Ladd Sanger Interviewed in The Oklahoman About Inhofe Airplane Crash
Sen. Jim Inhofe’s Son Reported Engine Trouble Before Fatal Airplane Crash
By Jonathan Sutton
The Oklahoman
November 19, 2013
Sen. Jim Inhofe’s son, Perry Inhofe, reported that his left engine was shut down and that he was having trouble controlling his airplane before he died in a plane crash November 10, according to a newly released National Transportation Safety Board report.
Perry Inhofe was flying alone from Salina, Kansas, to Tulsa in a twin-engine Mitsubishi MU-2B-25 built in 1974 and was cleared to land at Tulsa International Airport.
During his approach, Inhofe made a left turn and reported to the air traffic control he had a control problem. He then told the controller his left engine was out.
“The controller then declared an emergency for the pilot and asked about the number of souls on board the airplane and the fuel remaining,” the report states. “No further communications were received from the pilot.”
Witnesses reported seeing the plane make a shallow left turn between 400 and 800 feet.
“During the turn, the landing gear was in the extended position, and one engine propeller appeared not to be rotating,” according to the report.
“The airplane continued in a left turn and the wings began to rock back and forth at a 10- to 15-degree bank angle. The airplane was observed to then make a right turn, followed by a left turn, and then a steep spiral to the left.”
The plane crashed about 5 miles north of the airport and burst into flames.
Perry Inhofe, who would have turned 52 that week, worked at Central States Orthopedics in Tulsa as an orthopedic surgeon.
Following services held Thursday, Sen. Inhofe, R-Tulsa, returned to the Senate floor Monday and thanked his colleagues for their condolences.
“I had a horrible loss eight days ago, losing a son,” he said.
The type of aircraft Inhofe’s son was flying has had a checkered past, though advocates of the plane claim it is one of the safest around.
Since Mitsubishi began building the MU-2B in 1967, 346 people have died in 152 crashes involving the craft, according to the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents.
Ladd Sanger, a licensed pilot and attorney, has worked on 10 lawsuits involving the aircraft and questions its safety. In situations of one-engine failure, like Inhofe’s, the airplane “is sometimes impossible to handle,” he said.
Link to story on The Oklahoman website.
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