Cause Of Fatal NH Plane Crash Still A Mystery
NORTH HAMPTON, N.H. (CBS) — Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board arrived on the scene Tuesday morning of the fatal Labor Day plane crash in North Hampton, New Hampshire.
So far there is no indication of any pre-impact failure or malfunction of the aircraft structure, the wing flap system or the engine, according to Todd Gunther, an NTSB investigator.
Meantime, new details are emerging of the passenger on board the doomed flight.
Bruce Anderson was a cherished member of the Kingston community.
He sang in a choir and took pride in taking care of the town green.
"The town green is beautiful because of his work," said choir member and long-time friend and Kingston resident Judy Oljey. "At least we take comfort in knowing he died doing something he really loved."
Anderson was the passenger in the Cessna that crashed moments after taking off from the Hampton Airfield on Labor Day.
He was killed along with the pilot, David Ingalls, a former pilot for TWA and another beloved member of the Kingston community.
Ingalls and Anderson took off from a field on private property in Kingston.
Friends believe they were out for a joyride in the sky and were fueling up at the Hampton Airfield before returning home.
Anderson ran a tree-trimming company based at his home in Kingston.
"Always one of the first people to help out," said next-door neighbor John Cogswell.
Ingalls' friends told WBZ-TV he flew in the Air Force and before he worked at TWA. Even after he retired, Ingalls still flew at least once a week.
"He checked over the Cessna like it was a 747," said Evelyn Nathan, of the town's Conservation Commission.
Friends said Ingalls made national headlines decades ago when he safely maneuvered an emergency landing at O'Hare Airport in Chicago.
"The landing gear failed to go down, they had to circle, foam the runaway and then he brought it down safely," said Dr. George Korn.
Ingalls grew up in Kingston. He served on several town commissions, including for the past 30 years on the Conservation Commission.
"I say he was one of the top ten people in Kingston, and he's going to be really, really missed by a lot of people," said Nathan.
Ingalls leaves behind a wife, son and daughter.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Karen Twomey reports
Plane Crash Investigation
WBZ-TV's Michael Rosenfield contributed to this report.
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