Bizarre Plane Crash in Florida
01-14-2009, 06:44 AM
#31
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Apr 2007
Posts: 211
Update: Captured Indiana pilot in fair condition - Breaking News from The Birmingham News - al.com
Anyone on here been duped by this guy?
The Indiana investment manager who bailed out of his airplane over Alabama Sunday night in a botched attempt to fake his own death was listed in fair condition early Wednesday morning, authorities said.
Marcus Schrenker was barely conscious and muttered the word "die" when federal agents found him bleeding from a slashed wrist, Frank Chiumento, an assistant chief with the U.S. Marshals in Florida, said Wednesday.
Marcus Schrenker
The self-inflicted gash was "very serious at the time," Chiumento said. "He was bleeding profusely from the wounds to the left arm." Besides the slashed wrist, there was a puncture wound near his elbow.
Schrenker was semiconscious and muttering single words but appeared to resist first aid from the marshals.
"Just as we were administering first aid to him we were giving him assurances that he would be OK and he seemed to mutter some words that he was resistant to that. He muttered 'die' at one time as if he didn't want the first aid that we were rendering to him," Chiumento said on ABC's "Good Morning America."
Schrenker could face charges in Florida, though Chiumento didn't know what those might be.
Chiumento said Schrenker was found based on information from U.S. Marshals officers in Indiana and in Alabama. He did not provide details of how Schrenker was tracked to Florida, but told ABC it was not based on tips from the campsite.
Evidence, including the motorcycle authorities believe Schrenker used to get away, was being analyzed Wednesday morning, Chiumento said. He wouldn't describe what else was found at the Chattahoochee campground, but did say the investigation revealed Schrenker was prepared to be on the run for some time.
Schrenker, 38, was found in Gadsden County, Fla., a rural area northwest of Tallahassee, the county's sheriff's office confirmed.
He was taken into custody at about 7:30 p.m. CST at a campground, where he had slit his wrists, said Marty Keely, U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Alabama.
The capture involved officials from the Marshal Service's southern Indiana district, its Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force based in Birmingham and other Florida-based task forces.
Schrenker's capture ended a 48-hour manhunt by state and federal officials from Indiana, Alabama and Florida. He faces two felony charges in Indiana related to his financial dealings, and is expected to face federal charges.
Schrenker gave all the appearances of a successful businessman before his disappearance. But in recent days and weeks, that life began to unravel: his wife filed for divorce, his stepfather died, Indiana authorities were investigating his financial dealings and a federal court ordered a $533,000 judgment against him.
"I walked out on my job about 30 minutes ago," it read. "My career is over ... over one letter in a trade error. One letter!! ... I've had so many people yelling at me today that I couldn't figure out what was up or down. I still can't figure it out."
It's unclear to what "error" he is referring. In another e-mail to a neighbor following his disappearance, Schrenker referred to having "just made a 2 million dollar mistake." But it appeared he was hoping to work things out.
A retired Delta Airlines pilot living in Auburn was among a group of pilots who say they were duped by Schrenker and lodged complaints in 2007 with officials in Indiana and in Georgia, where Schrenker lived for a time.
Joe Mazzone, who owns an aerial photography company, said Schrenker became his financial adviser in 2005. He said he and other pilots invested in Schrenker's Heritage Wealth Management, but became suspicious of how their money was being handled. An anonymous e-mail that alerted pilots who had invested with Schrenker to check their accounts fueled suspicions.
Schrenker had used the pilots' money for unauthorized investments,
Mazzone said, and said it appeared some of the documents were forged.
Mazzone said he was able to recover thousands of dollars through insurance companies, and fired Schrenker in 2007.
As Indiana charges were lodged against Schrenker, federal authorities also were looking into criminal charges. Once it was determined Schrenker bailed out of his plane before it crashed, the case changed from a search-and-rescue operation to a criminal investigation.
Schrenker was laying the groundwork for his disappearance as early as Saturday, when he visited Harpersville, driving a medium-sized pickup truck that carried a red Yamaha motorcycle, its saddlebags loaded with supplies.
At about 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Schrenker radioed the Federal Aviation Administration in Atlanta, saying he had encountered severe turbulence over Huntsville, that his windshield had imploded and that he was bleeding profusely.
Then, authorities say, Schrenker put the six-seat plane on autopilot near Birmingham, donned a parachute and jumped out in the Harpersville-Childersburg area. The plane continued flying south and crashed at about 9:15 p.m. Sunday in a swampy area near a neighborhood in the Florida panhandle.
