OSG Tap %26 Dies

Cessna 441 Conquest

The pilot (a part time employee of the owner) was ferrying the aircraft for maintenance. Witnesses, who saw the pilot before take- off, noted that his speech was slurred and that he seemed angry because a tug would not start. One witness characterized him as being 'very mad' and said his face was 'flushed red.' The aircraft was observed to takeoff in a high nose-up attitude and climb about 500 to 1,000 feet before turning to the southwest and leveling. Subsequently, the plane turned back toward the airport, then it crashed and burned approximately 1-1/2 mile ssw of the airport while on a heading of northeast. Impact occurred while the aircraft was descending in a slightly left wing low attitude. The wreckage was scattered over an area that was approximately 600 feet long and about 45 feet wide at the widest point. According to witnesses, the engines were operating normally when the aircraft crashed. No preimpact mechanical problem was found. A toxicology check of the pilot's liver tissue fluid showed an alcohol level of 2,26‰. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.