House Panel Investigating 1985 Crash That Killed 248

A House panel has opened an investigation into the mystery shrouding the fiery crash of a chartered plane in Canada that killed 248 U.S. soldiers and eight crew members four years ago today.

The Canadian Aviation Safety Board said the crash probably was caused by ice on the wings of the DC-8 as it took off from Gander, Newfoundland, after a refueling stop.

But the families of some victims and some aviation experts, including four of the Canadian board’s nine members, believe the crash followed a fire on board the plane that may have been caused by an explosion. Some of them speculate that the fire was the result of a terrorist bomb.

Many of the families have formed an organization to maintain pressure on Congress and the U.S. government to investigate the crash. They plan a memorial service for the victims today at Arlington Cemetery.

The inquiry by the House Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee on crime, chaired by Rep. William J. Hughes (D-N.J.), represents the first official attempt by a U.S. body to find the cause of the worst air disaster in American military history.

“I don’t know what happened, but I am convinced that, from the beginning, our government and the Canadian government wanted to steer things away from terrorism and to a preconceived notion of ice on the wings,” said Rep. Robin Tallon (D-S.C.), who says U.S. authorities have not investigated the crash properly.

The flight, operated by Miami-based Arrow Air, was en route to Ft. Campbell, Ky., from Cairo, Egypt, via Cologne, West Germany, and Gander. The plane was carrying members of the 101st Airborne, an elite Army unit that had been on a six-month United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Sinai Desert.

After refueling at Gander on the morning of Dec. 12, 1985, the plane crashed while trying to take off and burned for 23 hours about half a mile from the end of the runway. Everyone aboard was killed.

The Canadian board said it was unable to determine the exact sequence of events that led to the crash. But the board’s majority concluded that the most probable cause was ice on the wings.

The report released two years ago said those aboard died in the fire that broke out upon impact. It said evidence did not support the occurrence of a fire or explosion before impact.

Four board members issued an unusual dissent that said that ice was not a factor and that a fire broke out on board while the aircraft was in flight. “The fire may have been associated with an in-flight detonation from an explosive or incendiary device,” said the dissent.

The dissenting theory cited eyewitness reports that the plane was in flames before it struck the ground and said two men who refueled the plane testified that they saw no ice on the wings.

Two dissenting board members, aeronautical engineer Lester T. Filotas and former Air Canada pilot Ross Stevenson, were interviewed Monday by the subcommittee staff. Both men said they disagree categorically with the theory that ice caused the crash and feel additional investigation is warranted, according to a source close to the subcommittee.