Plane Had Little Fuel When It Crashed; 911 Calls Released; Victim Conditions

Updated November 11, 2009
Here are the current health conditions of those involved in the plane crash:
Derrick Holiday, technician: good
Ed Wilk, technician: good
Mado McDonald, pilot: serious

Posted November 10, 2009Investigators say the small plane that crashed on Highway 14 had only half a gallon of fuel in its tanks.

The twin engine turboprop crashed during a test flight Monday morning, sending all three people on board to the hospital. The plane came down on Highway 14, barely missing vehicles, then bounced across the highway and crashed through a fence near the end of the runway at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport.

The National Transportation Safety Board moved the plane to Georgia on Tuesday for closer inspection. In a news release, NTSB said the FAA examined the wreckage on scene and found a half gallon of fuel in its tank. The FAA said it is looking into the possibility the Beechcraft Super King Air 200 may have run out of fuel. That particular model of plane can hold 200 - 250 gallons.

"It was essentially running on fumes," said a source close to the investigation who asked not to be identified.

The NTSB said its investigator interviewed a witness at a manufacturing plant about 2-3 miles from the scene who noticed the right engine was “feathering”, meaning it was spinning so slowly that the witness could see the blades turning. The agency says further examination and testing will be conducted to determine what caused the crash. Also, more people will be interviewed, including the three men who survived the crash -- once they are released from the hospital.

Pilot Mado MacDonald from Virginia was upgraded Tuesday to serious condition. Aviation technicians Ed Wilk and Derrick Holliday also made improvements. Wilk is listed in fair condition and Holliday is now in good condition. All are being treated at Greenville Hospital System.

Wilk and Holliday work for Stevens Aviation which performs repairs and maintenance on private aircraft at GSP. The Chief Operations Officer of Stevens, Neal McGrail, said Monday the pilot brought the plane in for maintenance prior to the crash. He asked Wilk and Holliday to take a look at a problem he was having with the plane's avionics.

"They decided to take it up for a test flight which is a routine procedure before maintenance," said McGrail. He does not believe the 'problem' the pilot asked his employees to look at is the same problem that caused the crash.

"The technicians would have never allowed the plane to be flown if they had had any indication there was a safety issue that could lead to a crash," said McGrail.

A source close to the investigation says a faulty fuel reading could be to blame.

"There is no way a pilot with MacDonald's experience would take off with so little fuel in his plane," said the source. "It had to be a malfunction in the (fuel) gauge."

Greenville County 911 released four calls made by motorists who saw the plane crash. To hear the calls and to see Chris Cato's story on the latest findings, click play on the video screen above.