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— 14  Los Angeles Times. “San Bernardino shooting live updates…” 12-3-2015.

— 14  Los Angeles Times. “San Bernardino shooting updates.” 12-9-2015.

— 14  Times of Israel. “Messianic Jewish victim…attack…argued with shooter about Islam.” 12-4-2015.

 

Narrative Information

 

LA Times, Dec 9: “Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, a married couple, opened fire at a holiday party at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino on Dec. 2. Fourteen people were killed and 22 injured, most of them county employees. Both attackers were killed in a gun battle with police. Farook, who was born in the U.S. and worked for the county, and Malik, a Pakistan national, had an arsenal of ammunition and pipe bombs in their Redlands home.

 

“Enrique Marquez, a friend of Farook, bought two of the guns used in the attack. He entered a mental health facility after the massacre.

 

“Farook and Malik began plotting a terror attack before they were engaged and before Malik moved to the U.S. last year. Investigators are trying to determine whether they had links to foreign terror organizations….” (LA Times. “San Bernardino shooting updates.” 12-9-2015.)

 

List of Fatalities:

 

Robert Adams, 40

Isaac Amanios, 60

Bennetta Betbadal, 46

Harry Bowman, 46

Sierra Clayborn, 27

Juan Espinoza, 50

Aurora Godoy, 26

Shannon Johnson, 45

Larry Daniel Kaufman, 42

Damian Meins, 58

Tin Nguyen, 31 (female)

Nicholas Thalasinos, 52

Yvette Velasco, 27

Michael Raymond Wetzel, 37. (LA Times. “San Bernardino shooting victims: Who they were.” 12-17-2015.)

 

Sources

 

Los Angeles Times. “San Bernardino shooting live updates: Obama says ‘we don’t know’ if attack was terrorism.” 12-3-2015. Accessed 12-3-2015: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-san-bernardino-shooting-live-updates-htmlstory.html

 

Los Angeles Times. “San Bernardino shooting updates.” 12-9-2015. Accessed 1-5-2016 at: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-san-bernardino-shooting-live-updates-htmlstory.html

 

Los Angeles Times. “San Bernardino shooting victims: Who they were.” 12-17-2015. Accessed 1-5-2016 at: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-san-bernardino-shooting-victims-htmlstory.html

 

Times of Israel. “Messianic Jewish victim of California attack had argued with shooter about Islam.” 12-4-2015. Accessed 1-5-2016 at: http://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-victim-of-california-attack-had-argued-with-shooter-about-islam/

 

 

 

 

— 9  Fox8 Cleveland. “NTSB releases preliminary report on deadly Akron plane crash.” 11-18-2015.

— 9  NBC News. “Small Plane Crash at Akron Apartment Complex Kills 9…” 11-11-2015.

— 9  NTSB. “NTSB Identification: CEN16MA036” 11-10-2015. Accessed 11-22-2015

— 7  WLWT5, Cincinnati. “Officials: Jet that crashed into Akron building…from…” 11-11-2015.

 

Narrative Information

 

NTSB: “Nonscheduled 14 CFR Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter Accident occurred Tuesday, November 10, 2015 in Akron, OH. Aircraft: BRITISH AEROSPACE HS 125 700A, registration: N237WR. Injuries: 9 Fatal.

 

“This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators traveled in support of this investigation and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

 

“On November 10, 2015, about 1452 eastern standard time (EST), Execuflight flight 1526, a British Aerospace HS 125-700A, N237WR, departed controlled flight while on approach to landing at Akron Fulton International Airport (AKR) and impacted a 4-plex apartment building in Akron, Ohio. The pilot, copilot, and seven passengers died; no ground injuries were reported. The airplane was destroyed by the crash and a postcrash fire. The airplane was registered to Rais Group International NC LLC and operated by Execuflight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 as an on-demand charter flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The flight departed from Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport (MGY), Dayton, Ohio, about 1413 EST and was destined for AKR.

 

“The airplane, which was based at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, departed Cincinnati Municipal Airport-Lunken Field, Cincinnati, Ohio, about 1112 EST on the day of the accident and arrived at MGY about 1125 EST. The airplane remained parked on the ramp at one of the fixed-base operators until departing for AKR.

 

“According to Federal Aviation Administration air traffic control and radar data, about 1438 EST, the Akron-Canton terminal radar approach control facility provided radar vectors to the accident airplane for the localizer runway 25 instrument approach procedure at AKR.

 

“A Piper PA-28-161 airplane performing flight training at the airport completed the localizer runway 25 instrument approach procedure at AKR before the accident airplane began its approach. According to the flight instructor on board the Piper PA-28-161, the airplane “broke out at minimums” on the localizer runway 25 approach and landed on runway 25. After the Piper PA-28-161 exited the runway, the flight instructor reported that he heard one of the pilots of the accident airplane state “Hawker Jet on a 10 mile final localizer 25” over the Unicom frequency. Subsequently, the flight instructor radioed to the accident airplane and stated “we broke out right at minimums.” According to the flight instructor, one of the pilots of the accident airplane acknowledged this transmission with “thanks for the update.”

 

“About 1452 EST, a motion-activated security camera located about 900 ft to the southeast of the accident site captured the airplane as it came in over the surrounding trees in a left-wing-down attitude about 1.8 nautical miles from the approach end of runway 25 at AKR. An explosion and postcrash fire were observed on the video just after the airplane flew out of the security camera’s view.

 

“The postcrash fire consumed most of the airplane; however, the airframe, engines, primary flight controls, and landing gear were all accounted for at the accident site. The airplane was equipped with a Fairchild GA-100 tape unit cockpit voice recorder, which was recovered and sent to the National Transportation Safety Board’s Vehicle Recorders Laboratory for examination.

 

“About 1450 EST, the surface weather observation at AKR was wind from 240 degrees at 7 knots; visibility 1 3/4 statute mile in mist; ceiling broken at 600 ft above ground level (agl); overcast ceiling at 900 ft agl; temperature 11 degrees C (52 degrees F); dew point 9 degrees C (48 degrees F); and altimeter 29.95 inches of mercury.” (NTSB Identification: CEN16MA036.)

 

Media Report:

 

Fox 8 Cleveland: “Akron, Ohio — The National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary report on a plane crash in Akron that killed nine people on Nov. 10. The Hawker plane, owned by Florida-based ExecuFlight, departed Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport at 2:13 p.m. and was approaching Akron Fulton International Airport when it crashed into a four-unit apartment building, the report said. It killed the pilot, co-pilot and seven passengers.”

 

Sources

 

Fox 8 Cleveland (Jen Steer). “NTSB releases preliminary report on deadly Akron plane crash.” 11-18-2015. Accessed 11-22-2015: http://fox8.com/2015/11/18/ntsb-releases-preliminary-report-on-deadly-akron-plane-crash/

 

NBC News (Daniel Arkin, Erik Ortiz, Scott Newell). “Small Plane Crash at Akron Apartment Complex Kills 9, Including Pebb Enterprises Staffers.” 11-11-2015. Accessed 11-11-2015 at: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/small-plane-crash-akron-apartment-complex-kills-9-including-pebb-n461301

 

National Transportation Safety Board. “NTSB Identification: CEN16MA036.” Washington, DC: NTSB, 11-10-2015. Accessed 11-22-2015 at: http://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20151110X65615&key=1

 

WLWT5, Cincinnati. “Officials: Jet that crashed into Akron building left from Lunken Airport. Seven employees of Florida company killed.” 11-11-2015. Accessed 11-11-2015 at: http://www.wlwt.com/news/2-killed-when-small-plane-crashes-into-akron-apartment-building/36368068

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

–10  Associated Press. “10 Killed in Prison Bus Crash in West Texas: Officials.” 1-15-2015.

–10  Associated Press. “At Least 10 Killed in Texas When Prison Bus Strikes Train.” 1-14-2015

–10  NTSB. Highway Preliminary Report, Penwell, TX. Date adopted 1-29-2015.

–10  Reuters. “At least 10 killed when Texas prison bus hit by train: reports.” 1-14-2015.

 

NTSB: “On January 14, 2015, about 7:50 a.m. (local time), a 2015 Bluebird prisoner transport bus operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice was traveling westbound on Interstate 20 (I-20) near Penwell, Texas [1]. The bus — occupied by three corrections officers and 12 inmates — was en route from the Middleton Corrections Facility in Abilene, Texas, to the Sanchez Facility in El Paso, Texas. The bus had departed from Abilene at about 4:40 a.m., and, after traveling for approximately 3 hours, was approaching a highway overpass on I-20 which crossed over a set of railroad tracks. A freight train, with four locomotives and 58 cars, operated by the Union Pacific (UP) Railroad occupied the tracks. The train was en route from Los Angeles, California, to Marion, Arkansas, and was traveling at 45 mph, which was below the maximum authorized speed for that area.

 

“On the previous day, the 225-foot-long metal beam guardrail leading up to the overpass was damaged in a vehicle collision. The Texas Department of Transportation responded, photographed the damage and placed traffic cones in the area.

 

“Early on the morning of January 14, three additional crashes, attributed to icy road conditions, occurred, with the last crash taking place about 7:35 a.m. In two of these crashes, an eastbound vehicle went out of control, crossed the center median, and traveled through the area of the previously damaged guardrail — possibly displacing it partially into the left traffic lane. A witness in a vehicle traveling forward of the bus reported that moments before the bus reached the overpass the guardrail wreckage was about 2 feet into the travel lane.

 

“As the bus, which was in the left lane of travel, approached the section of guardrail laying in the roadway, it was following behind a tractor-semitrailer combination while passing a slower moving tractor-semitrailer combination vehicle. The bus struck the guardrail, veered to the left, and overrode the guardrail wreckage in the median. The bus traveled about 22 feet across the earthen median into an opening between the eastbound and westbound traffic lanes of I-20. The bus encountered a 21-foot embankment and became airborne. The bus struck the base of the embankment and continued forward toward the railroad tracks, where it impacted the fifty-fourth rail car and side of a piggy-back trailer of the UP train.

