Federal investigators said a single-engine plane hit an "unknown object" at 3,000 feet before it crashed in a swampy area near Mobile on Oct. 23, 2002, killing a veteran pilot. The pilot, Thomas J. Preziose, 54, of Mobile, had reported spotting a FedEx DC-10 near his flight. But the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation found the FedEx aircraft wasn't damaged and the object that hit the small plane remains a mystery.In a report this week, the NTSB said there were unidentified red marks on the severely damaged nose and front belly of the crashed Cessna, but tests failed to find the source of the red streaks.The crash occurred minutes after Preziose took off from Downtown Airport to deliver business documents to Montgomery.NTSB spokesman Keith Holloway told the Mobile Register that agency officials "don't know of any other accident that we have in our files that states 'collision with an unknown object.'"A final NTSB analysis on the crash is expected within a few months, said Holloway."It's just a great thing that this kind of thing didn't happen to an airliner with a bunch of people on it," said Don Godwin, a veteran pilot and chief executive officer of Mid-Atlantic Freight, which owned the plane.Preziose was working for Mid-Atlantic Freight, under contract with the delivery company DHL Worldwide Express, and had flown the same route numerous times.The NTSB report also notes that malfunctioning radar recording equipment hampered efforts to determine the exact cause of the accident.

An air traffic controller at Mobile Regional Airport apparently gave incorrect positions to Preziose about the location of a DC-10 in the area, according to the report.A Federal Aviation Administration official at Mobile Regional Airport said Tuesday he wasn't aware of any equipment malfunctions.The report says the Mobile Regional controller alerted Preziose, flying at 3,000 feet, to the presence of the DC-10, which was seven miles straight in front of him, flying at 4,000 feet. Preziose acknowledged it.A minute later, the controller told Preziose the DC-10 had crossed the smaller plane's path and remained at 4,000 feet, the report says.

View: Full Article | Source: Leadger Enquirer

"Along with failing to find the source of the red streaks, investigators also were unable to identify the source of "a small piece of what appeared to be black anodized aluminum, which was found embedded in the left wing" near the fuselage, the report states."


what couldve caused those markings and what kind of metal is that? what is it used for?

Anodizing is a type of electrolysis used to place a protective oxide coating on metal. The metal acts as the anode (positive pole) of an electrolytic cell. Negatively charged oxide ions pass through a solution called an electrolyte, and oxidize the surface of the metal. Special treatments give the metal a porous outside layer that can absorb dyes. This makes it possible to produce colored surfaces that cannot be rubbed off or scratched.

Anodized aluminum is used on "Exterior panels for aerospace vehicles"
according to this Link

That's no fair....i posted this yesterday!!!

Thread I Started Yesterday!





You should check out my thread as well though, i included the "history of flight" report by the NTSB and the "Full Narrative of Flight" report by the NTSB as well... gov't cover-up i think...