Investigators recover remains of plane from Gulf as residents express concern (UPDATED with RECOVERY PHOTOS)

DESTIN — Saturday’s T-6 plane crash that claimed two lives has revived complaints from some area residents who have long said the planes fly too low and over populated areas.

The AT-6 Texan flown by Birmingham resident Dr. Herman Evan Zeiger Jr., 60, crashed around 12:30 p.m. Saturday about a mile off Topsail Hill Preserve State Park.

The T-6 was one of five aircrafts flying together when the crash occurred. Destin resident Bill Padawer witnessed the five planes take off from Destin Airport at about 11:45 a.m. Saturday.

“The last four planes taxied down the runway, in 2’s; side-by-side during takeoff.  I don’t think this procedure is allowed by the FAA,” Padawer wrote in an e-mail to the Daily News. “Also, these pilots frequently fly low and perform various ‘stunts’ all around the neighborhoods near the Destin airport.

“These pilots are not air show professionals, just a bunch of ‘rich kids’ playing with their toys on the weekends,” Padawer continued. “I don't think they should be flying almost wingtip to wingtip in close formation under any condition or location.”

The cause of the crash is still under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The wreckage was pulled from the gulf Monday afternoon and towed to Fort Walton Beach via a barge. According to public affairs with NTSB, a preliminary report will be released in 10 days. 

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To see photos of the plane after it was recovered, click here.

To see photos of the formation flying moments before the crash, click here.

Click to view a photo gallery of the crash scene »

To read a story about the victim, click here.

To read the original crash story, click here.

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Jim Story, a former accident investigating officer and World War II pilot with experience flying the T-6, said the plane is a safe one. He suspects pilot error.

“You could hardly have any problems with it as long as you behaved yourself. That was the problem, behaving yourself,” Story said. “I’m sure he was just showing off. It was a nice day. He just thought, ‘Well I’ll show you a little bit about what this airplane will do.’ And he sure did.”

Story said he could only speculate, but the pilots who flew with Zeiger Saturday could explain the maneuvers they completed just before the crash.

“He obviously came in upside down which indicates maybe he was in the bottom part of a loop but he didn’t have enough altitude to clear the water,” Story said.

Story trained on the T-6 in October 1941. He and other pilots used to saturate the air around Kelly Field and Randolph AFB without incidents like Saturday’s or the worries and complaints of current Destin and South Walton residents.

Destin resident Chris Matekovich said he worries about the planes all the time.

“I’ve got two small children and when they fly the smoke sometimes touches the tops of my trees,” Matekovich said. “We don’t allow motorcyclists to do wheelies in the street, so why should we allow planes to fly over us? (The crash) was inevitable the way they fly.”

Zeiger was a neurological surgeon at Norwood Clinic in Birmingham, Ala. He had been flying as a hobby for years.

“Obviously we’re all in shock,” said Joan Ballard, administrator at the clinic. “He was an integral part of the organization. The physicians have been his partner for many, many years. We’re all rallying together trying to get through it. He will be sorely missed.”

Mike Gurspan, public information officer with the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, said Sunday the woman who was killed with Zeiger could not be positively identified. Her body was sent to the medical examiner’s office in Okaloosa County for positive identification.

According to Gurspan, the medical examiner’s office will be able to identify the body today.

Not all residents are concerned about the T-6 flights. Joe Phillips of Mary Esther has lived in the area for 69 years and said he views the planes flying over his home as a treat.

“I don’t have a problem having them,” Phillips said. “Every time I hear them I go out to watch. It never occurred to me that these guys could fall on my house.

“It was a shock to see that the good doctor passed away,” he said. “I’ve never had a problem with it. I guess I prefer them not to fly over our houses, but I’m not going to bash them.”

Phil Turner of Destin said the planes bother him only when they fly close together in formation because of the dangers that type of flying tends to cause.

“If they are flying in close formation it’s very easy to have a wingtip collision,” Turner said. “I was sorry to hear about the crash, but I’m glad it wasn’t over the town (when it crashed).”

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BACKGROUND

The shows have become a familiar sight and sound in Destin.

But they have alson been a source of controversy with some residents and visitors complaining about the noise and safety of the formation flying.

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Log photographer Kathy Harrison went up in a T-6 in 2007. To see a video from the cockpit that flight, click here. To see photos from that 2007 flight, click here.