23 MAR 2009 _______________________________________ *Pilot and co-pilot aboard FEDEX plane are killed *NTSB SENDING INVESTIGATORS TO JAPAN TO ASSIST IN FEDEX MD-11 CRASH *Video Link of landing Attempt *NTSB GO TEAM HEADING TO MONTANA TO INVESTIGATE PLANE CRASH *FAA: Kids among 14 to 17 dead in MT plane crash *************************************** Pilot and co-pilot, both Americans, aboard FEDEX plane from Guangzhou, China, are killed (CNN) -- The pilot and co-pilot aboard a FedEx cargo plane were killed when the plane burst into flames Monday while landing at Tokyo's Narita airport in Japan, airport and hospital officials said. Smoke rises from a FedEx cargo plane that crash landed on the tarmac of the Narita International Airport, Tokyo. more photos > Both crew members were American men, an official at Narita Red Cross Hospital told CNN. Video from the landing showed the plane bouncing at least twice on the runway and veering left as it turned on its side before bursting into flames. The fire destroyed the aircraft, which was identified by FedEx as a McDonnell Douglas MD-11. Japan's Ministry of Transport said it was the first fatal crash at Narita, which opened in 1978. Strong winds may have played a role in the crash, said Masaru Fujisaki, an airport official. FedEx Express Flight 80 took off from Guangzhou, China, and crashed at Narita about 6 a.m. Monday (5 p.m. Sunday ET), said FedEx spokesman Matt Ceniceros. According to observations at the airport, wind gusts were reported to be between 30 to 50 mph around the time if the crash. Japan's Kyodo news agency reported that Narita firefighters had worked through the flaming wreckage to try to rescue two people believed to be the crew. The news agency said the cargo plane was landing on Runway A, the longer of the two runways at Narita, a major international airport. The National Transportation Safety Board in Washington said Sunday night it was sending a team to Japan to assist in the investigation of the crash. *************** NTSB SENDING INVESTIGATORS TO JAPAN TO ASSIST IN FEDEX MD-11 CRASH The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a team of investigators to Japan to assist in the investigation of the crash of a FedEx MD-11 at Narita International Airport. Early Monday morning, March 23, local time, a FedEx MD-11 (registration unknown) cargo aircraft arriving from China crashed on landing at Narita International Airport. The aircraft burned after coming to rest; the fate of the crew has not been officially reported. NTSB Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker has designated Senior Air Safety Investigator John Lovell as the United States Accredited Representative. He will be joined by two other NTSB investigators and representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing Aircraft and the Air Line Pilots Association. Information on the progress of the investigation will be released by Japanese authorities. *************** Video Link of landing attempt: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7958367.stm **************** NTSB GO TEAM HEADING TO MONTANA TO INVESTIGATE PLANE CRASH The National Transportation Safety Board has dispatched a Go Team to investigate an airplane crash in Butte, Montana. At approximately 3:00 pm MDT a Pilatus PC-12/45 (N128CM) crashed into Holy Cross Cemetery on approach to Bert Mooney Airport in Butte, Montana. Multiple fatalities have been reported. NTSB Senior Air Safety Investigator Dennis Hogenson is the Investigator-in-Charge for the team of approximately 7 investigators. NTSB Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker is accompanying the team and will serve as principal spokesman for the on-scene investigation. Keith Holloway is the team's press officer. The Go Team is expected to arrive in Butte late tonight. At that time, Mr.Holloway may be reached on his cell phone at 202-557-1350. ************** FAA: Kids among 14 to 17 dead in MT plane crash BUTTE, Mont. - A small plane - possibly carrying children on a ski trip - crashed Sunday as it approached the Butte airport, killing 14 to 17 people aboard, a federal official said. The single engine turboprop nose-dived into a cemetery 500 feet from its destination. The aircraft crashed and burned while attempting to land, said Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Mike Fergus. The plane crashed in Holy Cross Cemetery. An investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board offered few details at a press conference in Butte Sunday night. No cause of the crash was given. "We are just beginning our investigation," said Kristi Dunks. "We don't have a lot of information at this time. "Certain family members were contacted," she said. "At this point, I don't have an exact number." Dunks would not say if there had been a distress call from the pilot. It was partly cloudy, the visibility was 10 miles and winds were blowing from the northwest around 10 mph at the time of the crash, according to hourly temperature information from the National Weather Service. The aircraft had departed from Oroville, Calif., and the pilot had filed a flight plan showing a destination of Bozeman, about 85 miles southeast of Butte. But the pilot canceled his flight plan at some point and headed for Butte, Fergus said. Preliminary reports indicate the dead include numerous children, he said. "We think that it was probably a ski trip for the kids," Fergus said. Butte Silver-Bow Sheriff John Walsh said there were a few people at the cemetery at the time of the crash, but no one on the ground was injured. He would not describe witness reports. Steve Guidoni of Butte said he was driving by the cemetery and saw the plane nosedive into the ground. He stopped and ran over to see if he could help. "It smelled like diesel fuel to me," said Guidoni, 61. "There was nothing left of it. It just went straight into the ground. I went over there to try to help. I thought maybe I would pull someone out of the fire." Guidoni said he saw luggage and seat cushions lying around, but no bodies. He said the biggest piece of the plane was the size of a kitchen table. "You wouldn't even know a plane was there," he said. Nick Dipasquale, 19, was working at a gas station across the street. "I heard a loud bang," he said. "It sounded like someone ran into the building." He said he ran outside to see flames as tall as the trees. Dipasquale said people who were fueling their cars said they saw the plane flying low, begin a turn, start to wobble and then slam into the ground. Fergus said the Pilatus PC-12 aircraft was manufactured in 2001. Such planes are certified to carry 12 people. The plane was registered to Eagle Cap Leasing Inc. in Enterprise, Ore., Fergus said. He didn't know who was operating the plane. I. Felkamp is listed in Oregon corporate records as Eagle Cap's president. Attempts to reach him by phone were unsuccessful. The flight originated at Brown Field Municipal airport in San Diego on Saturday evening and flew to Redlands, Calif., about 100 miles north, said Rachel Laing, a spokeswoman for the city of San Diego. The plane left Sunday morning for Vacaville, Calif., according to Flight Aware. From there it flew to Oroville, Calif., and then to Butte. The NTSB could not confirm that information. "We are still gathering the information of the aircraft, it's purpose, what they were doing and where they were going," Dunks said. In California, Tom Hagler said he saw a group of about a dozen children and four adults Sunday morning at the Oroville Municipal Airport, about 70 miles north of Sacramento. Hagler, owner of Table Mountain Aviation, described the children as ranging from about 6- to 10 year olds. He let the children into his building to use the restroom. "There were a lot of kids in the group," he said. "A lot of really cute kids." Hagler said he showed the pilot where he could fuel his plane, and the pilot said he expected his flight to take two-and-a-half hours. The pilot didn't file a flight plan at the Oroville airport. National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Keith Holloway said its investigators were expected to arrive in Butte late Sunday or early Monday. The crash is the fourth major plane accident in the U.S. in slightly more than three months. On Dec. 20, Continental Airlines plane veered off a runway and slid into a snowy field at Denver International Airport, injuring 37 people. No one was killed. In January, a US Airways jetliner landed in New York's Hudson River after a flock of geese disabled both its engines. All 155 people onboard survived. Last month, commuter plane fell on a house in a suburb of Buffalo, N.Y., killing all 49 passengers and a man in the home. Before the Buffalo crash there hadn't been an accident involving a commercial airliner in the U.S. in which there were fatalities in more than two years. *************** Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC