Investigators of the Montrose tragedy that killed three will examine a 2002 crash by a similar jet.

Family members of the plane’s flight crew visit the crash scene Tuesday as investigators look on. Pilot Luis Polanco died in the crash. His co-pilot, Eric Wicksell, was reportedly in critical condition at Denver Health Medical Center.

Montrose - Air safety investigators said they are interested in looking at the similarities between Sunday's crash of a Challenger 601 and a similar accident in England in 2002, which British officials blamed on ice on a Challenger's wings.

In addition, they will explore the snowy conditions and the length of the runway, officials said.

"Nothing is being ruled out right now," said Arnold Scott, who is heading the National Transportation Safety Board investigation of the crash that killed three people, including Teddy Ebersol, the 14-year-old son of NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol. "This airplane was designed to fly in icy conditions. I don't know if it had ice on it or not or if that was a factor."

Also on Tuesday, the Ebersol family released a statement saying: "In the wake of this tragedy, we are touched by the overwhelming outpouring of love from people all over the world. We will miss Teddy, our sweet boy, forever."

In the statement, the family said they were proud of Charlie Ebersol, another son who was on board, "who pulled his father from the flames. That anyone was able to survive this horrible accident is a miracle, and all of us will forever be inspired by Charlie's courage and bravery."

Also killed in the crash were pilot Luis Alberto Polanco, 50, and steward Warren T. Richardson III, 36.

Birmingham Crash Challenger

At noon Tuesday, a dark van carrying families of crew members visited the crash scene.

The plane's co-pilot, Eric S. Wicksell, was still in critical condition at Denver Health Medical Center, Montrose County Coroner Mark Young said.

Dick and Charlie Ebersol were still hospitalized in Grand Junction.

In Montrose, investigators began in earnest to comb through the wreckage of the jet to learn why the chartered plane crashed.

NTSB officials said they have a good recording from the plane's cockpit voice recorder and are looking at a variety of causes, including the fact the plane wasn't de-iced, other problems caused by snowy weather, and the shortness of the runway used by the flight crew.

Runway 13-31 is 1,603 feet shorter than the airport's other runway.

The pilot on Sunday chose to land on the longer runway and wanted to use it again for takeoff but was told he would have to wait because it was being plowed at the time.

"The captain said, 'Can you get the equipment off the runway?"' said Scott. The snowplow operator said he could.

The pilot asked how long it would take, Scott said, and got the response that the snowplow would be off the runway "momentarily."

The pilot didn't wait.

"There was no more communication with the pilot. The airplane came onto the short runway and went on his takeoff roll. The airplane was capable of taking off on that runway. But it was a short runway versus a long runway. That is something we are looking at."

The plane apparently had dropped off Dick Ebersol's wife, actress Susan Saint James, at the airport after a holiday in California. The next stop for the chartered jet was South Bend, Ind., where Charlie is a senior at Notre Dame.

Officials on Tuesday flew the cockpit voice recording from Denver to Washington, D.C., where investigators first listened to the 31-minute conversation between the pilot and co-pilot. The recording begins when the plane lands at Montrose airport and ends with the crash. It includes routine discussion about the plane's safety checklist and flight planning.

Scott said the same type of plane has been involved in five crashes over the years, including the one in England.

"We are aware of that accident, and we are going to try to determine whether there were any similarities," he said.

Following the 2002 crash, British investigators recommended "that Bombardier Aerospace (maker of Challenger jets) include the following specific limitation within appropriate aircraft manuals: 'Wings and tail surfaces must be completely clear of snow, ice and frost prior to takeoff."'

Scott said it appears from the marks on the Montrose runway that the plane briefly got airborne.

"I walked and rewalked it," he said. "I can see marks coming off the runway. I have to describe it as skipping marks. If he did become airborne, it wasn't for a long period of time."

Ground scar marks off to the runway's side indicate the left wingtip hit the ground, the plane skewed to the left and slid on its belly, he said.

"We don't see any evidence of cartwheeling or the airplane going inverted," he said.

The plow operator said he had made two swipes of the short runway before the plane began its roll, leaving a roughly 40-foot-wide path for the plane's wheels.

"This would accommodate the airplane's landing gear," Scott said.

The slush on the side of the plowed area was about a quarter-inch deep, said Scott. He refused to say whether he believed the plane's wheels had difficulty in the snow.

The investigation also includes routine inspections of the plane's systems. Scott said there are no indications the engines were working improperly at the time of the crash.

Investigators will research the history of the flight crew and airplane operator as well as the plane itself. Records of the jet's maintenance are being shipped to Colorado.

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