There are bipartisan calls for the National Transportation Safety Board to reverse a decision it made over the weekend after a prominent attorney was killed in a plane crash in the Western New York town Corfu.
That small plane, which was carrying Steve Barnes, of Cellino & Barnes, as well as his niece, crashed during the afternoon hours on Friday.
Congressmen Brian Higgins, a Democrat, and Chris Jacobs, a Republican called it “extremely concerning” that COVID-19 protocols would keep the NTSB from sending anyone to the site where the crash occurred.
“While appropriate precautions to prevent COVID-19 spread and infection are of the utmost importance, the agency must develop and execute an appropriate plan to adequately and safely examine the crash site as soon as possible,” a letter from the representatives read.
The Federal Aviation Administration had been investigating the incident on-site since it occurred. Human remains were located and sent to the Monroe County Medical Examiners Office.
“The decision to not travel to the scene included assessment of COVID-19 risks,” the NTSB said in a statement. Instead, the agency said it would collect information from a ‘variety’ of sources to investigate.
UPDATE: Steve Barnes, prominent personal injury attorney dead after plane crash in WNY
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