Daniel McIntire, George McFadden, Heather Hardin killed in plane crash
UPDATE!!!
A note from E. Michael Grossman:
In aviation accidents involving death it's not unusual that a lawsuit is filed by the families of the deceased. The families generally want answers as to why this happened and to ensure that this type of event does not happen again in the future. I'm sure that the families of Daniel McIntire, George McFadden, and Heather Hardin would like answers to some of these questions as well.
Based on the description of the eyewitnesses it is reasonable to consider whether or not the plane stalled or whether the pilot lost visibility in the clouds and was unable to maintain control.
The FAA will make a determination with regard to aircraft defect or malfunctions. The lawyers that are hired by the families of the victims, may hire their own experts who could arrive at a theory consistent with the FAA or something entirely different. Many times the manufacturer of the plane will get involved with the investigation to help determine what caused the accident. The experts hired by the attorneys will examine all of the evidence and conduct their own investigation, studies, and analysis.
It is unknown at this point exactly which of the above mentioned scenarios will come to pass but the above represents a strong possibility based on similar cases that my law firm has been a part of.
If litigation is to be initiated it will most likely occur in Texas and as such a Texas attorney would be necessary.
UPDATE!!!
All thre victims of the crash have been confirmed as dead. The remains of Daniel McIntire have been transported to Starr Funeral Home in Hemphill, TX.
story as it was originally posted:
On April 22, 2008 a single engine plane crashed into the Texas side of the Toledo Bend Reservoir. The plane was occupied by 54-year-old Daniel McIntire of Humble, TX., 34-year-old Heather Hardin of Louisiana, and George McFadden of New York City. The plane was is owned by McAir LLC of West Memphis, Ark.
According to eyewitnesses the engine of the plane was heard sputtering around 4 PM and soon after the plane broke through the cloud cover and crashed nose first into the lake.
Rescue workers began searching for the plane and possible survivors the same night but had to postpone the operation due to a storms in the area. The search was picked up the following day. The FAA is conducting a full investigation into the cause of the crash.
A note from E. Michael Grossman:
The FAA will already have begun an investigation into the cause of the aviation crash. My understanding is that only very small pieces of the plane have been recovered from the lake so it would be very difficult to project a cause of the accident at this point. Eventually all of the pieces of the plane will be recovered and over the next few months all of the pieces will be put back together like a giant puzzle in order to make a determination as to what failed.
Posted by:
E. Michael Grossman
| Posted on:
4/23/2008
| Comments (7)
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Visitor Comments
susan meeker naeny said:
My thoughts and prayers are with the families... Makes all realize how precious truly each day is. Carol Owlsey McFaddenand family -our thoughts and prayers are with you...
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megan mcintire said:
Dan McIntire was my father-in-law and a wonderful pilot! He would have never made a mistake and we all want to know what happened on that horrible day!
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Judy Broussard said:
I'm Heather's mother. It has been a very surreal month for our family. We were blessed to spend four days with Heather before the crash. She was happy in her life and with her work. Dan and his family were also family to Heather. I am very grateful that Heather had them in her life. We want to thank everyone for the wonderful comments about Heather and all of your prayers. God Bless.
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Attorney E. Michael Grossman said:
We want to second the thoughts of Heather's mom Judy and send our thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of the victims involved in the accident. We hope this blog offers a place for family and friends to share thoughts and memories of thier loved ones.
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Monte Menasco said:
I am a pilot and I was flying in the area, on the day and at the time that this Airplane went down. I fly many hours in Cirrus airplanes. My educated guess is that everyone went to sleep because of CO2 in the airplane. None of them knew anything else, they would not have been awake through the descent to the lake. I read the NTSB report and from what it explains, that is my theory and it is the only explanation that all my pilot friends and I can come up with. The pilot was on an IFR flight plan and flying at a good altitude, exactly the way that I fly for my company everyday.
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Tina DeRouen Ardoin said:
This is for Judy my second cousin; I just recently learned about Heather's accident. I just want to say you are in my thoughts and prayers... I am so sorry I'm just learning about it now. If there is anything you need you may contact me at IPSO. God Bless you and your family. Tina
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Randy Vilcan said:
I`ve been around aviation most of my life and spoke to many about this accident. CO2 seems the most evident, especially if the aircraft was older and spent many hours in maintenance. Although since the aircraft was almost new, Where did CO2 enter the cabin??. A small leak in an exhaust gasket would suffice, Who shares the liability here? CO2 warning devises cost peanuts today, Why don`t aircraft require them? Any small part of body remains can be tested for CO2 and results delivered in parts per million. Was any maintenance performed where the exhaust would have been disturbed? Was this one of the longer flights in the log book since any particular maintenance done? CO2 ppm would have been minor in previous short flights, although passenger/crew might have felt somewhat sickly from slight CO2 poisoning. I would be glad to discuss this further with someone. Thanks..rv
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