Ohio TV station: Was Connell crash an accident or murder?

[99th_Monkey]

Interesting, the website for Velvet Revolution is cited as source in story; which pretty much suggests there
was no foul play, but at least this local TeeVee news outfit felt it had to acknowledge that many feel that
Connell's death was a BushCo hit job. Way to go Velvet Revolution, for helping keep this issue alive..

******************************************************************
Ohio TV station: Was Connell crash an accident or murder?
David Edwards and Muriel Kane
Published: Tuesday December 23, 2008

The death of Republican "IT guru" Mike Connell last Friday in a fiery plane crash has been the subject of intense speculation online about whether it might have been murder -- but very little of that speculation has made it into the national media. Now one local TV station in Connell's home state of Ohio is acknowledging that there are questions about his death.

"Well, this sounds like a made up story," Scott Taylor of 19 Action News in Cleveland began. "One man rigging state elections to help his boss, President George Bush. After it's done, power players in Washington say 'Get rid of the guy.' Do I believe it? No -- for now."

Taylor noted that "bad weather could have played a part in the crash" but "some in Washington have a different opinion."

"Some say Connell was about to reveal embarrassing details involving senior members of the Bush Administration," Taylor explained, "including their involvement in destroying incriminating emails and rigging elections. Connell died on impact, and was only 3 miles from the Akron-Canton Airport. He was an experienced pilot. Was it an accident, or murder?"

Connell had played a central role in two separate Bush administration scandals. He had created the website for the Ohio secretary of state's office which some have linked to suspected election fraud during the 2004 presidential race. He also set up the domains which White House staff used for their off-the-books emails concerning the firing of US Attorneys, emails which are now said to have been destroyed.

In a press release cited by 19 Action News, the website Velvet Revolution revealed that "a person close to Mr. Connell has recently been discussing with a VR investigator how Mr. Connell can tell all about his work for George Bush. Mr. Connell told a close associate that he was afraid that the George Bush and Dick Cheney would 'throw <[him> under the bus.' A tipster close to the McCain campaign disclosed to VR in July that Mr. Connell’s life was in jeopardy and that Karl Rove had threatened him and his wife."

19 Action News also reported on Sunday that Connell had previously been warned by a friend that his plane might be sabotaged and had canceled two flights because of suspicious problems.

BradBlog notes that although the Velvet Revolution press release has appeared on the New York Times website, that paper has not offered any comment of its own on Connell's death, nor have US media in general reported on the growing speculation -- although even the British press has mentioned it -- which makes the Action News coverage all the more striking.

"Was it an accident -- or murder?" Taylor wondered, before concluding that the crash "was probably not a conspiracy."

VIDEO OF FOOTAGE AT BOTTOM OF PAGE HERE:
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Local_TV_news_Connell_crash_accident_1223.html

[liberal N proud]

1. This crash isn't going to go away soon

Too many main stream wonder about the "accident" in this crash.

[99th_Monkey]

7. I'm glad Connell's death is not stopping the investigations

and I sure hope Connell left some "to be opened in the event of my death" bombshells laying in secure
places.

[malaise]

14. Pity the 24/7 news channels haven't carried a single word

That makes it even more suspicious. Most plane crashes are covered but they are running from this one.

[bobd0]

2. It was murder by accident. nt

[nc4bo]

3. Good for the locals to tell it. I don't want this to go away quietly into the night.

But I wonder how long before the likes of CNN and MSNBC, etc. pick up the torch?

Then again, this would open up a huge can of worms, perhaps having to explain why Connell was so important, what he did, where he did it and for whom he did it for and why his absence would be such a convenience to the GOP.

That would or should make many sleepers question the validity of our elections process.

I'm dreaming aren't I?

[99th_Monkey]

9. I agree. locals often give the best coverage of nationally crucial issues.

reminds me of all the great stories from Detroit newspapers about the big 3,
well, not "great" really, but at least a "closer to the ground" perspective.

[Pilotguy]

4. Crash Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwBMObtsbqw

[Dennis Donovan]

6. Raging fire - there was fuel on board.

It sounds like it was windy - you can hear it on the audio...

[99th_Monkey]

8. wow what a trip. thanks to youtube, now everyone's a "live" journalist

quite an intensely raging firestorm for supposedly being "out of fuel", huh?