 

“As a result of the crash, two corrections officers and eight inmates died. The remaining five bus occupants were seriously injured and transported to the Medical Center Hospital in Odessa, Texas, for treatment….

 

“I-20 is a four-lane (two in each direction) interstate with a grassy median and a posted speed limit of 75 mph.

 

“Probable Cause. The information in this report is preliminary and will be supplemented or corrected during the course of the investigation.​” (National Transportation Safety Board. Highway Preliminary Report, Penwell, TX. Date adopted 1-29-2015.)

 

Jan 14, AP: “At least 10 people were killed Wednesday when a bus carrying state prisoners skidded off an icy highway overpass in West Texas, slid down an embankment and collided with a passing train, a county sheriff said. The overpass on Interstate 20 was slick with ice Wednesday morning when the Texas Department of Criminal Justice bus left the roadway just west of Odessa, according to Ector County Sheriff Mark Donaldson. Justice Department spokesman Jason Clark said the bus was carrying 12 prisoners and three corrections officers, and was taking the inmates from a prison in Abilene to another in El Paso.

 

“The Union Pacific train was carrying freight and came to a stop shortly after being struck. Two employees on the train were not injured.” (Associated Press. “At Least 10 Killed in Texas When Prison Bus Strikes Train.” 1-14-2015.)

 

Jan 14, Reuters: “Austin, Texas (Reuters) — A Texas prison bus carrying 15 people veered off a road and was hit by train on Wednesday [Jan 14], prison officials said, with local media saying at least 10 people were killed in the accident. The bus with 12 inmates and three corrections officers was traveling from Abilene to El Paso when it skidded off a highway and ended up on railroad tracks, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said based on preliminary reports. The accident took place near the western Texas city of Odessa.

 

“Officials at the scene reported at least 10 people were killed, the local CBS affiliate and the Odessa American newspaper reported. The state’s Department of Criminal Justice did not provide details on injuries or deaths. The bus appears to have gone off a bridge, the Odessa American said, citing a Texas Department of Public Safety official.”

 

Jan 15, AP: “Eight inmates and two corrections officers died Wednesday when a prison bus skidded off an icy West Texas highway, slid down an embankment and collided with a passing freight train, authorities said. The overpass on Interstate 20 was slick with ice Wednesday morning when the Texas Department of Criminal Justice bus left the roadway in Penwell, just west of Odessa, according to Ector County Sheriff Mark Donaldson.

 

“An earlier accident on the I-20 overpass may have contributed to the prison bus losing control, Donaldson said. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice confirmed the 10 deaths in a statement, adding that four prisoners and one corrections officer were injured. The bus driver and another corrections officer were among those killed. A prison system statement identified the dead correctional officers as 53-year-old Christopher Davis and 45-year-old Eligio Garcia. The statement did not say which officer was driving the bus.

 

“According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice following were the prisoners who died, along with their convictions and their residences of record:

 

• Byron Wilson, 34, of Potter County, sentenced for possession of a controlled substance
• Tyler Townsend, 29, Tarrant Co., sentenced for evading arrest with previous convictions
• Jesus Reyna, 44, of Ector County, sentenced for evading arrest and possession of cocaine
• Kaleb Wise, 22, of Taylor County, sentenced for burglary
• Adolfo Ruiz, 32, of Tarrant County, sentenced for labeling unauthorized recordings
• Michael Stewart, 25, of Tarrant Co., sentenced for theft of property and evading arrest
• Angel Vasquez, 31, of Potter County, sentenced for assault on a family member
• Jeremiah Rodriguez, 35, of Ector County, sentenced for theft

 

“Correctional officer Jason Self, 38, and inmates Terry Johnson, 22, and Damien Rodriguez, 22, were hospitalized in critical condition, the prison system said. Inmates Remigio Pineda, 34, and Hector Rivera, 37, were in serious condition….

 

“Jason Clark, a spokesman for the Department of Criminal Justice, said the bus was taking the inmates from the Middleton prison in Abilene to the Sanchez prison in El Paso.

 

“The prisoners were handcuffed together in pairs, but there were no leg restraints, said Jason Heaton, agency director for the region. Only the driver’s seat had a seatbelt, he said. The school bus-like vehicle also does not have seatbelts on the bench-type seats where the prisoners were seated.

 

“After the accident around 7:30 a.m., the white bus came to rest on its side adjacent to the railroad tracks, crumpled with heavy damage to its front and undercarriage. The top of the bus also was caved inward.

 

“The Union Pacific freight train with four locomotives and 58 cars came to a stop soon after. None of the cars derailed, but two containers at the rear of the train were damaged when the bus struck them, said Mark Davis, a railroad spokesman. The containers were carrying hundreds of parcels and packages, many of which were strewn along the tracks. Two Union Pacific employees were not injured….” (Associated Press. “10 Killed in Prison Bus Crash in West Texas: Officials.” 1-15-2015. Texas News.)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press. “10 Killed in Prison Bus Crash in West Texas: Officials.” 1-15-2015. Texas News. Accessed 1-15-2015 at: http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Officials-Prison-Bus-Involved-in-Fatal-Wreck-288552971.html

 

Associated Press. “At Least 10 Killed in Texas When Prison Bus Strikes Train.” 1-14-2015. Accessed 1-14-2015 at: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/bus-carrying-prisoners-involved-west-texas-fatal-wreck-28220790

 

National Transportation Safety Board. Highway Preliminary Report, Penwell, TX. Date adopted 1-29-2015. Accessed 6-3-2015 at: http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Pages/PreliminaryReportHighway.aspx

 

Reuters (Jon Herskovitz and Lisa Maria Garza) “At least 10 killed when Texas prison bus hit by train: reports.” 1-14-2015. Accessed 1-14-2015: http://news.yahoo.com/texas-prison-bus-15-aboard-hit-train-fatalities-162302915.html

 

 

 

–14 Aviation Safety Network. USAF C-130 takeoff crash, Jalalabad AP, Afghanistan, 10-2-2015.
–14 Dress Air Force Base. “Investigation report determines cause of C-130J crash in October.”

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 2015:
“Date: Friday 2 October 2015 Time: 00:19
“Type: Lockheed C-130J030 Super Hercules
“Operator: United States Air Force – USAF
“Registration: 08-3174 MSN: 5648
….
Crew: Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4
“Passengers: Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7
“Total: Fatalities: 11 / Occupants: 11
“Ground casualties: Fatalities: 3
“Location: Jalalabad Airport – Afghanistan
“Phase: Takeoff (TOF)
“Nature: Military
“Departure airport: Jalalabad Airport…
“Destination airport: Bagram Air Base…Afghanistan

Dress Air Force Base. “Investigation report determines cause of C-130J crash in October.”:

“Scott Air Force Base, Ill. — Air Mobility Command has released the results of an accident investigation that examined what caused the Oct. 2, crash of a C-130J during a takeoff from Jalalabad Airfield, Afghanistan, which killed all 11 individuals onboard upon impact and three Afghan Special Reaction Force (ASRF) members on the ground.

“The crew flew a successful mission from Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, to Jalalabad Airfield. While conducting engine running on-load/offload operations at Jalalabad Airfield, the pilot raised the elevators mounted to the horizontal stabilizer by pulling back on the yoke. This provided additional clearance to assist with offloading tall cargo. After a period of time in which the pilot held the yoke by hand, he placed a hard-shell night vision goggle (NVG) case in front of the yoke to hold the elevator in a raised position.

“However, because the pilots were operating in darkened nighttime flying conditions and wearing NVGs, neither pilot recognized and removed the NVG case after loading operations were complete or during takeoff. Once airborne, the aircraft increased in an excessive upward pitch during the takeoff climb. The co-pilot misidentified the flight control problem as a trim malfunction, resulting in improper recovery techniques. The rapid increase in pitch angle resulted in a stall from which the pilots were unable to recover. The aircraft impacted approximately 28 seconds after liftoff, right of the runway, within the confines of Jalalabad Airfield.

“The aircraft struck the ground, a perimeter wall and a guard tower, which resulted in all personnel onboard the aircraft being killed, along with three ASRF members assigned to the tower….

“The crew consisted of the pilot, copilot, and two loadmasters assigned to the 39th Airlift Squadron, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. Also on board were two fly-away security team members assigned to the 66th Security Forces Squadron, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass, and five civilian contractor passengers.

“The aircraft was from the 317th Airlift Group, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, and operated by the 39th Airlift Squadron. While operating at the deployed location, the aircraft and crew were assigned to the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.

“The report is available on the Air Force freedom of Information Act Reading Room website,
http://www.amc.af.mil/mediacenter.asp.”

Sources

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 2015. USAF C-130 takeoff crash, Jalalabad Airport, Afghanistan, 2 Oct 2015. Accessed 8-1-2023 at:
https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20151002-2

Dress Air Force Base. “Investigation report determines cause of C-130J crash in October.” 4-15-2016. Accessed 8-2-2023 at: https://www.dyess.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/812865/investigation-report-determines-cause-of-c-130j-crash-in-october/

—  9  AP, Roseburg. “Details Emerge About Umpqua Community College Gunman,” 10-2-2015.

–10  CBS News/AP. “Oregon shooting on college campus leaves 10 dead, 10-1-2015, 11:54 PM.

–13  CBS News/AP. “Oregon shooting on college campus leaves 13 dead,” 10-1-2015.

 

Oct 1, CBS News/AP: “Ten people are dead after a gunman opened fire at an Oregon community college Thursday, Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin said. Hanlin said the gunman is also dead. Federal authorities say the gunman is among the 10 people who died. The sheriff said 7 additional people were wounded, three critically. The shooting happened at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, about 180 miles south of Portland, in Douglas County.

 

“Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said earlier Thursday that at least 13 people had died in the shooting and another 20 were wounded, but in a news conference Thursday night Hanlin said the number of fatalities stood at 10. The sheriff acknowledged that there had been conflicting reports but that is the most accurate number they have at this time.

