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Posted at 3:54 p.m. PST Friday, Dec. 15, 2000

Body of woman who fell from plane found
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- An odd mystery unfolded Friday out of a routine corporate flight: How and why did a Hewlett-Packard employee jump or fall from a small company plane at 2,000 feet, despite an attempt by another passenger to restrain her?

Sacramento police said late Friday afternoon they had found what they believed was the woman's body in a field in the southern part of the city. Police said citizens discovered the body and called 911.

The FBI said two passengers who saw the woman leave the plane were so distraught that they were unable to communicate to the pilots what had happened. Police were not notified she was missing until 45 minutes after the plane landed in San Jose on Thursday night.

``We've ruled out foul play on behalf of any of the passengers,'' FBI spokesman Andrew Black said. ``We're looking at it strictly as a possible suicide or an accident.''

The flight had a problem almost from the beginning.

The 15-seat plane, a de Havilland Twin Otter, was carrying five passengers and two pilots when it left Lincoln Regional Airport in Roseville, northeast of Sacramento, late Thursday afternoon. Hewlett-Packard operates the plane as a regular service for employees who travel between the giant company's Silicon Valley offices and its Roseville campus.

Soon after takeoff, the plane had to make an emergency landing because a warning light indicated the door was unlocked.

The pilot made an emergency landing at 4:48 p.m. at the Sacramento Executive Airport, then took off again at 5:20 p.m. after securing the door.

Three minutes later, the door opened.

``When that plane hatch was opened, the passenger immediately in front of her turned around and observed a female passenger halfway out of the plane,'' Black said. ``He lunged over the seat, reached for her and was able to grab hold of her shoulder and attempted to pull her back into the plane.''

The woman flew out the door at 2,000 feet, about 10 miles south of Sacramento.

Amid what had to be a deafening and chaotic roar, the co-pilot managed to close the door, Black said. But the crew didn't realize the woman was gone and continued on to San Jose, where the plane landed at 6:05 p.m. Police were later called from an HP office a few miles from the San Jose airport.

Hewlett-Packard did not identify the woman other than to say she worked in the purchasing department. Black said the other passengers did not notice the woman behaving unusually before the incident.

The company would not comment beyond a short statement issued early Friday.

``We are deeply concerned and are helping authorities to determine what happened,'' HP spokesman Dave Berman said. ``Out of respect for the individuals involved, we are not providing additional information at this time.''

FAA inspectors reviewing the plane's instruments Friday morning determined that a mechanical malfunction had not caused the door to open, spokesman Jerry Snyder said.

The FAA also said inspectors did not believe the pilot erred when he continued to San Jose after securing the door a second time.

``The inspector couldn't find any fault in his proceedings,'' Snyder said.

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Associated Press Writer Justin Pritchard contributed to this report.