Pilot’s Loss of Control Cited in Crash That Killed 4

The National Transportation and Safety Board ruled that the plane crash that killed four firefighters on a snowboarding outing last year was caused by the pilot’s inability to maintain control in dangerous conditions.

The final report, released Friday, listed the probable cause as Michael Chantry’s inability to control the aircraft after flying into hilly terrain and losing his spatial orientation--the physical sense of the location of the plane and direction of flight.

Chantry, 36, and three other firefighters, John Jefferies III, 25, Daniel Alleman, 27, and Donald Butts, 28, were killed in the Jan. 19, 1999, crash near Chino Hills. They were going to Lake Tahoe for a vacation.

The report also listed nighttime conditions, poor weather and inadequate evaluation of the weather as factors in the crash. Warren Morningstar, spokesman for the Air Safety Foundation, said although the board has reached its conclusion, it is not absolute.

“The key word is “probable,’ ” he said. “We can infer an awful lot of things, but the bottom line is, we never know with absolute certainty what caused the accident.”

Chantry was a veteran pilot with more than 400 hours of flying time, the report stated. However, he did not have the instrument rating necessary to fly in foggy and overcast conditions.