The twin-engine airplane that crashed in the Phinizy Swamp on Monday, killing a local aviator and his wife, was on its way to be repaired, Augusta Regional Airport officials said Tuesday.
The National Transportation Safety Board was at the crash site Tuesday, trudging through murky waters to find clues as to why the plane went into a nose dive, killing Ed and Leslie Johnson. Bill Thompson, the supervisor of aircraft services at Augusta Regional, said that even though the plane had three problems that needed attention, he didn't think Mr. Johnson would have flown the Piper Navajo if he thought they were dangerous.
"He wouldn't have taken his wife, in my opinion, if there was anything questionable," Mr. Thompson said.
He said Mr. Johnson was a contract pilot for River Cross Investment Corp., owned by businessman Mike Tomberlin, of Martinez. He said Mr. Johnson was returning the plane to its former owner, Gold Wing Transportation Inc., of Golden, Miss., for repairs.
Mr. Thompson did not know what was wrong with the airplane, but he said other problems had been repaired.
"They had fixed them except for three," he said. "He was going to take it back, and he was going to fix it," Mr. Thompson said.
Although tenant records at Augusta Regional show that the airplane is owned by Mr. Tomberlin, the Federal Aviation Administration has the plane registered to Gold Wing Transportation. The president of Gold Wing, O'Neal Wood, was deep-sea fishing Tuesday, but a woman answering the telephone who identified herself as his wife said Mr. Wood sold the plane a month or two ago.
Mr. Tomberlin did not return phone messages left Tuesday.
Officials said it could take six months to a year to determine why the plane went into a nose dive seconds after takeoff Monday from Augusta Regional. FAA officials said Mr. Johnson reported mechanical problems after takeoff and tried to return to the airport.
"The National Transportation Safety Board's investigation won't really start until they get the plane recovered," said Ron Shirey, the special operations chief for the Augusta-Richmond County Fire Department.
That recovery process could take three to five days, he said, and will involve a helicopter from Atlanta Air Recovery, which will pull what remains of the plane's fuselage from the swamp. That could happen as early as today.
"They're going to have to cut some trees down to even be able to do that," Chief Shirey said.
Surrounded by snakes dangling from trees and swarming dragonflies, workers from the state Department of Natural Resources assisted in Tuesday's investigation, pulling 12-foot boats 200 yards into the swamp's 4-foot-deep waters.
Chief Shirey said debris recovery would follow the preliminary investigation.
"There's quite a few pieces scattered," he said.
By Tuesday, the crash had taken an emotional toll on airport workers, who were provided grief counseling.
Mr. Johnson, his wife, brother and a friend, opened the High Flight Cafe in July 2002 at Augusta Regional. Mr. Johnson was also the chairman of the Boshears Memorial Fly-In.
|
Leslie Johnson's mother, Patricia Overstreet, gives Kim Sink (in blue top) a hug as her husband, Henry, (left) and family look at a plaque dedicated to Ms. Johnson.
RON COCKERILLE/STAFF
|
Patti Lenhart, the manager of the High Flight Cafe, said Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were just like family to her.
"Right now, we're all in grief, but we still have to provide a service to people flying out," she said. "And that's what they (Mr. and Mrs. Johnson) would have wanted."
Ken Kraemer, the director of Augusta Regional, said the airport restaurant would continue to operate.
Reach Preston Sparks at (706) 828-3904 or preston.sparks@augustachronicle.com.
