Wing Separation Eyed As Suspect In Fatal T-210 Crash

Fri, 10 Sep '10
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.

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.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov