Gulfstream Crew Warned Of Low Altitude

The crew of a Gulfstream II on approach to Houstons William P Hobby Airport early Monday was warned by a controller that its altitude was too low about two minutes before it crashed, killing both pilots and a flight attendant. The jet was inbound to Hobby to pick up former president George H.W. Bush for a flight to Ecuador. The Gulfstream was being operated by Jet Place, a Tulsa, Okla., charter operator and departed Dallas Love Field earlier that morning for the short hop to Houston. Yesterday, the first officer aboard the Gulfstream was identified as Michael Desalvo, 62, from Roanoke, Texas. Weather at Hobby that morning included low ceilings and calm winds, according to reports. The landing jets right wing reportedly clipped a light pole more than three miles from its intended runway. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident; so far, the planes CVR and FDR had been recovered. Desalvo and the flights captain reportedly had some 19,000 hours of flight time each.