The Detroit News

| ZOOM |

WASHINGTON - The National Transportation Safety Board, the federal agency in charge of investigating plane crashes, dispatched an 11-member team of investigators to the crash site near Monroe, Mich., late Thursday, a spokesman said.

The investigation will be headed by John Hammerschmidt, one of the five members of the NTSB who rotate leading crash probes.

''Typically, the (NTSB) office closest to the accident (in this case, Chicago) will go help secure the scene while the team from Washington gets together and launches,'' said Don Libera, who answered the phone at the NTSB public affairs office and said he was ''helping out'' from another office.

The federal investigators will examine all of the debris and take witness accounts in an effort to determine the cause of the crash.

Usually investigators place a priority on locating the black boxes - the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder, which might provide details of the situation right before the plane crashed.

Investigators will look for residue, the way the debris scattered and other signs that might point to a cause or rule out others.

Often in a crash investigation, the NTSB team is accompanied by representatives of the airline company and the union of flight attendants.

The NTSB probe will continue in Washington long after investigators leave the crash scene. Sometimes, Congress calls for public hearings to discuss airline safety following a crash.

The safety board was formed in 1968 to determine the cause of civilian aviation accidents and make recommendations to prevent them from happening again.

The board makes recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration. an agency within the Department of Transportation that promotes air safety. The FAA can accept or reject NTSB recommendations.

CRASH
PLANE
SERVICE RECORD
VICTIMS
WEATHER
COMAIR
CRASH SITE
AIRPORT

Victims

First Officer
Kenneth Reece

Flight Attendant
Darinda Ogden

PASSENGERS
Adams, Dexter
Cincinnati

Barrow, Gregory
Detroit

Bransford, Roger
Atlana

Brice, Arthur
Jackson, Miss.

Brownlee, Christine
Helena, Mont.

Brownlee, Scott
Helena, Mont.

Davis, Geoffrey
Detroit.

Demarco, Maureen
Denver.

Douchard, Greg
Summit, Miss.

Felteau, Leo
Atlanta

Herman, Mark
Detroit

Jones, Betty Jean
Detroit

Jones, Charles
Macomb, Miss.

McClain, Steven
Detroit.

Muskovitz, Teri
Detroit.

Passariello, Kim
Detroit

Raymond, Roy
Twin Falls, Id.

Raymond, Vernamarie
Twin Falls, Id.

Rosiak, Jennifer
Pensacola, Fla.

Rosiak, Nicholas
Pensacola, Fla.

Sharangpani, Arati
Colts Neck, N.J.

Stearn, Richard
Detroit

Takenami, Keita
Colts Neck, N.J.

Thomas, A. Douglas
Detroit.

Wansedel, Charles
Detroit

Zagar, Darlene
Danville, Ky.