Mauna Loa, HI Sightseeing Plane Crash, Sept 1999

NTSB PROBES HAWAII PLANE CRASH.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii -- (AP) -- Bobbie Bailey told her husband, son and daughter-in-law she wouldn't be joining them on a sightseeing plane trip around the Big Island. Fearful of flying, Bailey told the group to go on without her.
They never returned. Her loved ones were among 10 people killed in a fiery weekend crash high on Hawaii's Mauna Loa volcano.
"I waved and told them 'Bye,' and told them, 'Now you guys be careful and have fun,'" Bailey said Monday. "They all had smiles on their faces and said, 'We will.'"
"So they left without me. And they still left without me," she said.
The National Transportation Safety Board was investigating what caused the Big Island Air twin-engine plane to smash nearly 2 miles up on the active volcano during Saturday's around-the-island tour.
Rangers from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park sifted through the wreckage of the Piper Navajo Chieftain plane early Monday, finding the 10th body amid the charred ruins of Hawaii's worst air-tour disaster in a quarter century.
A team of seven NTSB specialists, covering every area from engineering to counseling, were involved in the investigation, said John Hammerschmidt of the NTSB.
The agency hoped to get two investigations to the crash site Monday afternoon, but were stopped by poor weather conditions 9,800 feet up the volcano. They were to try again today. Also involved in the probe are representatives of Piper Aircraft Co., which manufactures the plane, and Lycoming Corp., which makes the plane's engine. The plane was not carrying a flight-data recorder, since federal law does not require one for sightseeing planes, Hammerschmidt said. A global positioning system onboard might contain some useful data.
Those killed included DAVID BAILEY, SR., 55; DAVID BAILEY, JR., 27; and his wife, DANA BAILEY, 26. All three were from San Jose, Calif. Other victims identified so far include pilot DENNIS O'LEARY, of Kentucky; WADE ABAC of Hawaii; HANK RISLEY, 53, who ran New Hampshire's prison system; and RISLEY'S stepmother, NORAH RISLEY, 71.

Indiana Gazette Pennsylvania 1999-09-28
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!