An earlier report from the FAA said there had been voice communication with the pilot, Captain Gene Hershey, who decided to abort the takeoff. Hershey was on his final flight before retiring after 37 accident-free years. He has nothing to be ashamed of. He saved a lot of lives. The two victims, an unidentified man and woman, were found dead at the bottom of the front right wing exit chute, which had caught on fire.
Preliminary reports indicate they died while attempting to evacuate the craft.
A fire official said flames spread from the left side to the right side of the fuselage, engulfing the slides. Officials withheld their identification pending notification of next of kin. Flames were extinguished in six minutes, and the plane evacuated within a half hour. As we left the station we could see a large column of smoke from the north runway. Units from Station 5 near Manchester Avenue and Sepulveda Boulevard and Station 95 next to the airport complex on Century Boulevard were among those first at the scene.