A-10 crash investigators focus on mystery call

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Air Force officials still want to know why an A-10 attack plane went 800 miles off-course in April and crashed into a Colorado mountain peak.

Sources told CNN that Air Force investigators are focusing on a telephone call that seemed to distress Capt. Craig Button, the pilot of the A-10, on the night before his fatal flight.

While it had been rumored that Button may have been homosexual or had AIDS, toxicology reports reveal he was not HIV positive, and investigators say they have no evidence to suggest he was gay.

But officials learned from Button's roommate that Button became upset by a phone call the night before the flight. They have been unable to determine whom the call was from, or the substance of the call.

Investigators say there is no evidence that family problems or financial troubles were a source of anxiety for Button. They also have been unable to find evidence that he was affiliated with right-wing militia groups, as was rumored.

Related stories:

• Bombs still missing as crews recover downed A-10 - July 9, 1997
• Searchers recover remains of A-10 pilot crashed in Colorado - July 7, 1997
• Air Force begins recovery of crashed A-10 - July 7, 1997
• Human remains believed to be missing pilot - April 26, 1997
• Crews try again to verify A-10 debris - April 23, 1997
• Heavy chopper scopes possible A-10 wreckage - April 22, 1997
• Family, friends baffled by pilot's disappearance - April 13, 1997

Related sites:

• Air Force finds wreckage of missing A-10 - Air Force Press Release
• U.S. Air Force - A-10 Fact Sheet
• A-10 Warthog Homepage - Major Ed Walker

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