FRESNO, Calif. — The California Highway Patrol says a car fleeing from police ran a stop sign and slammed into a pickup, killing three people in the car and four young children in the truck.
The patrol says police in Dinuba, southeast of Fresno, were trying to stop the car Saturday afternoon for a traffic infraction.
The patrol says the truck was carrying two adults and their five children. Four of the children — ages 1, 3, 4 and 7 — were ejected and died at the scene. The fifth child — age 8 — and the parents were taken to a hospital. The adults were identified as 29-year-old Carlos Salazar Jr. and 26-year-old Jennifer Salazar of Orange Cove.
All three men in the car being chased were killed. Their identities and ages weren't known.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Central California police say a fleeing car ran a stop sign and slammed into a pickup truck, killing three people in the car and four children in the truck.
The California Highway Patrol says police in Dinuba, southeast of Fresno, were trying to stop the car Saturday afternoon for a traffic infraction.
The Fresno Bee reports that the truck was carrying two adults and five children. The newspaper reports that four of the children were ejected and died at the scene. It says the other child and the adults were taken to a hospital.
The newspaper also says all three people in the car being chased were killed.
A highway patrol dispatcher refused to discuss the accident with The Associated Press and said the agency would be able to answer questions later Sunday.
by the associated press
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Showing posts with label Crash. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crash. Show all posts
Sunday, August 9, 2009
5 bodies discovered from Hudson after midair crash
HOBOKEN, N.J. — Divers recovered a piece of a submerged helicopter and a fifth body Sunday as investigators searched the Hudson River for wreckage from the helicopter and a small plane that collided in midair, killing nine people.
Investigators also were searching for pictures and video of Saturday's accident, which was seen by thousands out enjoying a beautiful summer day.
Nine people — three members of a Pennsylvania family in the private plane, five Italian tourists and a pilot from New Jersey in the Liberty Tours helicopter — died in Saturday's collision, the city's worst air disaster since a 2001 commercial jet crash in Queens that killed 265 people.
One of the Italian victims was a husband celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary, a family friend said. His wife had stayed behind, but their 16-year-old son was also in the helicopter.
On Sunday morning, divers recovered a torso stuffed in the fuselage of the helicopter wreckage, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because all the bodies have not yet been recovered or identified.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said a fifth body was also recovered Sunday.
National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Debbie Hersman said a nearby helicopter pilot saw the plane approaching the in-flight helicopter and tried to alert his fellow pilot. He radioed the doomed helicopter and said, "You have a fixed-wing behind you," but there was no response from the pilot, Hersman said.
The pilot then saw the plane's right wing clip the helicopter, and both aircraft split apart and fell into the river, she said.
The two aircraft went down just south of the stretch of river where a US Airways jet landed safely seven months ago. But this accident was, in Bloomberg's words, "unsurvivable."
On Sunday morning, New York Police Department boats about 100 yards from Hoboken's waterfront circled three buoys that marked the wreckage of the helicopter, and three New Jersey State Police divers were in the choppy waters. The plane had not yet been found.
A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers crane was moved up the river near the helicopter wreckage, which authorities hoped to remove by Sunday.
The river's strong currents and poor visibility hampered recovery efforts.
"The current and undertow are very strong in the Hudson, plus the murky conditions underneath," Hoboken Police Capt. Anthony Romano said. The river bottom is full debris dumped from cruise and other ships decades ago, which makes the searching more difficult, he added.
Hersman said she did not know if there were black boxes or other recording devices on the two aircraft. Aircraft of their size are not required to have such equipment.
She said investigators were hoping to find photos and video of the accident that could help them determine what happened. A handful of photos have surfaced in the media, including at least one showing the moment of impact.
The helicopter company, Liberty Helicopters, released the name of the pilot in the crash: Jeremy Clark, of Lanoka Harbor, N.J.
The plane's pilot was 60-year-old Steven Altman, of Ambler, Pa., the two law enforcement officials told the AP. Also in the plane were 49-year-old Daniel Altman, of Dresher, Pa.; and his 16-year-old son, Douglas, the officials said.
The five tourists were from the Bologna, Italy, area. The two officials identified them as Michele Norelli, 51; his son Filippo Norelli, 16; Fabio Gallazzi, 49; his wife, Tiziana Pedroni, 44; and their son Giacomo Gallazzi, 15.
