Pilot Tried To Fake Death in Meridian Crash

By: Chad Trauvetter

January 13, 2009
Accidents

Marcus Schrenker, a 38-year-old financial manager under investigation by the SEC, apparently attempted to fake his own death on Sunday by parachuting from his Piper Meridian before the turboprop single crashed at about 9:15 p.m. in a swampy area near Milton, Fla., according to an FAA preliminary report. The pilot, who was flying from Indiana to Destin, Fla., “appears to have intentionally abandoned the airplane after putting it on autopilot over the Birmingham, Ala.

area and parachuting to the ground,” the Santa Rosa, [Florida] county's office said in a statement. According to several reports, Schrenker issued a mayday call saying his windshield had shattered and that he was bleeding severely.

However, military aircraft that intercepted the airborne Meridian found that the windshield was intact, the door open and the cockpit empty. Additionally, accident investigators found no blood in the airplane’s cockpit, much less a body.

After parachuting to safety, Schrenker checked into a Harpersville, Ala. motel under a false name and paid cash for his room.

Shortly thereafter, motel video surveillance caught him putting on a black cap before running into nearby woods. Officials believe he fled Harpersville on a motorcycle that he hid in a storage unit he recently leased under another false name.

Federal officials have issued warrants for his arrest.

Back

French Investigators Conclude Air France Flight 447 Did Not Break Apart in Flight July 02, 2009 The condition of the wreckage recovered from that Air France A330-200 that plunged into the Atlantic Ocean on June 1 indicates that the airplane... [more]
NATA Summit covers criminalization in aviation July 01, 2009 In September 2006, days after an ExcelAire Services Embraer Legacy 600 and a Gol Airlines Boeing 737 collided over the Amazon jungle in Brazil,... [more]
PC-12, CRJ200 in Near Ground Collision July 01, 2009 According to the NTSB, a runway incursion that occurred on May 29 at Charlotte (N.C.) Douglas International Airport involving a PC-12 turboprop... [more]
Accidents: APU fire damages Embrear regional jet July 01, 2009 Embraer ERJ 145, Kemi, Finland, Dec. 11, 2008–The regional jetliner, operated by Finnish Commuter Airlines, sustained minor damage to its... [more]
Accidents: Russian helicopter crash kills all on board July 01, 2009 Bell 407, Malyshkino, Russia, May 10, 2009–The helicopter was substantially damaged when it crashed in the Irkutsk region approximately three... [more]