Officials still looking at cause of plane crash

Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are on-site collecting evidence in an attempt to uncover what caused a small jet to crash into a Conway home Saturday afternoon, killing two people.

Todd Fox, an air safety investigator for the NTSB, said he was at the site to document evidence and "develop facts surrounding the accident and to determine what factors were involved."

Pilot Hugh Rains, 71, of Wichita Falls, Texas, and Janet Brady, 71, a resident of the house located at 319 Ingram St. were killed when the plane struck the house. Two survived the accident. Gary Kulesus was a passenger on the plane. J.V. Brady was inside the residence. Both were treated for their injuries and released.

J.V. Brady declined interviews Sunday morning as he left his home to take his injured dog to a veterinarian.

"My most important thing right now is taking care of this dog," Brady said as he was getting into a vehicle.

Fox arrived on the scene from Chicago at about 10 a.m. Sunday and first began compiling a wreckage diagram.

"The majority of the aircraft is substantially damaged or destroyed by fire," Fox said.

Fox said his investigation will focus on three elements man, machine and environment. He also said he has heard many rumors about the accident, and that he will communicate with the FAA to conclude what really happened.

Officials were working to gather evidence and remaining pieces of the plane to move to an unknown facility where they can have a little more control of the investigation and the environment.

Fox said that Once the investigation is concluded, he will use the information he has acquired to develop preliminary and factual reports that will be used by the NTSB and the FAA to determine probable cause as to what caused the accident.

Fox said the condition of the runway at the Conway Municipal Airport provided little evidence as to why the plane was unable to stop. Fox said the runway was recently resurfaced and was unable to provide skid marks that may have been caused by excessive braking on the pilot's part.

"Of course, the environment of the airport will be under question," Fox added, referring to weather conditions at the time of the accident.

Though earlier reports of the plane being on fire before leaving the runway, Fox said the first evidence of fire shows the plane probably caught fire after striking the runway's blast deflector.

Many neighbors and friends were around the site to offer condolences and offer assistance in any way they could.

"(J.V. Brady is) like family to me. I've known him since I was in diapers," Kenny Clark, who operates an auto body shop near the crash site, said. "He just retired. Now he just piddles around and has fun ... That's what you work your whole life for, then it's gone in a matter of seconds."

Pat Clark, a neighbor to the Bradys, said she had been living next to the Bradys for years.

"We're all like family," she said. "It lets you know how fast things can be taken away," adding that she believed the accident was meant to be. "I don't think you can live your life being fearful."

Officials have stressed the need for a new airport to be constructed near the Lollie Bottoms area.

Conway Mayor Tab Townsell said a new airport in the Lollie Bottoms area would eliminate many of the safety concerns that are associated with the existing airport.

"At the new airport, we will buy safety zones at either ends of the airport. If planes run off the runway, they will run off into a field, not houses or businesses," Townsell said. "I think the FAA needs to look seriously at the safety problems at the existing area."

Some have expressed concern of the location for the new proposed airport, citing large gatherings of ducks and other birds. Townsell said a bird aviation strike hazard (bash) expert had recommendations on how to handle bird concerns in the area, and a study that was concluded in February of last year determined that there are not any more birds in that area than in any background area around Little Rock.

Townsell stressed that safety hazards at the current airport outweigh concerns about the new location.

"I think they are actually much worse than the concerns about the birds at the other airport, especially with the types of events like what happened (Saturday)," Townsell said. "If you run off of the runway there is no safety at all. There is just no margin of error."

(Staff writer Waylon Harris can be reached by e-mail at waylon.harris@thecabin.net. Send us your news at www.thecabin.net/submit)