"The trip was a gift from one of Norelli's sisters to mark the 25th anniversary of his marriage," Giovanni Leporati, a friend of the Norelli family, told the AP by phone. "The anniversary already happened but they took advantage of the August holidays and went."
The accident happened in a busy general aviation corridor over the river where pilots are generally free to pick their own route, as long as they stay under 1,000 feet and don't stray too close to Manhattan's skyscrapers.
The skies over the river are often filled with pleasure craft, buzzing by for a view of the Statue of Liberty.
Saturday's accident recalled another crash involving New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and his flight instructor, who died when their plane hit a skyscraper while flying a popular sightseeing route in 2006.
In January, the river was the scene of a spectacular aircraft landing after a US Airways flight taking off from LaGuardia Airport, in Queens, slammed into a flock of birds and lost power in both engines. The plane crash-landed in the river, and all 155 people on board were pulled to safety.
The NTSB has long expressed concern that federal safety oversight of helicopter tours isn't rigorous enough. The Federal Aviation Administration hasn't implemented more than a dozen NTSB recommendations aimed at improving the safety of the tours, called on-demand flight operations.
A report by the U.S. Department of Transportation's inspector general last month found that 109 people died in accidents involving on-demand flights in 2007 and 2008, while no one died in commercial airline accidents.
The plane, a Piper PA-32, was registered to LCA Partnership in Fort Washington, Pa. The address is shared by a real estate company run by Steven Altman.
Two police cars were stationed at driveway of the gated community of large single-family homes where Steven Altman lived and officers were blocking reporters.
Liberty Tours runs sightseeing excursions around the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and Manhattan at costs ranging from $130 to about $1,000.
Two years ago, a Liberty helicopter fell 500 feet from the sky during a sightseeing trip. The pilot was credited with safely landing the chopper in the Hudson and helping evacuate her seven passengers.
In 1997, a rotor on one of its sightseeing helicopters clipped a Manhattan building, forcing an emergency landing. No one was hurt.
by the associated press
Investigators also were searching for pictures and video of Saturday's accident, which was seen by thousands out enjoying a beautiful summer day.
Nine people — three members of a Pennsylvania family in the private plane, five Italian tourists and a pilot from New Jersey in the Liberty Tours helicopter — died in Saturday's collision, the city's worst air disaster since a 2001 commercial jet crash in Queens that killed 265 people.
One of the Italian victims was a husband celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary, a family friend said. His wife had stayed behind, but their 16-year-old son was also in the helicopter.
On Sunday morning, divers recovered a torso stuffed in the fuselage of the helicopter wreckage, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because all the bodies have not yet been recovered or identified.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said a fifth body was also recovered Sunday.
National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Debbie Hersman said a nearby helicopter pilot saw the plane approaching the in-flight helicopter and tried to alert his fellow pilot. He radioed the doomed helicopter and said, "You have a fixed-wing behind you," but there was no response from the pilot, Hersman said.
The pilot then saw the plane's right wing clip the helicopter, and both aircraft split apart and fell into the river, she said.
The two aircraft went down just south of the stretch of river where a US Airways jet landed safely seven months ago. But this accident was, in Bloomberg's words, "unsurvivable."
On Sunday morning, New York Police Department boats about 100 yards from Hoboken's waterfront circled three buoys that marked the wreckage of the helicopter, and three New Jersey State Police divers were in the choppy waters. The plane had not yet been found.
A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers crane was moved up the river near the helicopter wreckage, which authorities hoped to remove by Sunday.
The river's strong currents and poor visibility hampered recovery efforts.
"The current and undertow are very strong in the Hudson, plus the murky conditions underneath," Hoboken Police Capt. Anthony Romano said. The river bottom is full debris dumped from cruise and other ships decades ago, which makes the searching more difficult, he added.
Hersman said she did not know if there were black boxes or other recording devices on the two aircraft. Aircraft of their size are not required to have such equipment.
She said investigators were hoping to find photos and video of the accident that could help them determine what happened. A handful of photos have surfaced in the media, including at least one showing the moment of impact.
The helicopter company, Liberty Helicopters, released the name of the pilot in the crash: Jeremy Clark, of Lanoka Harbor, N.J.
The plane's pilot was 60-year-old Steven Altman, of Ambler, Pa., the two law enforcement officials told the AP. Also in the plane were 49-year-old Daniel Altman, of Dresher, Pa.; and his 16-year-old son, Douglas, the officials said.
