Nation : Plane Owned by Tex. Candidate for Governor Explodes; 5 Killed
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HOUSTON — A private jet owned by Texas Republican gubernatorial candidate Clayton Williams exploded in north Texas this morning, killing a pilot and four business associates of Williams, officials said. Williams was not on the plane.
Mike Cox, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said the plane was “virtually obliterated in the explosion” and there were no survivors. The Mitsubishi MU2 was en route from Midland, Tex., to Dallas/Ft. Worth and crashed about halfway between the cities.
“The aircraft requested a lower altitude from 15,000 feet to 14,000 feet,” said Ray Wall, a spokesman with the National Transportation Safety Board in Ft. Worth. “The aircraft descended off radar at 8:00 a.m. at 14,800 feet with no acknowledgment.”
A spokeswoman for Williams said the four businessmen were “very dear friends of Mr. Williams” but were not involved in his campaign for governor.
Williams, a Midland businessman who made a fortune in oil, is widely viewed as the front-runner in the Republican Party, with his emphasis on law and order and stiff penalties for drug abusers.
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