NTSB Probes Wellstone Crash

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NTSB and FAA officials Sunday continued their investigation into the cause of Friday’s crash of a King Air A-100 that claimed the life of Minnesota Sen. Paul D. Wellstone (D-Minn.), one of the Senate’s leading liberals. Eight people — including two pilots and three Wellstone campaign staff members — were killed when the turboprop went down in a swampy North Woods forest while on approach into the Eveleth-Virginia Municipal Airport in northern Minnesota. The airport has no control tower and according to investigators, controllers at nearby Duluth Approach heard no distress call from the King Air prior to the crash. Investigators are centering on why the aircraft was on a southeasterly heading after having been cleared for an approach to Runway 27. Reported weather was a low ceiling and icy drizzle. The aircraft was not equipped with a cockpit voice recorder, but sources close to the crash investigation said the two pilots were advised several times during the flight of “adverse icing conditions.” According to The Washington Post, the aircraft was in poor weather throughout the trip from the Twin Cities. A “go-team” from the National Transportation Safety Board arrived over the weekend to investigate the accident. This accident may bring back eerie memories of another October crash. On October 16, 2000, the Cessna 335 carrying Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan and an aide, flown by the governor’s son, crashed near Hillsboro, Mo., killing all aboard. The NTSB’s report on the Carnahan crash is available online.

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