Although it hasn’t been ruled out, airframe ice doesn’t seem to be a factor in the crash. Witnesses, surveillance videos and ground-crew personnel all seem to indicate the aircraft was ice-free as it departed for Chicago with eight investment bankers, a flight attendant and two pilots aboard. According to Debbie Hersman of the NTSB, one aircraft had been de-iced about an hour before the Challenger departed. It was clear and cold at the time. The baggage on board will be weighed to determine if the plane was too heavy. Bombardier spokesman Leo Knaapen said the plane involved in the Colorado crash was overloaded. “That plane was too heavy, sir,” Knaapen told The Associated Press. He wouldn’t speculate on what might have caused the Teterboro incident. Kimberling’s first officer, Carlos Salaverria, is apparently backing up his captain’s version of the events. Salaverria is in the hospital with multiple leg fractures and hasn’t spoken with investigators yet but his lawyer, Manuel Epelbaum, said Salaverria told him the captain called for his help and he, too, tried to pull his control yoke back. “When neither of them could pull it back, they decided to abort,” said Epelbaum. He added the pilots did everything they could to keep the plane tracking straight so as not to tear the wings off and spill fuel.
