THE wing that fell off a seaplane before it crashed, killing all 20 people on board, had cracks in the main support beam that had probably gone unseen for a long time, federal investigators said yesterday.

The wing that fell off a seaplane before it crashed, killing all 20 people on board, had cracks in the main support beam that had probably gone unseen for a long time, US federal investigators said today.

Investigators hope to recover the fuselage of a sunken seaplane to find why it broke apart and plunged into the ocean just off Miami Beach, killing all 20 people on board including three infants.

A propeller-driven seaplane carrying 20 people crashed just off Miami Beach within sight of the city’s high-rises, killing at least 19 of those aboard, authorities said.