Ottawa woman and Indian-origin friend die in plane crash in US

Ottawa: An Ottawa woman and her friend killed this weekend when a small plane carrying them crashed into a remote mountainous region of Virginia.
Margaret O'Brien, 44, of Gloucester, Ont., died immediately, along with her friend and pilot, Aditya "Roy" Sanwalka, of Toronto.
The pair had been travelling from Canada to Jacksonville, Fla., when Mr. Sanwalka radioed Atlanta flight tower control Sunday morning about a problem with his aircraft.
It had rained and was cloudy that day, authorities say.
"He indicated he was having some problems with icing on the wings," said Sgt. Michael Conroy, a spokesman for Virginia State Police.
Shortly afterwards, radar and voice contact disappeared with the 1969 Mooney model M20C plane, Sgt. Conroy said.
While an emergency beacon on Mr. Sanwalka's plane helped guide emergency workers to Smyth County, authorities said they were already dead.
Tuesday, friends and family expressed their grief and shock at the events.
The National Transportation and Safety Board said Tuesday they are investigating the incident.
Keith Holloway, a spokesman for the safety board said investigators have documented the scene and will be analyzing the information. Icing will be among the factors examined in the cause.
He said the preliminary report will be available at the end of the week. The full investigation will probably take from 12 to 18 months to complete.
Tony Tiefenbach, a flying officer with the Ottawa Flying Club, said icing on plane can be dangerous.
18/03/08 Thulasi Srikanthan/Canwest News Service/Ottawa Citizen/National Post, Canada

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Categories: Foreign Mar 2008, Safety Mar 2008