Charged With Manslaughter In Deaths Of Three Passengers

The pilot who survived a fatal weekend crash of a Bellanca Viking into an Oklahoma reservoir bonded out of jail Wednesday, after a judge cut his $300,000 bail in half.

As Aero-News reported, 30-year-old Thomas Brent Caldwell was flying with three passengers Saturday night when the aircraft went down in Grand Lake, east of Tulsa, OK. Police say Caldwell was intoxicated when they found him, and that he does not possess a valid pilot license.

Caldwell is charged with first-degree manslaughter for the deaths of 15-year-old Mariano Carlos, 20-year-old Eduardo Robles and 33-year-old Campos Gonzalez.

KOTV-6 in Tulsa reports Caldwell's attorney, Chris Lyons, told the court his client has no prior criminal history, and does not pose a flight risk.

"You're dealing with a man who has character, who has heart, he is going to do what is right," said Lyons.

Results of a blood test administered following the accident have not been released.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the accident. Witnesses say the Bellanca's propeller was not spinning when the plane went into the water.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov