National Transportation Safety Board officials updated their information late Saturday afternoon.
The plane, which had a total of six passengers, crashed just after take off at 11:53 p.m. Friday.
National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson Debbie Hersman said Saturday that officials are on the scene collecting information, and that they are in the very preliminary stages of the investigation.
Hersman says the cockpit voice recorder was found, but it's unclear if it will yield any data. The device is being taken to NTSB headquaters for analysis, and they may know by Sunday if it had good information on it.
(Watch the Full UPDATED NTSB News Conference)
At this time, officials say the flight was attempting to take off on Runway 11, but it skidded down the runway. It crashed through a perimeter fence, hit an antennae array and lights, then hit an embankment along Highway 302.
The fuselage of the plane was badly burned after the crash.
Air traffic controllers reported seeing sparks from the aircraft just before it left the runway.
Hersman say her agency's investigators spent most of Saturday examining evidence along the runway, walking the length of the nearly two-mile long strip. Officials also examined the area where the plane collided with the fence and antennae.
Hersman says the plane came to a stop about a quarter-mile past the end of the runway.
The plane, a Lear 60, was manufactured in 2006, and certified in 2007. It was operated by Global Executive Aviation. The jet was headed to Van Nuys, California.
It's unclear at this point when the Columbia Metropolitan Airport will reopen for passengers. Flights were cancelled all day long as investigators did their work.
Six people were aboard the airplane: two crew members and four passengers.
The deceased are identified as the following:
--Sarah Lemmon, 31. She was the pilot. She is from Anaheim, California.
--James Bland, 52, of Carlsbad, California.
--Chris Baker, 29, of Studio City, California.
--Charles Still, 25, of Los Angeles, California.
News19 has confirmed that Travis Barker, a drummer who once was a member of the rock band Blink-182, and DJ AM, whose real name is Adam Goldstein, were aboard that plane, and survived. They have been taken to the hospital for treatment at the Augusta Burn Center, and they both are in critical but stable condition.
Barker was transported in by ambulance, while Goldstein was transported by helicopter.
William Owens, a witness, told the Associated Press that he saw the survivors exit the airplane, frantically trying to remove their burning clothes. By the time Owens reached them, he says Barker had stripped naked and DJ AM, whose real name is Adam Goldstein, had taken off his shirt.
Barker and Goldstein were in Columbia Friday night as part of a concert in Columbia's Five Points.
Media outlets in Los Angeles are reporting that Still is a longtime friend of Barker, and has worked as a bodyguard for him in the past. Baker had worked as an assitant to Barker.
As of late Saturday night, the airport had been reopened after being shut down for nearly 24 hours.
There are also roadblocks along 302, so drivers in the area should take alternative routes.
Barker, in addition to his music, is known for appearing in an MTV reality show, "Meet the Barkers," which chronicled his life with his ex-wife, Shanna Moakler. Barker and Moakler are divorced and have two children.
DJ AM is a popular DJ from the L.A. area who might be best known for his relationship and engagement to Nicole Ritchie. He was also a member of the group, Crazy Town, a group best known for the hit "Butterfly."
Goldstein and Barker recently performed together at the MTV Video Music Awards.
WLTX.com will have more on this story as it becomes available.
9/21/2008 12:23:13 AM
