Plane crash kills 2

Monday, February 28, 2005

By BARBARA WILLIAMS
STAFF WRITER

Two men died Sunday when the small plane they were flying hit some
wires, slammed into the ground and burst into flames at Greenwood Lake
Airport in West Milford.

Harold E. Botsford Jr., 79, of Ringwood and Ted Fletcher of Franklin
Lakes were pronounced dead at the scene, just southeast of the airport's
runway. Police said the single-engine, 1975 Cessna 182P went down
shortly after 1 p.m., apparently after malfunctioning.

Local authorities did not know who was flying the plane, and the airport
has no control tower. Officials from the National Transportation Safety
Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating.

According to police Lt. Gene Chiosie, Fletcher was in the process of
getting his pilot's license recertified, and Botsford was a longtime
instructor at the airport. The plane took off, then malfunctioned and
touched back down on the runway. It came back up, hit overhead wires and
crashed in woods off Airport Road.

The plane hit the ground nose first and broke into several pieces. Liam
Glinane, a spokesman for the West Milford First Aid Squad, said the men
were pinned in the fuselage.

"There were three kids riding ATVs in the area, and they came on the
crash first," Glinane said. "The kids told emergency workers that the
men were conscious and screaming to help them get out, but before they
could, the plane burst into flames."

After the fire was extinguished, parts of the wings could be seen
hanging in bare tree branches only a few feet off the snowy ground. Most
of the plane was burned beyond recognition.

A woman who answered the phone at Botsford's house declined to comment,
and Fletcher's family could not be reached. FAA records list Fletcher as
one of the owners of the plane.

Botsford had current certification as an airline transport pilot and
flight instructor. His license included a first-class medical
designation, the highest award by the FAA. Such pilots must be in
excellent physical and mental health.

Fletcher, believed to be 56 or 57, was certified as a private pilot.

Robert Moshman, a former mayor, called Greenwood Lake a "dangerous,
difficult airport." He was a critic of a state expansion of the airport:
"I felt it was dangerous because the runway was expanded improperly," he
said.

After he left office, he said, the state reduced the runway by 300 feet,
fulfilling a task on his wish list.

Even the airport's location is a problem, he said. The runway is
surrounded by hills, and wind shear is a risk for pilots taking off and
landing.

"I'm not in favor of the airport being closed," he said. "But it should
be restricted. It's not suited for corporate jets or training purposes."

A crash in 1997 killed the 8-year-son of the pilot. In July 1998, a
World War II-era biplane crashed in the woods near the airport, but its
pilot and passenger were not injured. Less than a month later, an
instructor and student pilot were hurt when their plane flipped. In 2000
another instructor and student were injured during a crash landing.

At Teterboro Airport last month, a jet shot down a runway, skidded
across Route 46 and crashed into a warehouse, injuring 20 people,
several on the ground. The cause of that accident is still being
investigated.

The state purchased Greenwood Lake Airport, which had been in disrepair,
in 1999 to prevent its sale to a developer. Owners of recreational
planes |are encouraged to use the |180-acre site, freeing up space for
corporate jets at Teterboro and Morristown airports.

Located off Marshall Hill Road, the 44-year-old airport sits near a
privately owned recycling center and close to a nursing home.

On a busy day, up to 100 planes may take off from the airport, but most
days the number is closer to a few dozen.

Staff Writers Elise Young and Adrienne Lu contributed to this article.

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