Dental records were of no use to a coroner Friday trying to positively identify remains found in the wreckage of an airplane that crashed in East Carson City this week, authorities said.
The next option is to try to identify the remains through DNA provided by a blood relative, said Carson City Sgt. Bob White.
The six-seater aircraft registered to FLOCO Inc., which is owned by James Edwardson of Yaphank, NY., crashed into a field off Arrowhead Drive on Wednesday afternoon. FLOCO Inc. has a local address on Jeanell Drive.
Identification in a mangled black wallet found in the wreckage and statements made by Edwardson's family in Yaphank lead investigators to believe he was piloting the Cessna 337 when the accident occurred.
Family members have told investigators Edwardson was an experienced pilot and left from Long Island on Monday. Sheriff Ken Furlong said the New York businessman had recently applied for an upgrade to his license, but was denied.
Weaver Aircraft owner Neil Weaver said he knows of no one at the airport who knew Edwardson or if he had ever landed there. The airport does not keep records of who arrives or leaves, he said.
"Witnesses all say (the plane) was on the wrong pattern for the runway it was trying to land on," he said.
Furlong said it appears the aircraft was trying to correct its approach when the engine stalled and it plummeted to earth, erupting in a ball of fire.
"Operating at higher temperatures and higher altitudes is an acquired skill," Weaver said, speculating the pilot may have mistaken his plane's performance for a failure. "For a flatlander, if you're not prepared for it when you experience it, you might think your airplane is not performing."
Contact F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.
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