Celebrity plane crash victims
Here's a look at how many people worked on National Transportation Safety Board investigations involving seven celebrities or other prominent people or their offspring.
Read main story: Celebrity crashes get special treatment
Date: Aug. 9, 2010
Location: Aleknagik, Alaska
Killed: 5
Aircraft: DeHavilland DHC-3
NTSB report: 86 pages
Investigation: At least 31 people worked on worked on one of the most comprehensive investigations of a private-airplane crash, with seven NTSB investigative groups generating an 86-page final report based on scores of interviews; analyses of weather, airplane performance, powerplants, airworthiness, survival factors and pilot performance, including his family medical history.
Probable cause: Pilot's unresponsiveness for undetermined reasons
Aftermath: The NTSB urged the Federal Aviation Administration to improve its weather sensors
Date: July 16, 1999
Location: Vineyard Haven, Mass.
Killed: 3
Aircraft: Piper Saratoga
NTSB report: 21 pages
Investigation: The NTSB took 1,067 photos of the airplane, reviewed weather reports from 14 airports along John F. Kennedy Jr.'s flight path, interviewed pilots who flew in the same area the night of the crash and examined the wreckage over five days at a Coast Guard hangar.
Probable cause: Kennedy's failure to control the airplane
Aftermath: None
Date: July 13, 1999
Location: Minden, Nev.
Killed: 2
Aircraft: Nimbus-4 glider
NTSB report: 42 pages
Investigation: After the glider broke apart in the air, the NTSB sent the wings to an FAA lab for a complete scientific investigation and failure analysis, which included analyzing the wings' materials, structure, durability, flexibility and failure points.
Probable cause: Pilot's excessive use of the elevator control.
Aftermath: None
Date: Nov. 10, 2013
Location: Owasso, Okla.
Killed: 1
Aircraft: Mitsubishi MU-2B
NTSB report: 22 pages
Investigation: Seven NTSB investigators, three FAA inspectors and four manufacturers analyzed the airplane engines, propellers, valves, switches and shafts; studied autopilot, instrumentation and warning systems, reconstructed the airplane's final minutes using radar, and interviewed at least 20 people.
Probable Cause: Inhofe's loss of airplane control for undetermined reasons
Aftermath: The NTSB urged the FAA to improve its guidance for flying Mitsubishi MU-2B airplanes
Date: April 19, 2006
Location: Ludville, Ga.
Killed: 1
Aircraft: Cessna Centurion
NTSB report: 11 pages
Investigation: A "major" NTSB investigation analyzed Crossfield's background, training, medical certification and flight logbook; air-traffic control transcript; extensive weather data and weather briefings Crossfield received.
Probable cause: Crossfield's failure to get updated weather information
Aftermath: Following another weather-related crash four months later, the NTSB issued a safety alert advising pilots about flying in thunderstorms.
Date: Feb. 3, 2012
Location: Boise, Idaho
Killed: 1 Aircraft: Home-built airplane
NTSB Report: 23 pages
Investigation: Four NTSB investigators, an FAA inspector and five manufacturers' representative examined the airplane's engine, airframe, cockpit displays and fuel-control unit; reconstructed the flight path; reviewed air-traffic control transcripts; interviewed at least 16 people including Appleton's widow; and reviewed his maintenance log book and emails.
Probable cause: A loss or reduction of engine power for undetermined reasons
Aftermath: None
Date: April 11, 1996
Location: Cheyenne, Wyo.
Killed: 3
Aircraft: Cessna Cardinal
NTSB report: 69 pages
Investigation: The NTSB, focusing on why pilot-in-command Joe Reid took off into conditions he could not handle, studied his sleep patterns, interviewed his widow and scrutinized his hotel phone records and media schedule in the days before the flight.
Probable cause: Reid's improper decision to take off into deteriorating weather with an overweight airplane
Aftermath: Congress enacted the Child Pilot Safety Act barring people without a pilot certificate from flying an airplane while.