Landings Eagle - Oct 2015

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OCTOBER 2015 941.349.0194 | ISLAND VISITOR PUBLISHING, LLC

www.THELANDINGSOFSARASOTA.com

Landings Couple Killed in Plane Crash On September 8, our offi ce received a call from Kevin Lechlitner of LRC informing us of a Landings couple killed in a plane crash on Labor Day. With few other details, we checked news services for more information. According to the Associated Press, the victims were Michael Apfelbaum, his wife Christy and her father, Clarence Imgrund. The plane crashed in Forsyth County, North Carolina, enroute to their home in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. M i c h a e l A p f e l b a u m w a s a well-known attorney in Sunbury Pennsylvania and h i s w i f e C h r i s t y o w n e d The Center for Permanent Cosmetics at Brookpark Farm near Lewisburg. The Apfelbaums owned a condo in Eagles Point II and were traveling from Sarasota to Pennsylvania at the time of the crash. “Michael would come by whenever he was in town and take tennis lessons with me,” said Joe Venezia, tennis pro for the Racquet Club. “He was such a great person, easy-going, and super to talk to,” Venezia continued.

“They stayed at their condo regularly during the holidays and whenever their schedules allowed.” Authorities say Michael Apfelbaum became unsure of his location that day, so he made an emergency call to Piedmont Triad International (PTI) in Greensboro, N.C. He had just been told to climb 4,000 feet to avoid some cloud cover when the crash occurred. According to the preliminary report, the airplane was being radar vectored by air traffic control to approach PTI following a previous unsuccessful approach. The report also details what four different witnesses say they saw. One described the airplane as “very low” in the sky and was in a “sharp left turn” toward the west. Another witness said the airplane,”...looked as if it were a trick plane practicing stunts or else someone trying to stabilize the plane, but continuing to overcorrect as the nose would go down then up and the wings would go from right to left and back, but never stabilize.”

The preliminary report states the pilot held a private pilot certifi cate. His last FAA third class medical was issued April 17, 2014. At the time, he reported a total of 750 fl ight hours. A c c o r d i n g t o t h e A P , the plane was a Beechcraft A36 plane. The Beechcraft “Bonanza” is a six-seater, propeller engine plane; a very common plane for private fl ying. J i m C h r i s t i , a 3 0 - y e a r veteran pilot said, “In the airplane world, they are not rare. In the airplane world, they are very common. You will see one at almost every airport you go to.” Christi said for the type of trip, from Sarasota to Greensboro, the plane is ideal and Greensboro would have been the perfect fuel stop. The plane is able to travel four and a half hours without refueling; the trip would have taken around three and a half hours. If the pilot would have run into cloud coverage that lowered the pilot’s visibility, according to Christi, it would have been diffi cult to see.

Christy and Michael Apfelbaum (Photo Source: AP)

“In an instance like that, if the pilot were unable to see through a cloud, then he would have only have between 13 and 20 seconds to recover and that might not have been enough time.” According to Christi, a lot of factors will be considered in the investigation, but the three most common causes

Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s road to the Trauma Center Since its humble beginnings with a modest 32-bed facility b a c k i n N o v e m b e r 1 9 2 5 , Sarasota Memorial Hospital has seen tremendous growth and received many honors over the years. With its close proximity, it’s no surprise that many SMH medical professionals and volunteers choose to make The Landings their residence. SMH’s continual achievement

in providing the best care has served the community well. It is Sarasota County’s only publicly owned hospital and remains the only not-for-profi t hospital in the surrounding 4-county region providing a safety net of care for the community. When Florida approved an additional Trauma Center for the tri-county area, it made sense for SMH to pursue and

secure it. Following is a time-line of SMH’s journey to become a Level II Trauma Center. It’s been an expensive and arduous process, but their due diligence is paying off in a big way. In the summer of 2014 Florida’s rule allocating trauma centers across the state is fi nalized. It allows two trauma centers in the Trauma Service

By Emy Stein

Area encompassing Sarasota, Manatee and Desoto counties. HCA/Blake Medical Center in Manatee County has fi lled one slot, leaving the second slot open. Sarasota Memorial, which has assessed the possibility of opening a trauma center over the years, begins months of due diligence and meetings with key stakeholders. Continued on page 10

of private plane crashes are engine failure, low fuel and weather. The preliminary report does not list a cause for the crash. Although a site investigation was expected to only take about three days, it could be months before the federal agency determines exactly what caused the plane crash.

COMMISSIONER ALAN MAIO DISCUSSES NEW BUDGET SEE PAGE 13


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