Washington – Minutes before a plane crash in wintry weather killed the son of NBC Sports executive Dick Ebersol and two others, the pilot said the wings looked “good,” even though they were not de-iced, according to a transcript released today by federal investigators.
The National Transportation Safety Board has said it is looking into whether ice on the wings and other factors caused the Nov. 28, 2004, crash of the twin-engine charter jet, which was attempting to take off in light snow, fog and 31-degree temperatures from Montrose, Colo.
The crash killed 14-year-old Teddy Ebersol, pilot Luis Alberto Polanco, 50, and flight attendant Warren Richardson III, 36.
The NTSB has not determined the probable cause of the crash of the CL-601 Challenger aircraft. The agency is considering mechanical problems and the condition of the pilots as well as weather conditions.
According to the voice recorder, about 15 minutes before takeoff, the pilot asked “How do you see the wings?” “Good,” the first officer answered. “Looks clear to me,” the pilot said, and they readied for takeoff in slushy conditions.
Seconds after takeoff, the first officer can be heard saying “rotate,” followed by “you want the gear up?” A loud rumble takes over the tape, and then the recorder goes silent.
The plane skidded across the runway, ripped apart and burst into flames.
Co-pilot Eric Wicksell was critically injured. Dick Ebersol and another son, Charlie, were also injured.
Ebersol’s wife, Emmy Award-winning actress Susan Saint James, was not on the plane.
Dick, Teddy and Charlie Ebersol were flying home from California, where Charlie’s school, Notre Dame, had played a football game against Southern California.
Another Ebersol son, 18-year-old Willie, is a freshman at USC.
The family flew to Colorado, where they have a home, to drop off Susan Saint James. Dick Ebersol and the two sons then planned to fly to South Bend, Ind., to drop Charlie off at Notre Dame.
On “The Oprah Winfrey Show” today, Dick Ebersol said Charlie got him off the plane and kept him alive.
“He not only got me off of the plane … he ran back into the plane, which had three or four-foot flames all around it, to look for his brother one more time, not knowing that his brother wasn’t on the plane. And he lived through hell for two days cause somehow or other he thought he hadn’t found his brother and it wasn’t until they found Teddy’s body which was under the plane … that he knew that he had done everything he possibly could do.”
