Accident Victim Was Famous Surgeon, Also Involved In
Lawsuit
The identity of one of
two men killed onboard a Cessna Citation 500 that went down
Saturday during an emergency landing attempt at Houston's Hobby
airport has been identified by the victim's wife. It was also
revealed the aircraft, a 1972 Citation registered N505K, s/n
500-0004, was at the center of an ongoing Harris County
lawsuit.
According to a story in the Houston Chronicle, cardiologist
Antonio Pacifico died when the Citation went down shortly after its
pilot -- whose identity has not been released publicly, though he
was believed to have also been a mechanic -- radioed Hobby's tower
requesting an emergency landing.
The Chronicle revealed the nine-passenger Citation's maintenance
record "was a key subject" of ongoing litigation involving
Pacifico, a surgeon best known for treating athletes with irregular
heartbeats, including ex-Houston Rocket Hakeen Olajuwon.
However, Pacifico's attorney Ben Harvie also stated there were
"other financial issues in the lawsuit," so it is not known to what
extent the litigation involved the jet.
Pacifico, 55, was a clinical associate professor at Baylor
College of Medicine. In 2003, he led a group of investors that
bought the abandoned 50-story Enron building in downtown
Houston.
Pacifico was also involved in several real estate deals
with Olajuwon. and was a key investor in several other major
real-estate purchases.
FAA spokesman Roland
Herwig said the Citation had been on a "maintenance test flight" en
route to Corpus Christi, TX, when it was told by the field's tower
to expedite its departure in order to clear the runway for a
Southwest 737 inbound. The Southwest jet had declared an emergency
after receiving an indication of high fuel temperature, which was
later proven to be faulty.
As was reported in Real Time Saturday by
Aero-News, moments after the Citation lifted off the
pilot declared an emergency as well, asking to return to the field.
The tower gave the OK, but as the Citation turned towards the
runway it fell to the runway, bursting into flames as it skidded
nearly 300 feet.
The Southwest plane, whose crew witnessed the accident, diverted
to Bush Intercontinental Airport.
The NTSB investigator arrived on the scene Saturday afternoon,
though spokeswoman Lauren Peduzzi said it might take as long as one
year before the full details of the accident are known.
"Our investigator arrived on the scene after 4 p.m., so he had
only about an hour of daylight left," Peduzzi said. "Most of the
work he will need to do in the immediate future is examine the
wreckage. I am sure that is what he is doing today. He will examine
the wreckage, draw diagrams and interview any eyewitnesses to the
crash."
"Incidentally, he will be drawing upon the maintenance records
of the plane," added Peduzzi.