Plane crash involving the family of
NBC executive Dick Ebersol

Dick Ebersol, president of NBC Sports, former executive producer of "Saturday Night Live," and husband of actress Susan Saint James, survived a crash involving a chartered jet on 28 November 2004. Ebersol, his son Charlie Ebersol, and a crew member, were seriously injured in the crash. Among the fatalities was the couple's 14-year old son Teddy Ebersol. At the time of the crash, the temperature was just below freezing, and there was light snow falling.

Prior to the fatal flight, the pilot had reportedly declined to have the plane deiced. On the previous leg of the flight, the aircraft had transported Ebersol, Saint James, and two of their children from California to Montrose, CO. Saint James had left the aircraft at Montrose.

Date: 28 November 2004
Location: Montrose, CO
Operator: Air Castle Worldwide Executive Jet Charter
Aircraft: Bombardier Challenger, registration: N873G
NTSB Accident Brief: NTSB/AAB-06/03

The aircraft was on an unscheduled domestic flight from Montrose, CO to South Bend, IN and was operating under Federal Regulations Part 135. The aircraft lost altitude and struck the runway shortly after takeoff, and departed off the right side of the runway. The aircraft then slid about 1400 feet (425 meters) through a fence, across a road, and through a second fence before coming to a stop. The force of the crash separated the cockpit from the rest of the fuselage. There was also a post crash fire. There was light snow and mist reported at the time of the accident. The captain, flight attendant, and one of the three passengers, Dick Ebersol's son Teddy, were killed. The first officer and two passengers, Dick Eberson and his other son Charlie, were injured.

In the final accident report, the NTSB determined that the probable causes of thes accident included the flight crew's failure to ensure that the airplane's wings were free of ice or snow contamination that accumulated while the airplane was on the ground, which resulted in an attempted takeoff with upper wing contamination that induced the subsequent stall and collision with the ground. The NTSB also stated that a factor contributing to the accident was the pilots’ lack of experience flying during winter weather conditions.

Additional Information
NTSB final report
NTSB accident brief
Noteworthy celebrity crashes
Historical celebrity crashes