 

“Two law enforcement sources told CBS News the shooter has been identified as 26-year-old Chris Harper Mercer. Law enforcement sources also tell CBS News four guns — a combination of pistols and a rifle — were found at the scene of the shooting….

 

“Eighteen-year-old Kortney Moore of Rogue River tells the Roseburg News-Review newspaper that she was in a writing class when a shot came through a window. She says the gunman entered her classroom, told people to get on the ground and then asked people to stand up and state their religion before opening fire.

 

Oct 2, AP: “….Officials identified the gunman as 26-year-old Chris Harper Mercer and say he opened fire at the college Thursday, killing nine people and wounding seven others before dying during an exchange of gunfire with officers…..”

 

Oct 2: CNN (Joshua Berlinger and Melissa Gray). “Victims of the Umpqua Community College shooting.” 10-2-2015.  Listing of nine victims:

 

Lucero Alcaraz, 19

Treven Taylor Anspach, 20

Rebeka Ann Carnes, 18

Quinn Glen Cooper, 18

Kim Saltmarsh Dietz, 59

Lucas Eibel, 18

Jason Dale Johnson, 34

Lawrence Levine, 67

Sarena Dawn Moore, 44

 

Sources

 

Associated Press, Roseburg. “Details Emerge About Umpqua Community College Gunman,” 10-2-2015. Accessed 10-2-2015: http://www.opb.org/news/article/details-emerge-about-ucc-shooting-gunman/

 

CBS News/AP. “Oregon shooting on college campus leaves 10 dead, 10-1-2015, 11:54 PM. Accessed 10-2-2015: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/oregon-community-college-shooting-umpqua-community-college-roseburg/

 

CBS News/AP. “Oregon shooting on college campus leaves 13 dead,” 10-1-2015.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/oregon-community-college-shooting-umpqua-community-college-roseburg/

 

CNN (Joshua Berlinger and Melissa Gray). “Victims of the Umpqua Community College shooting.” 10-2-2015. Accessed 10-3-2015: http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2015/10/us/oregon-college-shooting-victims/

 

[1] The shooter, 26-year-old Chris Harper Mercer, killed nine people, wounded seven, and died in police shootout.

— 33  Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015.[2]

— 33  CNN. “El Faro ship lost propulsion near eye of hurricane, Coast Guard says.” 10-6-2015.

— 33  Fox News/AP. “Coast Guard believes missing cargo ship has sunk,” 10-4-2015.

— 33  NY Daily News (Silverstein). “More than half of El Faro passengers identified…” 10-7-2015.

 

Narrative Information

 

Oct 2: “Jacksonville, Fla. — The Coast Guard called off Friday night’s search [Oct 2] for El Faro, which left Jacksonville Tuesday [Sep 29], headed to Puerto Rico. The ship was reported missing to the Coast Guard early Thursday [Oct 1], and was believed to be near Crooked Island in the eastern Bahamas. The search for the ship resumed Saturday morning.

 

“Friday night, officials from Tote Services and Tilt Co. met with families who have loved ones on the container ship….

 

“The U.S. Coast Guard says El Faro left Jacksonville Tuesday, before the storm was upgraded to Hurricane Joaquin….

 

“Action News Jax spoke with family members Friday night. They didn’t want to go on camera, but they said they are wondering why the ship left in the first place. We asked Phil Greene, with Tote Services, that same question. ‘The captain knew the conditions and communicated back to our headquarters, the conditions were, as he saw them then, favorable. He was very confident the ship was doing well, the crew was quite up to date,’ said Greene….” (ActionNewsJax.com, Jacksonville, FL (Larry Spruill). “El Faro officials meet with family members of members on board the missing ship.” 10-2-2015.)

 

Oct 3: “Nassau, Bahamas — Rescuers spotted floating debris and an oil sheen Sunday as U.S. crews continue an intensive search off the southeastern Bahamas for a U.S. cargo ship with 33 people on board that has not been heard from since it lost power days ago and was taking on water in fierce seas churned up by Hurricane Joaquin. Early Sunday afternoon, the U.S. Coast Guard said its aircrews have spotted ‘life jackets, life rings, containers and an oil sheen’ in the sprawling search area but they have not yet been able to confirm whether the debris and oil is from the 790-foot El Faro. On Saturday, the Coast Guard said it located an orange life ring from the missing cargo ship.

 

“U.S. Navy and Air Force planes and helicopters were helping Coast Guard crews looking for the ship across a broad expanse of the Atlantic Ocean around Crooked Island, which the El Faro was passing as the storm turned into a powerful Category 4 hurricane….

 

“The El Faro departed from Jacksonville, Florida on Sept. 29, when Joaquin was still a tropical storm, with 28 crew members from the United States and five from Poland. The ship was heading to Puerto Rico on a regular cargo supply run to the U.S. island territory when it ran into trouble. It was being battered by winds of more than 130 mph and waves of up to 30 feet (9 meters).

 

“The crew reported it had taken on water and was listing 15 degrees but said it was “manageable,” according to its owner, TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico.

 

“In a statement, TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico said it authorized the sailing “knowing that the crew are more than equipped to handle situations such as changing weather.” Before the other debris was spotted, it told family members of the crew gathered at a union hall in Jacksonville not to be discouraged by the discovery of the life ring….” (AP. “Did hurricane sink El Faro cargo ship near Bahamas? Life jackets, oil sheen spotted.” Times-Picayune, NOLA, 10-4-2015.)

 

Oct 5, Washington Post: “On Thursday morning, Laurie Bobillot received what she prayed were not her daughter’s final words. ‘Not sure if you’ve been following the weather at all,’ wrote her daughter, Danielle Randolph, from aboard the American container ship El Faro, ‘but there is a hurricane out here and we are heading straight into it.’….‘ Winds are super bad and seas are not great,’ wrote Randolph…. Four days after Randolph’s last message, she and her 32 fellow crew members remain missing at sea. Just hours after she sent her e-mail, El Faro began to take on water and tilt to one side, according to the ship’s owner, TOTE Maritime. Then the ship’s communications suddenly went quiet….

 

“El Faro is 40 years old…Although its age alone doesn’t make it unsafe (the ship was overhauled in 2006), it doesn’t help….” (Washington Post (Michael E. Miller). “Last message from El Faro: ‘There is a hurricane out here and we are heading straight into it’.” 10-5-2015.)

 

Oct 6, ABC: “The National Transportation Safety Board launched its go-team to Florida today and will be joining the investigation into the sunken cargo ship, El Faro. The NTSB investigators will be hoping to gather any perishable evidence first, but they will also be looking at the logs, maintenance records, and the fitness of crew and captain, just as they do in plane or train crashes, officials said today. They also hope to recover the data recorder that was on board….

 

“Capt. Mark Fedor, the Coast Guard chief of response, said Monday that they had found one emergency rescue suit that had “unidentifiable” human remains. Fedor said that the rescuers were being called to other reports of signs of life, so after checking that the individual was deceased, they moved on in hopes of saving someone else, Fedor said during a news conference….” (ABC/Meghan Keneally. “El Faro Cargo Ship: NTSB Launches Investigation into How it Sank During Hurricane Joaquin.” 10-6-2015.)

 

Oct 6, CNN: “El Faro was carrying a crew of 28 Americans and five Polish nationals.

 

“The U.S. Coast Guard has concluded that the ship sank; officials are searching for survivors.

 

“The missing container ship El Faro lost propulsion and was disabled at sea, a Coast Guard official said Tuesday [Oct 6], leaving it floundering in the path of Hurricane Joaquin. The U.S. Coast Guard has concluded that El Faro, which was carrying 28 Americans and five Polish nationals, sank last week.

 

“It was headed from Jacksonville, Florida, to San Juan, Puerto Rico, when it disappeared near the Bahamas. The president and CEO of the ship owner, Tote Services Inc., told The Associated Press that the captain had planned to move ahead of Joaquin — with room to spare. ‘Regrettably, he suffered a mechanical problem with his main propulsion system, which left him in the path of the storm,’ Phil Greene told the AP. ‘We do not know when his engine problems began to occur, nor the reasons for his engine problems.’

 

“Coast Guard Capt. Mark Fedor said El Faro lost propulsion Thursday [Oct 1]. ‘They were disabled right by the eye of Hurricane Joaquin,’ Fedor told CNN’s “New Day” on Tuesday. ‘If they were able to abandon ship and put on their survival suits, they would have been abandoning ship into that Category 4 hurricane. So you’re talking about 140-mile-an-hour winds, 50-foot seas, zero visibility. It’s a very dire situation, a very challenging situation even for the most experienced mariner.’

 

“The massive search in the Caribbean Sea has yielded a 225-square-mile debris field, but no ship and no survivors….

 

“Family members told CNN affiliate WFOC/WSVN they questioned why the ship sailed into what was then a tropical storm. The forecast changed significantly the day El Faro left port, CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller said. That morning, Joaquin was forecast to be a tropical storm whose possible paths would not interfere with El Faro’s route. Near midday, the forecast was still for a tropical storm, but moving closer to the ship’s path. At 5 p.m., the forecast showed that Joaquin would reach hurricane strength and that the ship’s path would take it straight into the track of the storm. El Faro left the port of Jacksonville about 8 p.m. Tuesday, according to Marinetraffic.com.

 

“Fedor said the disappearance of a 790-foot ship is unusual. But ‘no matter how big the ship is, when you are disabled, and you’re at sea, and you’re in the middle of a storm… the size and strength of that storm is just enough to overcome just about anything’.” (CNN (Holly Yan). “El Faro ship lost propulsion near eye of hurricane, Coast Guard says.” 10-6-2015.)

 

Oct 9, CNN: “Story highlights: Men who worked on El Faro say the 40-year-old ship was rusty, had holes in the deck and didn’t drain water well. Company says ship was well-maintained, regularly inspected. Ex-crew members are surprised ship sailed with really bad weather near the planned path.) (CNN (Steve Almasy and Yasmin Khorram). “El Faro had leaks, holes, other structural issues, former crew members say.” 10-9-2015.)

