The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 16, 1992, Page 3, Image 3
Investigators sa
cause of celebril
By The Associated Press
Federal investigators blame the pilot and a llight
service specialist on the ground for a crash that killed
seven members of Reba McEntire's band and cite pilot
error in the crash that killed blues guitarist Stevie Ray
Vaughan.
In separate reports Monday, the National
Transportation Safety Board released its findings on
the probable causes of the two show business-related
crashes.
The NTSB found that "improper planning-decision"
by the aircraft's pilot was the main probable cause of
the 1990 crash near East Troy, Wis., where Vaughan
and four other people died.
Contributing to the helicopter's crash into the side
of a manmade ski hill were "darkness, fog, haze and
rising terrain," agency spokesman Fed Lopatkiewicz
said.
The 35-year-old Vaughan, a Grammy Award-winning
musician, died on Aug. 27, 1990, after the Bell
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zuo copier carrying live peopie icu uie /\ipine vaiiey
Music Theater, an open-air concert facility, and
crashed.
The NTSB took more than two years to complete its
investigation into the crash of the craft, owned by
Omnitlight Helicopters Inc. of Dallas.
Thomas Demetrio, a Chicago lawyer representing
Vaughan's estate, said he was not surprised by the
NTSB findings.
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Nursing senior Pamela
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Stephanie Ncwlin/The Gamecock *
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ty flying deaths
Papers he filed in a July lawsuit lor the estate contend
that the helicopter charter company should have
known that the weather "precluded safe flying conditions."
John Neilson, Omniflight general manager, declined
to comment on the NTSB report because he had not
seen it and because of the pending lawsuit.
In the McEntire band crash, the NTSB said the
probable causes were improper planning by the pilot,
the pilot's failure to maintain proper altitude and clearance
over mountainous terrain and the co-pilot's fail- j
ure to adequately monitor the progress of the flight. ,
The agency's report also said insufficient information
on terrain was provided by a Federal Aviation :
Administration flight service specialist before the
March 16, 1991, crash near San Diego.
All 10 people aboard the twin-engine Hawker
Siddeley aircraft died in the fiery crash atop Otay
Mountain, including McEntire's tour manager, Jim .
Hammon, pilot Don Holms and co-pilot Chris
Hollinger. McEntire was not aboard because she was
taking a commercial flight the next day.
An FAA transcript of conversations between Holms
and the flight service specialist, who has not been
identified, shows that neither mentioned die mountain.
Shortly before takeoff. Holms asked if he could fly
northeast below 3,000 feet. The flight service special- i
ist, whose job is to pass routine information between
pilots and air traffic controllers, responded, "That'll be
fine," and did not tell Holms about the mountain.
im scholarly weeks
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Former gu
to kidnappi
By The Associated Press "''
p
A former Exxon security guard
pleaded guilty to kidnapping and y
elony murder charges Tuesday in
he fatal abduction of company ex- ^
jcutive Sidney J. Reso. v
Artnur u. ^eaie s guilty piea to
Mate charges came one week after
le admitted in federal court that he ^
Manned and carried out the April
19 kidnapping, and said he acci- ^
lentally shot Reso during the ab- n
luction. Reso died four days later.
Seale, formerly of Hilton Head
Lsland, S.C., could be sentenced to
1 rrjaximum of life in prison with
to chance of parole for 45 years, v
ines up to $2 million and $20,000
n restitution on the state charges. c
He also faces a maximum penllty
of 95 years when he is sen- c)
enced on federal charges.
Answering a series of questions e
?rom Superior Court Judge Regi- ? y
laid Stanton, Seale acknowledced v.
w lj
hat he and his wife grabbed Reso
'rom the driveway of his Morris ^
rownship home. Asked if he shot t
Reso, Seale said his gun "acciden- ^
ally discharged." j.
Seale quietly answered "yes" as
he judge asked him whether he j
ook Reso to a storage locker and c
eft him in a wooden box with his v
jyes and mouth taped shut. Asked r
f Reso was given any medical at- e
ention, Seale said, "He was s
reated by my wife and myself."
He admitted that he kidnapped v
Reso with the intent of extorting r
SI8.5 million from Exxon Corp. t
BoHulkl
m
tfly
; to leisurely
le makes the
m 1
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<i $ <' <
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I M ^
IIHHKiPwft^li
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if
ard plead:
ng, murde
The judge said he was satisfied
hat Seale was not pressured by
rose'cutors to plead guilty, that he
nderstood the charges and that he
/as guilty.
Morris County Prosecutor W.
Michael Murphy had said that he
youia noi enter a piea oargain
greement with Seale. Federal proecutors
also said they made no
leal with Seale in return for his
;uilty plea to charges of attempted
xtortion; conspiracy; use of the
nail and telephones and interstate
ravel to further the extortion, and
weapons charge.
The state did drop four charges
- conspiracy, extortion, aggraated
assault and illegal possession
if a gun ? because they dupliated
the federal charges.
Stanton said he planned to schelule
sentencing 011 the same date
bat Seale is sentenced on the fed
ral charges before U.S. District
udge Garrett E. Brown. Brown
las not set a sentencing date.
Reso, 57, was president of Exxon's
international division head[uartered
in Florham Park. He was
eaving his house for work when
le was abducted.
Last Tuesday before Judge
Jrown, Seale gave a dramatic
:ourtroom confession with Reso's
vidow present. He said he never
neant to kill Reso, but that the exicutive
died in his arms in the
torage locker on May 3.
Seale told Brown he and his
vife worked together on ransom
lotes and phone calls in which
hev called themselves 'IWarriots
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s guilty
r charges
of the Rainbow" and threatened to
kidnap another Exxon executive.
Seale and his wife, Irene J.
Seale, both 45 of Lebanon Townchin
w/pre orrpctpH in T-T orlrptt c_
town June 19 after investigators
followed a trail of ransom notes
and phone calls across rural northwestern
New Jersey.
No ransom was paid.
On June 27, Mrs. Seale directed
investigators to a secluded area of
the Pine Barrens in Burlington
County, where Reso's body was
found in a shallow grave.
Mrs. Seale pleaded guilty to federal
extortion charges and had
been expected to testify against her
husband at his federal trial. Her
testimony in state court could have
been prevented by Seale because
of state evidence laws, but the Legislature
was at work revising
those laws.
Irene Seale could be sentenced
up to 25 years in prison on the fedorol
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