Plane crash claims life of pilot, Conway woman

Firefighters worked frantically Saturday to contain a house fire that claimed two lives caused when a small Cessna jet crashed into a home near the Conway Municipal Airport.

Killed in the crash were the pilot Hugh Rains, 71, of Wichita Falls, Texas, and Janet Brady, 71, a resident of the house located at 319 Ingram St.

Two survived the incident, a male passenger of the plane and a male occupant of the home, located near the intersection of Ingram and Bruce streets.

According to Conway Fire Department Chief Bart Castleberry the plane struck the home at about 2:50 p.m. and the location of the home made it difficult to gain control of the home quickly.

"It was a long stretch to the hydrant," Castleberry said. "The fire, as far as being under control, took probably two hours."

Persons familiar with airport operations indicated that the plane, owned by IHR Administrative Services of Wilmington, Del., had previously experienced "brake issues" in an incident severely months ago at the Conway Municipal Airport.

Bill Meeks of Maumelle, an employee of a local trucking firm near the site of the crash, said he was working on a truck and happened to look up moments before the plane struck the residence.

"It looked like once he knew he wasn't going stop, he hit full thrust (in an attempt to take flight again) but his wheels never left the ground," said Meeks. He added that the plane appeared to be engulfed in flames before striking the residence.

An overnight command post was established near the site where the Conway Police Department is investigating the scene. The Federal Aviation Administration has closed the airport temporarily. Officials from the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are expected to arrive today to assist in the investigation as to what factors contributed to the plane's crashing.

A funeral was taking place near the crash site, and mourners were briefly stranded in the cemetery while emergency officials blocked off the area. Nearby residents were also evacuated as a safety precaution.

According to an incident report by the NTSB, another small plane, a Beech Baron, crashed into a Conway home at the corner of Bruce and Ingram streets on Sept. 12, 1990, killing pilot Kerry L. Gooch, an employee of Beech Aircraft Corp. The fire consumed both the plane and house.

Witnesses said the pilot attempted to stop after touching down on the runway, but were not slowing down when the pilot attempted to gain altitude before striking and airport boundary fence, many trees and the residence.