FAA releases recording from plane that crashed into home

By Mary Manning

Published Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2008 | 2:46 p.m.

Updated Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2008 | 4:55 p.m.

The Federal Aviation Administration today released the air traffic control audio recording from the plane that crashed into a Las Vegas neighborhood on Aug. 28 after taking off from North Las Vegas Airport.

Ten people lived in the two-story house at 2832 N. Jones Blvd. where the plane crashed, and three adults and two children were home at the time. Only the pilot died, authorities said.

The pilot, 38-year-old Bill Leahy, was known for his mercy flight missions. He was taking the Piper Navajo Chieftain to Palo Alto, Calif., when he couldn't gain altitude after taking off from the airport.

Days earlier on Aug. 23, 76-year-old Mack Creekmore Murphree Jr., of Dayton, Nev., crashed an experimental aircraft into the home of Jack and Lucy Costa. Both of the Costas died after the crash.

In the 40-minute, 15-second recording of communications released Tuesday between the pilot, ground control and the Automated Terminal Information System, the ground controller directs aircraft from their hangars or gates to the runways and from the runways to hangars. Local control handles airplanes that are landing or taking off.

Automated Terminal Information System provides pilots with automated information on the time, weather conditions, visibility, cloud ceilings, temperature and other information.

Kenneth Evan, frontline manager at the North Las Vegas Airport tower, introduces the tape and explains the voice traffic in the course of the recording.

These excerpts were taken from the final nine minutes of the audio tape:

"He's emergency left burning engine, he's emergency left burning engine."

"Runway 7 clear to land."

"He doesn't know if he'll make the airport, so keep a real close eye on him."

"He didn't make it to the airport."

"North Las Vegas Tower Campbell."

"Is the aircraft still airborne? Is that what I'm looking at?"

"No comment."

"You guys, can you get a location on that smoke over there?"

"I'd average about a mile."

"581, we're not allowing any departures at this time."

At this point Metro helicopter searches for the downed aircraft.