Flames Reported On Board Whitefield Plane
DANVILLE, Ark. (AP, Arkansas Online) -- The pilot of a plane that crashed Nov. 4 reported flames on the aircraft, but a preliminary investigation has found no evidence of a pre-crash fire.
All three passengers -- Justin Whitefield, 34, and Jennifer Parton, 37, both of Oklahoma City, and Brandon Wayne Hughes, 26, of Ada -- died in the crash, which happened near Danville. The pilot apparently was trying to land in a pasture about two miles from the Danville Airport when the plane clipped power wires, invisible in the dark, and crashed.
The Oklahomans were returning home from the Breeders' Cup in Louisville, Ky., after a refueling stop in Little Rock. Whitefield headed the Oklahoma Youth Expo and was a State Capitol lobbyist and attorney. Parton was a Republican fundraiser.
A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board said the pilot reported a 'rough-running engine' at about 6,000 feet.
The report did not specify which of the three Oklahomans was flying the plane (but it is believed Hughes was at the controls). Whitefield was a student pilot; he and a partner purchased the single-engine airplane, after a thorough mechanical inspection, about a week before the crash from Ada businessman Bob Cantrell.
Shortly after radioing his engine was running rough, the pilot reported, "Mayday, going down, on fire," the report said.
An NTSB investigator said the plane caught fire after it crashed, but found no evidence to substantiate the pilot's statement.
"None was found to bear any evidence or signatures of a possible in-flight fire," the report said.
A probable-cause report on the crash will take several months to complete, the safety board has said.
A memorial service honoring Whitefield will be held Wednesday beginning at 10 a.m. at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Those wishing to honor his memory are being asked to donate to the Justin Whitefield Junior Livestock Memorial Fund being handled by the Bank of Western Oklahoma. The bank has branches in Weatherford, Vici, Cordell, Geary, Woodward and Elk City. Services for Parton were held last week.
All three passengers -- Justin Whitefield, 34, and Jennifer Parton, 37, both of Oklahoma City, and Brandon Wayne Hughes, 26, of Ada -- died in the crash, which happened near Danville. The pilot apparently was trying to land in a pasture about two miles from the Danville Airport when the plane clipped power wires, invisible in the dark, and crashed.
The Oklahomans were returning home from the Breeders' Cup in Louisville, Ky., after a refueling stop in Little Rock. Whitefield headed the Oklahoma Youth Expo and was a State Capitol lobbyist and attorney. Parton was a Republican fundraiser.
A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board said the pilot reported a 'rough-running engine' at about 6,000 feet.
The report did not specify which of the three Oklahomans was flying the plane (but it is believed Hughes was at the controls). Whitefield was a student pilot; he and a partner purchased the single-engine airplane, after a thorough mechanical inspection, about a week before the crash from Ada businessman Bob Cantrell.
Shortly after radioing his engine was running rough, the pilot reported, "Mayday, going down, on fire," the report said.
An NTSB investigator said the plane caught fire after it crashed, but found no evidence to substantiate the pilot's statement.
"None was found to bear any evidence or signatures of a possible in-flight fire," the report said.
A probable-cause report on the crash will take several months to complete, the safety board has said.
A memorial service honoring Whitefield will be held Wednesday beginning at 10 a.m. at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Those wishing to honor his memory are being asked to donate to the Justin Whitefield Junior Livestock Memorial Fund being handled by the Bank of Western Oklahoma. The bank has branches in Weatherford, Vici, Cordell, Geary, Woodward and Elk City. Services for Parton were held last week.
posted by Mike McCarville @ 7:35 AM
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