Gordon County Sheriff’s Major Clent Harris told WISTV News that wreckage was scattered over a quarter mile in three debris fields. There were no details on what parts of the airplane were in each debris field. He said the body was with wreckage and was removed after NTSB officials gave the go-ahead. He said he assumed there would be an autopsy, which may be why funeral arrangements had not been announced by our deadline. The NTSB has not commented publicly on the cause of the accident. There’s no indication of any fault with the airplane, a first-generation 210A (with wing struts) built in 1960. Crossfield used the 210 to get himself to many of the dozens of personal appearances he gave each year. He’d been in Alabama to speak to a graduating class of Air Force cadets at Maxwell Air Force Base. He was also talking to Civil Air Patrol officials about a national teachers’ conference on aerospace education. CAP Outreach Director Judy Rice was with him when he preflighted the aircraft and said he was a meticulous pilot. “He is so sharp. I know how detailed he was,” she said. She said he checked the weather before departing.