[Dennis Donovan]

5. Recommended - it's great that the eyes of the world are scrutinizing this!

:thumbsup:

[jljamison]

10. as much fun a conspiracy can be...

this is way more likely a run-of-the-mill general aviation accident

he went down during approach-to-land (the most critical phase of flight) in bad weather including freezing rain.

he may have been trying to land off-airport which is consistent with the airplane having lost lift due to airframe ice. Just unlucky for him he hit a flag pole, otherwise he might have made it.

he didnt run out of fuel - that was an error. in fact since his airplane burned so much, clearly he had plenty of fuel on board. If he had a fuel problem he would have realized it much earlier in the flight. These airplanes have multiple wing tanks that the pilot manually switches from one to the other on some periodic basis. For example, I usually switch tanks every 30 minutes to keep the weight distribution relatively even.

He was 3 miles from the airport on approach to land runway 23. this means he would normally be around 600 feet above ground in a descent profile, descending through clouds. he had onboard GPS so he had near perfect situational awareness. In his airplane, 3 miles represents about 2 minutes of flying time (which goes quickly believe me) - he was probably in the clouds, or supposed to have been in the clouds.

Reports are that he delayed departing because he was concerned about weather. But in fact he did decide to depart around 3:30 pm for a 2 1/2 hour flight, very consistent with a pilot pushing it to get home (on a friday night, to the family with 4 kids). So in taking off he knew he would be landing in darkness. He had intended to leave a few hours early but delayed.

I wasn't there and I don't know what information he had when he decided to make his flight. I have delayed departing on flights due to weather concerns and made a delayed go decision myself. But at night in the clouds in very cold conditions - that is a flight I would tend to avoid as you leave yourself with very few "outs".

No this really doesn't smell all that bad - if he's guilty i hope it comes out, and if the GOP rigged the Ohio election in 2004 hopefully it comes out still. But to keep pushing this particular aircraft accident as a murder or assassination really just makes the person making that assertion look really crazed. When you hear hooves, think horses and not zebras.

This type of accident is tragically very common in general aviation.

[Dennis Donovan]

11. I'm not ready to make any conclusions yet...

I still haven't heard how many hrs he had (total; in that particular aircraft; instrument, etc...) and, according to the prelim FAA report, the weather was marginal, but not un-doable for an experienced pilot.

Fuel starvation has been effectively eliminated (due to the raging fire on impact) although he might not have switched tanks. I've heard two seperate witnesses say two different things in regards to whether the engine was running or not (although it's possible to tell by checking the accident site for prop cuts).

All told, I'm still not 100% convinced it was a mere accident. There was motive for someone to want this man silenced.

I started a thread analyzing the accident itself:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4695148

[99th_Monkey]

13. The timing is more than a little suspicious, don''t you think?

Many here remember Paul Wellstone going down in a small plane "accident".

I appreciate your narrative's attempt to "normalize" the crash, but why in the world would an
experienced pilot with "near perfect situational awareness" (your words), with plenty of fuel,
attempt some hair-brained emergency landing just 2 minutes from landing safely at his destination
airport?

It still doesn't add up to me. call me "crazed" of whatever put-down you choose, but the Connell
crash (not to mention the OH woman close to these same investigations who was found dead in her
apartment today) remains very much a mystery that needs more investigative juice, not less.

By the way, welcome to DU :hi:

[jljamison]

15. it happens very often

...that experienced pilots with near perfect situational awareness attempt crash landings.

By the way, sorry if my posting was insulting, i should have been more careful.

Even if he were attempting an off-airport landing, it probably wasn't due to fuel starvation as I hoped to try and explain. More likely it was due to airfame icing, and that means it wasn't a matter of choice. The engine could have stopped for other reasons than fuel starvation - even to an experienced pilot. Keep in mind also that in many of these similar scenarios, an off-airport landing was not attempted- rather the pilot stalls out and crashes.

Airframe icing does two things - it weighs down the airplane and it disrupts the airfoil. Both of these cause a loss of lift. Lift is essential for flight. When you lose lift, you are coming down - and to a limited degree you can control some aspects of where you land. Even though you have lost lift you can still turn, pitch up and pitch down, as long as you don't stall. if you stall you plummet like a stone.

Doesn't matter if you are only two miles from the airport, if you can't make it you can't make it. And its not hair-brained either!

Look at the example of Steve Fossett. A more experienced pilot would be hard to find, and certainly none with as much time handling emergencies as he (he plummeted 30,000 feet in one of his doomed balloons, crashing into the south pacific). However, it is pretty well established that he attempted a "landing" high up in the sierra mountains for some unexplained reason. The path his aircraft was following when it hit the earth was consistent with an attempt to land. The area was one of the only even remotely possible landing spots in this area. He was found away from his airplane with his 5 point harness having been released, so it is very likely he survived the crash, popped his five point and got himself out of the airplane before he expired.

