The National Transportation Safety Board has released its preliminary report on the plane crash that killed two people aboard a small aircraft and destroyed a home in Akron.
The Piper PA-28-180 went down on May 14 on a residential street in southern Akron, and the report released today offers the most detailed account of the crash yet.
According to the report, the plane had overflown the Cambridge, Ohio, airport before turning back toward Akron — a detail that adds new context to the chain of events leading up to the tragedy.
The NTSB then walks through the aircraft’s final moments, following another failed attempt to land in Akron, as it entered a spin it never recovered from:
“During short final, and for reasons unknown, the pilot communicated over the CTAF that he was conducting a go-around and rejoined the traffic pattern. Reported wind about that time was from 330° at 19 kts, gusting to 32 kts.
“Once reestablished on the downwind leg, the flight track of the airplane showed that it was about 3/4 mile and perpendicular to the runway consistent with a normal traffic pattern. As the airplane approached the end of the downwind leg, the distance from the runway had decreased to about 1/4 mile.
“The flight track then showed a right turn of about 15°, widening the distance from the runway. The pilot reported the left base for runway 7 over the CTAF and initiated the left turn; immediately thereafter, the airplane entered a steep, uncontrolled descent.
“Eyewitnesses observed the airplane flying straight and level, then observed the left wing drop followed by a spiraling descent. One witness stated that the airplane did two complete revolutions before appearing to recover from the spin, but the airplane continued to ‘dive’ into the neighborhood.”
The plane struck and slid into an attached garage, where a lithium-ion battery from an electric vehicle ignited an intense fire. A family inside the home managed to escape.
The NTSB puts the wind that day at 21-36 mph.
You can view the entire report, including forensic wreckage and maintenance details, here.
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