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Reports Shared On NASCAR Plane Crash

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 11, 2008

ORLANDO - Fumes from an electrical fire incapacitated two pilots, causing their NASCAR plane to plunge into a neighborhood near Orlando, killing them and three people on the ground, according to a NASCAR report released Friday. But federal investigators do not necessarily agree with that claim.

The NASCAR summary is included in reports released by the National Transportation Safety Board about the July 10 crash of the Cessna 310R airplane into two homes in suburban Sanford. Onboard were NASCAR pilot Michael Klemm and Bruce Kennedy, husband of International Speedway Corp. President Lesa France Kennedy.

Unlike the NASCAR summary, the NTSB report only presents facts of the crash and does not speculate on the cause. NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson said the final report will likely be issued this summer.

"We want to consider everything. The more information the better," Knudson said.

The NASCAR report said the electrical fire in wiring behind the instrument panel began about three or four minutes before the aircraft crash. It said the crew reacted by declaring an emergency, turning off electrical equipment and diverting to an airport about 3 miles away.

"However, approximately two to three minutes after the fire began, only about one minute from reaching their alternative airport, the crew was incapacitated by toxic fumes from the burning electrical wiring," the NASCAR report concludes.

The Federal Aviation Administration said carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide are the two principal toxic combustion gases in a cabin fire, while hydrogen chloride can be generated by burning wiring insulation. The NASCAR report said it thinks the men were overcome from hydrogen chloride.

The NTSB said investigators could not determine who was operating the plane at the time of the accident. Both men were certified pilots and died from the crash.

Three people in the homes also died: 24-year-old law student Janise Woodard, her 6-month-old son, Josiah and a 4-year-old neighbor, Gabriela Dechat.

The Associated Press

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