Aug 13, 2008 7:09 pm US/Eastern
Angel Flights Investigated In Boston Plane Crash
Organization Recruits Volunteers To Fly Patients To Hospitals For Treatment
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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A Long Island couple was killed after a plane they were in crashed in Easton, Massachusetts on August 12, 2008.
CBS
Federal investigators are now at the scene of a deadly plane crash near Boston that killed a Long Island couple and their pilot.
The plane was carrying a cancer patient to get treatment, and was the third deadly crash for company Angel Flight this summer.
Investigators probing the ill-fated mission of mercy are focusing on why the plane nosedived, and on the organization in charge of the flight.
"We're learning more about Angel Flight and how they operate, Tim Monville, of the National Transportation Safety Board, said. "I am aware that NTSB has conducted several investigations into Angel Flights."
Tuesday's flight was almost over when the single engine Beechcraft plunged into a parking lot south of Boston. Today, people heard the final transmissions with the Angel Flight pilot who struggled to keep the plane in the air.
"Angel Flight 15 Delta, altitude indicates 1,200," said the air traffic controller. "Altitude alert – climb immediately. Angel Flight 15 Delta, climb immediately."
The pilot responded by radioing in that "15 Delta is climbing," but a few moments later, the craft disappeared from radar.
The victims were identified as pilot Joe Baker of Connecticut and Long Islanders Donna and Robert Gregory, who were flying to Boston so Robert could get cancer treatment.
Jim Cear is an Angel Flight pilot, one of thousands nationwide who volunteer their time and aircraft to fly patients who can't afford the transportation costs to medical care, or whose illnesses make conventional travel too difficult.
"[We take] people coming out of Maine that find they have to go to specialized care, in Boston for example," Cear said. "How does one get from Northern Maine when they're told they have to be in Boston 2, 3, 4 times a week?
"It becomes a physical impossibility for them, if not a financial one," Cear said.
Angel Flights throughout the country have had an impeccable safety record in their 25-year history.
With more than 125,000 flights covering 50 million miles, there have never been any injuries or fatalities until this summer, when three fatal crashes have occurred. There was a crash in Iowa City in June, another in Tampa, Florida last month, and Tuesday's tragedy.
"I don't know what to say about it, other than it seems coincidental to me at the moment," Cear said.
Despite the fatal crashes, Angel Flight has no plans to ground anybody, saying in many cases the volunteer pilots are the last hope for life-saving medical care.
Angel Flight says qualification standards for its pilots are high: they must be instrument-trained, certified and approved by the FAA. They also must have up-to-date medical records and their planes are inspected annually.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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