2013 Jasper plane crash

The 2013 Jasper plane crash was a fatal aviation accident that occurred just west of the Walker County Airport near Jasper on the evening of January 1, 2013.

The Piper PA 30 "Twin Comanche" dual-engine aircraft was owned by Ray Whitworth. At the time of the crash, it was being flown by Jordan Smith, a 17-year-old student pilot. The two passengers were Jordan Seth Montgomery, 17, a fellow Meek High School student and Brandon Tyler Ary, 19. Shortly after taking off into a low cloud ceiling, the craft went down in a wooded area near Alabama State Highway 5 and Wells Loop Road. All three on board were killed. The craft did not have a current FAA registration, and plans for the evening flight, which investigators characterized as a "joy ride", were not filed with the airport.

According to Smith's mother, Jordan had piloted Whitworth's plane several times before and had his own set of keys and the code to open a security gate behind which it was parked. According to Walker County Airport manager Edwin Banks, Smith had been trained only on single-engine aircraft and would not have been granted permission to operate the twin-engine craft at night, with passengers, or in instrument-only conditions. Whitworth's reported the aircraft stolen the morning after the incident, and his attorney told reporters that Smith had never been aboard the Twin Comanche and did not have permission to use it.

References

• Smith, Mike D. (January 2, 2013) "Three teens die in plane crash while 'joyriding' near Jasper, authorities say." The Birmingham News
• Robinson, Carol (January 2, 2013) "Three teens killed in Walker County plane crash identified." The Birmingham News
• "Mother of teen pilot killed in Walker County crash said boy didn't steal plane" (January 2, 2013) AP/The Birmingham News
• "Lawyer: Plane owner didn't approve deadly Walker County flight" (January 4, 2013) AP/The Birmingham News