At least seven children were among those killed when a small airplane carrying 14 people crashed while trying to land in northern Montana, an official said Monday. Skip related content
Related photos / videos
The single engine turboprop was heading from Oroville, California to Bozeman in Montana Enlarge photo -
-
Witnesses said the plane nose-dived into the cemetery Enlarge photo
Related content
- Ski Trip Children Killed In US Plane Crash
- US plane crash in Montana kills 14
- Video: Montana plane crash kills 17 people
- Related Hot Topic: New York Plane Crash
Have your say: New York Plane Crash
The plane, a Pilatus PC-12/45 single engine turboprop, left from Oroville airport, California, Sunday on a 900-mile (1,500-kilometer) flight to Bozeman in the northern state of Montana, said Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesman Les Dorr.
However, at some point the plane diverted to Butte, Montana, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) west of its original destination. As it approached Butte the plane crashed in a cemetery about 500 feet (150 meters) short of the runway of the airport, Dorr said.
There were seven children and seven adults aboard the doomed flight, said National Transportation and Safety Board spokesman Terry Williams.
"We think that it was probably a ski trip for the kids," another FAA spokesman, Mike Fergus, told AFP.
Witness Kenny Gulick, 14, said he thought he was watching a stunt plane because of how many turns it was making.
The pilot "jerked the plane to the left too quickly and lost control of it, but that's just my guess," Gulick told CBS.
"And all of a sudden it went into a nosedive. I noticed the pilot trying to pull up but he was extremely low to the ground and he didn't pull up in time."
At a press conference in Montana, NTSB official Mark Rosenker said that there were clear skies and a visibility of about 16 kilometers (10 miles) when the plane went down.
A team of NTSB specialists arrived on the site Monday to investigate the crash conditions.
Speculation has centered on whether the Pilatus PC-12 was carrying too heavy a load as experts said the plane could only carry 11 people.
"This aircraft is only certified for nine passengers," aviation attorney Mary Schiavo, a former federal inspector, said on CNN. "Granted, they said that they were children, but unless people were holding them in their laps, which is not a safe way to fly, only nine passengers and two crew," she said.
"The maximum weight when you're landing this plane, you're only allowed to have 9,000 pounds (4,000 kilograms) on it and the empty weight is almost 6,000 pounds (2,700 kilograms). So, that's not a lot of leeway."
A couple who witnessed the crash took a picture showing towering flames shooting up from the cemetery with a tree on fire.
Witness Steve Guidoni said he and his wife, Martha saw "everything was on fire," he told CNN.
"And there wasn't much left of the plane, actually. It was embedded in the ground. It went into the ground. It caught a big tree on fire.
"I looked to see if there was anybody I could pull out, but there wasn't nothing there. I couldn't see nothing. Some luggage strewn around and fire. That was about it. There was some plane parts."
He said the plane left a hole 20 feet (six meters) deep in the ground.
The Napa Valley Register, a California newspaper, reported on its website that the victims included a family of five from St. Helena, California with three preschoolers.
FAA spokesman Dorr said the plane was apparently owned by Eagle Cap Leasing from Enterprise, Oregon. He said it normally carries nine or 10 people, but that the fatal flight might have been configured to legally carry more passengers.
[get this widget]
0 comments:
Post a Comment