 

Vesselfinder.com: “Vessel EL FARO (IMO: 7395351, MMSI: 368208000) is a ro-ro cargo ship[3] built in 1975 and currently sailing under the flag of USA. EL FARO has 224m length overall and beam of 28m. Her gross tonnage is 31515 tons.” (Vesselfinder.com. El Faro – Ro-Ro Cargo Ship.” Accessed 10-7-2015.)

 

Crew List:

U.S.

1. Louis Champa, Jr., 51, merchant marine, [4] Palm Coast, FL.[5]
2. Roosevelt (Bootsy)[6] Clark, 38, merchant marine, Jacksonville, FL.[7]
3. Sylvester Crawford, Jr., Lawrenceville, GA.[8]
4. Capt. Michael Davidson, 53, Windham, Maine.[9]
5. Brookie (Larry) Davis,[10] 62, merchant marine, Jacksonville, FL.
6. Keith Griffin, 33, engineer,[11] Winthrop, Massachusetts, MA Maritime Academy grad.[12]
7. Frank Hamm III, 49, merchant marine, Jacksonville, FL.[13]
8. Joe Hargrove, Orange Park, FL.[14]
9. Carey Hatch, 49, crew member, Jacksonville, FL.
10. Michael Holland, 25,[15] 3^rd assistant engineer,[16] Wilton, Maine.
11. Jack Jackson, Jacksonville, FL.[17]
12. Jackie Jones, 38, crew member, Jacksonville, FL.[18]
13. Lonnie Jordan, 33, cook,[19] Jacksonville, FL.
14. Mitch Kuflik, Mystic, Connecticut,[20] and Brooklyn, NY.[21]
15. Roan Lightfoot, 54, Jacksonville Beach, FL.[22]
16. Jeffrey Mathias, 42, consultant and marine engineer,[23] Kingston, Massachusetts[24]
17. Dylan Meklin, 23, engineer, Rockland, Maine, graduate of Maine Maritime Academy.[25]
18. James Porter, 40, merchant seaman, Jacksonville, FL.[26]
19. Richard Pusatere, Virginia Beach, Virginia.[27]
20. Theodor “Earl” Quammie, 66,[28] Jacksonville, FL.[29]
21. Danielle Randolph, 34, Second Mate, Rockland, Maine.[30]
22. Jeremy Riehm, 46, crew member, Camden, Delaware,[31] and Bokeelia, FL.
23. LaShawn Rivera, 32, crew member and cook[32], Jacksonville, FL.
24. Howard Schoenly, 50, engineer, Cape Coral, FL.[33]
25. Steven Shultz, 51, crew member, Roan Mountain, TN,[34] and Cape Coral, FL.
26. German Solar-Cortes, Orlando, FL.[35]
27. Anthony[36] Shawn Thomas, oiler, worked in engine room,[37] Jacksonville, FL.
28. Mariette Wright, 51, crew member, native of Brockton, Massachusetts.[38]

 

Polish national crew members[39]:

1. Piotr Krause, 28, maintenance technician.[40]
2. Marcin Nita.[41]
3. Jan Pidgorski.[42]
4. Andrzej Truszkowski.[43]
5. Rafal Zdobych.[44]

 

Sources

 

ABC News (Meghan Keneally). “El Faro Cargo Ship: NTSB Launches Investigation into How it Sank During Hurricane Joaquin.” 10-6-2015. Accessed 10-6-2015 at: http://abcnews.go.com/US/el-faro-cargo-ship-ntsb-launches-investigation-sank/story?id=34281316

 

ActionNewsJax.com, Jacksonville, FL (Larry Spruill). “El Faro officials meet with family members of members on board the missing ship.” 10-2-2015. Accessed 10-7-2015 at: http://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/news/local/el-faro-officials-meet-family-members-members-boar/nns8s/

 

ActionNewsJax.com, Jacksonville, FL. “Family of Polish national El Faro crew member frustrated with lack of communication.” 10-7-2015. Accessed 10-7-2015 at: http://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/news/local/family-polish-national-el-faro-crew-member-frustra/nnxGS/

 

Associated Press. “Did hurricane sink El Faro cargo ship near Bahamas? Life jackets, oil sheen spotted.” Times-Picayune, New Orleans, LA, 10-4-2015. Accessed 10-7-2015 at: http://www.nola.com/weather/index.ssf/2015/10/did_hurricane_sink_el_faro_car.html

 

Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015. Accessed 10-9-2015 at: https://bangordailynews.com/2015/10/07/news/state/el-faro-crew-list/

 

CNN (Holly Yan and Dana Ford) “El Faro disappearance: Who are the missing crew members?” 10-8-2015. Accessed 10-9-2015 at: http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/07/us/el-faro-missing-ship-victims/

 

CNN (Steve Almasy and Yasmin Khorram). “El Faro had leaks, holes, other structural issues, former crew members say.” 10-9-2015. Accessed 10-9-2015: http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/08/us/el-faro-missing-ship/

 

CNN (Holly Yan). “El Faro ship lost propulsion near eye of hurricane, Coast Guard says.” 10-6-2015. Accessed 10-6-2015 at: http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/06/us/el-faro-missing-ship/

 

Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville (Tessa Duvall). “Crew members of missing El Faro cargo ship a diverse lot.” 10-5-2015, updated 10-6-2015. Accessed 10-6-2015 at: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2015-10-05/story/crew-members-missing-el-faro-cargo-ship-diverse-lot

 

Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville (Andrew Pantazi). “Who is Michael Davidson, captain of the missing El Faro?” 10-5-2015, updated 10-6-2015. Accessed 10-7-2015 at: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2015-10-05/story/who-michael-davidson-captain-missing-el-faro

 

Fox News/AP. “Coast Guard believes missing cargo ship has sunk,” 10-4-2015. Accessed 10-5-2015 at: http://www.foxnews.com/weather/2015/10/04/us-coast-guard-searching-for-33-people-missing-in-hurricane-joaquin/

 

Heavy.com (Tom Cleary). “El Faro Crew Names: Who was on the Sunken Cargo Ship?” 10-5-2015. Accessed 10-6-2015 at: http://heavy.com/news/2015/10/el-faro-crew-names-passenger-manifest-list-sunk-sank-dead-deaths-victims-photos-captain-missing-hurricane-joaquin/4/

 

New York Daily News (Jason Silverstein) “More than half of El Faro passengers identified as search for ship continues.” 10-7-2015. Accessed 10-7-2015 at: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/el-faro-ship-passengers-identified-article-1.2388303

 

Vesselfinder.com. El Faro – Ro-Ro Cargo Ship.” Accessed 10-7-2015 at: https://www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/EL-FARO-IMO-7395351-MMSI-368208000

 

Washington Post (Michael E. Miller). “Last message from El Faro: ‘There is a hurricane out here and we are heading straight into it’.” 10-5-2015. Accessed 10-6-2015 at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/10/05/daughters-last-message-from-el-faro-there-is-a-hurricane-out-here-and-we-are-heading-straight-into-it/

 

WCVB5, Boston. “2 Mass. Maritime grads among missing on sunken cargo ship.” 10-6-2015. Accessed 10-6-2015 at: http://www.wcvb.com/news/massachusetts-mom-awaits-word-of-daughter-on-missing-ship/35655658

 

Wikipedia. “Roll-on/roll-off.” 10-7-2015 modification. Accessed 10-7-2015: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roll-on/roll-off

 

[1] Twenty-eight U.S. nationals and five Polish nationals.

[2] Cites as sources: United States Coast Guard and TOTE Maritime.

[3] Roll-on/roll-off: “Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are vessels designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as automobiles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using a platform vehicle, such as a self-propelled modular transporter.” (Wikipedia. “Roll-on/roll-off.”)

[4] NY Daily News (Silverstein) “More than half of El Faro passengers identified as search for ship…” 10-7-2015.

[5] Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015.

[6] NY Daily News (Silverstein) “More than half of El Faro passengers identified as search for ship…” 10-7-2015.

[7] Heavy.com (Tom Cleary). “El Faro Crew Names: Who was on the Sunken Cargo Ship?” 10-5-2015.

[8] Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015.

[9] Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville. “Crew members of missing El Faro cargo ship a diverse lot.” 10-6-2015.

[10] NY Daily News (Silverstein) “More than half of El Faro passengers identified as search for ship…” 10-7-2015.

[11] Heavy.com (Tom Cleary). “El Faro Crew Names: Who was on the Sunken Cargo Ship?” 10-5-2015.

[12] WCVB5, Boston. “2 Mass. Maritime grads among missing on sunken cargo ship.” 10-6-2015.

[13] Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville. “Crew members of missing El Faro cargo ship a diverse lot.” 10-6-2015.

[14] Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015.

[15] Age is from New York Daily News (Jason Silverstein) “More than half of El Faro passengers identified as search for ship continues.” 10-7-2015. Notes he was a recent graduate of the Maine Maritime Academy.

[16] Heavy.com (Tom Cleary). “El Faro Crew Names: Who was on the Sunken Cargo Ship?” 10-5-2015.

[17] Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015.

[18] Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville. “Crew members of missing El Faro cargo ship a diverse lot.” 10-6-2015.

[19] NY Daily News (Silverstein) “More than half of El Faro passengers identified as search for ship…” 10-7-2015.

[20] Heavy.com (Tom Cleary). “El Faro Crew Names: Who was on the Sunken Cargo Ship?” 10-5-2015.

[21] Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015.

[22] Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville. “Crew members of missing El Faro cargo ship a diverse lot.” 10-6-2015.

[23] Heavy.com (Tom Cleary). “El Faro Crew Names: Who was on the Sunken Cargo Ship?” 10-5-2015.

[24] Mass. Maritime Academy grad. (WCVB5, Boston. “2 Mass. Maritime grads among missing…” 10-6-2015.)

[25] NY Daily News (Silverstein) “More than half of El Faro passengers identified as search for ship…” 10-7-2015.

