NTSB investigates fiery U.S. Navy fueling plane crash

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NTSB investigates fiery U.S. Navy fueling plane crash

2011-05-20 05:25:05 GMT+7 (ICT)

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) -- The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Thursday announced that it had launched a go-team to Wednesday's fiery crash involving a U.S. Navy fueling aircraft in California.

The Boeing 707-321B aircraft, which was reportedly carrying around 150,000 pounds of fuel, experienced a large engine fire during takeoff at around 5:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday at Point Mugu Naval Air Station in Port Hueneme, California. Thick black smoke and large flames torched the aircraft as it slid off the runway.

The aircraft - which is registered and operated by Omega Air Inc., an air refueling contractor that uses specially-equipped and converted civilian airplanes to serve as air refueling platforms for the U.S. Navy - stopped just short of the Pacific Ocean, but none of the fuel reached the ocean, reports said.

Firefighters and helicopters poured water to control the flames. Initial reports indicated that the three civilian crew members were injured, but on Thursday, the NTSB said all three had not sustained any injuries.

The NTSB designated Aviation Investigator Howard Plagens as Investigator-in-Charge and is leading the Safety Board's four-member team, while representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing, Pratt and Whitney, as well as the U.S. Navy Air Safety Center are participating in the investigation.

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