Passenger felt plane slide off runway

MONTROSE, Colo. -- Moments before the plane carrying NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol crashed and burned, a passenger felt the aircraft sliding off the runway, federal officials said.

Seconds later, Ebersol's 21-year-old son Charlie was barefoot and screaming for help as he pulled his father from the wreck.

But what happened in the flash between the Sunday morning takeoff and subsequent crash landing, which killed three people, continues to be investigated by federal authorities.

"We're going to be looking at the weather, we'll be looking at the airplane configuration at takeoff, and we're going to be looking at the aircraft's systems," said Arnold Scott, a National Transportation Safety Board investigator.

Witness Preston McEachern said after the crash that Charlie Ebersol began digging in the ground next to the plane as if he knew where his brother was located.

The body of 14-year-old Teddy Ebersol was found Monday afternoon under the charred wreckage. Tuesday, Montrose County Coroner Mark Young said Teddy Ebersol was thrown from the plane and killed when the wreckage landed on top of him.

Also killed were 36-year-old flight attendant Warrant T. Richardson and 50-year-old captain Luis Espaillat.

Dick and Charlie Ebersol were in St. Mary's Hospital on Tuesday, and a pilot was being treated for severe burns in Denver. Young said Tuesday it was unclear whether the pilot would survive. The Ebersols are expected to make full recoveries.

Scott said the plane arrived at Montrose Regional Airport at 9:09 a.m. from California and dropped off Ebersol's wife, Susan Saint James, who was on her way to nearby Telluride, where the couple owns a home. The plane was filled up with 400 gallons of fuel and began its takeoff at 9:59 a.m.

Before takeoff, Scott said, the captain checked in with a Denver- based air control to clear their path to South Bend, Ind., where Charlie Ebersol is a fourth-year student at the University of Notre Dame.

"Tell us when you're ready for takeoff," air control said.

"We're ready," the pilot responded.

The morning was cold and blustery as nearly 3 inches of snow fell Sunday in Montrose.

"The gentleman who was on a snowplow as the airplane passed, he lost sight of him going down the runway," Young said. "In fact, the snowplow operator didn't know there was an accident until he saw the smoke. That tells you that the visibility was somewhat restricted."

Scott said the plane took off from a runway that was about 2,500 feet shorter than the main runway. He said the plane was capable of taking off from the shorter runway, but it would be easier from the longer one.

The pilot attempted to leave from the longer runway, but was told it would take "moments" to clear the plows.

"That was the last we heard from the pilot," Scott said.

Some local pilots have speculated the weather conditions played a major factor in the crash, either weighing down the wings with ice or making traction difficult on the runway.

"You never ever fly with ice on your wings. Ever," said Scott Borden, a Civil Air Patrol pilot in Grand Junction.

Young would not rule out ice on the wings as a potential cause on Tuesday, but he said he also was investigating the maintenance history and aircraft systems.

Tow truck operator Doug Peterson said he heard the crash and saw the plane skid across a two-lane private road, snap in two and burst into a ball of flames.

Montrose County Sheriff's Office personnel arrived on the scene minutes after the crash and had to move Charlie and Dick Ebersol away from the wreckage.

"They were sitting on a corral fence about 15 feet away," Undersheriff Dick Deines said.

Deines said Dick Ebersol complained of extreme back pains and needed to hang on to a deputy to walk away.

The crash poured heavy black smoke into the already grey, foggy air, said Ryan Whitfield, owner of a dairy farm property on which the plane came to rest.

"Oh man, it was really black. That fuel burns heavy," Whitfield said.

While the smoke dissipated by Sunday evening, gray winter clouds hung over the area until Monday afternoon, when investigators found Teddy Ebersol.

Copyright C 2004 Deseret News Publishing Co.
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.