The five tourists were from the Bologna, Italy, area. The two officials identified them as Michele Norelli, 51; his son Filippo Norelli, 16; Fabio Gallazzi, 49; his wife, Tiziana Pedroni, 44; and their son Giacomo Gallazzi, 15.
"The trip was a gift from one of Norelli's sisters to mark the 25th anniversary of his marriage," Giovanni Leporati, a friend of the Norelli family, told the AP by phone. "The anniversary already happened but they took advantage of the August holidays and went."
The accident happened in a busy general aviation corridor over the river where pilots are generally free to pick their own route, as long as they stay under 1,000 feet and don't stray too close to Manhattan's skyscrapers.
The skies over the river are often filled with pleasure craft, buzzing by for a view of the Statue of Liberty.
Saturday's accident recalled another crash involving New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and his flight instructor, who died when their plane hit a skyscraper while flying a popular sightseeing route in 2006.
In January, the river was the scene of a spectacular aircraft landing after a US Airways flight taking off from LaGuardia Airport, in Queens, slammed into a flock of birds and lost power in both engines. The plane crash-landed in the river, and all 155 people on board were pulled to safety.
The NTSB has long expressed concern that federal safety oversight of helicopter tours isn't rigorous enough. The Federal Aviation Administration hasn't implemented more than a dozen NTSB recommendations aimed at improving the safety of the tours, called on-demand flight operations.
A report by the U.S. Department of Transportation's inspector general last month found that 109 people died in accidents involving on-demand flights in 2007 and 2008, while no one died in commercial airline accidents.
The plane, a Piper PA-32, was registered to LCA Partnership in Fort Washington, Pa. The address is shared by a real estate company run by Steven Altman.
Two police cars were stationed at driveway of the gated community of large single-family homes where Steven Altman lived and officers were blocking reporters.
Liberty Tours runs sightseeing excursions around the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and Manhattan at costs ranging from $130 to about $1,000.
Two years ago, a Liberty helicopter fell 500 feet from the sky during a sightseeing trip. The pilot was credited with safely landing the chopper in the Hudson and helping evacuate her seven passengers.
In 1997, a rotor on one of its sightseeing helicopters clipped a Manhattan building, forcing an emergency landing. No one was hurt.
by the associated press
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Plane falls in Indian Ocean
SAN‘A, Yemen — A Yemenia Air plane going from the Arabian Peninsula country of Yemen to the island nation of Comoros has crashed in the Indian Ocean, a Yemen airport official said today.
The official said the plane was going from the Yemen capital San‘a to Moroni, on the main island of Grand Comore.
It was not known how many passengers were on board the Airbus 310 or the status of the passengers and crew.
The official said most of the passengers on the plane were believed to be Comoros residents.
by the associated press
The official said the plane was going from the Yemen capital San‘a to Moroni, on the main island of Grand Comore.
It was not known how many passengers were on board the Airbus 310 or the status of the passengers and crew.
The official said most of the passengers on the plane were believed to be Comoros residents.
by the associated press
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Transportation debate
CHICAGO — When derailed freight train cars carrying ethanol burst into flames just 50 miles from her Chicago suburb, killing a motorist who tried to flee, Barrington Mayor Karen Darch saw her worst fears realized.
"This is exactly the kind of thing we’ve been afraid of,” said Darch, who failed to stop a sale that will boost freight traffic through her town.
The derailment earlier this month highlights the struggle to prevent such disasters along the 140,000-mile U.S. rail network. The pressure is on to tackle outstanding safety issues with hazardous-cargo shipments expected to soar in coming years. Fears terrorists might view chemical-laden tankers as easy targets adds to the urgency.
Competing interests that sometimes pit the government against railroads, suburbs against cities or chemical makers against environmentalists complicate efforts to secure the transport of around 1.7 million carloads of hazardous material a year.
One of the most contentious issues has been new federal regulation requiring that companies reroute trains hauling the most toxic materials away from big cities. Those rules apply to substances that can vaporize, like chlorine.
New federal rules that have been partially implemented require that new tankers be better fortified to lessen chances of spills or explosions. Amid current economic woes, though, railways aren’t buying many new tankers.
Some railroads have opposed mandatory rerouting of hazardous freight — a rule debated for years before its final implementation early this year. They argued there’s often no alternative to running trains through cities and that upgrading out-of-the-way tracks to bear tanker-car loads would prove costly.
