.

After attempting an emergency landing at Peter O. Knight Airport, pilot Steve Huisman flew the aircraft faster on its final approach - about 178 mph - than jet fighters normally do when landing, the NTSB said.

One witness told the NTSB the airplane was airborne and its landing gear was not deployed when it struck a fence on the north side of the airport before hitting trees, a car and the house.

Huisman, 41, of Bradenton, died in the crash. Co-pilot Sean Launder, 25 at the time of the crash and a Sarasota resident, was taken to Tampa General Hospital with severe burns but survived.

About an hour earlier, the plane had taken off from a Sarasota airport on a mission to drop thousands of sterilized Mediterranean fruit flies near Plant City. Huisman and Launder, both experienced pilots, radioed controllers at Tampa International Airport and declared an emergency at 12:32 p.m.

They headed for Peter O. Knight.

"The controller asked if they needed assistance," the NTSB report said. Launder replied, "No, we're just going to try to land."

It was the final transmission.

Cynthia Tate was home when she heard a noise and saw the plane heading straight for her house about 12:35 p.m. She ran for her life and escaped injury as the fire quickly spread. Two firefighters were injured after trying to contain the blaze.

The family's two dogs and two cats perished in the fire.

Her husband, Tom, and their three children were not at home.

"We live with the crash every day," Tom Tate said Tuesday. "The poor pilot lost his life when he was doing the best job he could to land that plane."

The Tates had no insurance on the home at the time of the crash, and news of the sudden destruction of their home reached producers at the ABC television show that builds new homes in less than a week for deserving families, mostly through the volunteer efforts of local builders and merchants.

As a result of the show, the 3,400-square-foot home has become a tourist attraction of sorts.

Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at (813) 259-7691 or jpoltilove@tampatrib.com.

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