Chief operating officer, 3 other employees with Austin-based EZCorp injured in Honduras plane crash, company says

May 23--Four employees with the Austin-based pawn loan company EZCorp -- including the chief operating officer -- were injured after the private jet they took from Austin crashed as it arrived at the Honduran capital's international airport on Tuesday, company officials said.

The crash was not fatal, Honduran officials have said. The four employees were on the plane with two aircraft crew members, said company spokesman Jeff Christensen.

EZCorp Chief Operating Officer Joe Rotunda and a crew member sustained more extensive injuries than the rest, Christensen said.

"The other three EZCorp employees have been released from the hospital with only minor bangs and bruises," Christensen said. "We have high expectations for Joe's and the crew's full recovery, and we're anxious to get them back home when they are ready."

The other employees involved in the crash were Blair Powell, Nicole Swies and Bob Kasenter, Christensen said.

Powell is EZCorp's chief operations administration officer, Swies is vice president of financial planning and analysis, and Kasenter is vice president of human resources pawn operations.

The private jet crashed off the end of the runway around 11:15 a.m. and broke in half. The crew and passengers were rescued.

EZCorp has notified the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and Honduran authorities, and the company is working with investigators to determine exactly what happened, EZCorp officials said.

Tegucigalpa's airport has long been notorious as one of the more difficult approaches in the hemisphere, surrounded by mountaintops and residential neighborhoods. The airport's runway is about 6,600 feet long, according to the airport's website.

In 2008, five people died in a crash in nearly the same spot.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story has been corrected from its original version, which stated Joe Rotunda was the company's chief executive officer. He is the chief operating officer.

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