Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 1, 1995 TAG: 9510020046
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Short
The plane, which crashed about 30 miles north of Williamsburg, Va., on Sept. 10, was carrying 10 parachutists and a pilot. It hit a man on the ground. All were killed.
Investigators told The Washington Post on Friday that the Beechcraft Queen Air 65's flight manual had been altered to make the plane appear to be a model 65A, which can fly safely with its door removed. But flying a Queen Air 65 with the door off can create ``an unsafe condition'' because the air flow across the aircraft's tail can become turbulent, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Turbulence makes it hard to fly the plane straight, especially when only one of the plane's two engines is working. Investigators have determined that the plane's right engine shut down just before the crash, the Post said.
The plane's maximum weight was 7,700 pounds, but when it took off, its weight exceeded that limit by about 150 pounds, according to the safety board.
The plane's owners, Stephan S. Rose and Rebecca P. Smith of Newport News, could not be reached for comment Saturday.
The National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the accident, declined comment.
- Associated Press
Keywords:
FATALITY
by CNB