A preliminary report released May 28 by the National Transportation Safety Board showed that a small plane was too severely damaged by fire for investigators to pinpoint why it crashed into a Canterbury Circle residence May 14 as the aircraft was nearing Akron Fulton Airport.
Two people aboard the Piper PA-28-18, earlier identified as flight instructor Colin Albee, 39, of Allen, Texas, and pilot David Garcia, 38, of Hammond, Indiana, died in the crash.
Three residents in the house – a man and two children – escaped unharmed before flames gutted it. Home security footage taken from the neighborhood showed the airplane hitting the street and sliding into the two-story home’s attached garage. The report said the plane struck an electric vehicle as it came to a stop.
Investigators determined the fire was caused by breached fuel tanks and spread to the electric vehicle and the surrounding structure. Damage to the vehicle’s lithium-ion batteries significantly intensified the blaze, which took Akron firefighters about 20 minutes to extinguish.
Crash occurred 3 days after plane arrived at Akron Fulton
The plane arrived at Akron Fulton on May 11, according to the NTSB. One of the pilots, not identified in the report, informed the fixed-base operator that they would be staying for a few days and conducting flight training during their stay. On May 13, the airplane was serviced by a mechanic, who performed an engine run and conducted a flight in the airport traffic pattern before landing.
On May 14, Albee and Garcia took off from Akron Fulton Airport around 2 p.m. on an instructional flight. They flew about 83 miles south to Cambridge before turning back toward Akron. Once near the airport, the pilot reported he was “conducting a go-around and rejoined the traffic pattern,” according to the NTSB.
Eyewitnesses observed the airplane flying straight and level, then observed the left wing drop followed by a spiraling descent, according to the report. 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.” Dashcam video from an automobile parked across the street near the accident site captured the airplane immediately before impact in a steep non-spinning descent.
The report stated that “flight control continuity could not be verified due to impact and fire damage.”
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: NTSB finds fire destroyed chance to learn why plane crashed in Akron
Reporting by April Helms, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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