The National Transportation Safety Board has issued its preliminary report for the plane crash that left two occupants of a small plane dead and destroyed an Akron home.
The Piper PA-28-180 crashed on May 14 on a residential street in southern Akron, and the report released today is the most detailed account to date.
The report reveals that before crashing in Akron, the plane overflew the Cambridge, Ohio, airport and returned to Akron.
The NTSB then details the plane's final moments, following another unsuccessful attempt to land in Akron, before it went into a spin from which it never fully recovered:
"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 report says the plane hit and slid into an attached garage, where an electric vehicle's lithium-ion battery caused an intense fire, which members of a family were able 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.
