Toyota's Executive Engineer dies in a plane crash
11-26-06, 10:10 PM
#1
Toyota's Executive Engineer dies in a plane crash
A Toyota Motor Corp. executive engineer described as the "American father of the Prius" and who was among the country's top experts on gas-electric hybrid vehicles died in a plane crash, officials said Sunday.
David Hermance, 59, was piloting an experimental plane when it went down Saturday afternoon about 50 yards off Los Angeles' San Pedro area.
A search team found the wreckage of the two-passenger Interavia E-3 aircraft submerged in 60 feet of water Sunday morning, county Fire Capt. Mark Savage said.
"The plane was coming straight down, like it couldn't pull out of a steep dive, and it just hit the water," a witness, Rick Wadlow of Palos Verdes, told KABC-TV.
Hermance was executive engineer for Advanced Technology Vehicles at Toyota technical center in the Los Angeles area, company spokesman Mike Michels said. There, he was key in developing the gas-electric Prius and bringing it to the American market, where it gained popularity for its fuel efficiency.
While much of the car's technology was developed in Japan, Hermance was perhaps the "American father of the Prius" for his tireless work evaluating and promoting it in the U.S., longtime colleague Bill Reinert said.
"When that car came out, no one knew what it was," said Reinert, a Toyota national manager. "Dave dedicated his life to championing this technology."
Hermance joined Toyota in 1991 as a senior manager, the became a general manager in the company's powertrain department. Before that, he worked for General Motors .
"He was widely recognized as the most authoritative individual on hybrid power vehicles in the U.S.," Michels said.
Hermance, who was married with two grown children, was believed to be the only person aboard the plane.
His single-engine plane is classified as experimental by the Federal Aviation Administration. It is based on a Russian design and often is used in aerobatics.
The plane may have taken off from Long Beach but it was unclear where it was heading, Savage said.
The plane was built in 1993 and registered to Yakety Yak, Inc., in Wilmington, Del., the FAA said.
http://www.forbes.com/business/busin...ap3204274.html
David Hermance, 59, was piloting an experimental plane when it went down Saturday afternoon about 50 yards off Los Angeles' San Pedro area.
A search team found the wreckage of the two-passenger Interavia E-3 aircraft submerged in 60 feet of water Sunday morning, county Fire Capt. Mark Savage said.
"The plane was coming straight down, like it couldn't pull out of a steep dive, and it just hit the water," a witness, Rick Wadlow of Palos Verdes, told KABC-TV.
Hermance was executive engineer for Advanced Technology Vehicles at Toyota technical center in the Los Angeles area, company spokesman Mike Michels said. There, he was key in developing the gas-electric Prius and bringing it to the American market, where it gained popularity for its fuel efficiency.
While much of the car's technology was developed in Japan, Hermance was perhaps the "American father of the Prius" for his tireless work evaluating and promoting it in the U.S., longtime colleague Bill Reinert said.
"When that car came out, no one knew what it was," said Reinert, a Toyota national manager. "Dave dedicated his life to championing this technology."
Hermance joined Toyota in 1991 as a senior manager, the became a general manager in the company's powertrain department. Before that, he worked for General Motors .
"He was widely recognized as the most authoritative individual on hybrid power vehicles in the U.S.," Michels said.
Hermance, who was married with two grown children, was believed to be the only person aboard the plane.
His single-engine plane is classified as experimental by the Federal Aviation Administration. It is based on a Russian design and often is used in aerobatics.
The plane may have taken off from Long Beach but it was unclear where it was heading, Savage said.
The plane was built in 1993 and registered to Yakety Yak, Inc., in Wilmington, Del., the FAA said.
http://www.forbes.com/business/busin...ap3204274.html
Last edited by GSteg; 11-26-06 at 10:14 PM.
11-27-06, 11:40 AM
#4
Lexus Champion
Not that I am saying this guy shouldn't have been flying a plane but I can't tell you the number of well-off people who have proven themselves intelligent enough to succeed greatly at one career, who assume that means they should be able to fly a plane without a problem. Flying in good weather with a properly functioning plane and no surprises is cake - people get in trouble when they assume that they will know what to do when surprises do come up.
People like my dad and best friend learned 'how to fly a plane' within their first month of pilot training of their entire career... it's the entire rest of their career that is spent dedicated to the finer details that keep them alive when the stuff that isn't supposed to happen, happens.
People like my dad and best friend learned 'how to fly a plane' within their first month of pilot training of their entire career... it's the entire rest of their career that is spent dedicated to the finer details that keep them alive when the stuff that isn't supposed to happen, happens.
11-27-06, 11:58 AM
#5
Lexus Fanatic
( I'm an FAA employee myself, a licensed pilot, and a Ground Instructor )
Anyhow.....a real shame about Hermance. The auto industry seems to have lost one of its more significant persons
.
Last edited by mmarshall; 11-27-06 at 12:02 PM.
11-27-06, 12:16 PM
#6
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Not that I am saying this guy shouldn't have been flying a plane but I can't tell you the number of well-off people who have proven themselves intelligent enough to succeed greatly at one career, who assume that means they should be able to fly a plane without a problem. Flying in good weather with a properly functioning plane and no surprises is cake - people get in trouble when they assume that they will know what to do when surprises do come up.
People like my dad and best friend learned 'how to fly a plane' within their first month of pilot training of their entire career... it's the entire rest of their career that is spent dedicated to the finer details that keep them alive when the stuff that isn't supposed to happen, happens.
People like my dad and best friend learned 'how to fly a plane' within their first month of pilot training of their entire career... it's the entire rest of their career that is spent dedicated to the finer details that keep them alive when the stuff that isn't supposed to happen, happens.
11-27-06, 01:02 PM
#7
Lexus Champion
I just said I hear of countless 'successful' people who can afford a plane and assume they're smart enough to figure it out and end up killing themselves or almost killing themselves.
In fact I do IT consulting at several doctor's offices and for some reason doctors all think that since they know how to work on the human body, then flying a plane should be a snap. They go get their private pilots license and then charge fearlessly into circumstances they don't necessarily know how to handle.
I didn't say that was the case with this guy - in fact I specifically mentioned that I wasn't saying that was the case here - I don't know if it was or wasn't. So no inside scoop here! Sorry!
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11-27-06, 07:08 PM
#9
Lexus Fanatic
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The industry lost a talented person. Sad. 
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