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 Wednesday, February 16
Bettenhausen's flying experience questioned
 
Associated Press

 LEESBURG, Ky. -- Icy conditions and pilot inexperience could have contributed to the plane crash which killed race-car owner Tony Bettenhausen, his wife and two business associates.

Bettenhausen reported ice on the wings and windshield of his small plane minutes before it plunged thousands of feet, crashed and burned in a Kentucky farm field.

National Transportation Safety Board investigator David Muzio refused to place blame for the accident, but said Bettenhausen had told an air traffic controller of the icing and asked permission to climb.

Minutes later, the plane, which had been flying level, fell at a rate of 6,000-9,000 feet per minute. A fire after the crash late Monday morning consumed most of the airplane carrying Bettenhausen; his wife, Shirley; Russ Roberts, a partner in Bettenhausen's racing team; and Larry Rangel, an Indiana businessman.

Bettenhausen, 48, was returning to his Indianapolis home from race testing in Florida. Muzio said a preliminary report on the accident could be available as early as Monday.

Bettenhausen's inexperience as a pilot also could have been a factor. An FAA official in Indianapolis said Bettenhausen had been certified to operate a twin-engine aircraft in December. Brad Stevens, an executive with Bettenhausen Motorsports, said Bettenhausen had flown single-engine planes for about five years and had purchased the twin-engine Beech Baron 58 about eight months ago. Stevens said Bettenhausen had been taking private flight instruction in the Baron 58 before he was certified, but it was unclear Wednesday how much flying time he had accumulated.

Ron Swanda, vice president of operations for the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, said pilot inexperience is often a factor in accidents.

"Generally, zero to 100 hours is the most hazardous time" for pilots mastering a new type of plane, he said. Pilots who had accumulated less than 100 hours of flight time were involved in about 20 percent of all accidents in Baron 58s, Swanda said, citing a study by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Since 1996, the NTSB has investigated 13 fatal accidents in which 42 people died in Baron 58s.
 


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