The State - News from April 25, 1989

Investigators have found evidence of a “foreign object” made of foam rubber inside one engine of a Piper Aerostar that crashed on a Newport Beach tennis court moments after taking off from John Wayne Airport. A Canadian family of five died aboard the twin-engine plane, which plowed into a court at the Newport Beach Tennis Club and exploded in flames. Gary Mucho, regional manager of the National Transportation Safety Board, said investigators found evidence of the foam-rubber object in the turbocharger of the Aerostar’s right engine. “We know how it got there and we know where it came from, but there are a few more unanswered questions that we’re pursuing,” Mucho said. He declined to name the object or describe its normal function. But a Canadian Aviation Safety Board investigator said such foam rubber is used to seal an Aerostar’s alternative air inlet door outside each engine.