[26] NY Daily News (Silverstein) “More than half of El Faro passengers identified as search for ship…” 10-7-2015.

[27] Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015.

[28] CNN (Holly Yan and Dana Ford) “El Faro disappearance: Who are the missing crew members?” 10-8-2015.

[29] Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015.

[30] Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville. “Crew members of missing El Faro cargo ship a diverse lot.” 10-6-2015.

[31] Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015.

[32] NY Daily News (Silverstein) “More than half of El Faro passengers identified as search for ship…” 10-7-2015.

[33] NY Daily News (Silverstein) “More than half of El Faro passengers identified as search for ship…” 10-7-2015.

[34] Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015.

[35] Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015.

[36] Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015. Lists name as Anthony Thomas. NY Daily News lists name as Shawn Thomas.

[37] NY Daily News (Silverstein) “More than half of El Faro passengers identified as search for ship…” 10-7-2015.

[38] NY Daily News (Silverstein) “More than half of El Faro passengers identified as search for ship…” 10-7-2015.

[39] According to Andrew Pantazi, Florida Times Union piece on Jacksonville.com (“Who is Michael Davidson, captain of the missing El Faro?”, 10-5-2015, updated 10-6-2015, “The El Faro…had five Polish contractors working on maintenance on the ship, including calibrating the engines, according to some of the El Faro’s former crew.”

[40] ActionNewsJax.com, Jacksonville, FL. “Family of Polish national El Faro crew member frustrated with lack of communication.” 10-7-2015.

[41] Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015.

[42] Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015.

[43] Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015.

[44] Bangor Daily News, ME. “El Faro crew list.” 10-7-2015.

—   21  Blanchard tally based on State and locality breakouts below.[1]

— >19  AP. “Another Body Found in Utah/Arizona Flooding.” KOLO8 TV, 9-17-2015.[2]

 

Arizona          (      1)

—   1  Mohave Co., AZ. Ryan Daniel Mertlich, 33; heavily damaged car found in flood plain.[3]

 

Utah                (19-20)

— 13  Hildale, Washington Co., (3 women and 10 children). Fox 13 (Winslow), SLC, 9-21-2015.[4]

— 12  Hildale, (and 1 missing).[5] CNN (Martinez, et al.). 9-16-2015.

—   7  Keyhole Canyon, Zion National Park. AP. “The Latest: Searchers find 7^th…” 9-17-2015.

 

Hildale, Washington County, Narrative Information

 

Sep 16, CNN: “Two vehicles carrying women and children from a park were washed away by a flash flood barreling down a canyon near the Utah-Arizona border, leaving 12 people dead and one person missing, officials said Tuesday [Sep 15]….At least six children and three women died in the vehicles that were swept away in the border area, according to Utah officials in the city of Hildale and with Washington County Emergency Services….The youngest fatality was a child about age 4, said Hildale Assistant Fire Chief Kevin Barlow. The two vehicles carried a total of 16 women and children after a visit to a park, the mayor said. Most in the community are members of the Warren Jeffs polygamist sect known as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or FLDS….

 

“More than six-tenths of an inch of rain fell within one hour on Monday afternoon, the park service said.

 

“According to the park service, Keyhole Canyon, on the east side of Zion National Park, is a narrow canyon formed by water wearing through rock. People hiking through also have to rappel and climb rocks and swim across small pools of water. A permit is required….” (CNN (Martinez, Martinez, Mossburg and Yan). “Floods in Utah kill 16, leave four missing.” 9-16-2015.)

 

Sep 18, AP.ABC News: “….The flash flooding also killed at least 12 other people [besides seven in Zion], including nine children, in a nearby polygamous town on the Utah-Arizona border. Raging waters swept two cars downstream, leaving a 6-year-old boy still missing. Three other children survived….” (Associated Press. “Zion Park Releases Names of 7 Killed in Flash Flooding.” ABC News, 9-18-2015.)

 

Sep 30: “The search for a 6-year old boy who was washed away in a flood in Hildale, Utah, has been suspended and non-local resources have returned to their jurisdictions, according to the Washington County Emergency Services. Outside resources left the search area Sunday night and local search crews will resume searching with dog teams either this weekend or next, the agency wrote Monday evening on its Facebook page. Search and rescue volunteers over the weekend combed high probability areas for Tyson Lucas Black, who is presumed to be dead. The flood that swept Tyson away from his family on Sept. 14 also killed his mother, two other women and nine other children. Hildale Fire Chief Kevin Barlow said searchers could return to the Utah-Arizona line this weekend to search a 12-mile stretch of wash where Tyson Lucas Black’s body may be buried, the Salt Lake Tribune reported Tuesday….” (Las Vegas Review-Journal (Kimber Laux). “Search for Utah boy missing after flood suspended.” 9-30-2015.)

 

Keyhole Canyon, Zion National Park, Narrative Information

 

Sep 15, SLT: “Four people were found dead and three others were missing Tuesday in Zion National Park, one day after the group went into Keyhole Canyon as flash floods struck southwestern Utah. The group of four men and three women from California and Nevada picked up their permit to go through the canyon about 7:30 a.m. on Monday, despite rangers’ warnings that the flash flood danger was “probable,” said park spokeswoman Aly Baltrus.

 

“Some members of the group took a basic canyoneering course Monday morning before the group made its way into Keyhole Canyon — one of Zion’s shorter technical canyons, Baltrus said. The route typically takes canyoneers about two hours, though advanced canyoneers have been known to complete the canyon in just 30 minutes, Baltrus said.

 

“On Monday afternoon, a group of three canyoneers passed the victims at the first rappel, Baltrus said. As the group of three emerged from the canyon a short time later, heavy rains began to fall. “They knew they were way ahead of the other group,” Baltrus said. “They got out and notified [rangers] there was a group of seven possibly in there.” Rangers later found the group’s unoccupied vehicles and began searching Tuesday morning….

 

“Monday’s storm and resultant flash flooding is believed to be Utah’s deadliest weather event. In addition to the deaths in Zion, 12 people were killed in nearby Hildale after Monday’s floods swept away two cars occupied by women and children. A child who was in one of the cars was missing Tuesday night….

 

“The watershed for Keyhole Canyon is 1.5 square miles — small for the slot canyons of southern Utah, Baltrus said. That means flash flooding likely occurred very soon after Monday afternoon’s downpours. In less than an hour Monday, 0.62 of an inch fell in Zion, Baltrus said. In one of the park’s tributaries of the Virgin River, flows of 50 cubic feet per second swelled to more than 2,000 cubic feet per second in just 15 minutes, Baltrus said.

 

“In Zion’s canyons, those high waters have proved deadly time and again. In 2001, a flash flood washed away a 10-year-old boy on the Canyon Overlook trail. Two hikers were killed in a flash flood while they were exploring the Narrows in July 1998. In 1993, two adult leaders of a group of LDS Explorer Scouts from Salt Lake City died in a flash flood in Kolob Canyon. And in September 1961, four Boy Scouts and their leader were killed in a flash flood in September 1961 in the Virgin River Narrows. Outside of Zion, a California husband and wife were killed on Sept. 11, 2008, when a torrent of water overtook them in the Egypt 3 slot canyon in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.” (Salt Lake Tribune (Erin Alberty). “Park officials: 4 dead, 3 missing after flash flood in Zion’s Keyhole Canyon.” 9-15-2015.)

 

Sep 16, CNN: “….In Zion National Park’s Keyhole Canyon, four people who were canyoneering were killed and three are missing, National Park Service officials said….

 

“The flooding ravaged an area that straddles the border from Hildale to Colorado City, Arizona.

 

“The flash flood started with heavy rains in the canyons above Hildale, the assistant fire chief said….

 

“On Monday [Sep 14], authorities found the vehicles of the seven people canyoneering in the narrow Keyhole Canyon but the party was never found. Tuesday’s search was hindered by high water and continuing rain before being called off during the evening due to flash flood warnings and weather conditions, said Jin Prugsawan, a spokesman for the National Park Service….

 

“CNN affiliate KSTU of Salt Lake City reported that four men and three women were in the group. Spokeswoman Aly Baltrus said they were between 40 and 50 years old and were from California or Nevada. Four bodies were recovered….” (CNN (Martinez, Martinez, Mossburg and Yan). “Floods in Utah kill 16, leave four missing.” 9-16-2015.)

 

Sep 16, AP: “Hildale, Utah (AP)…. Authorities say searchers have found the body of a fifth hiker killed in flash flooding that swept through a narrow canyon at Utah’s Zion National Park. Park spokeswoman Aly Baltrus said Wednesday that crews found the body downstream of Keyhole Canyon. The bodies of three men and one woman were found Tuesday, and searchers are still looking for two others. The group of seven people in their 40s and 50s from California and Nevada set out Monday, before park officials closed canyons due to flooding.

 

“….the group was told Monday morning that flash-flood danger was probable, a warning that rangers give almost every day during monsoon season….” (AP. “The Latest: Searchers find 5^th body of hiker killed by flash flooding in Zion National Park.” U.S. News & World Report. 9-16-2015.)

 

Sep 17, AP: “Hildale, Utah…. Authorities say searchers have found the last body of seven hikers killed in flash flooding that swept through a narrow canyon at Utah’s Zion National Park. Washington County sheriff’s Detective Nate Abbott confirmed the death Thursday as crews dropped into Keyhole Canyon. The bodies of three men and one woman were found Tuesday, and two other bodies were found Wednesday….” Associated Press. “The Latest: Searchers find 7^th Body After Park Flooding.” 9-17-2015.)

 

Sep 18, AP/ABC News: “Zion National Park late Thursday identified the seven hikers killed in a flash flood this week, hours after rescuers traversed a 100-foot drop into a rugged area to find the last of the victims….The park listed the California fatalities as Mark MacKenzie, 56, of Valencia; Linda Arthur, 57, and Steve Authur, 58, both of Camarillo; Gary Favela, 51, of Rancho Cucamonga; Muku Reynolds, 59, of Chino; and Robin Brum, 53, of Camarillo. The seventh flooding victim was Don Teichner, 55, of Mesquite, Nevada….” (Associated Press. “Zion Park Releases Names of 7 Killed in Flash Flooding.” ABC News, 9-18-2015.)

