THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, January 6, 1997 TAG: 9701060045
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: 49 lines
The recovery of debris from the site of a plane crash in which four people died finished up Sunday.
And with that, the focus of the hunt for a cause will move from marshland to laboratories and desktops.
``The local investigation is pretty much done,'' said Butch Wilson, an air safety investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board in Washington.
And thus far, there is no certainty about what caused the twin-engine Piper Aerostar to crash in flames just after takeoff Thursday night from the Chesapeake Municipal Airport. Two New York couples were killed. They'd been traveling to Atlanta.
The plane crashed about 7:40 p.m. Thursday, roughly three-quarters of a mile northwest of the airport.
Heavy fog might have played a role in the crash. But there's also been considerable speculation that the aircraft's engines were not running at full power, allowing the plane to make a slow descent from 150 feet to the treetops, where it crashed.
So far, however, Wilson said he's found ``nothing unusual'' in visual studies of debris, including both engines.
Some of the wreckage, including the engines, will be sent to the manufacturer for more intense study. It's unclear how much information will be found amid the debris, however. Much of the aircraft was destroyed by fire.
Investigators will also scrutinize the aircraft's maintenance history, pilot records, weather and a variety of other factors as they seek the cause of the crash.
The NTSB does not expect to have a final report on the accident before June.
Meanwhile, the State Medical Examiner's office in Norfolk is expected to begin examinations of the victims' bodies today.
Besides determining a cause of death for each, the examiner will use dental records to identify them.
Relatives identified the pilot on Saturday as Dr. Christopher Pavlides, 66, of Glen Cove, N.Y. He was chief orthopedic surgeon at Wyckoff Heights Hospital in Brooklyn.
His wife, Hetty Hardin, and two friends, David and Angela Freeman, also of Glen Cove, also are believed to have died in the crash.
KEYWORDS: INVESTIGATION ACCIDENT PLANE FATALITIES