FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Small-plane crashes and helicopter collisions in three states claimed 15 lives Sunday.
Six people are dead after two medical helicopters collided in midair Sunday afternoon in Arizona, a federal aviation spokesman said.
One other person is in critical condition after the collision Sunday afternoon near a Flagstaff hospital, said Ian Gregor of the Federal Aviation Administration.
In New Mexico, authorities said five people are dead in a Cessna 206 at a small airport.
The plane crashed almost immediately after takeoff Sunday from Santa Rosa Route 66 Airport, an FAA spokesman said. A police sergeant said the plane caught fire after crashing.
In Alabama, a sheriff said four people died after a small plane crashed shortly after takeoff Sunday morning about 40 miles north of Birmingham. The plane was a twin-engine Beechcraft BE-55, according to the FAA.
Three victims were identified as car dealer Bobby Crump, a licensed pilot; his wife, Jan; and their son, Matthew, a University of Alabama student. The fourth victim was family friend and fellow student Lauren Brue, 19, of Iowa.
Alabama: Child dies at air show in wind storm
A county coroner in Alabama says a 5-year-old was killed when strong winds blew over a row of tents at an air show Sunday in Huntsville. Witnesses said a generator fell on the child. A meteorologist at the National Weather Service said winds reached 48 mph during the storm.
Alaska: Bear attacks teen bike racer
A 14-year-old girl riding in a mountain bike race in an Anchorage park was severely injured when she was mauled by a bear. The girl suffered head, neck, torso and leg wounds early Sunday and was taken to Providence Alaska Medical Center for surgery. She was in critical condition Sunday afternoon, police said. “The local bear expert said it’s probably a sow grizzly,” said a spokeswoman for the Anchorage Fire Department. “One has been sighted in the area recently.”
D.C.: U.S. effort in Iraq was understaffed, Army report says
A nearly 700-page study released Sunday by the Army found that “in the euphoria of early 2003,” U.S.-based commanders prematurely believed their goals in Iraq had been reached and did not send enough troops to handle the occupation. President Bush’s statement on May 1, 2003, that major combat operations were over reinforced that view, the study said. The report was written by Donald Wright and Col. Timothy Reese of the Contemporary Operations Study Team at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., who said that planners who requested more troops were ignored and that commanders in Baghdad were replaced without enough of a transition and lacked enough staff.
N.Y.: Model’s death ruled a suicide
The death of a fashion model who plunged from the ninth floor of a Manhattan building on Saturday was ruled a suicide on Sunday. Ruslana Korshunova, 20, was a native of Kazakhstan who graced the covers of top fashion magazines.
Afghanistan: Four Americans killed
The U.S. military on Sunday identified four soldiers recently killed in Afghanistan. Army Staff Sgt. Travis K. Hunsberger, 24, Goshen, Ind., was killed Friday by an explosive near Tarin Kowt. Three soldiers died from wounds sustained Thursday from an explosive in Logar province: Army Sgt. 1st Class Matthew L. Hilton, 37, Livonia, Mich.; Army Sgt. 1st Class Joseph A. McKay, 51, Brooklyn, N.Y.; and Army Spc. Mark C. Palmateer, 38, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
China: Talks with Dalai Lama’s reps
Officials from China’s central government will hold a new round of talks with representatives of the Dalai Lama early next month and hopes for a “positive response” from the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, state media said Sunday. China has been accused of using heavy-handed tactics in quelling anti-government riots and protests that began in March in Tibet and Tibetan communities in western China. Some experts believe Beijing is agreeing to a fresh round of discussions to ease international pressure and criticism ahead of the Olympic Games that begin Aug. 8 in China.
Israel: Lebanon prisoner swap
Israel’s Cabinet overwhelmingly backed a deal Sunday with Hezbollah to swap a Lebanese prisoner convicted of a brutal 1979 attack for the bodies of two captured soldiers who were declared dead earlier in the day. The deal would have Hezbollah return two soldiers it captured in a July 2006 cross-border raid that sparked a 34-day war. Israel would release Samir Kantar, imprisoned at age 16 for a 1979 incident in which he shot a man in front of his 4-year-old daughter, then smashed her skull against a rock with his rifle butt, killing her, too.
From Herald news services
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