[99th_Monkey]

21. I appreciate your explanation about the icing factor ..

... that's certainly a possible explanation for the crash. That given, I still can't ignore the other
factors that were in play with Connell's "accidental" crash; you know, like having just been threatened
by KKKarl Rove, like having just been subpoenaed to give damning testimony against the Rove & Co's election
fraud activities. just sayin', I'm not convinced there was no 'foul play' involved.

And that sir, does not mean I'm some 'conspiracy nutjob'; it means I'm looking at ALL the factors involved,
and withholding judgment either way.

[99th_Monkey]

22. THIS JUST IN: Airframe "Icing" was NOT a factor in the Connell airplane crash (NTSB/FAA reports)

Federal agencies examining deadly Lake Township plane crash
By Edd Pritchard
CantonRep.com staff report
Posted Dec 24, 2008 @ 11:11 AM
LAKE TWP. —

A preliminary report on Friday night’s plane crash that killed a Summit County man should be posted in early January, but it likely will be several months before the National Transportation Safety Board completes its investigation.

Michael L. Connell, 45, of Bath Township, died in the crash at about 6 p.m. outside a vacant house at 2017 Charolais St. NW, Lake Township. No passengers were on the Piper Saratoga.

A Web site designer and behind-the-scenes player in the Republican Party, Connell was returning to Northeast Ohio after a business trip in Washington.

Connell was attempting a landing on Runway 23 at the Akron-Canton Airport, but his plane crashed about three miles short of his destination. Troopers with the Highway Patrol’s Canton post said the plane made a forced landing, hit a flagpole and rolled several times.

Investigators with NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration are handling the investigation, which is routine after a plane crash.

NTSB investigator Mitch Gallo examined wreckage and talked with witnesses on Tuesday, agency spokeswoman Bridget Serchak said on Wednesday. The agency still needs information from the air traffic controller, weather details and a radar study, she said.

So far the investigation shows that the plane had no issues with flight control and there was no icing, Serchak said. The plane’s propeller had damage that indicates the engine was operating when the crash occurred.

http://www.cantonrep.com/news/x16586786/Federal-agencies-examining-deadly-Lake-Township-plane-crash

[sendero]

25. There are no coincidences...

.. yes, accidents happen all the time but what are the odds? How many private planes flew that day and how many ended in a fatal crash? In how many of those fatal crashes was there a vital witness to crime of possibly staggering proportions with many high placed players?

You think whatever you want, I know what I think.

[Mister Ed]

17. When someone says "when you hear hooves, think horses and not zebras", I say:

"Unless you're on the veldt".

My point is that context matters. The context of this case - the fact that the deceased pilot was a key witness in a case against some very powerful and worried people - suggests that this is an aircraft accident to be investigated very thoroughly indeed.

[99th_Monkey]

23. Check this out. "ICING NOT an issue" with Connell plane crash (as per NTSB/FAA reports)

which totally blows the whole "icing" theory as an explanation as to why an expert & highly experienced pilot,
with plenty of fuel, chose to attempt an "emergency landing" just 2 minutes from the safety of his destination
airport. And yes i agree, in this case, context is everything.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=4708623&mesg_id=4714248

[pleah]

12. K&R

Glad to see the story being covered.

[nc4bo]

16. OT but MSNBC just reported the suicide of Rene-Thierry Magon de la Villehuchet

@ approx. 7:30 pm on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue but not one peep from the fiery plane crash and death of Mr. Connell.

Described Villehuchet as a "victim" of the Madoff scheme. This was during one of their little news burps they air during the show. I'm sorry I didn't pick up the woman's name that reported it.

So Villehuchet kills himself Tuesday morning and M$M reports it Tuesday evening.

Connell dies in a plane crash Friday and it still never makes it to even news burp status.


Hmmmmmmmm. :wtf:

[Raksha]

19. Right...MSNBC seems to be part of the media blackout too.

When I watched Keith and Rachel last night I didn't hear a single word about Connell from either of them. I thought that was very strange, given the amount of speculation there has been about this alleged "accident" on the Web. They can't be unaware of it.

[Pastiche423]

18. I wonder where his wife is now

[Berry Cool]

20. Unfortunately, no one will take the story seriously now that Channel 19 is on it.

Channel 19 is notorious as the scandal-chasing, sensationalistic local TV news station. No one takes anything they do or say seriously. They have all the respect of the National Enquirer.

Ordinarily, having a local TV news station air a story would lend it legitimacy. This, sadly, ROBS this one of legitimacy. People will assume it's full of crap just because it aired on 19.

[chill_wind]

24. k and R n/t

[Zorra]

26. Just another unbelievable coincidental death in a long series of

coincidental deaths of individuals targeted by wealthy, corrupt, megalomaniacal right wingers that had something to gain by the death of the respective deceased individual.

So move along, nothing to see here.