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NTSB studies weather in Wellstone crash
EVELETH, Minnesota (CNN) -- Investigators are looking at weather conditions and a navigational device in their search for clues as to what may have caused the plane crash that killed U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone and seven others, the head of the National Transportation Safety Board said Sunday. Investigators have discovered the aircraft was off course, heading south and away from the runway, when it crashed Friday morning. Pilots were reporting light icing conditions in the area, and investigators are examining whether de-icing equipment on the plane was working properly, said Carol Carmody, the NTSB's acting chairwoman. In addition, the Federal Aviation Administration found a high-frequency radio beacon used to guide aircraft toward the airport was "slightly out of tolerance," Carmody said. But additional tests were being conducted, and "we don't know how significant that is." NTSB investigator Robert Benzon said pilots can tell if the system, known as VOR, has a significant malfunction. "If it becomes grossly out of tolerance, dangerous, then it shuts itself down. The pilots can tell that and they go someplace else. It wasn't to that state yet," he said. The crash and resulting fire destroyed the twin-engine Raytheon King Air's fuselage and cockpit, Carmody said, and investigators were sifting through the wreckage by hand. "It's difficult because of the fragmentation and the very little bit of the aircraft that's left, but we are going to make every effort to indicate if those systems were operational," she said. The twin-engine charter plane went down about 2 miles from the Eveleth-Virginia Municipal Airport, where it was attempting to land. Damage to nearby trees indicated it was descending at a steeper-than-usual angle of about 25 degrees, Carmody said. The aircraft's engines were removed from the wreckage Sunday and will be sent to their manufacturer, a Canadian subsidiary of the Connecticut-based Pratt and Whitney, for testing. Wellstone, D-Minnesota; his wife, Sheila; his daughter, Marcia Wellstone Markuson; three campaign aides and two pilots died in the crash. A group of 17 relatives of those killed in the crash were allowed to visit the site Sunday and leave flowers. By late Sunday, medical examiners had identified all the victims, said Minnesota State Patrol spokesman Kevin Smith. NTSB officials escorted the relatives to the wooded, swampy crash site shortly before noon Sunday. The relatives were allowed to remain at the site for about half an hour. "Family members were allowed to do whatever they felt was appropriate," Carmody said.
Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura has offered to let Wellstone's remains lie in state in the state capitol. A memorial service for one of the campaign workers killed in the crash, Tom Lapic, was scheduled for Monday evening in the Minneapolis suburb of Eden Prairie. Lapic was Wellstone's deputy state campaign director. Wellstone, an outspoken liberal, was locked in a tight re-election battle with Republican Norm Coleman, the former mayor of St. Paul. Under state law, Democrats have until Thursday afternoon to replace him on the ballot. (Full story) Wellstone's eldest son has asked former Vice President Walter Mondale to take his father's place on the November 5 ballot, sources close to Wellstone told CNN. Mondale has not indicated publicly whether he will replace Wellstone on the ballot. At the time of the crash, the Wellstones were on their way to attend the funeral of the father of a state representative. They were scheduled to travel later that day to Duluth for a campaign event. --CNN Correspondents Susan Candiotti and Jonathan Karl contributed to this report.
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