OUTER BANKS, N.C. — The pilot in last month's fatal Kill Devil Hills plane crash was flying "high and fast" during his runway approach at the Wright Brothers National Memorial's First Flight Airport (FFA), the National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary report released Tuesday.
The pilot also made a steep left turn, the report said, as the plane passed the midway point of the runway, swiping nearby 50-foot-tall trees before crashing and catching fire, killing all inside, according to the NTSB.
Watch: Plane hit tree upon approach before fatal Kill Devil Hills airport crash: NTSB
The plane was on a multi-leg flight and originally departed from Moore County Airport in Carthage, N.C. with stops at Ocracoke Island and Dare County before FFA.
"The published airport traffic pattern for runway 21 was a right-hand pattern. The pilot descended and flew above the runway. He then climbed to traffic pattern altitude and rejoined the traffic pattern using left turns. The pilot approached runway 21 a second time, and according to witnesses, was high and fast during the approach. As the airplane passed the midway point of the runway, it made a steep left turn and impacted the top of 50-foot-tall trees (see figure 1). The airplane subsequently impacted additional trees before coming to rest 300 ft east of the runway in heavily wooded terrain, where a significant postimpact fire ensued."
FFA is not a towered airport, meaning there is no communication between pilots and traffic control when arriving or departing.
Outer Banks
Docs: NTSB report on fatal Kill Devil Hills plane crash
No distress calls were made by the pilot, the report says.
Watch: Victims of deadly Kill Devil Hills airport crash identified; crash still under investigation
The victims were identified by the National Park Service in the days following the crash:
- Shashwat Ajit Adhikari, 31, of Silver Spring, Md.
- Jason Ray Campbell, 43, of Southern Pines, N.C.
- Kate McAllister Neely, 39, of Southern Pines, N.C.
- Matthew Arthur Fassnacht, 44, of Marietta, Ga.
- A 6-year-old child who was not identified
To view the full report from the NTSB, click the link below.
