Will Also Discuss NASCAR C310 Downing In Sanford, FL

The National Transportation Safety Board tells ANN it will hold a public Board meeting next Wednesday, January 28, to discuss the findings of investigations into two high-profile aviation accidents.

On July 27, 2007, two electronic news gathering helicopters collided in midair in Phoenix, AZ while covering a police pursuit. The helicopters were from local television stations. Each helicopter had a pilot-reporter and photographer on board. All four occupants were killed.

Earlier that month, a Cessna 310R (N501N), part of the fleet operated by NASCAR's corporate aviation division, crashed while performing an emergency diversion to Orlando Sanford International Airport in Orlando, FL after one of the pilots reported smoke in the cockpit.

As ANN reported, both pilots and three people on the ground were killed. Additionally, four people on the ground received serious injuries. The airplane and two homes were destroyed by impact forces and a postcrash fire.

The meeting will be held January 28 at 9:30 am, in its Board Room and Conference Center in Washington, DC. A live and archived webcast of the proceedings will also be made available on the Board's website, with technical support details are available under "Board Meetings."

FMI: www.ntsb.gov