The Nation - News from Oct. 1, 1985
A single-engine plane, whose crash at Jenkinsburg, Ga., killed the pilot and 16 sky divers, carried contaminated fuel and may have been overloaded, federal aviation investigators said. A black discoloration was found in the right fuel tank of the Cessna 208 Caravan, said Jim Burnett, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. Investigators did not know what had contaminated the fuel, he said. The Federal Aviation Administration said it grounded the plane Friday because of contaminated fuel, but Burnett said the plane’s owner took off without correcting the problem, which was a violation of FAA rules.
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