Plane In Fatal Crash Overweight, Doorless

Plane in fatal crash overweight, doorless Washington A twin-engine plane that crashed last month and killed 12 people was overweight and had a door illegally removed, federal officials said.

The plane, which crashed about 30 miles north of Williamsburg, Va., on Sept. 10, was carrying 10 parachutists and a pilot. It hit a man on the ground. All were killed.

Investigators said the Beechcraft Queen Air 65’s flight manual had been altered to make the plane appear to be a model 65A, which can fly safely with its door removed.

But flying a Queen Air 65 with the door off can create “an unsafe condition” because the air flow across the aircraft’s tail can become turbulent, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.