DC-3 crash involved small charter operation

DC-3 crash involved small charter operation    The DC-3 cargo plane that crash-landed in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Monday was owned by Air Pony Express, according to the local Sun-Sentinel. The company is similar to many mom-and-pop charter operators in the Miami area that serve the Caribbean.
   The newspaper said the plane was carrying a load of 3,000 pounds of granite to the Bahamas.
   Charles Riggs, 62, the pilot and owner of the company, was able to put the plane down on a roadway after engine trouble prevented the World War II-vintage aircraft from climbing after takeoff. He and two others escaped the plane before it burst into flames. There were no fatalities in the accident.
   Many residents had complained to the Federal Aviation Administration in recent weeks that the plane appeared to be having trouble clearing tall buildings near the Fort Lauderdale Airport, the paper reported.