BY CAMERON McWHIRTER
The Cincinnati Enquirer

In the extreme cold, crews can search for only 15 to 20 minutes before they have to return to shelter to warm up. (Gary Landers photo) | ZOOM |

RAISINVILLE TOWNSHIP, Mich. - Pushed by sub-zero winds, drifting snow swept over airplane wreckage and the remains of the dead Friday, blanketing the tragedy of Flight 3272 in white oblivion.

The 100- by 200-yard patch of blasted earth was covered by 4 inches of snow from a powerful storm that tore through southeastern Michigan on Thursday. The snow tapered off Friday only to be replaced by fierce winds and bitter cold. The blustery weather sculpted snowbanks into ghostly, shifting shapes that made walking, let alone driving, hazardous throughout the township.

''The weather is certainly complicating the situation with the blowing snow,'' said Monroe County Sheriff Tillman Crutchfield.

But despite the harsh elements, investigators began their grim jobs, systematically walking the cordoned-off crash site and starting the long process of trying to piece together - quite literally - what happened. By late afternoon, investigators had found the voice and data recorders for the airplane, but only portions of its propellers.

The investigation did not begin in earnest until about 11 a.m., and the first corpses were not removed until about noon. Snow blowers were brought in and flesh-smelling dogs searched the snow-covered ground.

John Hammerschmidt, a senior member of the National Transportation Safety Board, said crews could search for only about 15 to 20 minutes at a time before they had to return to shelter to warm up.

''It is very, very cold out there,'' he said. ''The chill factor is well below zero.''

By late afternoon, the temperature was about 20 degrees, but it was 19 degrees below zero with the wind chill.

The impact crater is in a remote area, surrounded by cornfields to the east and west, a county road to the south and a drainage into the River Raisin to the north. The crash happened on an empty lot owned by a local couple, William and Linda Balltrip, who had intended to build on the land but later decided to sell, according to Robert Oberski, a township trustee.

A church located elsewhere had used land next to the Balltrips' for gardening and recreation. Friday a small building at the site owned by the church was transformed into a makeshift command center and the grounds were turned into a parking lot for police trucks and hearses.

At the Raisinville Township Hall, several hundred yards from the crash, journalists from all over the United States gathered for briefings, and to warm up before trudging through an empty cornfield to see what was going on at the site.

The victims' remains were taken away in a refrigerated minivan to a temporary morgue at nearby Monroe Custer Airport. Monroe County also set up a crisis center, including grief counselors for victims' families, at a downtown Monroe hotel. Counselors also were made available for those assisting in the investigation.

Investigators sifting the wreckage can expect little respite from the severe weather in the coming days. Temperatures are expected to remain in the teens with wind chills well below zero, according to the National Weather Service.

Mr. Hammerschmidt said the weather would inevitably slow the investigation.

CRASH
FAMILIES
CREW
MINISTER
INVESTIGATION
TRAVELERS
COPING
INVESTORS
TODAY'S SUMMARY

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FIRST-DAY COVERAGE Jan. 10, 1997

Victims

First Officer
Kenneth Reece

Flight Attendant
Darinda Ogden

PASSENGERS
Adams, Dexter
Cincinnati

Barrow, Gregory
Detroit

Bransford, Roger
Atlanta

Brice, Arthur
Brookhaven, Miss.

Brownlee, Christine
Helena, Mont.

Brownlee, Scott
Helena, Mont.

Davis, Geoffrey
Detroit.

DeMarco, Maureen
Englewood, Colo.

Douchard, Greg
Brookhaven, Miss.

Felteau, Leo
Atlanta

Herman, Mark
Detroit

Jones, Betty Jean
Detroit

Jones, Charles
McComb, 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
Lexington, Ky.

Thomas, Douglas
Detroit.

Wansedel, Charles
Detroit

Zagar, Darlene
Danville, Ky.