Crash victims identified as three Nevadans, one Californian

Saturday, Nov. 29, 1997 | 9:35 a.m.

The Carson City sheriff's office released the names late Friday on the basis of reports from family members.

They were identified as Louise Halsted, 54, of Washoe Valley; her sons Douglas Urbanick, 34, of Santa Rosa, Calif., and Robert Urbanick, 32, of Carson City, and Stacey Falk, 32, of Carson City.

The Washoe County coroner's office said earlier that dental records would be needed to positively identify the badly burned bodies.

The twin-engine Piper Aztec went down moments after takeoff Thursday. The fuel-laden craft exploded as it slammed into a hanger, its fireball destroying the plane, the hangar and another plane parked inside. Nobody on the ground was hurt.

Carson City Fire Department Battalion Chief Stacey Giomi said there was no possibility of rescue because of the intense heat, even though the crash occurred right behind a fire station and crews responded within 90 seconds.

"It was a challenge because it was a fire inside a building, plus it was a vehicle and we had victims inside," he said. "We were able to save three other planes on the other side."

Firefighter Jeff Davies was at the station on Thursday and watched as the plane soared upward.

"It made a very hard left turn, then pretty much went nose down right into the hangar," he said. "There was a lot of smoke and we just started getting into our gear."

The victims were removed late Thursday and the charred wreckage was sealed off pending Friday's arrival of representatives of the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.

"This is a crime scene until the investigation is completed," Giomi said.

Investigators could not determine where the plane originated because the fire was so hot it obliterated identification numbers on the craft. Rental agencies at the airport were closed for the Thanksgiving holiday.