Miami Crash Blamed on Wing Breaking Off

MIAMI BEACH, Dec. 20 -- The crash of a seaplane shortly after takeoff was apparently caused by the right wing breaking off during flight, investigators said Tuesday. It was unclear why the wing detached.

Salvage crews raised the wing out of the channel where the 58-year-old turboprop aircraft crashed Monday within sight of beachgoers.

All 20 people on the flight headed to the Bahamas were killed.

Corrosion and stress are among the reasons a wing might split from the fuselage, but a report on the probable cause of the crash could take nine months to a year, said Mark V. Rosenker, acting chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board.

"Unfortunately, we still have a great distance to go," he said.

The right wing was removed from the water with its propeller and engine attached, but Rosenker declined to provide details about the wing's condition.

The rest of the plane will not be raised until Wednesday, U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Dana Warr said. Rosenker called it a delicate operation because the plane could break under the weight of the water.

Investigators were still trying to find the cockpit voice recorder, which might have captured noises or the last words of the pilots.

But the main portion of the recorder was in the tail, which Rosenker said was difficult to reach because the plane was mangled.