Jay Honeck wrote:
How does the NTSB go about researching GA accidents? Specifically,
how do they decide *when* they're going to do the investigation, and
when (or if) they are going to release information?

Our friend Blaine Andersen was killed in a crash near Grinnell, IA
last winter. See the preliminary report he

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?e...08X00158&key=1

Strangely, all these months later, it's still just the "preliminary"
report. This, while many accidents and incidents that have happened
since then have been given "factual" and "probable cause" reports.

Anyone understand the timing of this stuff? Anyone got experience
inside the NTSB? Blaine's family and friends are understandably
getting frustrated with the glacial pace of this investigation,
especially when compared to other more recent accidents that have been
laid to rest.

Don't know.

If it were me, I'd call the Des Moines FSDO
and ask the Investigator-In-Charge, Mitchell
F. Gallo, those questions. Maybe you could
get a contact in the NTSB to talk to.

Sorry for your loss.