Cause still unknown in Alaska Senator's plane crash
May 27, 2011, 12:32 pm
The National Transportation Safety Board has been unable to determine the cause of the plane crash that claimed the life of Senator Ted Stevens and four others last year, according to the Associated Press. The best conclusion that the board could present was temporary unresponsiveness by the pilot.
Terry Smith, the pilot, had a similar incident right before the fatal crash. He was said to be so unfocused during the flight that an aviation museum staff member thought he might be unfit to fly, according to the Washington Post. That individual said Smith seemed like an "Alzheimer's patient" staring into space. Smith had a stroke in 2006 and experts believe this may have contributed to his possible condition.
The Senator and other passengers flying alongside Smith may not have known about the pilot's problems and might not have thought to consider pilots life insurance. This type of plan not only covers the aircraft operator, but it can insure passengers as well. However, the NTSB could not definitively say the accident was directly related to Smith's possible condition.
"We just didn’t have enough weight behind any of the possible scenarios to draw a conclusion," NTSB Chairwoman Deborah A.P. Hersman, told the news source.
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