Some companies are steering more trains onto lines that cut through towns and suburbs to bypass chronic train-track congestion in Chicago, the nation’s premier rail hub. Outlying communities say the reroutes increase their exposure to derailments.
by the associated press
"This is exactly the kind of thing we’ve been afraid of,” said Darch, who failed to stop a sale that will boost freight traffic through her town.
The derailment earlier this month highlights the struggle to prevent such disasters along the 140,000-mile U.S. rail network. The pressure is on to tackle outstanding safety issues with hazardous-cargo shipments expected to soar in coming years. Fears terrorists might view chemical-laden tankers as easy targets adds to the urgency.
Competing interests that sometimes pit the government against railroads, suburbs against cities or chemical makers against environmentalists complicate efforts to secure the transport of around 1.7 million carloads of hazardous material a year.
One of the most contentious issues has been new federal regulation requiring that companies reroute trains hauling the most toxic materials away from big cities. Those rules apply to substances that can vaporize, like chlorine.
New federal rules that have been partially implemented require that new tankers be better fortified to lessen chances of spills or explosions. Amid current economic woes, though, railways aren’t buying many new tankers.
Some railroads have opposed mandatory rerouting of hazardous freight — a rule debated for years before its final implementation early this year. They argued there’s often no alternative to running trains through cities and that upgrading out-of-the-way tracks to bear tanker-car loads would prove costly.
Some companies are steering more trains onto lines that cut through towns and suburbs to bypass chronic train-track congestion in Chicago, the nation’s premier rail hub. Outlying communities say the reroutes increase their exposure to derailments.
by the associated press
Friday, June 26, 2009
Chief reassigned following DC crash
WASHINGTON (AP) — The train operator killed this week in a Washington commuter rail crash was a hero who saved lives, the Metro transit agency's general manager said Friday.
John Catoe told relatives, friends and colleagues who gathered at a Washington church that 42-year-old Jeanice McMillan was not just doing her job when she was operating the train. He called her a hero and said her actions "ultimately saved lives."
Federal investigators have said McMillan applied an emergency brake before her train plowed into another, killing her and eight passengers. The crowd stood and clapped and cheered after Catoe's comment.
Hundreds attended the memorial service at the Temple of Praise in southeast Washington. D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty was there, as were many Metro employees, wearing their uniforms and black arm bands.
Also Friday, agency officials said they have temporarily reassigned the superintendent of the automatic control system that is supposed to prevent train crashes.
Monday's crash was the deadliest in Metrorail's 33-year history, when a train plowed into another that was stopped. The moving train was operating in automatic mode, which means it was primarily controlled by a computer.
Matthew Matyuf, who led the Automatic Train Control Division, has been temporarily assigned to a "special project," Metro officials said. They would not elaborate on what that project was.
The reassignment is not an indication of any wrongdoing, spokeswoman Candace Smith said.
"It's not meant to be a negative reflection on him at all," Smith said. "It's just a precaution until the investigation is complete."
Matyuf has worked for the transit agency for more than 20 years, Smith said.
Federal investigators said Thursday that Metro's signaling system failed to detect a test train stopped in the same place as one that was struck during this week's deadly crash.
Test results indicate the oncoming train involved in Monday's crash may have lacked information that another train was stopped on the tracks ahead. About 70 people were injured.
by the associated press
John Catoe told relatives, friends and colleagues who gathered at a Washington church that 42-year-old Jeanice McMillan was not just doing her job when she was operating the train. He called her a hero and said her actions "ultimately saved lives."
Federal investigators have said McMillan applied an emergency brake before her train plowed into another, killing her and eight passengers. The crowd stood and clapped and cheered after Catoe's comment.
Hundreds attended the memorial service at the Temple of Praise in southeast Washington. D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty was there, as were many Metro employees, wearing their uniforms and black arm bands.
Also Friday, agency officials said they have temporarily reassigned the superintendent of the automatic control system that is supposed to prevent train crashes.
Monday's crash was the deadliest in Metrorail's 33-year history, when a train plowed into another that was stopped. The moving train was operating in automatic mode, which means it was primarily controlled by a computer.
Matthew Matyuf, who led the Automatic Train Control Division, has been temporarily assigned to a "special project," Metro officials said. They would not elaborate on what that project was.
The reassignment is not an indication of any wrongdoing, spokeswoman Candace Smith said.
