Probe of Cargo Plane Crash Finds ‘Inconsistencies’ in Latching System

The cargo plane that crashed with 45 tons of textiles on board was not overloaded but had “some inconsistencies” in its latching systems that secured the fabric, an investigator said Saturday.

Robert Benzon, the National Transportation Safety Board official who is leading the probe into the Fine Air DC-8 crash, would not say if problems with the latching system caused the jet to plummet shortly after takeoff Thursday.

“There were some inconsistencies of the latching systems that hold down cargo . . .” Benzon said. “There are probably 100 latches that hold these things down.”

The NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration had said they were looking into whether the 29-year-old plane may have been overloaded and whether the cargo shifted during takeoff.

But Benzon said the plane was about 27,000 pounds below its top allowable weight “and balanced.”

Investigators are also looking into whether pilot error or mechanical failure brought the plane down.

The in-flight data recorders will not yield as many clues as investigators had hoped. Benzon said the recorders provided information about the aircraft’s speed during and just after takeoff but apparently didn’t record other data such as the plane’s pitch, heading and engine thrust.

The crash killed the four people aboard the plane and at least one person on the ground.

There was no answer at the airline’s headquarters Saturday.