By Randy Foster
editor@cherokeescout.com
Preliminary reports indicate mechanical failure as the cause of a kit-built airplane crash that took the life of a Fort Campbell, Ky., Army helicopter pilot Saturday morning.
The Velocity brand, single-engine kit airplane, described by a local pilot as the Corvette of experimental aircraft, took off from Western Carolina Regional Airport around 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
It flew about a mile while losing altitude and crashing into a clump of trees off a pasture near Fairview Road. From the flight path, it appears the pilot, an elite U.S. Army helicopter pilot, was struggling to circle back to land at the airport.
The impact obliterated the aircraft, leaving pieces of fuselage, canards and wings beside two small trees that show minor impact damage. The engine, landing gear and other heavy components crashed into a larger tree nearby and exploded.
The aircraft was piloted by Robert "Bobby" Ibrahim, 36, of Christian County, Ky. Ibrahim, the sole occupant, was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to published reports, Fort Campbell officials confirmed Ibrahim was a “Night Stalker” assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. He joined the Army in 2005 and arrived at Fort Campbell in 2019.
He was a native of Cocoa, Fla. He is survived by his wife, Melissa Ibrahim, herself an Army warrant officer and helicopter pilot.
A group that was accompanying Ibrahim in a separate plane was in line waiting to take off when they saw the crash, according to officials. They made their way to the crash site and were there with local fire and rescue units, sheriff’s office personnel and N.C. Highway Patrol troopers who responded.
Access to the crash site was through a pasture gate and across a pasture to a hilltop clump of trees, where the burning wreckage came to rest. The cause of the crash is initially believed to be mechanical failure, although the National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating and has not released its report.
Flights out of Western Carolina Regional Airport were delayed earlier Saturday morning by fog, which had cleared by the time Ibrahim began his takeoff.
David Williams and his son, Luke, were inside their house when they heard the crash about 200 yards east of them. Luke took a picture of the burning wreckage, then assisted arriving emergency responders. David, a law enforcement officer, rushed to the crash site and joined the emergency response.
Wreckage from the crash remained undisturbed through the weekend, marked off by yellow tape around the debris field, with orange fencing erected around the scorched aircraft wreckage.