NTSB releases preliminary report on Oct. 31 airplane crash that killed 2 in Marion County
MARION - The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report of the Oct. 31 airplane crash that killed two people in a Marion County field.
The three-page Aviation Investigation Report, issued Wednesday, quotes a witness' account and provides extensive information on the damage caused to the plane, a Piper PA-32-300 "Cherokee," that crashed and burned in a soybean field.
The preliminary report offers no insights or analysis into the cause of the crash that occurred at 11:23 a.m. about nine miles southwest of the Marion Municipal Airport in Pleasant Township.
Killed were left front seat occupant Hal Durbin, 71, of Findlay, and right front seat occupant William David, 70, of Bowling Green, the Ohio Highway Patrol said, identifying the victims four days after the crash.
Witnesses hear the plane, see 'white mist'
The NTSB's preliminary report released this week said a witness had been standing outside of his house when he heard an airplane flying in the distance and said the engine sounded like it was "oscillating." The plane, which had been flying south, then began a left circling turn with a "white mist" trailing it, the witness told investigators.
According to the report, the witness said the plane's engine then cut out and the aircraft went nose down into the ground.
A residential video doorbell recorded the sound of the airplane prior to the crash, which was "constant and consistent with a high rpm setting," the NTSB report states.
"The wreckage was located in an open field, about a 1/2 mile from a county road. The airplane impacted the ground in a steep nose down, nearly vertical attitude," the preliminary report said.
The engine and propeller were buried about two feet in the ground and a postimpact fire destroyed most of the airframe, the NTSB said.
The impact caused the left wing of the plane to suffer "accordion crushing" along the entire leading edge, and the report details extensive damage caused to the Piper's propeller and four-cylinder engine.
"This information is preliminary and subject to change," the report noted. The wreckage was retained for further examination" and the fatal crash remains under investigation, the NTSB stated.
Plane left Columbus, headed to Toledo
The plane left Rickenbacker International Airport in Columbus that Halloween morning and was headed to Toledo Express Airport when it crashed after flying about 70 miles north.
Regarding the weather conditions, the sky was clear with a visibility of 10 miles, winds were at 10 knots, and the temperature was 41 degrees, according to the NTSB report.
The Piper Cherokee Six PA-32-300 can carry one crew and five-to-six passengers, according to Globalair.com. It is all metal with low-mounted wings and powered by a Lycoming engine. The plane was introduced in 1965 and today is used for private transportation, taxi services, bush services, and medevac flights.
dyonke@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Preliminary report issued by NTSB on fatal Marion airplane crash
