Jet Crashes Before Picking Up Elder Bush

[lucky wilbury]

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20041122/D86H3HDG0.html

Jet Crashes Before Picking Up Elder Bush

Nov 22, 2:06 PM (ET)

By JUAN A. LOZANO

HOUSTON (AP) - A private jet that was en route to Houston to pick up former President Bush clipped a light pole and crashed Monday as it approached Hobby Airport in thick fog, killing all three people aboard.

The Gulfstream G-1159A jet, coming into Houston, went down about 6:15 a.m. in an undeveloped area 1 1/2 miles south of the airport, officials said. The former president had been scheduled to travel to Ecuador for a conference.

"I was deeply saddened to learn of the plane crash this morning," Bush said through spokesman Tom Freschette. "I'd flown with this group before and know them well. I join in sending heartfelt condolences to each and every member of their families."

The names of the three crew members were not immediately released.

Bush, who lives in Houston, was going to give a lecture for the Guayaquil, Ecuador, Chamber of Commerce, Freschette said, adding, "It's very sad." He said he was to have accompanied Bush, as was a Secret Service agent.

Earlier, Jack Williams, a district chief with the Houston Fire Department, confirmed three people had died.

The jet, en route from Love Field in Dallas, was approaching the runway when it clipped the light pole, losing part of a wing, authorities said. Wreckage extended about 100 yards from there, Williams said.

The crash site is a field near the Beltway 8 tollway. No one on the ground was injured, but one car was hit with debris while another was hit with jet fuel, Williams said.

Roger Smith, a spokesman for the Houston Airport System, said the pilot didn't indicate any problem, and the landing was routine until communications abruptly stopped. Dense fog blanketed most of the area.

Robert Randall, operations manager with the plane's owner, Jet Place Inc. of Tulsa, Okla., said it had two male pilots and a female flight attendant aboard. The company has a fleet of 18 jets and employs about 150 people, he said.

Flight operations at Hobby Airport were not affected by the crash, officials said, but a portion of the heavily traveled tollway was closed.

Eduardo Maruri, president of the Guayaquil Chamber of Commerce, said that Bush suspended his visit until next month.

[FORD]

It would have been ironic, yet fitting, if Poppy had been on that plane, given the day.

[McCarrens]

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[Sarge's Little Helper]

It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy! It's a BCE conspiracy!

Oops. I wasn't paying attention. Tell me again what is going on.

[McCarrens]

Sarge's Little Helper kicks ass!

This is the first time I've ever brought him forth, but hopely it won't be the last...

[Switch84]

This is like a comedy skit from Hell: An odd incident occurs within the Bush family realm and Ford jumps into happy mode to celebrate it.


Sad.

[McCarrens]

It just shows that he exemplifies the liberal idea of "goodness" and "tolerance."

What a pathetic bastard...

[Switch84]

Originally posted by McCarrens
It just shows that he exemplifies the liberal idea of "goodness" and "tolerance."

What a pathetic bastard...

"Goodness" and "Tolerance" are only for folks that agree with them, McC Baby!


5 points for ya!

[Warham]

Looks like Clinton is trying to get rid of more people.

Bush must have overheard Clinton say something at the opening of the Clinton Library & Massage Parlor. Something he shouldn't have heard...

[ODShowtime]

Originally posted by McCarrens
Sarge's Little Helper kicks ass!

This is the first time I've ever brought him forth, but hopely it won't be the last...

Now you have someone on your own level to converse with!

[Ally_Kat]

Originally posted by FORD
It would have been ironic, yet fitting, if Poppy had been on that plane, given the day.

:confused: I'm missing something. What's today then?

[FORD]

Originally posted by Ally_Kat
:confused: I'm missing something. What's today then?

The 41st anniversary of the day Poppy set the slow painful death of Democracy in motion

[Viking]

'Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for flying Paul Wellstone Airlines. You may pick up your bags - and your ass - at Gate One. And Gate Two. And Gate Three. And........'

[Warham]

Originally posted by FORD
The 41st anniversary of the day Poppy set the slow painful death of Democracy in motion

[Nickdfresh]

Pilot warned before fatal Texas crash
Plane was on way to pick up former president Bush
Tuesday, November 23, 2004 Posted: 6:32 PM EST (2332 GMT)

HOUSTON, Texas (AP) -- The pilot of a private jet was warned the plane was flying low minutes before it crashed en route to a scheduled landing in Houston to pick up former President Bush, a federal investigator said Tuesday.

An investigation is under way to find out what caused the Gulfstream G-1159A jet to go down Monday morning, killing a crew of three. The plane, which belonged to Jet Place Inc. of Tulsa, Oklahoma, left Dallas an hour earlier and was to have picked up Bush, who lives in Houston, for a trip to Ecuador to give a speech at a business conference.

Mark Rosenker, vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said the control tower at Hobby Airport told crew members about three minutes before landing that winds were calm and their runway was clear.

"The controller talked with the aircraft approximately two minutes before the accident and asked them to check their altitude because they saw them at somewhere approximately 400 feet," said Rosenker.

It was not immediately known if the crew responded, NTSB officials said.

The jet's wing and the landing gear on the right side clipped a 120-foot tall light pole on a road about 3 1/4 miles south of the runway. The normal altitude for a jet at that point would have been 1,000 feet.

Rosenker said there are alarms aboard a plane that tell a pilot if he is flying too low, but it was not immediately known if they were activated.

Various factors, including the condition of the aircraft, the weather and the history of the flight crew, are being examined. Rosenker said the pilot and crew were "seasoned," each having 19,000 hours of flying experience.

The investigation could take up to a year to complete.