Airline: Doomed cargo plane followed proper procedures

MIAMI (CNN) -- Dominican Republic-based Aeromar Airlines, which leased the Fine Air DC-8 that crashed last week in Miami, said Tuesday that proper procedures were followed in loading the cargo jet.

The plane was carrying three crew members, a security guard and 87,000 pounds of denim pants parts when it crashed on takeoff Thursday from Miami International Airport. All four people on board and a man on the ground died in the crash.

The National Transportation Safety Board has said it is looking at whether the plane's cargo may have shifted on takeoff. NTSB investigators said more than 20 of the plane's 48 cargo locks had been found unlocked, indicating that the load may have shifted on takeoff. Aeromar was responsible for loading the airplane.

While Aeromar attorney Nicholas Manzini told reporters the company believes it did nothing wrong, he said the firm would await the conclusions of the NTSB investigation and was cooperating fully with the board. Aeromar had never had an accident before in its 30-year history, Manzini said.

• Message Board: Cargo plane crashes in Miami

Related stories:

• NTSB: Doomed Miami cargo jet not overweight - August 9, 1997
• 2 more victims found in Miami crash - August 8, 1997
• Investigators comb scorched wreckage in Miami - August 8, 1997
• Cargo jet crashes, careens across busy Miami street - August 7, 1997

Related sites:

• FAA - Federal Aviation Administration
• National Transportation Safety Board - Home Page
• Metro-Dade Fire Rescue
• Metro-Dade Police Department
• The Boeing Company
  • McDonnel-Douglas DC-8
  • Boeing Statement on Fine Air DC-8 Accident

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