Survivors of Anchorage plane crash face long recovery
OVERLOADED? Officials rule out mechanical failure; weight records examined.

By LISA DEMER
ldemer@adn.com

Published: June 4th, 2010 03:35 PM
Last Modified: June 4th, 2010 03:36 PM

The mother critically injured in the Fairview plane crash this week is the most severely burned of the three surviving family members, but all will face a long and painful recovery, their surgeon said on Thursday from Portland.


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tool goes here Also on Thursday, new information emerged about the 4-year-old killed in the crash. While investigators don't yet know where Myles Cavner was riding during the takeoff Tuesday from Merrill Field, he was found after the crash under the dashboard, pinned by lumber on the loaded plane.

Preston Cavner, 34, Stacie Cavner, 32 and 2-year-old Hudson remain in critical condition at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland. They are sedated and on mechanical respirators, said Dr. Nik Eshraghi, their burn surgeon at the Oregon Burn Center, which is part of the hospital.

"All three of them will need multiple surgeries. All three of them will need long-term hospital stay and long period of rehabilitation after all this," Eshraghi said.

A fifth person on the flight, 16-year-old Rachel Zientek of Texas, also was severely burned and flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where she is recovering in the burn intensive care unit. She underwent spinal surgery for injuries suffered in the crash, said Anchorage police Lt. Dave Parker, who spoke to her father. A hospital spokeswoman said she is in serious condition, but conscious, alert and breathing on her own.

The teenager, whose father is Houston police officer and friends with Preston Cavner, was planning to spend the summer working for the family as a nanny at their lodge on Lake Clark, Parker said. "It was going to be an Alaskan adventure for her."


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On Tuesday, the family was returning to Port Alsworth. The Cessna 206 was loaded with baggage, food, lumber and tile, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

The NTSB is investigating what went wrong. Investigators have reassembled the plane in a hangar near Wasilla, said NTSB air safety investigator Jennifer Rodi.

"What we accomplished today was a complete examination of the wreckage and I can confidently say that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane or the engine at the time of the accident," Rodi said.

Investigators are looking at whether the plane was overloaded. They are trying to track down the plane's maintenance records, including the most recent weight and balance calculations. "Kind of like CSI for airplanes," Rodi said.

The investigation will also examine the use and operation of seat belts and where the children were sitting during takeoff, she said. Preston Cavner was flying the Cessna and it appears Stacie was sitting beside him in the other front seat.

Witnesses said the plane was flying low and loud and was wobbly before it crashed into a vacant car dealership. Motorists and other passers-by immediately rushed to the crash site, lifted up the plane and began pulling people out of the burning wreckage before the flames got so intense they had to back off with Myles trapped inside.

"The family wanted to thank all those who were involved in saving this family out of this devastating crash," said Eshraghi, the surgeon. "All the bystanders. All the firefighters and emergency medical personnel in Anchorage. The hospital that received these individuals and stabilized them."

Both sets of grandparents are standing watch at the Portland hospital and asked Eshraghi to speak for the family, he said. They wanted to give the public information about the medical treatment and thank the Alaskans who stepped in.

"I guess if there's anything good to be said about this, four out of five individuals on this plane survived this crash," the doctor said.

Zientek's father had a similar message of thanks for the heroic efforts of "people who just, off the street, went in and helped his daughter," Parker said. Without that, everyone on board almost surely would have perished, Parker said.

Preston Cavner was burned over 15 percent of his body, mainly third-degree burns to his calves. He also suffered extensive facial fracturing from slamming into something in the crash, as well as an eye injury and cracked vertebrae, Eshraghi said.

Two-year-old Hudson suffered burns over 12 percent of his body, with deep burns to his head, one foot and one hand -- third degree or perhaps deeper, the doctor said. Deeper burns affect underlying muscle, tendons or bone.

Stacie's burns, over 50 percent of her body, are all third degree if not deeper, mainly on her arms and legs, he said. She'll need at least five to seven surgeries and could be hospitalized for two months, he said. But she's stabilizing and has shown improvement in just the last day, he said.

Burn treatment includes surgeries to remove dead tissue, then likely other surgeries to repair the underlying areas, then skin grafts themselves, he said. While artificial and donor skin has some use, skin used in grafts over wounds ultimately must come from the patient, Eshraghi said.



Read more: http://www.adn.com/2010/06/03/...h.html#ixzz0q6LSxOHf


I'm just glad society hasnt gotton so bad where bystanders are still willing to help.

Heres some pics.

http://www.adn.com/2010/06/03/...iew-plane-crash.html