 

Mohave County, Arizona

 

Sep 18, AP/ABC News: “….Authorities in Mohave County, Arizona, said Thursday they were searching for a 33-year-old man from the area who has been missing since the flash floods hit Monday. Ryan Mertlich’s car was discovered heavily damaged in a flood plain about 15 miles west of Colorado City. Mertlich’s family reported him missing Tuesday, saying he typically drives the back roads in the area, said Mohave County sheriff’s spokeswoman Trish Carter.” (AP. “Zion Park Releases Names of 7 Killed in Flash Flooding.” ABC News, 9-18-2015.)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press. “Another Body Found in Utah/Arizona Flooding.” KOLO8 TV, Reno, NV, 9-17-2015. Accessed 9-17-2015: http://www.kolotv.com/home/headlines/Death-Toll-Rises-in-UahArizona-Flooding-327879711.html

 

Associated Press. “The Latest: Searchers find 7^th Body After Park Flooding.” ABC News, 9-17-2015. Accessed 9-17-2015: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/latest-town-hit-utah-flooding-warned-boil-water-33833205

 

Associated Press. “The Latest: Searchers find 5^th body of hiker killed by flash flooding in Zion National Park.” U.S. News & World Report. 9-16-2015. Accessed 9-16-2015 at: http://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2015/09/16/the-latest-park-officials-to-speak-about-deadly-utah-floods

 

Associated Press. “Zion Park Releases Names of 7 Killed in Flash Flooding.” ABC News, 9-18-2015. Accessed 9-18-2015: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/zion-national-park-floods-trapped-people-narrow-canyon-33823229

 

CNN (Martinez, Martinez, Cheri Mossburg and Holly Yan). “Floods in Utah kill 16, leave four missing.” 9-16-2015. Accessed 9-16-2015: http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/15/us/utah-arizona-flooding/

 

Fox 13 (Ben Winslow), Salt Lake City. “After floods kill 13 in Hildale, FLDS evictions halted.” 9-21-2015. Accessed 9-22-2015 at: http://fox13now.com/2015/09/21/after-floods-kill-13-in-hildale-flds-evictions-halted/

 

Fox 13 (Ashton Edwards and Todd Tanner), Salt Lake City. “Father of missing Hurricane man [community in Mojave Co., AZ] who was found dead after flash floods speaks to Fox 13.” 9-18-2015. Accessed 9-18-2015: http://fox13now.com/2015/09/18/missing-hurricane-man-found-dead-days-after-car-found-heavily-damaged-in-flash-floods/

 

JustSayNews.com. “Search Continues For Boy in Flash Flooding.” 9-23-2015. Accessed 9-23-2015 at: http://justsaynews.com/search-continues-for-boy-in-flash-flooding/

 

Las Vegas Review-Journal (Kimber Laux). “Search for Utah boy missing after flood suspended.” 9-30-2015. Accessed 10-1-2015: http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nevada-and-west/search-utah-boy-missing-after-flood-suspended

 

Salt Lake Tribune (Erin Alberty). “Another Utah flood victim found; search continues for boy as Zion families speak.” 9-18-2015. Accessed 9-19-2015 at: http://www.sltrib.com/home/2965633-155/another-utah-flood-victim-found-search

 

Salt Lake Tribune (Erin Alberty). “Park officials: 4 dead, 3 missing after flash flood in Zion’s Keyhole Canyon.” 9-15-2015. Accessed 9-16-2015: http://www.sltrib.com/home/2953891-155/park-officials-2-dead-5-missing

 

 

 

 

 

[1] Twenty bodies recovered. Six year-old Tyson Black went missing from Hildale vehicle on Sep 14. As of Sep 30 search was suspended – presumed killed.

[2] Reflects “at least 12 people dead” in the Hildale Community [one person missing], and seven from Zion Nat. Park.

[3] Fox 13, Salt Lake City (Ashton Edwards and Todd Tanner). “Father of missing Hurricane man [community in Mojave Co., AZ] who was found dead after flash floods speaks to Fox 13.” 9-18-2015. Article notes body of victim was found six miles west from where his vehicle was found.

[4] Fox 13 (Ben Winslow), Salt Lake City. “After floods kill 13 in Hildale, FLDS evictions halted.” 9-21-2015. The number of 13 victims must also include a mixing 6-year-old who was with the victims in the two cars in Hildale.

[5] Missing boy identified as 6-year-old Tyson Lucas Black. Salt Lake Tribune (Erin Alberty). “Another Utah flood victim found; search continues for boy as Zion families speak.” 9-18-2015.

–16 Lapierre, et al. “Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak Caused by Endemic Strain of Legionella…” 2017.
–12 NBC 4 NY. “3 More Bronx Sites Test Positive for Legionnaires’ Bacteria.” 8-12-2015.
–12 NYT. “Order to Clean Towers Strains Crews Amid…Outbreak in Bronx.” 8-16-2015.

Narrative Information

Lapierre, et al.: “Abstract. During the summer of 2015, New York, New York, USA, had one of the largest and deadliest outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease in the history of the United States. A total of 138 cases and 16 deaths were linked to a single cooling tower in the South Bronx. Analysis of environmental samples and clinical isolates showed that sporadic cases of legionellosis before, during, and after the outbreak could be traced to a slowly evolving, single-ancestor strain. Detection of an ostensibly virulent Legionella strain endemic to the Bronx community suggests potential risk for future cases of legionellosis in the area. The genetic homogeneity of the Legionella population in this area might complicate investigations and interpretations of future outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease.” (Lapierre, Pascal, et al. “Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak Caused by Endemic Strain of Legionella pneumophila, New York, Ney York, USA, 2015.” Emerging Infectious Diseases, Vol. 23, No. 11, Nov 2017.)

Media at the Time

July 29, CNN: “Two people have died in a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York. Thirty-one cases of the flu-like disease have been reported since mid-July in the South Bronx, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said….An estimated 8,000 to 18,000 hospitalized cases of Legionnaires’ disease occurs each year in the United States…..” (CNN (Doug Criss and Lauriel Cleveland) “Two dead in Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York.” 7-30-2015.)

July 31, Specia: “New York City officials are investigating an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in the South Bronx, after the death toll rose on Friday. A third person was confirmed dead from the disease, according to NBC, citing local officials. More than 50 others have contracted the severe form of pneumonia. The New York City Health department said Friday that 57 cases were reported in the Bronx area since July 10. The health department has not released detailed information on those who died from the disease, but two of them were people in their 50s…. About 2,200 Legionnaires’ illnesses have been reported nationwide since Jan. 1, including more than 100 in New York City. City Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett said earlier this week that the South Bronx cases represent an “unusual increase.”” (Mashable (Megan Specia). “Three dead, dozens sick with Legionnaires’ disease in NYC outbreak.” 7-31-2015.)

Aug 1, Reuters: “New York — A deadly outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease, a severe type of pneumonia, has killed four people and sickened 65 in the Bronx section of New York City since July 10, New York City health officials said on Saturday. This wave of Legionnaires’, which officials have called unusual, includes more than five times the number of cases recorded in the last outbreak, in which 12 people in the Bronx fell ill in December 2014…. In response to the outbreak, the city’s health department has inspected 22 buildings in the Bronx, 17 of which have cooling towers. Five buildings, including the historic Opera House Hotel, Lincoln Medical Center and the Concourse Plaza mall and movie complex, tested positive for Legionella. Disinfection efforts are ongoing or have been completed at all five sites. Federal investigators found systemic management problems led to the outbreak.” (Reuters. “4 dead, 65 sickened in Bronx by Legionella.” TribLive.com, 8-1-2015.)

Aug 5, Daily Voice: “The death toll has risen to seven people in the largest outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in New York City’s history, according to multiple reports….Seventy-nine others have been sickened in the South Bronx since July 10, according to the New York Daily News….Of the 17 towers that were tested in the South Bronx, five came up positive for the Legionella bacteria, the Daily News said. Mayor Bill DeBlasio announced legislation Tuesday calling for better monitoring and inspection of suspect cooling towers, according to the newspaper. The City Council is to consider the proposed law this week that would create a complete registry of every building with a cooling tower….A 2011 CDC report said that New York has a rate of Legionnaires’ disease that is nearly double the national average, the Daily News reported….” (Daily Voice (Carol Reif). “Death Toll at 7 in Largest New York City Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak.” 8-5-2015.)

Aug 6, Simonds: “Authorities say the eight people who died were older adults who had previous medical problems….” (CelebCafe.org (Simmons). “Industrial complex identified as likely Legionnaires’ outbreak source.” 8-6-2015.)

Aug 7, NBC: “…100 people…have been sickened amid what health officials have said is the largest Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York City history.” (NBC New York (Brynn Gingras). “CDC to Hold Briefing on Legionnaires’ Outbreak as Sick Bronx Dad Plans to File First Lawsuit.” 8-7-2015.)

Aug 8, NBC 4 NY: “The Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in the south Bronx that has killed 10 people has largely been contained, though five more buildings have tested positive for the bacteria, New York City officials said Saturday. ‘The good news is that this outbreak is tapering off,’ Mayor de Blasio said during an afternoon news conference. There have been no new cases in the past four days, he added….” (NBC 4 New York. “Legionnaires’ Outbreak ‘Tapering Off,’ Mayor Says.” 8-8-2015.)

Aug 8: “…On Friday [Aug 7], the city hall claimed a decline in the frequency of new cases and the number of emergency department visits….Meanwhile, New York is not the only area experiencing the disease outbreak. New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Basset disclosed this week that more cases have been reported all over the United States, ABC News has learned. “In the United States, and in our city, the number of cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been increasing since the year 2000,” Basset explained. “The reasons for that are not clear, but may have to do with better case ascertainment. We have better and better lab tests that enable us to make the diagnosis. And it also may have to do with the fact that we have an aging population, more people susceptible to the infection.”” (Jobsnhire.com. “Legionnaire’s Disease Continues to Invade NY Killing Almost a Dozen [10] in South Bronx; Government Offers Free Bacteria Testing.” 8-8-2015.)