The plane showed no indication of a bloody accident, and officials could not locate the pilot. Authorities now surmise Schrenker's plan called for the plane to crash into the Gulf of Mexico, but it failed to stay airborne long enough to reach the Gulf.
Late Sunday, a man with Schrenker's Indiana identification encountered police in Childersburg and told them he had been in a canoeing accident with friends. The officers took Schrenker to the Harpersville Motel, where he checked in under his stepbrother's name and paid cash for the room.
Anyone on here been duped by this guy?
The Indiana investment manager who bailed out of his airplane over Alabama Sunday night in a botched attempt to fake his own death was listed in fair condition early Wednesday morning, authorities said.
Marcus Schrenker was barely conscious and muttered the word "die" when federal agents found him bleeding from a slashed wrist, Frank Chiumento, an assistant chief with the U.S. Marshals in Florida, said Wednesday.
Marcus SchrenkerThe self-inflicted gash was "very serious at the time," Chiumento said. "He was bleeding profusely from the wounds to the left arm." Besides the slashed wrist, there was a puncture wound near his elbow.
Schrenker was semiconscious and muttering single words but appeared to resist first aid from the marshals.
"Just as we were administering first aid to him we were giving him assurances that he would be OK and he seemed to mutter some words that he was resistant to that. He muttered 'die' at one time as if he didn't want the first aid that we were rendering to him," Chiumento said on ABC's "Good Morning America."
Schrenker could face charges in Florida, though Chiumento didn't know what those might be.
Chiumento said Schrenker was found based on information from U.S. Marshals officers in Indiana and in Alabama. He did not provide details of how Schrenker was tracked to Florida, but told ABC it was not based on tips from the campsite.
Evidence, including the motorcycle authorities believe Schrenker used to get away, was being analyzed Wednesday morning, Chiumento said. He wouldn't describe what else was found at the Chattahoochee campground, but did say the investigation revealed Schrenker was prepared to be on the run for some time.
Schrenker, 38, was found in Gadsden County, Fla., a rural area northwest of Tallahassee, the county's sheriff's office confirmed.
He was taken into custody at about 7:30 p.m. CST at a campground, where he had slit his wrists, said Marty Keely, U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Alabama.
The capture involved officials from the Marshal Service's southern Indiana district, its Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force based in Birmingham and other Florida-based task forces.
Schrenker's capture ended a 48-hour manhunt by state and federal officials from Indiana, Alabama and Florida. He faces two felony charges in Indiana related to his financial dealings, and is expected to face federal charges.
Schrenker gave all the appearances of a successful businessman before his disappearance. But in recent days and weeks, that life began to unravel: his wife filed for divorce, his stepfather died, Indiana authorities were investigating his financial dealings and a federal court ordered a $533,000 judgment against him.
"I walked out on my job about 30 minutes ago," it read. "My career is over ... over one letter in a trade error. One letter!! ... I've had so many people yelling at me today that I couldn't figure out what was up or down. I still can't figure it out."
It's unclear to what "error" he is referring. In another e-mail to a neighbor following his disappearance, Schrenker referred to having "just made a 2 million dollar mistake." But it appeared he was hoping to work things out.
A retired Delta Airlines pilot living in Auburn was among a group of pilots who say they were duped by Schrenker and lodged complaints in 2007 with officials in Indiana and in Georgia, where Schrenker lived for a time.
Joe Mazzone, who owns an aerial photography company, said Schrenker became his financial adviser in 2005. He said he and other pilots invested in Schrenker's Heritage Wealth Management, but became suspicious of how their money was being handled. An anonymous e-mail that alerted pilots who had invested with Schrenker to check their accounts fueled suspicions.
Schrenker had used the pilots' money for unauthorized investments,
Mazzone said, and said it appeared some of the documents were forged.
Mazzone said he was able to recover thousands of dollars through insurance companies, and fired Schrenker in 2007.
As Indiana charges were lodged against Schrenker, federal authorities also were looking into criminal charges. Once it was determined Schrenker bailed out of his plane before it crashed, the case changed from a search-and-rescue operation to a criminal investigation.
Schrenker was laying the groundwork for his disappearance as early as Saturday, when he visited Harpersville, driving a medium-sized pickup truck that carried a red Yamaha motorcycle, its saddlebags loaded with supplies.
At about 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Schrenker radioed the Federal Aviation Administration in Atlanta, saying he had encountered severe turbulence over Huntsville, that his windshield had imploded and that he was bleeding profusely.
