Update - 11/02/14
All four victims' bodies have been recovered from the crash site.
Update at 11:10am on 11/01/14
AP has reported that authorities have removed the bodies of three victims from the Wichita flight training facility damaged in Thursday's small plane crash, as well as the cockpit voice recorder. Their names have not been released.
Update at 5:36pm on 10/31/14
Four victims who died as a result of a plane crash at an airport in Wichita,KS still remain in the wreckage. From member station KMUW in Wichita Sean Sandefur reports the building the plane struck is still unsafe.
On Thursday morning, a small aircraft crashed into a structure at Wichita’s Mid-Continent Airport, killing the pilot and three people working inside the building. A thirty-foot perimeter has been set up and investigators don’t have access.
Josh Lindberg of the National Transportation Safety Board says they’re note sure when they’ll get clearance.
“We can not get in that perimeter until a structural engineer clears that, so the fire department is working closely with them to make sure that’s safe for us.”
He said a voice recorder was on board the plane and the NTSB hopes to learn more about the events directly before the crash.
Update at 1:47 p.m. on 10/31/14
U.S. Senator Jerry Moran visited the site where 24 hours prior, a small aircraft had crashed and four people died. Moran says he was in Kansas when the tragic accident occurred and immediately began making calls to see if he could be of any service.
This morning, he spoke to officials about the difficulty of recovering the victims and any evidence.
“The [National Transportation Safety Board] is very interested in the remnants of the plane, part of which is still on the rooftop of the building,” Moran says. “For investigators and the coroner to enter the building to do their work, it’s required that the building be made safe.”
Moran praised local emergency responders.
“Everything I’ve heard about their response has been so complimentary,” he says.
Listen to Sean Sandefur's full interview with Senator Moran below:
Update at 11:04 a.m. on 10/31/14
Work has begun to recover the remains of the four people who died on Thursday when a small plane crashed into a flight training facility at Wichita’s Mid-Continent Airport. KMUW's Abigail Wilson reports that crews are expected to be at the site for a few days.
Jet fuel from the plane burned so hot after the crash that emergency officials voiced concerns about the stability of the structure. Cranes were brought in this morning to remove portions of the building but the victims have not yet been recovered.
"We don't like leaving folks who have died in a structure or any other place and the fact of the matter is that we don't want to get anybody else hurt," Fire Marshal Brad Crisp said. "At this point in time it's more important to do this safely."
Officials said the pilot was the sole person on the plane and that everyone inside the building has been accounted for. The pilot has been confirmed to be Wichitan, Mark Goldstein. Wichita Police have confirmed that two of the additional victims were from the Wichita area and one was from another country.