Aug 10, NYT: “The arrival of the Opera House Hotel in the South Bronx two years ago was a turning point for a poor corner of New York City. A rundown theater building where Harry Houdini and the Marx Brothers performed was transformed into a boutique hotel with terrazzo floors, custom furnishings and concierge service. It became an instant landmark among the bodegas, fast-food restaurants and pharmacies that drive the neighborhood commerce. But now the Opera House, on East 149th Street, is at the center of the worst outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in the city’s history, with investigators identifying a cluster of three patients who had direct contact with the hotel, and a second cluster of three who live in an apartment building on the street behind the hotel.

“The airborne disease has killed 12 people and infected at least 113 since early July, overshadowing an economic success story and highlighting the public health risks that have long plagued the city’s poorest borough. The hotel’s water-cooling tower was one of five in the South Bronx that initially tested positive for the Legionella bacteria, and on Monday night, a city official said that the investigation so far pointed to the hotel, though the official cautioned that test results were still out and that no final conclusions had been reached. “The preponderance of medical and scientific information available now points to one of the original five sites as the source of this outbreak, with the Opera House Hotel as the most likely source of the outbreak,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the findings were preliminary….In a chart highlighted by city health officials, the hotel’s tower is the one surrounded by the densest concentration of identified cases….

“The other buildings in the group of towers with initial positive tests were Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, Concourse Plaza shopping mall, a Verizon office building and Streamline Plastics Company….

“On Monday, city officials held a public briefing at which they announced the death toll had increased to 12 and detailed their continuing effort to address the outbreak. But Mr. de Blasio found himself once again at odds with Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, a fellow Democrat, who held his own briefing. The governor has faulted the city’s handling of the outbreak and has directed his health agency to take a more active role….” (NYT (Winnie Hu and Noah Remnick). “Hotel that Enlivened the Bronx is now a ‘Hot Spot’ for Legionnaires’.” 8-10-2015.)

Aug 12, NBC 4: “City officials have identified three new sites as having tested positive for Legionella within the epicenter of the historic Legionnaires’ disease outbreak that’s sickened 119 people and left 12 dead in New York City. The following sites, all within the Legionnaires’ disease “impact zone” in the south Bronx, have newly tested positive for Legionella, and have either been disinfected and remediated, or are in the process of doing so, according to city health officials:

• Chris’ Super Deli, 903 Sheridan Avenue
• Pyramid Safe Haven, 470 E161st Street
• Conway Store, 2952-4 3rd Avenue

“They join these 11 sites previously identified as having tested for Legionella, which have already been disinfected and remediated:

• Concourse Plaza, 198 E. 161st. St.
• Opera House Hotel, 436 E. 149 St.
• Lincoln Hospital, 234 E. 149th St.
• Streamline Plastics, 2950 Park Ave.
• Daughters of Jacob Nursing Home, 1160 Teller Ave.
• Post Office, 558 Grand Concourse
• Verizon, 117 E. 167th St.
• Bronx Housing Courts, 1118 Grand Concourse
• NYC Dept. of Education 455 Southern Boulevard (called Samuel Gompers High School).
• DHS PATH Intake Center, 151 East 151st Street.
• Bronx Hall of Justice, 245 E 161ST Street

“Officials said every cooling tower located within the Bronx impact zone has already been ordered to immediately disinfect and remediate, regardless of whether it tested positive for Legionella. Six other sites outside the Bronx impact zone have tested positive for legionella, but are not necessarily related to the outbreak, officials said. They are:

• Verizon, 1106 Hoe Ave.
• Police Dept., 1086 Simpson St.
• Wildcat Academy, 1201 Lafayette Ave.
• 230 East 123rd St.
• St. Barnabas Nursing Home, 2175 Quarry Rd.
• St. Barnabas Hospital, 4422 3rd Avenue

“The cluster in the south Bronx has killed 12 people and sickened more than 100 others, but city officials say they believe there have been no new diagnoses there since Aug. 3….

“It’s not clear what triggered the outbreak, which began last month…” (NBC 4 New York. “3 More Bronx Sites Test Positive for Legionnaires’ Bacteria.” 8-12-2015.)

Aug 15, RT.com: “The number of people infected in New York’s worst-ever Legionnaires’ disease outbreak has reached 124, according to mayor office. All of the latest patients fell sick prior to August 3, with no new diagnoses having been made since then, it stressed. The five new Legionnaires’ cases appeared in the South Bronx, the same place where the previous cases were registered, the administration said. “Health officials remain confident that one or more of the five locations that initially tested positive was the source of the outbreak, and that through disinfection of the source, the outbreak has been contained,” according to a statement by the mayor’s office as cited by BNO News. Twelve patients have died and 94 were successfully treated in the recent outbreak.

“The majority of those, who contracted Legionnaires’ disease, or legionellosis, were elderly people, who also suffered from other illnesses. The disease is lethal in 20 percent of cases, mainly due to difficulties in diagnosis.” (RT.com. “Number of Legionnaires’ disease cases in New York rises to 124.” 8-15-2015.)

Aug 16, NYT: “When the bacteria that cause Legionnaires’ disease were discovered last week in a cooling tower above a South Bronx deli, New York City officials decided the cleanup could not wait. At their request, Rich Parker rushed his best cleaning crew over to the two-story building at 903 Sheridan Avenue on Tuesday night, arming them with respirators, power washers and an arsenal of chemicals for an emergency disinfection. The Fire Department’s Ladder Company 44 was summoned to lift the crew to the roof using a fire truck ladder. “We’ve never seen anything like this,” said Mr. Parker, president of the Metro Group, which has cleaned more than 100 cooling towers in the past week, up from five a week a year ago. “It’s like a wartime response.”

“Since a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in the South Bronx was discovered last month, 20 cooling towers out of more than 135 tested have been found to have the Legionella bacteria. Though health officials have focused on a small number of them, including one at the Opera House Hotel, as likely sources of the outbreak, the health department on Aug. 6 ordered every building in the city with a cooling tower to evaluate and disinfect it within two weeks of receiving a letter. The sweeping order was cast as a pre-emptive strike against Legionnaires’, which has claimed 12 lives and sickened more than 120 people in the South Bronx, the worst flare-up of the disease in the city’s history. People can contract the illness by inhaling contaminated mist from a cooling tower or another water source.

“But as the order has been carried out, it has taxed the resources of the limited number of companies that specialize in cooling towers, frustrated some building owners who see it as an unnecessary expense and created confusion about what exactly the order requires. The city’s rooftops are home to thousands of cooling towers — boxy structures that help regulate cold and hot air — though the precise number is unknown. Industry and government guidelines have long recommended that cooling towers be properly maintained and cleaned, typically twice a year, to help control the growth of Legionella bacteria, but those had not been legal requirements. On Thursday, the City Council passed legislation that would require building owners to conduct quarterly inspections of cooling towers, among other new measures. The health department’s order has already prompted hundreds of buildings to disinfect their towers, some of them for the first time, according to companies that are struggling to keep up with the surge in demand. City health officials have said that building owners are generally responsible for the cost of the work, and that those who do not comply with the order will face legal sanctions, including fines….” (NYT (Winnie Hu). “Order to Clean Towers Strains Crews Amid Legionnaires’ Outbreak in Bronx.” 8-16-2015.)

Aug 17, NY1: “The first Legionnaires’ case was reported to the city Health Department July 10. Then another, and another. On July 25, a computer algorithm flagged to health officials that something was wrong. By July 29, there were 31 cases and the department alerted doctors and the press. The next day, the city announced a total of 46 cases, and two deaths – the toll was climbing fast. Officials urged anyone with pneumonia-like symptoms to seek help. On July 30, the Legionella bacteria was found in two cooling systems….

“We now know that August 3 was the last day anyone got the disease. By this time, the outbreak’s source – those five contaminated towers – had been cleaned. The danger was over….Only a few more cases would be reported – patients who had gotten sick earlier, but were not properly diagnosed. By Thursday the toll stood at 119 sick, and still 12 dead….” (NY1 (Erin Billups). “A Look at the Bronx Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak Timeline.” 8-20-2015.)

Sources

CelebCafe.org (Kris Simmons). “Industrial complex identified as likely Legionnaires’ outbreak source.” 8-6-2015. Accessed 8-7-2015: http://celebcafe.org/industrial-complex-identified-as-likely-legionnaires-outbreak-source-that-6324/

CNN (Doug Criss and Lauriel Cleveland) “Two dead in Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York.” 7-30-2015. Accessed 8-7-2015: http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/30/health/new-york-legionnaires-disease/

Daily Voice (Carol Reif). “Death Toll at 7 in Largest New York City Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak.” 8-5-2015. Accessed 8-7-2015: http://ridgefield.dailyvoice.com/news/death-toll-7-largest-new-york-city-legionnaires-disease-outbreak

Jobsnhire.com. “Legionnaire’s Disease Continues to Invade NY Killing Almost a Dozen [10] in South Bronx; Government Offers Free Bacteria Testing.” 8-8-2015. Accessed 8-8-2015 at: http://www.jobsnhire.com/articles/24223/20150808/legionnaire-s-disease-continues-to-invade-ny-killing-almost-a-dozen-in-south-bronx-government-offers-free-bacteria-testing.htm

Lapierre, Pascal, et al. “Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak Caused by Endemic Strain of Legionella pneumophila, Ney York, New York, USA, 2015.” Emerging Infectious Diseases, Vol. 23, No. 11, Nov 2017. Website accessed 3-24-2021 at: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/23/11/17-0308_article

Mashable (Megan Specia). “Three dead, dozens sick with Legionnaires’ disease in NYC outbreak.” 7-31-2015. Accessed 8-7-2015: http://mashable.com/2015/07/31/legionnaires-disease-outbreak-nyc/