"It's not meant to be a negative reflection on him at all," Smith said. "It's just a precaution until the investigation is complete."
Matyuf has worked for the transit agency for more than 20 years, Smith said.
Federal investigators said Thursday that Metro's signaling system failed to detect a test train stopped in the same place as one that was struck during this week's deadly crash.
Test results indicate the oncoming train involved in Monday's crash may have lacked information that another train was stopped on the tracks ahead. About 70 people were injured.
by the associated press
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Fatal derailment investigating
ROCKFORD, Ill. — Railroad tank cars holding thousands of gallons of highly flammable ethanol derailed and exploded in flames, killing a 41-year-old woman as she tried to run to safety from a car stopped at a crossing, authorities said Saturday.
Three other people from the same car escaped with severe burns. Hundreds of people were evacuated.
Eighteen tank cars, all filled with ethanol, or ethyl alcohol, derailed Friday on the edge of Rockford.
National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Robert Sumwalt said investigators wouldn’t speculate the cause. A thorough investigation could take a year, he said.
Reports that the derailment was caused by a washout of the tracks after heavy rain were "not a certainty and this remains under investigation,” Canadian National Railway Co. spokesman Patrick Waldron said.
by the associated press
Three other people from the same car escaped with severe burns. Hundreds of people were evacuated.
Eighteen tank cars, all filled with ethanol, or ethyl alcohol, derailed Friday on the edge of Rockford.
National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Robert Sumwalt said investigators wouldn’t speculate the cause. A thorough investigation could take a year, he said.
Reports that the derailment was caused by a washout of the tracks after heavy rain were "not a certainty and this remains under investigation,” Canadian National Railway Co. spokesman Patrick Waldron said.
by the associated press
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Freight train derails near Chicago
ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) — A freight train derailed, triggering an explosion that left at least two people critically injured Friday night and prompted officials to evacuate the area northwest of Chicago amid concerns that more of the train's cars might catch fire.
Officials said several people were injured in the derailment that occurred around 8:30 p.m.
OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center nursing supervisor Myra Porthouse said two people at the hospital were in critical condition with burn injuries and another was in serious condition.
Officials were evacuating residents within a half-mile of the derailment, about 80 miles northwest of Chicago, but did not have an estimate on how many people were being told to leave their homes. There are subdivisions in the area.
"It's very dangerous, it's very explosive," Kirk Wilson, a fire chief in nearby Rockton, told reporters, explaining that the tanker cars that exploded were carrying ethanol. "We can't speculate on how long the evacuation will be in effect."
Wilson, whose department was one of at least 26 that responded to the derailment, said the 114-car train included 74 tankers carrying ethanol and that 12 of those tankers were involved in the fire. There remained a possibility that the fire could spread to the other tanker cars, he said. He also said firefighters were not rushing in to put the fire out but letting the ethanol burn off.
The cause of the derailment remained under investigation, Wilson said.
There had been heavy rainfall in the area and the Rockford Register Star reported that the track may have been washed out.
Witnesses reported seeing a massive fireball after the train derailed, according to the newspaper.
"At first I thought it was a tornado because they always say a tornado sounds like a train coming," Jeff Tilley, an employee of the paper who lives near the scene, said.
Another Register Star employee, Amy Walker, said she and her husband were in a car near the crossing when they saw train cars bouncing up and down.
"Then they started piling up and the two tank cars exploded," she said.
When that happened, she said, several people in vehicles near the crossing jumped out and ran away.
by the associated press
Officials said several people were injured in the derailment that occurred around 8:30 p.m.
OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center nursing supervisor Myra Porthouse said two people at the hospital were in critical condition with burn injuries and another was in serious condition.
Officials were evacuating residents within a half-mile of the derailment, about 80 miles northwest of Chicago, but did not have an estimate on how many people were being told to leave their homes. There are subdivisions in the area.
"It's very dangerous, it's very explosive," Kirk Wilson, a fire chief in nearby Rockton, told reporters, explaining that the tanker cars that exploded were carrying ethanol. "We can't speculate on how long the evacuation will be in effect."
Wilson, whose department was one of at least 26 that responded to the derailment, said the 114-car train included 74 tankers carrying ethanol and that 12 of those tankers were involved in the fire. There remained a possibility that the fire could spread to the other tanker cars, he said. He also said firefighters were not rushing in to put the fire out but letting the ethanol burn off.
The cause of the derailment remained under investigation, Wilson said.
