Flight Safety Information March 19, 2013 - No. 059 In This Issue Steve Davis Dead: Former Oklahoma QB Dies In Plane Crash Lear jet rolls off runway Monday due to pilot error at Cuyahoga County airport Retired Tulsa firefighter survives jet crash Boeing to announce major airplane order Tuesday 3 allegedly made bomb threats at airports PROS IOSA Audit Experts Junkyard genius builds world's first racing airplane for endurance race Steve Davis Dead: Former Oklahoma QB Dies In Plane Crash As a child, Steve Davis dreamed of playing for Oklahoma and even tucked away a picture of the Sooners' quarterback he idolized in his dresser drawer. Decades later, he is among the standard-bearers for the position at one of college football's most storied programs. Davis, who started every game during Barry Switzer's first three seasons as head coach and won national championships in 1974 and 1975, died Sunday in a plane crash in South Bend, Ind. He was 60. Davis compiled a remarkable 32-1-1 record in three years as the Sooners' starter. The Sooners went 11-0 in 1974, then won the national title again the following year after going 11-1. It was a storybook career for Davis, who finished with one of the best records for a starting quarterback in the sport's history after a humble beginning at Oklahoma. He grew up in Sallisaw in the eastern part of the state and developed a love for the Sooners. In an interview with The Oklahoman newspaper last year, he described how he hid a picture from an Oklahoma football brochure in his top dresser drawer. "It was a shot into the huddle, and there was Bobby Warmack, who was my idol. He had that eye-black, and the double chin strap and the towel out of the front of his pants," Davis told the paper. "I took that picture, and I took a big, black magic marker and wrote `WHEN?'" The day Davis made his first start in the 1973 season opener, he said, his mother took the picture and wrote on it: "TONIGHT." Oklahoma beat Baylor in the opener, then tied powerhouse Southern Cal - with Lynn Swann and Pat Haden - in the second game. After that, Davis and the Sooners ran off 28 straight victories. "I will never get away from the fact that I was an Oklahoma quarterback. I will never get away from the fact that I only lost one game," Davis said in the 2008 book "The Die-Hard Fan's Guide to Sooner Football." "All of those things are a part of my legacy and my history. I am very thankful for what happened. I don't know that I would trade my career for any other quarterback that has ever played at OU." Switzer recounted how Davis wasn't highly regarded as a high school player and was recruited simply as an athlete before he caught the coach's eye during a freshman game, back when first-year players were ineligible to play. Switzer turned to offensive coordinator Galen Hall and remarked that he might have found a quarterback. "Steve was surrounded by great talent on those teams, but he was truly an exceptional leader," Switzer said. "I was proud of him. The entire state of Oklahoma was proud of him. We still are." Davis worked as a television sports commentator after his career was over, including game day telecasts for Sooners games last season. During his college career, he spoke at a Billy Graham event. Davis' parents, Jim and Patsy Davis of Sallisaw, said their son loved to fly and had earned a pilot's license but did not own a plane. Davis' father described him as a booster with enough clout that "he had a lot of input in the athletic department." The Davises described 58-year-old Wes Caves of Tulsa, who also died in the crash, as a friend of Davis but they did not know the other two passengers who survived. "We extend our sympathies to Steve's family and others whose lives he touched," Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione said. "He was a great champion and someone who set a wonderful example for others. We will miss him very much." A product of a different era, Davis hardly had to throw a pass to be the star quarterback in Oklahoma's dominant wishbone offense. He completed just 40 percent of his passes during his career for 2,034 yards, but only attempted about six passes per game during Oklahoma's back-to-back championship seasons. With silver-shoed All-American Joe Washington carrying the ball, the Sooners rushed 813 times in 1974 - averaging an NCAA record 73.9 attempts per game - and amassing 438.8 yards on the ground. Davis' school records for consecutive starts (34) and career victories (32) were surpassed only last season by Landry Jones, who started every game the past three seasons plus most of 2009 while replacing injured Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford. In the process, Davis reached out to Jones, who had been criticized after an early season loss to Kansas State by writing him a letter; Davis had been booed during the only loss of his career, a 23-3 setback to Kansas in 1975. Jones would go on to break Davis' career record for wins by beating Texas, also joining Davis, Jimmy Harris and Jamelle Holieway as the only Sooners' quarterbacks to go 3-0 in Red River Rivalry starts. "He just really wanted to encourage