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But, investigators say, it could take months before they determine what caused the crash.
Cline, a 60-year-old coal tycoon, and his group of six crashed into the water shortly after leaving Grand Cay in the Bahamas,The New York Timesreported. There were no survivors and authorities are inspecting the aircraft as part of their investigation.
Bahamas Police spokeswoman Shanta Knowlestold the Associated Pressthat she did not believe there was a distress call before the aircraft went down. ThePalm Beach Postreported thatweather was likely not an issue.
Local authorities have since handed over the investigation to the National Transportation Safety Board in the U.S.
“The helicopter is in a secure location protected from the elements,” Eric Weiss, an NTSB spokesman, tells PEOPLE. “We’re just beginning the investigation so we won’t have any probable cause [of the crash] until the end of the investigation which could take 12 to 24 months.”
Cline and his 22-year-old daughter, Kameron Cline, were among the seven victims. News reportsidentified the other five killedas David Jude and Geoffrey Painter,both with a helicopter company; as well as Jillian Clark, Brittney Searson and Delaney Wykle, Kameron’s friends.
The group had flown to the Bahamas for the holiday and relatives reported the group missing when they didn’t make it back to Florida, according to theSouth Florida Sun-Sentinel. Bahamian authorities found the chopper in the water near the Abaco Islands, not far from Grand Cay.
Brittney Searson (left) and Kameron Cline.Courtesy Searson family
Chris Cline.Jamel Toppin/The Forbes Collection
The family described Cline as “was one of West Virginia’s strongest sons, an American original, full of grit, integrity, intelligence and humor, a testament that our hopes and dreams are achievable when we believe and commit ourselves to action.”
Kameron and Searson were remembered as close friends,with teachers calling them “inseparable.”
Searson’s family also released a statement to PEOPLE after her death.
“Our hearts are shattered at the loss of our beautiful daughter Brittney Layne Searson. Brittney was an amazing girl — full of life, love, and adventure. She was smart, courageous, beautiful inside and out, and a born leader,” they said.
Their statement continued: “Our family grieves deeply with all other victims of this tragedy and asks for your prayers and privacy as we lay our beloved daughter to rest.”
source: people.com
