Report Says Pilot In Fatal Plane Crash Had No License

Friday, December 22nd 2006, 8:12 am

By: News On 6

JAY, Okla. (AP) The National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday the pilot of a small aircraft that crashed into Grand Lake over the weekend, killing three people, did not have a license to fly and had not logged a flight since July.

A preliminary report by the NTSB also said investigators who examined the plane's systems following the crash could not determine a cause.

``We went through the flight control systems and could not find anything wrong,'' NTSB investigator Tim LeBaron said.

The pilot, Thomas Brent Caldwell, 30, of Pryor, is charged in Delaware County with three counts of first-degree manslaughter.

Investigators found four empty beer bottles and one unopened on the dashboard of the single-engine 1972 Bellanca 17-30A. Authorities think Caldwell was under the influence of alcohol Saturday evening when his plane plunged into the freezing waters of Grand Lake. He suffered minor injuries in the crash.

Killed were Mariano Carlos, 15, of Pryor and Eduardo Ortiz Robles, 20, and Campos Gonzalez, 33, both of Mexico. A medical examiner's report showed Carlos, Robles and Gonzalez drowned.

The NTSB report states that the plane crashed after losing power about 6 p.m., about 200 feet south of the shoreline, in about 12 feet of water.

The plane left the Mid-America Industrial Airport near Pryor at 5:15 p.m., the report stated. No flight plan was filed, and the plane was registered to and operated by Caldwell, according to the report.

According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the pilot reported, ``he was taking his workers for a joy ride around the lake when the airplane's engine stopped producing power,'' the report stated.

Caldwell said that before the airplane struck the water, he asked a passenger to open the door so they could exit once the airplane set down, the report stated. After the plane hit the water, Caldwell exited through the passenger door and swam to shore.

Terry Abercrombie, Grove Municipal Airport manager, confirmed Caldwell bought the airplane in March from a private resident. The plane remained at the Grove airport until September.

The report states a witness observed the airplane flying south at a low altitude before turning east and descending out of view.

Another witness who was fishing, said: ``I thought I heard the motor quit. We could hear the wind off of the wings...We never heard the plane power back up.''

A third witness confirmed early sightings of the airplane descending toward the lake and the engine not making any noise.

Caldwell is free on $150,000 bail.