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Press -Journal / Angela E
71 st YEAR -NO. 146
Report Pinpoints Cause Of Fatal
Air Crash
By PATRICIA DILALLA
place blame. for the crash. The
there 38 minutes before the midair
Cooper, whose condition has
Sebastian Bureau ChieB
probable cause will be determined
crash.
improved since the crash, was
The fatal air crash over Rose-
land Road Feb. 3 occurred when a
by the five -member board after the
Cooper, a resident of Orchid Isle,
transferred from Humana Hospi-
planey Cooper
investigation is completed, said
yorky Smith, chief investigator of
was on a personal flight and had
taken off from the same airport
tal Sebastian Thursday because of
the extent of his injuries and be -
past the ated
Rag h to runway
flew Pp Y
13 at Sebastian Municipal Airport
he crash.
approximate) 1 hour before,
cause Orlando Regional has equip-
and tried to get back into landing
One pilot, 19-year-old Jeffrey
Smith wrote in his report.
ment Humana does not, said a
position, according to a prelimi-
Allen Dimond, died after his Piper
Smith said there was nothing
Humana spokesman.
p
nary report issued by a National
Warrior nose-dived into the back-
Ward of a home at River's Edge
mechanically wrong with either
Meanwhile the Indian River
Transportation Safety Board
Subdivision.
plane, and attributed the absence
County Sheriff's Department is
investigator.
of fire at the crash site to "pure
conducting a homicide investiga-
In flying past the approach to
Cooper, 62, who was flying an
luck."
tion into the crash, said Detective
the runway, Cooper flew behind a
American Aviation plane, crashed
"To have a fire, you have to have
Larry Smetzer.
Piper Warrior that was making its
on the east side of Roseland Road
a source and you have to have igni-
final approach to the same
and was thrown through the wind-
tion (the engine running)," Smith
"At a point when we are satisfied
runway.
shield of his plane when it hit the
said. "All those things were there.
that this was an accident, I bow
When Cooper made a left turn to
ground. He is in serious condition
It just didn't happen."
out of it," Smetzer said.
return to the approach, his plane
at Orlando Regional Medical
Center.
Smith said he still has not
Smetzer said his investigation is
collided with the Piper, the report
p p
quotes witnesses as saying. The
According to the report, Dimond,
spoken to Cooper about the acci-
dent and cannot complete his
primarily intended to eliminate a
planes were approximately 300
a student at Florida Institute of
investigation until he does. Both
terrorist bomb or sabotage as pos-
Bible cause of the crash.
feet above the ground at the time
Technology in Melbourne, was on
pilots were tested for alcohol and
of the accident.
an instructional flight from Palm
drugs, which is normal when acci-
"I don't anticipate any charges
The report, dated Feb. 7, does not
Beach International and had left
dents occur, he said.
being filed," he said.
VERO
BEACH
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY
FEBRUARY 13, 1990
40 PAGES, 4 SECTIONS
250 SINGLE COPY
A.