NBC 4 New York. “3 More Bronx Sites Test Positive for Legionnaires’ Bacteria.” 8-12-2015. Accessed 8-13-2015 at: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/NYC-Legionnaires-Disease-Outbreak-New-Sites-Bronx-321657832.html

NBC 4 New York (Brynn Gingras). “CDC to Hold Briefing on Legionnaires’ Outbreak as Sick Bronx Dad Plans to File First Lawsuit.” 8-7-2015. Accessed 8-7-2015 at: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Legionnaires-Disease-Outbreak-New-York-City-Bronx-Death-Sick-100-Cooling-Tower-Health-Investigation-Centers-for-Disease-Control-CDC-321039851.html

NBC 4 New York. “Legionnaires’ Outbreak ‘Tapering Off,’ Mayor Says.” 8-8-2015. Accessed 8-10-2015: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Cuomo-Deploys-Officials-to-Bronx-for-Legionella-Testing-321132901.html

New York Times (Winnie Hu and Noah Remnick). “Hotel that Enlivened the Bronx is now a ‘Hot Spot’ for Legionnaires’.” 8-10-2015. Accessed 8-17-2015 at: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/11/nyregion/death-toll-from-legionnaires-disease-outbreak-in-bronx-rises-to-12.html

New York Times (Winnie Hu). “Order to Clean Towers Strains Crews Amid Legionnaires’ Outbreak in Bronx.” 8-16-2015. Accessed 8-17-2015 at: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/17/nyregion/order-to-clean-towers-strains-crews-amid-legionnaires-outbreak-in-bronx.html?_r=0

NY1 (Erin Billups). “A Look at the Bronx Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak Timeline.” 8-20-2015. Accessed 8-20-2015: http://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/health-and-medicine/2015/08/17/a-look-at-the-legionnaires–disease-outbreak-timeline.html

Reuters. “4 dead, 65 sickened in Bronx by Legionella.” TribLive.com, 8-1-2015. Accessed 8-7-2015 at: http://triblive.com/usworld/nation/8845652-74/outbreak-bronx-legionnaires#axzz3i97CblQL

RT.com. “Number of Legionnaires’ disease cases in New York rises to 124.” 8-15-2015.” Accessed 8-16-2015 at: https://www.rt.com/usa/312561-legionnaires-disease-new-york/

Washington Post (Ariana Eunjung Cha). “NYC Legionnaires’ disease death toll hits double-digits as officials order inspection of all cooling towers, threaten penalties.” Accessed 8-7-2015: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2015/08/07/nyc-legionnaires-disease-death-toll-hits-double-digits-as-officials-order-inspection-of-all-cooling-towers-threaten-penalties/

— 9  CNN. “9 killed when plane carrying cruise passengers crashes in Alaska.” 6-26-2015.

— 9  CNN. “Authorities identify 9 people killed in Alaska Plane Crash.” 6-27-2015.

— 9  Klint. “NTSB: Visual flight conditions ‘marginal’…Ketchikan crash,” KTUU2. 7-7-2015.

— 9  NTSB. “NTSB Identification: ANC15MA041.” (Webpage)

 

June 27, CNN: “….On Friday, Alaska State Troopers identified the victims as: Hal Cheney, 71, and Mary Doucette, 59, both of Lodi, California; Glenda Cambiaso, 31, and Hugo Cambiaso, 65, both of North Potomac, Maryland; June Kranenburg, 73, and Leonard Kranenburg, 63, both of Medford, Oregon; Margie Apodaca, 63, and Raymond Apodaca, 70, both of Sparks, Nevada; and the pilot, Bryan Krill, 64, of Hope, Idaho.

 

“The DeHavilland DHC-3T Otter, a floatplane, crashed in steep, mountainous terrain about 25 miles northeast of Ketchikan on Thursday.

 

“Authorities haven’t determined why it went down.

 

“The plane was on a shore excursion from a cruise ship, sold through Holland America Line. A private helicopter pilot reported seeing the plane’s wreckage against a granite rock face, 800 feet above Ella Lake….

 

“The eight passengers were from the MS Westerdam, which left Seattle on Saturday for a seven-day round-trip cruise.

 

“The plane had taken off on a tour of the 2-million-acre Misty Fjords National Monument, accessible only by floatplanes or boats….” (CNN (Greg Morrison and Ed Payne). “Authorities identify 9 people killed in Alaska Plane Crash.” 6-27-2015.)

 

NTSB: “Nonscheduled 14 CFR Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Accident occurred Thursday, June 25, 2015 in Ketchikan, AK

Aircraft: DEHAVILLAND DHC 3, registration: N270PA

Injuries: 9 Fatal.

 

“This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators traveled in support of this investigation and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

 

“On June 25, 2015, about 1215 Alaska daylight time, a single-engine, turbine-powered, float-equipped de Havilland DHC-3 (Otter) airplane, N270PA, sustained substantial damage when it impacted mountainous tree-covered terrain, about 24 miles northeast of Ketchikan, Alaska. The airplane was being operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 135, as an on-demand visual flight rules (VFR) sightseeing flight when the accident occurred. The airplane was owned by Pantechnicon Aviation, of Minden, Nevada, and operated by Promech Air, Inc., of Ketchikan. The commercial pilot and eight passengers were fatally injured. Marginal visual meteorological conditions were reported in the area at the time of the accident. The flight departed a floating dock located in Rudyerd Bay about 44 miles northeast of Ketchikan about 1200 for a tour through Misty Fjords National Monument Wilderness. A company VFR flight plan was in effect. At the time of the accident, the flight was returning to the operator’s base at the Ketchikan Harbor Seaplane Base, Ketchikan.

 

“The flight was a sightseeing flight for passengers of a cruise ship that was docked in Ketchikan. The tour, named Cruise/Fly, consisted of two groups of passengers. One group departed Ketchikan onboard a marine vessel and the other group departed via airplane, with a predetermined rendezvous at the floating dock in Rudyerd Bay. Once at the floating dock, the two groups would switch transportation modes for the return trip to Ketchikan.

 

“The operator reported that the accident airplane departed Rudyerd Bay as the third of four float-equipped airplanes on air tour flights over the Misty Fjords National Monument Wilderness. The airplanes departed about 5 minutes apart, and the standard route of flight was southwest, over an area of remote inland fjords, coastal waterways, and mountainous tree-covered terrain.

 

“When the airplane failed to return to Ketchikan, the operator initiated a search for the missing airplane and heard an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal along the accident pilot’s anticipated route of flight. A helicopter from Temsco Helicopters, Inc., of Ketchikan, was dispatched to the suspected accident site to search for the missing airplane. However, the helicopter pilot said that he was unable to search the upper levels of the mountainous areas due to low ceilings and poor visibility. The helicopter pilot said that, after waiting for the weather conditions to improve, he was able to search the upper elevations of the search area and located the wreckage about 1429. The Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad (KVRS) team members reached the accident site and confirmed that the airplane’s occupants had sustained fatal injuries.

 

“The NTSB investigator-in-charge along with another NTSB investigator, with help from KVRS, reached the accident site on the morning of June 27. The airplane impacted trees and a near vertical rock face in a nose high, wings level attitude at an elevation of about 1,600 feet mean sea level and came to rest upright on top of its separated floats, in an area of heavily forested, steep terrain.

 

“The accident airplane was equipped with an avionics package known as automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B), which is also known as “Capstone.” ADS-B technology provides pilots with situational awareness by displaying the airplane’s position over terrain, while using GPS technology, coupled with an instrument panel mounted, moving map display. The ADS-B equipment installed in the accident airplane included two Chelton multifunction display (MFD) units. One MFD provides the pilot with a moving map with terrain awareness information, and the other provides primary flight display information. The two MFD units were removed from the wreckage and shipped, to the NTSB vehicle recorder laboratory, Washington, D.C.

 

“The accident airplane was equipped with a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-135A engine that produces 750 shaft horsepower.

 

“A comprehensive NTSB postaccident examination of the engine and airframe is pending, after the airplane wreckage is recovered to Ketchikan.

 

“The closest weather reporting facility is Ketchikan Airport (KTN), Ketchikan, AK, about 24 miles southwest of the accident site. At 1153, an aviation routine weather report (METAR) at KTN reported in part: wind 130 degrees at 15 knots, gust 23 knots; visibility 6 statute miles, rain and mist, runway 11 visual range 4,000 variable to greater than 6,000 feet; few clouds 800 feet, broken clouds 1,200 feet, overcast clouds 2,700 feet; 61 degrees F; dew point 57 degrees F; altimeter 29.91 in Hg.” (NTSB. “NTSB Identification: ANC15MA041” (webpage). No date.)

 

Sources

 

CNN. “9 killed when plane carrying cruise passengers crashes in Alaska.” 6-26-2015. Accessed 6-26-2015 at: http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/26/us/alaska-plane-crash/

 

CNN (Greg Morrison and Ed Payne). “Authorities identify 9 people killed in Alaska Plane Crash.” 6-27-2015. Accessed 6-27-2015 at: http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/26/us/alaska-plane-crash/

 

Klint, Chris (Senior Digital Producer). “NTSB: Visual flight conditions ‘marginal’ in deadly Ketchikan crash,” KTUU2 News, Anchorage, AK. 7-7-2015. Accessed 7-8-2015 at: http://www.ktuu.com/news/news/ntsb-visual-flight-conditions-marginal-in-deadly-ketchikan-crash/34033156

 

National Transportation Safety Board. “NTSB Identification: ANC15MA041” (webpage). 7-7-2015.[1] Accessed 7-8-2015 at: http://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20150625X15034&key=1

 

 

 

 

 

[1] We do not see a date on the preliminary report. However, press reports of July 7, 2015 (Tuesday) write that the NTSB preliminary report was released early Tuesday. See, for example, Chris Klint (Senior Digital Producer), KTUU2 News. “NTSB: Visual flight conditions ‘marginal’ in deadly Ketchikan crash,” 7-7-2015.