NATION IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Pilot of Heinz Plane Lacked Experience

The captain of the plane in which Republican Sen. John Heinz of Pennsylvania was killed in an April 4 midair collision with a helicopter near Philadelphia had less than three hours of experience commanding the chartered aircraft, according to reports released by federal investigators in Washington. One witness interviewed by the National Transportation Safety Board investigators said the captain, Trond M. Stegen, 29, had difficulty operating an identical twin-engine Piper Aerostar in a flight three days before the collision. The crash occurred as pilots in the helicopter were inspecting the plane’s landing gear to ensure that it was down.