Local News

NTSB: Minn. Crash Cockpit Recorder In Good Shape

OWATONNA, Minn. (AP) ― The manager of a regional airport where a business jet crashed, killing eight people, said Friday that similar aircraft land at the airport routinely, and the 5,500-foot runway is adequate.
  
"It's a good business line," Dave Beaver said of the runway.
  
Beaver, manager of the Owatonna Degner Regional Airport, confirmed that severe weather had moved through the area shortly before the Hawker jet crashed at about 9:45 a.m. Thursday, but that the weather had calmed down at the time of the crash.
  
When asked whether all of the airport's systems were working properly or whether anything had been damaged in the storm, he said he'd leave that for investigators to answer.
  
Also Friday evening, the airport reopened for business. It had been under flight restrictions since the crash.
  
National Transportation Safety Board investigators were surveying the wreckage Friday, looking for clues. Some investigators were seen examining the runway, where witnesses said the plane landed, then became airborne again before disappearing behind a row of trees.
  
The plane hit the ground in a cornfield, skidded for about 50 yards, then crossed a gravel road and continued to skid, clearing the corn in its path and leaving a wide swath of dirt and debris behind.
  
When the plane came to rest, its fuselage was nearly verticle, with the landing gear sticking out, almost parallel to the ground. The cabin of the plane was unrecognizable -- now just a pile of mangled, crunched metal and debris. The white tail poked up about a foot above a sea of corn.
  
A piece of siding with rivets was on the roadway, and other pipes, yellow bits of insulation, a pully, wires and unrecognizable bits of metal were tossed about. The area smelled slightly of fuel.
  
Seat cushions were scattered along the skid. And other signs of human life were tossed about amid the debris: plastic drinking cups and paper plates, a furniture store ad, a wrapper from a granola bar, and packaging from a bag of Tazo Earl Grey tea. A cracked CD jewel case was in the road, near a card from a deck of playing cards -- face down in the gravel.
  
Authorities said the cockpit voice recorder had been recovered and was in good condition. That could yield information on why the plane crashed.
  
Steven Chealander, a National Transportation Safety Board member, said the agency wouldn't speculate on a cause until the investigation is complete, which could take up to a year.
  
Investigators will examine that morning's stormy weather, the background of the pilots, the plane's condition, witness accounts and air controller traffic prior to the crash.
  
"We have no idea whether one of them is more important than another one at this time," Chealander said in a briefing to reporters.
  
The cockpit voice recorder was sent to the NTSB lab in Washington for analysis, along with a flight management system, a device that contains data but is less elaborate than the flight data recorders on large jets.
  
The jet was carrying six casino and construction executives and two pilots when it went down, killing all aboard. The executives were coming to Owatonna to meet with representatives of a local glass company called Viracon to discuss a $2 billion hotel-casino complex being built in Atlantic City by Revel Entertainment.
  
Seven people were found dead at the site. One died later at a hospital. All of the bodies had been removed from the scene by Friday. The Dakota County coroner's office was working on identifying the victims through fingerprints and dental records.
  
Roy Redman, president of RARE Aircraft Inc., a mechanics company at the airport, said Friday that he was inside and heard the plane land on the runway. Moments later, one of his mechanics who had watched the landing came running around the building, yelling that the jet had gone off the runway and disappeared behind a row of trees in the distance.
  
Redman, who called 911, said the mechanic told him the jet landed, then went airborne, rolled and hit the ground.
  
The airport has no control tower, and pilots communicate with FAA stations nearby.
  
An hour before the crash, a 72 mph wind gust was reported in Owatonna, according to the National Weather Service. But witnesses said the crash occurred after the worst of the storm had passed, with the sky clearing and only light rain.
  
Chealander released new data about weather observations around the time of the crash. At 9:15 a.m., a northwest wind was blowing at 8 knots; at 9:35 a.m., 10 minutes before the crash, it had eased to 3 knots and swung to the south, making it a tailwind.
  
Pilots generally try to land into a headwind, which helps slow the plane. A tailwind would speed the plane and make it more difficult to stop, but three knots is generally considered a light wind.
  
One witness said there was standing water on the runway. But Beaver said during a news conference that no other pilots reported braking problems.
  
By Friday, all of the victims had been identified. They were:
  
-- Karen Sandland, 44, of Galloway, N.J., a project manager for Tishman Construction Corp. who was working on the Revel project. Sandland worked out of Tishman's Newark office.
  
-- Two pilots, Clark Keefer of Bethlehem, Pa., and Dan D'Ambrosio of Hellertown, Pa.
  
-- Two executives of APG International, a Glassboro, N.J., company that specializes in glass facades: Marc Rosenberg, 52, of Margate City, N.J., the company's chief operating officer; and Alan Barnett, 42, of Absecon, N.J., its assistant project manager.
  
-- Three Revel Entertainment executives: Tony Craig, 50, of Brigantine, N.J., and Chris Daul, 44, of Northfield, N.J., both of whom were vice presidents of construction development; and Lawrence "Chip" Merrigan, 62, of Absecon, N.J., the company's director of field operations.
  
"This is a sad time for Revel Entertainment," said company CEO Kevin DeSanctis. "These gentlemen were valued for their camaraderie as well as their professional expertise. The loss of their friendship and that of Karen Sandland of Tishman Construction will be keenly felt by all of us here."
  
Two other people who were supposed to be on board did not get on the flight, Neville said.
  
East Coast Jets declined to comment on the pilots' backgrounds Friday.
  
Keefer's LinkedIn Web page said he had been a captain for the company since January 2004.
  
D'Ambrosio, 27, lived in Hellertown with his 25-year-old fiance, Niki Cox. They planned to wed in December. The pair met 2 1/2 years ago at a gym where D'Ambrosio worked and they shared a commom interest in sports -- her love for basketball and his for football.
  
They often played pick-up games in their free time, but his other passion was for flying, Cox's father Tyrone Cox said.
  
"As a child that was his dream, to be a pilot," Cox said. D'Ambrosio fulfilled that dream last year, and would have been celebrating one year as a pilot this August.
  
Cox said D'Ambrosio had been training to be a commercial pilot, but quit because he didn't want to be far from his fiance. That's when he was hired by East Coast Jets, Cox said.
  
"She just wants to die," Cox said of his daughter. D'Ambrosio had told his fiance goodbye before he left for the day trip.
  
"She said, 'Even his towel is still wet, dad,"' Cox said.
  
D'Ambrosio is originally from Allentown, Pa., where his parents now live.

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