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Investigators fear cause of crash will never be known Associated Press October 29 5:34am ET | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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MINA, S.D. -- Investigators picked through Payne Stewart's shattered Learjet on Thursday for valves and other small parts that might help answer whether the golfer's flight was doomed by a loss of oxygen in the cabin.
Still, investigators are concerned that the cause of Stewart's crash will never be known because the plane and the bodies were so severely damaged, according to a high-level government official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "I don't know if we'll ever be able to tell what happened from what we dug out of that hole," the official said. Stewart and five other people died Monday aboard the plane, which crashed into a cow pasture near Mina four hours after it left Orlando, Fla., for Texas. The plane flew 1,400 miles across the country, apparently on autopilot, before it ran out of fuel. Government officials and pilots have said one possible explanation is that the jet lost cabin pressure soon after taking off, causing everyone on board to die or lose consciousness. Bob Benzon, who is in charge of the investigation for the NTSB, said crews were particularly interested in finding valves, parts of the doors and windows and other components that help seal the cabin. All of what remained of the wreckage had been recovered and gathered in a hangar by Thursday afternoon. The NTSB also is reviewing three Learjet accidents that appear similar to Monday's crash. "They continued to fly on autopilot after the crew became incapacitated. We don't know why in a couple of them," Benzon said. In 1990, a Learjet crashed in Ohio soon after taking off from Michigan for Kentucky. The reasons remained unknown because the plane was "shredded," the government official said. A Learjet took off in Europe in 1983 and flew 1,600 miles before crashing into the Atlantic Ocean, but there was no investigation because the plane was never found. In 1988, two Americans died when their Learjet from Tennessee inexplicably bypassed its Texas destination and crashed into a mountain in Mexico. Pilots in an F-16 and another plane tried to contact the Learjet's pilot after it climbed above 40,000 feet but got no response. Just before sundown Wednesday, investigators found the cockpit voice recorder in the wreckage of Stewart's plane. It has a 30-minute tape loop that usually records over itself, and officials do not expect to hear anything from when the plane veered off course and radio contact was lost, because that happened hours before the crash. However, the tape could have picked up cockpit sounds, such as the rush of air or the whine of the engines, that would help determine what was happening at the end of the flight. "We're looking for unusual noises that may indicate some kind of breach of the hull of the airplane," Benzon said. Benzon said the recorder was being flown to NTSB offices in Washington on Thursday, and a preliminary analysis of the tape would be done overnight. About two dozen workers in blue, yellow and white plastic coveralls, picked through the wreckage in the pasture Thursday in search of parts not more than a couple of inches across. Next, investigators will sort through the plane debris in a hangar at the nearby Aberdeen airport. If any key pieces are missing, metal detectors might be used to search the crash site again, Benzon said.
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Players offer tearful tribute to Stewart Roberts: Stewart showed his courage in reaching out to others Estes pays tribute to Stewart with 15-foot drive PGA Tour to take Friday off for Stewart memorial Players try to cope with Stewart's death Stewart's legacy: More than just clothes made the man Farrey: Stewart's death leaves a huge void Shock, sadness, remembrances from Stewart's peers Stewart's wife watched plane reports on TV, brother-in-law says Stewart's death heightens Daly's fear of flying Neighbors, friends quick to respond Chat wrap: Andy North on Stewart Agent, a former Alabama QB, killed in Stewart plane crash
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