me," Jones said. "Just keep going, keep leading those guys and keep fighting, regardless of what happens in the next game or the last game. Your focus is on this game and always to lead those guys." Davis had the unique accomplishment of also going 3-0 against Nebraska and Oklahoma State, two of the Sooners' other chief rivals. "Just his execution and his ability. He was an incredible athlete," said David Humm, Nebraska's quarterback from 1972-74. "He's a guy who wore you down. Just an incredible competitor." Davis said his parents were from Sallisaw, though he was born at Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City, La., where his father was stationed. He received the very last available scholarship to play at Oklahoma - only after another player had decided to play at Colorado instead, according to the 2012 book "I Love Oklahoma/I Hate Texas." "They had a lot of scholarships and they recruited eight quarterbacks to try to find somebody that could imitate Jack Mildren, and I was one of those eight," Davis recalled in the "Fan's Guide" interview. "I was the bottom of the eight but I was one of those eight, and through early fall drills I started out as number eight quarterback." Davis described how he considered leaving Oklahoma before the 1973 season, but instead dedicated himself to competing and ended up landing the starter's job after Kerry Jackson was suspended and the Sooners were put on probation. It would end up being among the greatest tenures for a starting quarterback in Oklahoma history, along with Harris' performance during the NCAA record run of 47 consecutive victories. "This is a tragic loss," Switzer said. "Steve was a tremendous role model for student- athletes everywhere. He was a good student and a fantastic person. He was a minister who traveled across the country inspiring thousands with his message, his words and his lifestyle." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/18/steve-davis-dead-plane-crash-former-oklahoma- qb_n_2902127.html Back to Top Lear jet rolls off runway Monday due to pilot error at Cuyahoga County airport Pilot error, not icy conditions, led to a plane rolling off a runway Monday morning at the Cuyahoga County airport. A Lear jet slid off of the end of a runway at 8:19 a.m. No one was injured, county officials said. "The cause of this incident was deemed that the pilot missed his landing area by 1,500 feet as a result of traveling at a high speed," county spokeswoman Jeane Holley said in an emailed statement. The plane was removed from the mud and grass and the runway reopened at 2 p.m. Two similar planes had landed just before the Lear jet and neither had problems, Holley said. There are 325 planes and 54 businesses based at the airport, where the control tower is scheduled to close April 7 because of the federal budget cuts. Pilots of private and corporate planes will have to take off and land by talking to each other. Some have expressed safety concerns. http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2013/03/plane_skids_off_runway_at_cuya.html Back to Top Retired Tulsa firefighter survives jet crash A retired Tulsa firefighter is recovering from his first surgery from a deadly jet crash in South Bend, Indiana. Jim Rodgers, was with the Tulsa Fire Department for 27 years, before retiring in 2005. FOX23 News confirmed, a private jet took off from Tulsa's Riverside Airport Sunday afternoon crashed while trying to land at South Bend Regional airport, killing businessman Wes Caves and former OU quarterback Steve Davis. Rodgers son-in-law, Christopher Evans, is reported to be in fair condition. Fire Station #32 is one of a number of stations, where Rodgers used to work. He's a man who faced danger many times as he headed out to fires. Fellow firefighters know the jet crash is his greatest challenge but they call him a fighter. "Good firefighter," said retired firefighter Hubert Rouse. Rodgers was also known as strong firefighter. "Captain Jim Rodgers was probably one of the finest captains I've ever known. That's a good guy," said Oklahoma Firefighter Association President, Gerald Garrett. Garrett calls him a good guy on and off the job. "He always did the right thing. He was Christian guy, always stood up and did the right thing," said Garrett. Retired firefighter Rouse says he was a mentor for the young firefighters. "Good brother in the fire service, good Christian man, good example," said Rouse. On Monday, firefighters took a moment to pray. "No one is promised tomorrow but you hate it when a brother goes down that gave so much," said Garrett. Family members tell FOX23 News Rodgers suffered broken bones and internal injuries. "It's a little scary thinking one of your brothers dying," said Garrett. After a first round of surgery last night, Rodgers is expected to recover. Firefighters say if anyone can survive, it's Jim Rodgers. He may be retired but he'll always be known as one tough firefighter. "He is going to survive, I hope. We have faith that he will," said Garrett. Jim Rodgers' family who is in South Bend to be with him tells FOX23 news he's expected to undergo more surgery this week. At this point the family has asked for privacy and FOX23 respects their privacy. http://www.fox23.com/news/local/story/Retired-Tulsa-firefighter-survives-jet- crash/cGJP0vqfXUqxsdFx_0Yqrg.cspx Back to Top Boeing to announce major airplane order Tuesday Boeing Co (BA.N) said it planned to announce on Tuesday a significant airplane order, a deal sources familiar with the matter said would be with Irish budget carrier Ryanair (RYA.I) for about 170 planes worth $15 billion at list prices. Boeing Commercial Airplanes Chief Executive Ray Conner is scheduled to be in New York for the announcement Tuesday morning, Boeing said on Monday. The sources, speaking last week on the condition of anonymity, said the landmark order was exclusively for the current generation Boeing 737NG jet. Reuters reported exclusively in late January that Ryanair was closing on a deal for at least 150 current-generation 737NG passenger jets to be completed within weeks. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/18/us-boeing-planeorder- idUSBRE92H10B20130318 Back to Top 3 allegedly made bomb threats at airports Three bomb threats disrupted operations at airports in Miami and Newark, N.J., police and airport officials said. Airport officials said operations at the Miami International Airport returned to normal Monday after a security scare the day before shut down Terminal E for several hours after a passenger said a bomb was in his luggage, The Miami Herald reported. "He was on his way to Mexico City where he was supposed to connect to another plane," airport spokeswoman Maria Levrant said. "The airport bomb squad was on the scene and quartered off the terminal." The Herald didn't indicate what prompted the man to make the threat or whether he was arrested. At Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J., two passengers were arrested for allegedly making bomb threats in separate incidents, an official said. Port Authority of New York and New Jersey spokesman Steve Coleman said the first incident occurred at Sunday morning in Terminal C of the airport. Investigators said Eran Hess of Tel Aviv, Israel, was angry because there were no more seats on his United Airlines connecting flight to Miami even though his bag was already loaded onto the plane, and he allegedly told gate agents there was a bomb in the bag, The (Newark) Star-Ledger reported Monday. Coleman said police arrested Hess and believe he made the alleged threat in retaliation for the airline separating him from his bag. David Castelveter, a Transportation Security Administration spokesman, said passengers and bags were unloaded from the airplane and re-screened. Later Sunday, Thomas Foley III of Hoboken, N.J., was arrested in Terminal C for allegedly creating a false alarm, The Star-Ledger reported. "While he was at a checkpoint, he basically stated that there was a bomb in his shoe," Coleman said. http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2013/03/18/3-allegedly-made-bomb-threats-at- airports/UPI-74161363608564/ Back to Top Back to Top Junkyard genius builds world's first racing airplane for endurance race In the annals of the 24 Hours of LeMons - the racing series that combines a $500 vehicle spending limit with "Let's Make a Deal" costumes into a weekend jubilee of junkyard engineering - few racers and builders have brought more innovation to the track than Jeff Bloch. Bloch, known around the pits as Speedycop, has built 13 cars for the series over the years, none more involved than the craft he unveiled this weekend that combined Toyota minivan power with the body of a Cessna to create "The Spirit of LeMons" - a road-racing airplane. Most LeMons projects involve a few friends pooling money and tools, creating a theme and finding a cast-off car (the more unique and less suited to racing, the better) that might run 24 hours around a track over two days if everyone wishes hard enough and stays sober while wrenching. Compared to those cars, the Spirit of LeMons is a Saturn V rocket with warp drive. Starting with a complete 1956 Cessna 310 heading to the scrap heap, Speedycop and associates spent the past five months carefully gutting the Cessna, along with Sawzall- ing the body of a 1987 Toyota VanWagon - whose rear-wheel-drive and mid-mounted 4- cylinder engine offered the right general layout. From there, it was a simple matter of mating the Cessna body to the van. And moving the steering. And forming the body. And building a subframe. While working outside, in the dark, in winter. Spirit of LeMons On The Track Bloch and team finished the race this weekend in South Carolina, but more importantly won the Index of Effluency award, the more valuable prize given each race to the vehicle that holds its own on the track but should never see public roads in the name of general common sense. Now that he's crossed over into other forms of transportation, Bloch will have to push even harder to top this creation - although the phrase "land yacht" does offer one suggestion. http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/junkyard-genius-builds-world-first-racing- airplane-endurance-210755927.html Curt Lewis