Police: He Made Up Story About Ditching In Long Island
Sound
Something's not right here. That's the word from investigators
in New York and Connecticut about the ditching of a Cessna 414 last
weekend in Long Island Sound. As ANN reported (ANN: May 28, 2003 -
"
Pilot Saved After Ditching Off Long Island"), the
pilot, 41-year old Itai Shoshani, described by the New York Post as
a "shadowy" Israeli millionaire, was saved after he ditched in
about 80 feet of water off the coast of Bridgeport (CT). His Cessna
had been diverted from White Plains (NY) to Sikorsky Field in
Bridgeport. The C-414 ditched eight miles from shore.
Investigators: We're Not Buying It
Now, investigators say they don't believe Shoshani's story about
what caused the plane to go down off the Connecticut coast. They
say he acted suspiciously when he was questioned about the
circumstances surrounding the ditching.
Shoshani reportedly told
investigators he ran out of fuel. But preliminary investigative
data indicates Shoshani may have pulled the mixture control back
beyond idle cutoff - effectively killing the supply of fuel to
both the aircraft's engines.
Divers have been in the water since the Cessna ditched, taking
pictures of the wreckage, hoping to figure out what really
happened. Sources tell the New York Post that investigators from
the FBI and the FAA are monitoring the probe, but that, so far,
there's been no attempt to recover any of the wreckage.
FAA Preliminary Accident Data
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 1234
Make/Model: C414 Description: 414,
Chancellor
Date: 05/26/2003 Time: 1828
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury:
None Mid Air: N Missing:
N
Damage: Destroyed
LOCATION
City: BRIDGEPORT State: CT Country:
US
DESCRIPTION
N1234, C414, IFR, ENROUTE FROM ORLANDO, FL TO WHITE PLAINS,
NY DECLARED MINIMUM FUEL AND THEN MADE A FORCED LANDING IN THE
WATER 9.86 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BRIDGEPORT, CT AT 1428 EDT ON
5/26/03. ONE PERSON ON BOARD RESCUED BY THE USCG. PILOT
TREATED FOR HYPOTHERMIA. AIRCRAFT SUNK. BRIDGEPORT, CT.
INJURY DATA Total
Fatal: 0
# Crew: 1 Fat:
0 Ser:
0 Min:
0 Unk:
# Pass: 0
Fat: 0 Ser:
0 Min:
0 Unk:
# Grnd:
Fat: 0 Ser:
0 Min:
0 Unk:
WEATHER: BDR 1828Z 070015KT 1 1/2SM 700OVC A2992
OTHER DATA
Activity: Unknown Phase:
Cruise Operation: General
Aviation
Departed: ORLANDO, FL Dep Date:
05/26/2003 Dep. Time:
Destination: WHITE PLAINS, NY Flt Plan:
IFR Wx Briefing: N
Last Radio Cont: 1825Z Last Clearance: TURN
LEFT HEADING 240
FAA FSDO: WINDSOR LOCKS, CT
(NE03)
Entry date: 05/27/2003 #