Oklahoma couple killed in Austin plane crash

Sunday, March 3rd 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(AUSTIN, Texas) - Authorities on Saturday were investigating the crash of a single-engine airplane at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport that killed an Oklahoma couple.

Susan Curry of Oklahoma City and her husband, Dr. Morris Curry, were the only people aboard when their Beechcraft overshot the runway while attempting to land in thick fog and crashed into a cluster of trees.

Jason Ragogna of the National Transportation Safety Board said the plane was about 500 feet above the ground when the pilot last made contact with the control tower, saying he had missed in his approach to land.

The craft then made a rapid descent and crashed, Ragogna said. He said it could take a few days to determine what caused the crash, which happened about 4:45 p.m. Friday.

The NTSB, the Federal Aviation Administration, the aircraft manufacturer and engine maker Teledyne Continental Motors were investigating.

The couple was flying to Austin to visit their son, Kevin Curry.

Dr. Mukesh Parekh, a friend and colleague of Morris Curry for more than 20 years, was saddened to hear the news.

``He was a great obstetrician and a great human,'' Parekh told the Austin American-Statesman. ``We will all miss him. He was my mentor, my colleague and everything to me.''