US plane crash: Recording devices found after jet carrying tycoon crashes in flames

 
Devastation: the aftermath of the crash in Massachusetts (Picture: AP Photo/The Boston Globe, David L. Ryan)
Robin de Peyer3 June 2014

Investigators probing a private jet crash which killed seven people including a newspaper magnate have recovered recording devices from the charred wreckage.

Tycoon Lewis Katz, 72, who was worth around $400m, was among the dead after a Gulfstream IV jet burst into flames as it plunged down an embankment in Massachusetts.

Three of the Philadelphia Inquirer co-owner's friends and three crew members were also killed in the crash, which happened as they were flying to New Jersey on Saturday.

It is hoped the retrieval of the flight data and cockpit voice recorders will provide clues as to how the plane hurtled off the runway and down an embankment.

Police in the area have also released dramatic calls made by members of the public alerting emergency services to the disaster.

In one, a female caller says: "Something just exploded. Fire. There’s fire... It was a big boom. It shook the house."

Recovery: Investigators have found recording devices (Picture: AP Photo)

In another call, a male voice tells police: "I think there was an airplane crash... There’s a giant column of smoke and flames."

Mr Katz made his fortune investing in car parks and the New York Yankees' cable television network. He once owned the NBA's New Jersey Nets and the NHL's New Jersey Devils,and in 2012 became a minority investor in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Last week, Mr Katz and Harold Lenfest struck a deal to gain full control of the Inquirer as well as the Philadelphia Daily News and Philly.com website by buying out their co-owners for $88 million.

The deal ended a very public feud over the Inquirer's business and journalism direction, and is still expected to go through, according to Mr Lenfest.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Sign up you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy notice .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in