Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, September 14, 1994 TAG: 9409140105
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From The Washington Post and The Associated Press NOTE: above
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
A tape from the airport's radar system, recorded at the time, clearly indicates the plane's path before the apparent suicide crash that killed student pilot Frank Corder. But, the source said, apparently no one was watching the radar.
The radar is not monitored closely by Federal Aviation Administration controllers around 2 a.m., when the crash occurred, because air traffic at National Airport is light then, according to aviation and congressional sources.
The investigation, ordered by Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen, indicates that the Secret Service received no warning from aviation officials that the single-engine Cessna was headed toward the White House.
Officials also revealed Tuesday that Corder died with trace amounts of cocaine in his system and more alcohol than legally allowed for flight.
Secret Service spokesman Dave Adams said an autopsy showed that Corder's blood-alcohol content was 0.045 percent, slightly above the 0.04 percent legal limit for pilots. The legal limit for driving an automobile in most states is 0.08 percent or 0.10 percent.
Investigators said they were not surprised by the autopsy findings, but the results didn't point to a single motive. ``He could have had a final drink or two'' before killing himself, ``or he might have been a little too drunk to land,'' said one investigator, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Before stealing the plane and crashing it, Corder spent Sunday watching football, drinking beer and Mad Dog wine and smoking crack cocaine in an Aberdeen, Md., motel room, according to friends who were with him.
In the evening, Corder began talking about taking an airplane ride.
``He said he was going to go down to the airport, get a plane and fly,'' said Fred Fulton, 55, a resident of the motel.
It was the end of a booze- and drug-filled week in which Corder roamed his hometown and bemoaned his marital troubles.
Those who spent that week with him said Corder did not seem suicidal, but they now believe he intended to kill himself and chose to do it with notoriety. They dismissed the idea that he had anything against Clinton.
While the White House supposedly is one of the country's most secure buildings, the disclosure that it apparently is not under effective radar surveillance late at night raises questions about its vulnerability to airborne attack.
Congressional leaders briefed by administration officials on the details of the crash said Tuesday they want more answers.
``Why wouldn't the FAA have seen this plane and notified the Secret Service?'' asked Sen. Dennis DeConcini, D-Ariz. DeConcini, who is chairman of a subcommittee that oversees the Secret Service, said he may hold hearings.
It was also revealed Tuesday that even if the plane had been spotted in time by a controller, there apparently was no plan in place for immediately notifying the Secret Service at the White House.
by CNB