News briefs for November 1, 2001

Thursday, Nov. 1, 2001 | 9:45 a.m.

NTSB probes fatal accident

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash of a single-engine plane at Mount Charleston Tuesday.

The pilot, the only one aboard the aircraft, was killed when his Cessna 210 Centurion crashed about halfway up Lee Canyon, about 10 miles west of U.S. 95.

The Clark County coroner's office said today the pilot's identity is being withheld pending notification of relatives.

The plane left Flagstaff, Ariz., Tuesday afternoon and was bound for Reno, but radar contact was lost with the aircraft about 3:15 p.m., an NTSB investigator said.

The plane crashed on a 15-degree slope and caught fire after the crash, the investigator said.

Memorial event planned Sunday

A memorial procession including more than 30 emergency vehicles will travel from Searchlight to Cal-Nev-Ari Sunday in honor of Bill Marsh, a volunteer Clark County fire captain who died in the line of duty on Oct. 14.

Marsh died from an apparent heart attack while responding to a report of a vehicle accident just inside the California state line. Marsh was the captain of volunteer squad I-84 located near Cal-Nev-Ari, a small town south of Searchlight on U.S. 95.

Cal-Nev-Ari is one of 13 rural fire departments in Clark County manned by unpaid volunteers. The procession will start at 3 p.m. in Searchlight.

Marsh was the first on-duty death of a county firefighter in the past 25 years.

Wildland warnings still in effect

Fire restrictions are still in effect for the Southern Nevada's wildlands.

Federal and state fire officials said restrictions on campfires, smoking and use of off-road vehicles -- except in designated areas -- are still in effect because the small amount of rain in the Spring Mountain Range Tuesday night was not enough to break a dry spell.

Statewide restrictions on lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and the Nevada Division of Forestry was imposed June 11.

Restrictions are still in effect for the Spring Mountain National Recreation Area, including Mount Charleston and Lee Canyon.

Fire restrictions across Northern Nevada were lifted Wednesday.

Chief plans to step down

Ken Johnson, chief of the Capitol Police in Carson City, is resigning after 20 years in law enforcement.

Johnson, in a memo to his staff, said, "It is in my personal best interest to make this change in life."

Sgt. Brad Valladon will step in as acting chief starting Nov. 10 until a permanent replacement is found. The Capitol Police are in charge of law enforcement at all state buildings, except in the Legislature.