Grand Jury Probing USAir Crash Finds No Evidence of Criminality
A grand jury investigating the crash of a USAir jetliner into the East River last month has found no evidence of criminal conduct, the district attorney’s office said Friday.
But the panel will continue investigating the Sept. 20 crash of Flight 5050, which killed two people, spokesman Dick Piperno said. The grand jury hopes to talk to the pilot and co-pilot, he said.
“So far, there’s been no evidence of criminality,” Dist. Atty. John Santucci said Thursday in what he described as an interim report.
Interviews with 25 witnesses disproved allegations that the pilot, Capt. Michael W. Martin, behaved strangely and then disappeared after the plane skidded into the water, he said.
“We found that he did not leave the airport immediately,” Santucci said. “He stayed at the airport lounge for a period of time” and went to Jamaica Hospital for treatment after that.
Santucci also said passengers told the investigation that Martin had acted “properly” before and after the accident.
Santucci said he still wanted to consult with federal investigators and speak to Martin and the co-pilot, Constantine Kleissas, before calling off the investigation. He also said he wanted to listen to the cockpit voice recorder.
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