by Larisa Alexandrovna | at-Largely

In short:
-Not medical
-Not weather
-Not running out of gas (which the investigation had first suspected, but has now ruled out – it is not mentioned below, however)

Here is a good story on it (emphasis mine):

Connell was attempting a landing on Runway 23 at the Akron-Canton Airport, but his plane crashed about three miles short of his destination. Troopers with the Highway Patrol’s Canton post said the plane made a forced landing, hit a flagpole and rolled several times.

NTSB investigator Mitch Gallo examined wreckage and talked with witnesses on Tuesday, agency spokeswoman Bridget Serchak said on Wednesday. The agency still needs information from the air traffic controller, weather details and a radar study, she said.

So far the investigation shows that the plane had no issues with flight control and there was no icing, Serchak said. The plane’s propeller had damage that indicates the engine was operating when the crash occurred.

A preliminary report should be filed within 10 working days, Serchak said. NTSB has one year to complete it’s factual report and the NTSB board will vote on a probable cause ruling for the accident shortly after the report is filed.

Data collected by the Highway Patrol was being completed Wednesday for the NTSB, a spokesman for the Canton post said. While the Highway Patrol collects information about airplane crashes, it doesn’t determine cause of the crashes, the spokesman said.

The Stark County Coroner’s office has given samples collected in an autopsy of Connell to FAA laboratories, a spokeswoman for Dr. P.S. Murthy said. The agency supplies a kit listing samples to be collected, the spokeswoman said.

Indications are Connell died from massive traumatic injuries. Although the wreckage burned following the crash, Connell’s body wasn’t burned, the spokeswoman said.

There are no indications that Connell suffered from any medical problems, the spokeswoman said.

Now can someone who is is a pilot explain a few things to me here. I am trying to understand the verbiage and elements of your profession:

1. If there were no “issues with flight control” do they mean avionics?

2. So given that everything else was ruled out, the only thing left is mechanical, am I right? Am I wrong and missing an important genre?

3. Is there anything else that is not covered under mechanical, avionics, health, and weather (he was not a drug user from what I have been told, so for now at least, let’s leave it off the table of considerations) that would explain that his plane went down three miles from landing (I know he was on instruments now, rather than line of sight), with a working engine?

4. Is the propeller mentioned only as indicative of the engine working or is it being broken something to consider as an actual cause for the accident?

And some questions in general:

1. Does “indications are Connell died from massive traumatic injuries. Although the wreckage burned following the crash, Connell’s body wasn’t burned” mean he was was thrown from the plane as soon as the plane went down?

2. And finally, this just occurred to me tonight. Connell knew the Bush family very well. He knew members of Congress very well. He has been a staple of the GOP IT scene for ages. He even worked on the McCain camp. So what is wrong with this sorry lot of people, that not a single one of them issued a public condolence to this man? Not even the head of the RNC for crying out loud. Connell has worked with the RNC for years. He has worked with the Chamber of Commerce for years. He was friends with and knew very important people. He dies a few days before Christmas, leaving 4 kids and a widow behind and NOT ONE person could find the time to issue a public condolences to his family?

The President has time to pardon turkeys and pardon criminals, but not to issue even a single sentence of condolence to a man he has known for years? Rove? Where is he at? John McCain? Anyone? I don’t understand how no one thought to issue a statement of support for the family, especially since a father of four won’t be there for Christmas?