By Joe Brandt

The plane crash that killed Temple trustee and Philadelphia Inquirer owner Lewis Katz on May 31 may have been caused by an override of the jet’s fail-safe system, according to the Inquirer.

The Inquirer obtained a copy of a letter dated Aug. 18 which Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. sent to pilots and owners of its jets.

The letter cautioned that Gulfstream fail-safe systems, which normally limit the plane to taxi speed while the gust lock is engaged, can be overridden if “proper [tail flap] unlock procedures are not followed.”

The movable tail and wing flaps are a crucial part of a plane’s takeoff, providing lift, but many planes have gust-lock systems to hold the flaps in place and protect them from potentially damaging wind while the plane is parked.

In June, investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board found through analysis of the  flight data recorder in Katz’s plane that no pre-flight control check was performed and that “[tail and wing flap] position during the taxi and takeoff was consistent with its position if the gust lock was engaged,” according to an NTSB report.

The Inquirer article, posted online August 20, quoted from Massachusetts Institute of Technology aeronautics and astronautics professor John Hansman Jr.

Hansman said the pilots should have turned off the gust-lock and then started the engines, but instead started the engines before disengaging the lock, overriding the fail-safe system and allowing the plane to reach greater speeds. The plane reached about 190 mph before it crashed.

Additionally, a professional pilot of Gulfstream jets, Steven M. Janos, told the Inquirer: “[m]y understanding is that if you start the engine, you will not be able to release the gust lock.”

Katz’s plane crashed and burst into flames at Hanscom Field near Boston, Mass. after he attended a fundraising event at the house of author and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin.

Four days earlier, he had won control of the Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News, and philly.com with fellow Temple trustee and business partner H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest.

The three passengers and three crew members on board died in the crash, along with Katz.

Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@temple.edu or on Twitter @JBrandt_TU.

The Philadelphia police are looking for suspects connected to a robbery of a 23-year-old female on the 1500 block of 18^th street near Jefferson.

The incident happened on July 27 where a surveillance video released by police shows a woman attempting to get into her home when she was approached by three males. The suspects punched her in the face multiple times and attempted to take her iPhone but fled toward Cecil B. Moore Avenue when they were unable to.

The first suspect is between 18-21, 5’5”-5’8”, of thin build, has dread locks as well as neck and arm tattoos. The second suspect is between 18-21, between 5’5”-5’8”, of thin build and has a “Caesar haircut.” The third is between 18-21 and wore a blue Nike shirt.

The female was taken to Temple University Hospital.

Anyone with tips or information is asked to call 215-686-8477.

By Patricia Madej

Temple will hold a memorial service for Lewis Katz, alumnus and former trustee member, Wednesday, June 4, at 11 a.m. at the Performing Arts Center. The service will be open to all.

Katz, 72, died Saturday evening when the private Gulfstream IV he was on erupted into flames. Katz was traveling from Massachusetts to New Jersey with seven others members aboard. There were no survivors.

In addition to being a board member, Katz was an avid donor to the university. In November, he donated $25 million to the school, the largest in the university’s history. The Temple Medical School will be named after Katz in his honor.

Katz was also a co-owner of the Inquirer, Daily News and Philly.com after winning a bid to buy the trio along with other media subsidies for $88 million last week along with trustee H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest.

Katz received his bachelor’s degree in biology from Temple in 1963.