There had been heavy rainfall in the area and the Rockford Register Star reported that the track may have been washed out.
Witnesses reported seeing a massive fireball after the train derailed, according to the newspaper.
"At first I thought it was a tornado because they always say a tornado sounds like a train coming," Jeff Tilley, an employee of the paper who lives near the scene, said.
Another Register Star employee, Amy Walker, said she and her husband were in a car near the crossing when they saw train cars bouncing up and down.
"Then they started piling up and the two tank cars exploded," she said.
When that happened, she said, several people in vehicles near the crossing jumped out and ran away.
by the associated press
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Deadly police chopper crash
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Officials say that both the pilot of a state police helicopter and the student hiker he was rescuing were killed when the aircraft crashed on a snowy mountain near Santa Fe.
The officials said that Sgt. Andy Tingwall perished after retrieving lost hiker Megumi Yamamoto when the chopper struck the side of a mountain Tuesday night in rough weather.
Yamamoto, a University of New Mexico physics graduate student from Tokyo, was also confirmed dead earlier Thursday after rescuers reached the bodies.
The only other person aboard, state police officer Wesley Cox, sustained serious leg injuries but managed to reach safety Wednesday.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Officials say that both the pilot of a state police helicopter and the student hiker he was rescuing were killed when the aircraft crashed on a snowy mountain near Santa Fe.
The officials said that Sgt. Andy Tingwall perished after retrieving lost hiker Megumi Yamamoto when the chopper struck the side of a mountain Tuesday night in rough weather.
Yamamoto, a University of New Mexico physics graduate student from Tokyo, was also confirmed dead earlier Thursday after rescuers reached the bodies.
The only other person aboard, state police officer Wesley Cox, sustained serious leg injuries but managed to reach safety Wednesday.
by the associated press
The officials said that Sgt. Andy Tingwall perished after retrieving lost hiker Megumi Yamamoto when the chopper struck the side of a mountain Tuesday night in rough weather.
Yamamoto, a University of New Mexico physics graduate student from Tokyo, was also confirmed dead earlier Thursday after rescuers reached the bodies.
The only other person aboard, state police officer Wesley Cox, sustained serious leg injuries but managed to reach safety Wednesday.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Officials say that both the pilot of a state police helicopter and the student hiker he was rescuing were killed when the aircraft crashed on a snowy mountain near Santa Fe.
The officials said that Sgt. Andy Tingwall perished after retrieving lost hiker Megumi Yamamoto when the chopper struck the side of a mountain Tuesday night in rough weather.
Yamamoto, a University of New Mexico physics graduate student from Tokyo, was also confirmed dead earlier Thursday after rescuers reached the bodies.
The only other person aboard, state police officer Wesley Cox, sustained serious leg injuries but managed to reach safety Wednesday.
by the associated press
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Decorated pilot, 3 daughters die in plane crash, Nevada
RENO, Nev. — A small plane has crashed while approaching an airport in the town of Fallon, killing a naval air station officer and his three daughters, authorities said Saturday.
Cmdr. Luther H. Hook III, 44, died when his twin-engine Cessna 320 crashed and burst into flames Friday night about a mile from the runway after a flight from Fresno, Calif., base spokesman Zip Upham said.
Also killed were his three daughters from a previous marriage: Kaitlyn Hook, 15; Rachel Hook, 12; and Mackenzie Hook, 9.
Hook was the No. 2 officer at Naval Air Station Fallon, which meant he was responsible for "all the administrative, disciplinary and detail work that makes the base run,” Upham said.
Witnesses told authorities that the plane appeared to be in distress and was maneuvering erratically shortly before the crash. According to Federal Aviation Administration records, the plane was manufactured in 1966 and had no prior incidents.
The National Weather Service said wind was gusting up to 40 mph at the time in the town about 60 miles east of Reno.
Hook had flown to Fresno on Friday to pick up his daughters and was bringing them to Fallon for the weekend when his private plane crashed, Upham said. Hook, a 1986 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, was a decorated pilot who amassed more than 2,700 flight hours in an F/A-18 Hornet, flying from aircraft carriers.
The crash was being investigated by the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board.
by the associated press
Cmdr. Luther H. Hook III, 44, died when his twin-engine Cessna 320 crashed and burst into flames Friday night about a mile from the runway after a flight from Fresno, Calif., base spokesman Zip Upham said.
