Shortly after the crash, federal investigators had focused on overloading as a possible cause. However, the Pilatus has a powerful engine for its size and is unlikely to be affected by the additional weight of a few children - unless they had an awful lot of baggage.
Investigators are also looking into the possibility of improper weight distribution.
The plane was flying from Oroville, Calif., Sunday morning on a 2½ hour flight to Bozeman, Mont. But instead of reaching its final destination, the plane diverted to Butte -- about 85 miles northwest of Bozeman -- where it nose-dived into a cemetery 500 feet short of the runway at the Bert Mooney Airport, bursting into flames and killing all 14 people onboard.
The photos above show the Pilatus PC-12 aircraft nearly identical to the plane involved in the fatal crash.
The Pilatus PC-12 that crashed was a high-end, single-engine turbo prop that did not have flight data or voice recorders onboard.
Also, there won't be any radar data of the plane's final moments for investigators to examine. Like thousands of small airports, the Butte airport doesn't have a radar facility.
ABC News online reported that the owner of the plane, Dr. Bud Feldkamp, was not onboard but lost two daughters, two son-in-laws and five grandchildren in the crash.
Names of the victims can be found on the official Loma Linda University statement of the plane crash here.
More information here.
…thanks to Twila Bauer for alerting us to the Loma Linda connection.
A picture of my cave
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