Plane in Jefferson City crash had mechanical problems earlier
08:45 PM CDT on Friday, October 15, 2004
By DAVID A. LIEB, Associated Press Writer
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A plane that plunged to a fatal crash after both of its jet engines failed had aborted a scheduled takeoff earlier in the day because of an apparent problem with a mechanical system that distributes engine heat throughout the plane.
Federal investigators said Friday evening that the regional jet affiliated with Northwest Airlines had aborted a scheduled flight Thursday from Little Rock, Ark., after an indicator light went on for its bleed-air system.
After undergoing maintenance, the 50-seat Pinnacle Airlines plane was being flown without passengers to Minneapolis when its engines failed and it crashed late Thursday night into a residential area in Missouri’s capital city, killing the two pilots. No residents were hurt.
The plane reached 41,000 feet before it went into an aerodynamic stall and lost power from one engine. At 13,000 feet, the second engine quit working. The last contact that air traffic controllers had with the plane was at 9,000 feet when a pilot reported an airport beacon in sight, Carmody said.
The crash site is about two miles from the Jefferson City airport.
Pinnacle Airlines, based in Memphis, Tenn., identified the two deceased pilots as Capt. Jesse Rhodes and First Officer Peter Cesarz but did not release their ages or hometowns. Carmody said earlier Friday that the pilots’ bodies had not been recovered, but by looking at the cockpit there’s “no doubt” the pilots died.
The plane, bought new by Pinnacle in May 2000, had flown 10,161 hours and had no major problems in inspections required by the Federal Aviation Administration, Pinnacle said.
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