Former Checkers CEO killed!

2009-07-07 19:40:07 (GMT) (JusticeNewsFlash.com - Aviation Airline Accident, Justice News Flash)

Former Checkers CEO and wife die in weekend plane crash in Virginia.

Richmond, VA (JusticeNewsFlash.com)–The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported the former CEO of the Checkers Drive-In Restaurants and his wife were tragically killed in a single-engine plane crash in Rockbridge County on Sunday. According to Federal aviation officials, the single-engine Pilatus PC-12, airplane was traveling from New Jersey to Tampa, Florida, when the plane crashed into a field at the historic McCormick Farm. The victims were identified as former Checker’s Drive-In Restaurant CEO and pilot of the plane, Daniel Dorsch, 56, and his wife Cyndie, 55. The flight plan indicated there were four people traveling on the plane, but the identities of the other victims were not released.

Aviation officials claim the pilot reported loosing an exterior panel after climbing from 26,000 to 32,000 feet, then disappeared off the radar. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) http://www.faa.gov says the pilot was trying to divert to nearby Lynchburg Regional Airport when the accident occurred. Virginia State Police say, the crash left debris across an area of 300 acres. Virginia officials and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) http://www.ntsb.gov are investigating the fatal plane crash to determine the cause of the aviation disaster. Investigators are looking at the Pilatus PC-12 performance and if there were any mechanical malfunctions. FAA regulators are also considering the pilots’ physical condition, weather, and air traffic at the time of the plane crash.

Daniel Dorsch took over the Tampa-based Checkers Drive-In Restaurant chain in 1999. The fast food chain of 800 eateries was in debt when Dorsch took the helm. He has been recognized for turning around the ill-fated chain before resigning as CEO less than four years ago.

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