Aircraft Not De-Iced Before Departure

The Canadair Challenger that crashed on take-off from Montrose, CO, Sunday may not have been de-iced, according to the NTSB. The mishap killed three people, including the youngest son of NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol.

"We do want to look at de-icing because of the weather conditions but we're not going to just focus on one possibility," said NTSB Chairman Ellen Engleman Connors on CBS' "The Early Show."

As ANN reported, search teams Monday found the body of 14-year old Edward "Teddie" Ebersol underneath the wreckage of the Challenger CL-600 (file photo of type, below).

At MTJ Services, a company that de-ices aircraft at Montrose, Steve McLaughlin said his company didn't de-ice the Challenger before it attempted to depart. The airport manager said he didn't know whether the aircraft had undergone de-icing.

But that certainly isn't the only factor the NTSB is looking into, according to Engleman Connors. Other issues being considered are "structural failure, fuel imbalance, engine failure, was there a problem with air speed, human factors" and, of course, the weather. A snowstorm had blown through earlier. There was light snow and fot reported at the time of the accident.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov