UMPIRE — The crash of a small plane that killed four De Queen residents near Umpire last month was the result of the failure of the aircraft’s left wing, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
The board said the wing failed shortly after the plane took off the morning of June 13.
The crash of the Piper PA-28-181 occurred during the search of the Little MissouriRiver after a campground flood killed 20 people, but the plane was not associated with the search. Officials say the plane was flying from De Queen to Gaston’s Resort in Lakeview on the White River.
The left wing was found about 400 feet away from the main area of wreckage.
Killed were pilot Michael Lee Hunt and his wife, Terri, and Carl Edwin Davis and his wife, Carolyn.
Arkansas, Pages 18 on 07/24/2010