A Cherokee with four persons on board when down just after take off from
Harrisburg Capital City Airport (my home base) Runway 26 earlier this
afternoon. Details are sketchy, at best. I just returned from the FBO at
that airport and folks there can say very little about this incident.
Here is a preliminary news report:
http://www.thewgalchannel.com/news/4651740/detail.html

I'll post further details as they become available.

Awful. Looks like three of the four aboard are dead, with only the
pilot surviving.

I thought I was witnessing a similar crash today, here in Iowa City.
My son and I were at a local store, around the corner from the inn,
just east of the departure end of Rwy 36.

Inexplicably, I looked up to hear/see a 182RG departing over my head.
With the 90-degree winds firmly out of the SOUTH, this guy was clearly
taking off with a fairly brisk tailwind.

Worse, Rwy 36 is only 2500 feet long now (with our newly displaced
threshhold) and departs into steeply rising terrain and downtown. As
he staggered over us, his wings were rocking and it looked to me like
he was steering to the west to avoid hitting the University of Iowa
Hospital -- but then I lost sight of him.

We both waited for the (seemingly inevitable) crash, but none came. He
apparently wobbled his way into the sky, probably scaring the bejeezus
out of himself, his passengers, and a few folks downtown.

Scary.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"