NTSB Investigator Says Evidence Prop Was Running At Impact
As the NTSB continued its
investigation this week into the fatal crash of a 1982 Cessna
T-210, the evidence now suggests the plane may have lost a wing
before it impacted the ground in a heavily wooded area near Buffalo
City, AR Tuesday.
Timothy LeBaron, an investigator from the NTSB said only the
fuselage, the engine, propeller, and one of the wings were found at
the primary impact site. Investigators, along with the aid of
helicopter from the Baxter County Sheriff's Office, found the
second wing approximately 1/2 mile from the main wreckage. The tail
section was also found some distance from the main crash site.
LeBaron told KARK-TV there are several potential reasons
including excessive stress, corrosion, and even mechanical failure
that may explain why one of the wings would separate from the
airframe body. Additionally, LeBaron indicated he, along with
representatives from the FAA, local county investigators, and
Cessna combed nearby wooded areas for smaller parts and other
clues, and that there is evidence the propeller was running at the
time of impact.
The accident, which fatally injured Robert Joseph Ross, 62,
owner of United Flight Services of Santa Cruz, CA, and his
32-year-old son, Michael Ross, of Austin, TX is still under
investigation. According to reports, the plane departed Danville,
IL and was en route to Georgetown, TX . Both were pilots, but there
is still question as who was at the controls when the plane
crashed. The elder Ross was a flight instructor for United Flying
Services of Watsonville, CA and the six-passenger plane was
registered to Monterey Bay Aviation, also of Watsonville.
Ross, recognized as a long-time pillar of the Watsonville
airport, acquired the company with Alicia Marquez in 2002.
Cessna 210 File Photo
LaBaron said his role was to gather and organize critical facts
relating to the pilot, the aircraft, as well as the environment,
not to determine probable cause. He will also look at the plane's
maintenance records, the pilot's log books, as well as review
information and recordings with air traffic control.
According to the Santa Cruz Sentinel, this September 7 crash is
the second accident within a 30-day period involving one of their
aircraft. On August 13th another single-engine plane from Monterey
Bay Aviation United Flight Services went down in the Sierra Nevada
Mountains, fatally injuring two people.