whalen@erlang.DEC (Don't be so right that you may be misunderstood) (11/07/85)
Associated Press Wed 06-NOV-1985 11:31 Parachutists Crash FBI Probe Into Plane Crash May Contradict NTSB Findings, Pape Says ATLANTA (AP) - Although the FBI has nearly completed its investigation into a plane crash that killed a pilot and 16 skydivers, it has not found sugar in the plane's fuel as another federal agency did, a newspaper reported today. Earlier tests by the National Transportation Safety Board found contamination by sucrose in relatively large amounts. The Atlanta Constitution quoted unidentified sources in today's editions as saying the exhaustive FBI probe had turned up no trace of sugar in the fuel supply of the Cessna 208 Caravan that crashed in Jenkinsburg, about 35 miles southeast of Atlanta, on Sept. 29. The newspaper said that the FBI investigation concurred with the NTSB finding that water had mixed with the plane's fuel but said there was no indication that it had been intentionally added to the fuel. After learning of the NTSB test results on Oct. 2, the FBI opened its own probe into possible sabotage of the plane. Most of the FBI's investigation has focused on the dead pilot, David``Cowboy'' Williams, an Atlanta real estate developer who owned the plane and used it on weekends to ferry parachutists. Agents looked into Williams' private life, business dealings, sky diving competitors and his relationship with Andrew Carter Thornton II. The two men were friends who sky-dived together occassionally. Thornton parachuted to his death in Knoxville, Tenn., Sept. 11 when his chute apparently malfunctioned. He was found with 79 pounds of cocaine strapped to his waist. Authorities have said they also have established links between Thornton and an additional 220 pounds of cocaine that was parachuted into north Georgia. The Constitution quoted the source as saying the FBI had not determined why the plane nose-dived into a field shortly after takeoff on Sept. 29, killing the pilot and all 16 sky divers aboard. The conclusion, the source said, can only be made by the NTSB, which has nearly completed its own field investigation of the crash. However, a source told the newspaper that, ``barring unforeseen developments or the emergence of some new information, it's going to come to a conclusion. There's no credible evidence that it was sabotage.'' David Kelsey, an FBI special agent in Atlanta, said today the agency would have no comment on the Constitution report or on the investigation. ``The airplane crash remains under investigation by our office,'' he said. NTSB spokesman Ira Furman said it may be several months before the board issues a finding on the cause of the crash. Jay Golden, chief of the NTSB's Atlanta field division, said he had not seen the FBI report. ``If there's an inconsistency, we're certainly going to ask questions,'' Golden said. ``If there is an inconsistency, and I'll emphasize the if, then it's going to have to be resolved.'' The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, a federal grand jury in Knoxville, and several Tennessee police departments are investigating Thornton's death and drug activities.