Then, authorities say, Schrenker put the six-seat plane on autopilot near Birmingham, donned a parachute and jumped out in the Harpersville-Childersburg area. The plane continued flying south and crashed at about 9:15 p.m. Sunday in a swampy area near a neighborhood in the Florida panhandle.
The plane showed no indication of a bloody accident, and officials could not locate the pilot. Authorities now surmise Schrenker's plan called for the plane to crash into the Gulf of Mexico, but it failed to stay airborne long enough to reach the Gulf.
Late Sunday, a man with Schrenker's Indiana identification encountered police in Childersburg and told them he had been in a canoeing accident with friends. The officers took Schrenker to the Harpersville Motel, where he checked in under his stepbrother's name and paid cash for the room.
01-14-2009, 07:20 AM
#32
Prime Minister/Moderator
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Engines Turn Or People Swim
Posts: 40,045
I have a hunch that this guy will pop up again in the aviation world...when he gets appointed as CEO of a legacy airline 
After all, he has experience in aviation and an appropriately calibrated moral compass
After all, he has experience in aviation and an appropriately calibrated moral compass
01-14-2009, 07:31 AM
#33
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Apr 2007
Posts: 211
"We've learned over time that he's a pathological liar — you don't believe a single word that comes out of his mouth," said Charles Kinney, a 49-year-old airline pilot from Atlanta who alleges Schrenker pocketed at least $135,000 of his parents' retirement fund.
01-14-2009, 07:34 AM
#34
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Oct 2008
Posts: 346
At altitude, it'll do 175kias, which is around 265KTAS. The flightaware ground track had it doing 125gs @ 4000', so he had around 500lbs of torque for the power setting. Yes they are fun planes to fly, but are limited by weight/fuel, so range can be an issue past 600nm.
Well we did do the news, my coworker got the face time, but I gave america the finger! It was my finger doing the AP and the GPS footage!
I'm not suprised by how much they didn't use, but the only thing that really ticked me off was the Saratoga guy they flew with out in California! He's comparing apples to oranges, and really had no facts on anything. Talking about supplemental O2 and the fact the door would've been really hard to open.
abcnews.com/nightline is where you can find it, about 6:00 vid.
Well we did do the news, my coworker got the face time, but I gave america the finger! It was my finger doing the AP and the GPS footage!
I'm not suprised by how much they didn't use, but the only thing that really ticked me off was the Saratoga guy they flew with out in California! He's comparing apples to oranges, and really had no facts on anything. Talking about supplemental O2 and the fact the door would've been really hard to open.abcnews.com/nightline is where you can find it, about 6:00 vid.
That flight instructor is retarded. Who needs oxygen at 4000ft? I know I would never even think of using oxygen at that altitude. It's great that one pilot representing the rest of us to the media can't even get things right.
Good luck to that guy he obviously needs some help, mentally.
01-14-2009, 08:37 AM
#35
Flying Farmer
Joined APC: Jul 2006
Position: Turbo-props' and John Deere's
Posts: 3,160
I think a lot of it was he was completely misinformed, but also he was talking out of his rear-end when he should've deferred to someone that actually knew that airplane. I would hope in the future that the crew that came to us would come back in the event of some other GA activity.
01-14-2009, 10:04 AM
#36
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2007
Position: Left
Posts: 393
Nice Finger!! haha.
That flight instructor is retarded. Who needs oxygen at 4000ft? I know I would never even think of using oxygen at that altitude. It's great that one pilot representing the rest of us to the media can't even get things right.
Good luck to that guy he obviously needs some help, mentally.
That flight instructor is retarded. Who needs oxygen at 4000ft? I know I would never even think of using oxygen at that altitude. It's great that one pilot representing the rest of us to the media can't even get things right.
Good luck to that guy he obviously needs some help, mentally.
01-14-2009, 12:15 PM
#37
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Oct 2008
Posts: 346
01-14-2009, 05:39 PM
#38
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Aug 2007
Position: Ramen-eating duck driver
Posts: 255
Crazy WX: Freezing in the northeast, raining Malibus in Florida
Tough luck for him that he was more into aerobatics and flying under bridges than he was into flight planning. I wonder if flying along with the door open cut the range - he should have allowed a big margin for that, I would think. Also - the fake radio call was a bit much - if he said nothing, and the plane went down in the water, he'd be enjoying his umbrella drinks right now.
He's a mini-Madoff!
He's a mini-Madoff!
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
