April 16, 1971: General Aviation, Beechcraft G18S (N318M) Grand Canyon, AZ
ACCIDENT SYNOPSIS:
The group of five from Illinois appeared like any tourists as they stepped off the Beechcraft G18S aircraft. The tired group from the Chicago area had been traveling most of the day with a just an overnight stop in Omaha, Nebraska. More pressing however, was the fact that the radial engine aircraft needed minor repairs and the pilot, Dr. Merrill Shepro wanted a mechanic to take a look at it. Dr. Shepro’s business trip to Los Angeles would just have to wait. For the group, the several hour delay meant a great opportunity to experience the Grand Canyon by buying souvenirs and taking pictures at the various viewpoints along the rim.
A few hours later, mechanics at Grand Canyon Airlines finally had the plane repaired and the fuel tanks were topped off as requested by Dr. Shepro. The plane was already heavy with fuel as Shepro and his traveling companions began loading a number of suitcases and bags into the aircraft. Restricted by the aircraft’s executive interior of couches, tables, and seats, a majority of the heavy luggage had been loaded into the aft baggage compartment.
As the tail-wheeled aircraft taxied from the parking apron to Runway 21, it is unknown if the instrument rated pilot expressed concern for the dark night, the 7,200 foot density altitude, or the fact that his aircraft was now 257 pounds over it’s designed weight limit and probably beyond it’s center of gravity limits. Those questions will remain lost in history. What is known is that at 10:46PM, Shepro and his four friends and business associates began a very long takeoff roll on a 9,000 foot runway. The overweight aircraft staggered for lift and abruptly began to roll in a descending right turn. Striking the tops of several tall pine trees, the fragmenting aircraft pitched down and exploded on a small hillside about a 1/4 mile southwest of the airport killing all on-board.
The accident was witnessed by several persons at the airport. The fire spread quickly through the forest and personnel from the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service and residents from nearby Tusayan helped fight the fire throughout the night. Using just shovels and axes, they were able to contain the three-acre blaze by daybreak.
HISTORICAL SUMMARY:
The search area to locate this crash site was huge as my only hint to it's location was a "hillside". The terrain East, South, and West of the airport consists of slightly rising geography. Over the years I have made some casual efforts to find the accident site, but all were unsuccessful. It wasn't until I was flying a tight approach to Runway 03 that I noticed a large shiny metal fragment between the tops of the trees. I figured it must be some discarded trash and I paid no attention to it.
One day after seeing the same piece of metal, I decided to take a hike and check it out. It turned out to the crash site of "N318M". The crash site itself was identified partly through identifying individual part numbers found on wreckage fragments and more prominently with the discovery of the aircraft manufacture's data plate located in the main impact site.
A debris field extending about 300 feet marks the break-up of the Beechcraft as it descended through the trees. An intense burn area about 15 feet in diameter marks the site where the main wreckage came to rest and burned. During April 2012, a prescribed fire managed by the U.S. Forest Service burned through the site. I did notice afterwards that care was taken to mark the crash site and avoid destruction to the integrity of the crash site.
Read MoreThe group of five from Illinois appeared like any tourists as they stepped off the Beechcraft G18S aircraft. The tired group from the Chicago area had been traveling most of the day with a just an overnight stop in Omaha, Nebraska. More pressing however, was the fact that the radial engine aircraft needed minor repairs and the pilot, Dr. Merrill Shepro wanted a mechanic to take a look at it. Dr. Shepro’s business trip to Los Angeles would just have to wait. For the group, the several hour delay meant a great opportunity to experience the Grand Canyon by buying souvenirs and taking pictures at the various viewpoints along the rim.
A few hours later, mechanics at Grand Canyon Airlines finally had the plane repaired and the fuel tanks were topped off as requested by Dr. Shepro. The plane was already heavy with fuel as Shepro and his traveling companions began loading a number of suitcases and bags into the aircraft. Restricted by the aircraft’s executive interior of couches, tables, and seats, a majority of the heavy luggage had been loaded into the aft baggage compartment.
As the tail-wheeled aircraft taxied from the parking apron to Runway 21, it is unknown if the instrument rated pilot expressed concern for the dark night, the 7,200 foot density altitude, or the fact that his aircraft was now 257 pounds over it’s designed weight limit and probably beyond it’s center of gravity limits. Those questions will remain lost in history. What is known is that at 10:46PM, Shepro and his four friends and business associates began a very long takeoff roll on a 9,000 foot runway. The overweight aircraft staggered for lift and abruptly began to roll in a descending right turn. Striking the tops of several tall pine trees, the fragmenting aircraft pitched down and exploded on a small hillside about a 1/4 mile southwest of the airport killing all on-board.
The accident was witnessed by several persons at the airport. The fire spread quickly through the forest and personnel from the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service and residents from nearby Tusayan helped fight the fire throughout the night. Using just shovels and axes, they were able to contain the three-acre blaze by daybreak.
HISTORICAL SUMMARY:
The search area to locate this crash site was huge as my only hint to it's location was a "hillside". The terrain East, South, and West of the airport consists of slightly rising geography. Over the years I have made some casual efforts to find the accident site, but all were unsuccessful. It wasn't until I was flying a tight approach to Runway 03 that I noticed a large shiny metal fragment between the tops of the trees. I figured it must be some discarded trash and I paid no attention to it.
One day after seeing the same piece of metal, I decided to take a hike and check it out. It turned out to the crash site of "N318M". The crash site itself was identified partly through identifying individual part numbers found on wreckage fragments and more prominently with the discovery of the aircraft manufacture's data plate located in the main impact site.
A debris field extending about 300 feet marks the break-up of the Beechcraft as it descended through the trees. An intense burn area about 15 feet in diameter marks the site where the main wreckage came to rest and burned. During April 2012, a prescribed fire managed by the U.S. Forest Service burned through the site. I did notice afterwards that care was taken to mark the crash site and avoid destruction to the integrity of the crash site.
THE AIRCRAFT
The aircraft was a conventional gear Beech G18S "Super 18" (N318M) that was manufactured by Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas in August 1960. It bore serial number BA545. The aircraft was powered by two Pratt and Whitney R985 Radial Engines. Each producing 450 hp.
Dr. Shepro purchased the aircraft to be used for his business.On the evening of April 16th, Dr. Shepro's aircraft weighed nearly 10,000 lbs. (257 lbs. over the limit) as it departed Runway 21 at Grand Canyon Airport.
For reasons unclear, the aircraft made a right descending turn into high terrain consisting and tall pine trees. The aircraft exploded on impact instantly killing all five occupants on-board.