Re:[at-l] plane missing since '96 was found in the Whites

[monadnockdee@juno.com]

This was the story from today's Union Leader


Learjet remains invisible from air 
By LORNA COLQUHOUN 
Union Leader Correspondent
  DORCHESTER — Weatherwise, the day was much like Christmas Day in 1996,
when Army National Guard Major Frank Leith first took to the skies in
search of the Learjet that disappeared the previous morning. 
  Saturday, two days after the Learjet, which had been missing for nearly
three years, was discovered by an Orford forester, Leith went up in
helicopter to view from above the wreckage that eluded air and ground
searchers for 35 months. 
  And he couldn’t see it. 
  "Just like that first day (in 1996), it had snowed," Leith said
yesterday. "We flew over that area many times and we just couldn’t see
anything with a fresh layer of snow." 
  Leith’s helicopter hovered over the debris, on a forested knoll about a
mile from Smarts Mountain. 
  "Even with the Fish and Game officers standing there, we couldn’t
discern any aircraft parts," he said. 
  The discovery Thursday of the elusive Learjet put an end to years of
speculation about the fate of the aircraft and its two pilots. The plane
vanished as it headed skyward that morning after missing an approach at
the Lebanon Airport. 
  Officials were notified Friday afternoon that the wreckage had been
discovered, identified by one of the pilot’s family members who had
trekked to the site after being notified by property owner Bob Green. 
  It wasn’t until Saturday that investigators could get to the scene. 
  A medical examiner oversaw the removal of the pilots remains, while
federal aviation investigators examined the wreckage and retrieved the
jet’s "black box," which is really fluorescent orange. It contains a
voice recorder, but National Transportation Safety Board investigator
Paul Cox said it was found in the "off" position. 
  Still, he said, there are other parameters, or clues, within it that
could shed light on what happened in those final minutes, if the box was
able to withstand the elements over the course of three years. 
  Until yesterday, the crash site was being secured by conservation
officers until aviation officials concluded their investigation, said
Fish and Game Lt. Dave Hewitt. 
  Within the next day or two, he expects the owners of the Learjet to
visit the site, along with insurance officials. 
  "They’ll make arrangements to have the wreckage removed in the near
future," he said. 
  In the aftermath of the discovery, Leith said he pulled out old maps
that were used to coordinate the search three years ago. 
  "Initially, we searched that whole block" in the first few days after
the Lear’s disappearance, he said. 
  On the second day, a Coast Guard helicopter was assigned to that
quadrant and saw nothing. Later, an Air National Guard helicopter from
Long Island flew over the area with an infrared device that senses heat
and saw nothing. 
  Leith said that the crash site is outside what is called the 10-mile
nautical safety area. 
  He described that as "an area that’s a circumference around an airport.
That’s when the instruments remain within the boundaries in order to be
sure (an aircraft) will have obstacle clearance." 
  While not speculating, Leith said it would appear that the Lear was on
a return for another approach and "let down early outside the safety
zone." 
  On that morning, he said, there was a 60-knot tail wind behind the jet
that may have pushed them outside the zone. 
  Yesterday, Leith made the half-mile hike, which requires bushwhacking,
to view the wreckage. 
  "It was surprising to me walking in there at how much debris was among
the trees," he said. Like many others who were involved with the numerous
searches over the years, Leith is glad the plane has finally been found. 
  "It is important to everyone, especially the families," he said. "I’m
glad it’s over and we can bring it to a close." 
  Because the Lear did not have an emergency locator transponder,
searchers had to map out areas of high probability of where it could have
gone down. Where the Lear ultimately crashed was an area of high
probability. 
  "The lesson we learned was that if there had been an ELT on board, we
would have found that aircraft in a short time," he said. 
  Last December, a plane that had taken off from Milan crashed in
Randolph, in the heart of the White Mountains. It was equipped with an
ELT. 
  "We found that aircraft in 30 minutes," he said. 
  But officials said at the time that from the air and with the ELT
signal, they still had a difficult time spotting the wreckage. 
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