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Fri, Apr 23, 2004

Micro-Burst Blamed For Hawaii Accident

Charter Service: Pilot "Performed Admirably, If Not Heroically"

This week's crash of a Piper Warrior on Hawaii's Big Island was caused by a rare micro-burst -- a sudden and very intense downdraft, according to the aircraft owner.

Phil Auldridge, president of Above It All, Inc. (parent company of Island Hoppers, which chartered the ill-fated trip), said the Warrior's pilot, Jelica Matic, "performed admirably, if not heroically," in bringing the aircraft down in a jagged lava field on the Big Island.

Auldridge said the aircraft was about 30-minutes into a tour with passengers Dallas and Catherine Ratcliff, of West Portsmouth (OH), when they were forced down. All three are hospitalized in serious but stable condition.

The Ratcliffs had been celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary with the trip to Hawaii. The NTSB and FAA are investigating.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov

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