NTSB: Jefferson plane crash probe 'up in the air'

Tetrev: plane based in Wiscasset
Mon, 06/25/2018 - 11:00am

A federal look into Saturday's crash of a seaplane into a Jefferson swamp may be over in days and may or may not yield a report, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board said Monday.

In other developments Monday, Wiscasset Municipal Airport Manager Rick Tetrev confirmed the plane is based at the town-owned facility on Chewonki Neck Road.

And Lincoln County Sheriff's Lt. Brendan Kane said the owner and others worked Sunday to remove the plane. Traffic was down to one lane at one point, due to the use of a crane, Kane said. He believed the owner planned to return it to the airport, he said.

Authorities have said the pilot and his passenger, both of Newcastle but not further identified, got out of the upside down plane unaided and unhurt.

Because no one died or was seriously injured, the plane's removal before the federal examination was OK and is not unusual, NTSB spokesman Keith Holloway said in a phone interview from Washington, D.C.

Jefferson Fire Chief Walter Morris said representatives of both the Federal Aviation Administration and NTSB told him via phone Sunday, the plane was not to be disturbed. He said he contacted Lincoln County Communications to tell the sheriff's office what he was told. Kane said the FAA told the sheriff's office it was fine with the plane being removed.

Holloway said the FAA would be looking into the crash, including interviewing the pilot, and would relay its information to the NTSB. A preliminary report would follow within about 10 days, if there is one, Holloway said.

That may depend on the damage, if any, to the plane, he said. "Until we have further information, it's up in the air," he said about the likelihood of a report or any further investigation.