Clayton Miller, Danna Wilhelm Killed in Wellington, TX, Accident
Wellington, TX -- January 21, 2017, Clayton Miller and Danna Wilhelm were killed due to an accident where their airplane crashed after takeoff.
According to reports from the Texas Department of Public Safety, 28-year-old Miller and 40-year-old Wilhelm were both in a Bellanca 7GCBC Citabria airplane at the Marian Airpark. The incident took place at around 2:20 p.m.
Preliminary reports indicate that the aircraft took off from the runway. A short while later, the plane was seen banking to the left before losing control and falling to the ground.
The crash was severe enough that both victims died at the scene. Authorities have not said what factors might have caused the accident to occur.
No further details have been released.
Map of the Area
Commentary
Early reports on these small aircraft accidents are often missing a lot of information as people are left to wait for investigating authorities to complete their work. Even then, sometimes the stories have holes in them or don't really cover the full story. Witnesses form this accident say they saw the plane bank left shortly before going down in the field, but there are a lot of different factors that could have caused this.
One primary concern after these kinds of accidents is that some sort of mechanical failure was the root cause. When that's the case, it needs to be determined exactly how that error occurred. If it was a botched repair or maintenance job, then it needs to be determined who did it and how the mechanics were messed up. If it turns out the failure was from some sort of defect, then there could be others facing the same fatal risks. That kind of problem needs to be addressed immediately, and those responsible need to face consequences for their actions.
That being said, mechanical failures aren't exactly common. It often turns out that the accident was caused by operator error or poor weather conditions. Despite this, just because a factor might be uncommon doesn't mean it should be ignored. Anyone affected by an accident would do well to look into a private investigation. They are often much more thorough and more expedient than official investigations, and the likelihood of a factor does not determine whether or not it's investigated. With a thorough investigation, whether it confirms official reports or uncovers new information, victims and their families can move forward having all of the facts at their disposal.
--Grossman Law Offices
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