Update on Veracruz Air Crash

By Edward V. Byrne for The Yucatan Times
October 25, 2011

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Yesterday The Yucatan Times reported the deaths of two U.S. nationals on Sunday, October 23, killed in a private aircraft accident near Veracruz, Mexico.

This story was carried on the day of the event by several media sources, including CNN-Espanol, Milenio and Notiver, a Veracruz newspaper.  The sources reported that two victims were dead at the scene, Reggie Henkart and Andrea Henkart.  The reports said that the victims were identified based upon credit cards, business cards and personal effects found in their luggage and in the aircraft wreckage.

This evening the Times was advised by a Henkart family friend that the Reggie Henkart on board was in fact Gerald Reggie Henkart, 65, of Novato, California, as we originally reported.  However, Andrea Henkart was not on the flight.  The Times was told in an e-mail that Ms. Henkart is at the family home, “alive and well,” attempting to correct multiple erroneous stories about the event which have occurred in the U.S. and international press.

At this hour The Yucatan Times is unable to determine whether a second person was aboard the plane.  The Times is advised but cannot verify that an explosion on board the aircraft may have occurred immediately prior to its crash.  Andrea Henkart’s name may have been on a passenger manifest, or on other items recovered at the scene.

The Times apologizes to Andrea Henkart for this error. In all other respects our original story remains accurate.