Officials Seek Clues in Ohio Crash of DC-8 That Killed 4

Federal aviation officials in Ohio combed through the wreckage of a DC-8 airplane Sunday, searching for clues to a crash the day before that killed all four people aboard.

The ill-fated plane had been delivering a cargo of computers and other goods for Burlington Express, an Irvine-based package delivery firm, when it plunged into a wheat field Saturday near Toledo Express Airport, according to officials for the airport and the company.

The four-engine plane apparently tried to land twice before crashing at 3:27 a.m. about two miles north of the airport, said Raquel Garcia, Burlington Express manager of marketing and communications. At the time of the crash, visibility had been reduced to about two miles because of fog and heavy rain, she said.

The DC-8 which was operated for the Irvine firm by Air Transport International of Little Rock, Ark., was en route to Burlington’s Toledo hub when it crashed.

At least 12 firefighters and other rescue workers were injured as they attempted to fight the ensuing blaze from hydraulic and jet fuel fumes, an airport spokesman said. Garcia said the firefighters were treated for their injuries and released. Flaming pieces of wreckage rained on a farming area near the airport but no injuries were reported there.