Also killed were his three daughters from a previous marriage: Kaitlyn Hook, 15; Rachel Hook, 12; and Mackenzie Hook, 9.
Hook was the No. 2 officer at Naval Air Station Fallon, which meant he was responsible for "all the administrative, disciplinary and detail work that makes the base run,” Upham said.
Witnesses told authorities that the plane appeared to be in distress and was maneuvering erratically shortly before the crash. According to Federal Aviation Administration records, the plane was manufactured in 1966 and had no prior incidents.
The National Weather Service said wind was gusting up to 40 mph at the time in the town about 60 miles east of Reno.
Hook had flown to Fresno on Friday to pick up his daughters and was bringing them to Fallon for the weekend when his private plane crashed, Upham said. Hook, a 1986 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, was a decorated pilot who amassed more than 2,700 flight hours in an F/A-18 Hornet, flying from aircraft carriers.
The crash was being investigated by the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board.
by the associated press
Thursday, May 21, 2009
At least 98 die in Crash, Indonesia
MAGETAN, Indonesia — An Indonesian military plane carrying troops and their families caught fire and nose-dived into a residential neighborhood Wednesday, killing 98 people and putting the spotlight back on the country’s poor aviation safety record.
More than a dozen people were injured, many with severe burns.
Survivors said they heard at least two loud explosions and felt the C-130 Hercules wobbling from left to right as it careened to the ground. The transporter slammed into a row of houses and then skidded into a rice paddy.
Military spokesman Sagom Tamboen said the transport plane, built in 1980, was on a routine flight from the capital, Jakarta, and went down before it could reach its destination — an air force base in East Java province.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono promised that a thorough investigation would be carried out.
by the associated press
More than a dozen people were injured, many with severe burns.
Survivors said they heard at least two loud explosions and felt the C-130 Hercules wobbling from left to right as it careened to the ground. The transporter slammed into a row of houses and then skidded into a rice paddy.
Military spokesman Sagom Tamboen said the transport plane, built in 1980, was on a routine flight from the capital, Jakarta, and went down before it could reach its destination — an air force base in East Java province.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono promised that a thorough investigation would be carried out.
by the associated press
Monday, May 4, 2009
Crash kills 18 Venezuelan soldiers and 1 civilian
CARACAS, Venezuela — Seventeen Venezuelan soldiers and a civilian were killed when a military helicopter crashed Sunday near the Colombian border, the state news agency reported. A brigadier general was among those who were killed.
Rescue members search bodies inside the wreckage of a "Venezuelan military helicopter crashed while patrolling the border with Colombia killing at least 18 people on May 3, 2009 in the town of El Alto de Rubio near the city of San Cristobal. –AFP Photo/George Castellanos"
Rescue members search bodies inside the wreckage of a "Venezuelan military helicopter crashed while patrolling the border with Colombia killing at least 18 people on May 3, 2009 in the town of El Alto de Rubio near the city of San Cristobal. –AFP Photo/George Castellanos"
President Hugo Chavez said the soldiers were patrolling the 1,400-mile border separating Venezuela and Colombia when the local military base lost contact with their Mi-17 helicopter shortly after midday. The helicopter crashed near the town of El Alto de Rubio, the state-run Bolivarian News Agency reported.
Two pilots and the entire crew were killed.
Army Brig. Gen. Domingo Alberto Feneite and Cristian Velazquez, a civilian, were among the victims, according to the state news agency.
Chavez sent condolences to the families of the victims during his weekly TV and radio program.
"They died while they were on duty and serving the fatherland,” he said.
Neither Chavez nor the Venezuelan military gave the cause of the crash.
Chavez lamented that dozens of Venezuelan soldiers have lost their lives in recent years trying during their duties to prevent violence from Colombia’s decades-long armed conflict from spilling over into Venezuela.
by the associated press
Two pilots and the entire crew were killed.
Army Brig. Gen. Domingo Alberto Feneite and Cristian Velazquez, a civilian, were among the victims, according to the state news agency.
Chavez sent condolences to the families of the victims during his weekly TV and radio program.
"They died while they were on duty and serving the fatherland,” he said.
Neither Chavez nor the Venezuelan military gave the cause of the crash.
Chavez lamented that dozens of Venezuelan soldiers have lost their lives in recent years trying during their duties to prevent violence from Colombia’s decades-long armed conflict from spilling over into Venezuela.
by the associated press
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