Federal investigators have removed both engines from the wreckage of a private charter jet that crashed into an Akron apartment complex Tuesday afternoon.
The two engines are being sent to the manufacturer, Honeywell, for analysis.
Investigators also have recovered the landing gear and continue to review a cockpit voice recorder that captured the final 30 minutes of conversation between the pilot and co-pilot of the doomed flight that claimed nine lives, Bella Dinh-Zarr, vice chair of the National Traffic Safety Board, said during a news conference Thursday afternoon in Akron.
The recording, although poor quality, is being analyzed to help determine what happened when the plane went down on Mogadore Road in the Ellet neighborhood.
The pilots can be heard discussing the impending landing and the weather — windy, foggy and misty with 1½ miles of visibility — before the sounds of the impact, she said. Both were experienced pilots with the highest certification level awarded by the Federal Aviation Administration.
“The airplane structure was predominantly consumed by the fire and impact forces,” Dinh-Zarr said. “All four corners of the airplane, the wings, the tail and the nose are present and the primary flight controls and landing gear were also examined. We are still inspecting the house and nearby vehicles for airplane parts. We found no evidence to indicate the airplane was not intact prior to impact.”
A group of meteorology experts will be reviewing the crash to determine if weather was a factor, she said. A maintenance group also is being formed to examine the plane’s maintenance records and any modifications made to the jet.
An air traffic control group has been examining air traffic and radar data.
Dinh-Zarr said the pilots were in touch with the Cleveland Air Traffic Control Center, which gave directions to put them on the correct flight path, guiding the plane laterally to the runway. The air traffic controllers advised the aircraft to switch the radio to the frequency of the airport and had no further communication.
NTSB personnel likely will remain in Akron through Saturday to continue examining the crash site and looking for more clues to the cause, Dinh-Zarr said.
“Our investigation is ongoing. We are working closely with the parties to gather the principle evidence and key measurements to expedite our on-scene activities,” she said. “It is still early in our investigation phase. Our objective is to not just find out what happened but why it happened so we can prevent it from happening again.
“We do not determine the probable cause of an accident while we are on scene,” she said. “We also do not speculate about what may have caused an accident.”
Dinh-Zarr urged anyone with relevant information about the crash to contact NTSB by emailing eyewitnessreport@NTSB.gov.
She again expressed condolences to the family members of the victims.
Summit County Medical Examiner Lisa Kohler said the victims’ remains have been recovered and are at her office being examined. Dental records are being compared to help with identification.
Her department has not released any of the identities of the victims, pending positive identification and notification of the family.
However, two additional victims of the crash were identified Thursday by family, friends and social media.
They are pilot Oscar Andres Chavez and passenger Nick Weaver.
Chavez, 39, lived in North Bay Village, Fla., and flew for Execuflight in Fort Lauderdale, said NBC 6 in Florida.
He had been a pilot since 2006 and previously worked as a flight technician in Houston.
He is survived by a son, according to media reports.
Weaver, 36, is a native of New Hartford, N.Y., reported CNYCentral.com.
He was married and recently started working for Pebb Enterprises in Florida.
Six of the others killed worked for the same real estate firm in Boca Raton, Fla.
The second pilot has not yet been identified.
Jim McIntyre of the American Red Cross said the agency has helped 15 people relocate after their apartment buildings were damaged by the crash.
“We have also made our mental health services available for the families to help them get through this traumatic experience,” he said.
Marilyn Miller can be reached at 330-996-3098 or mmiller@thebeaconjournal.com. Bob Downing can be reached at 330-996-3745 or bdowning@thebeaconjournal.com.