NTSB releases preliminary report from Lafayette plane crash on 12/28

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LAFAYETTE, La. (WAFB) - The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its preliminary report on the plane crash in Lafayette, that killed 4 passengers along with the pilot, back on December 28, 2019 at around 9:31 a.m.

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In the report, NTSB officials say the peak altitude the plane reached was 925 ft msl at around 9:20 a.m. that morning. Right after, the plane took a steep dive towards the ground.

NTSB analysis reveals the airplane, owned by Cheyenne Partners LLC, continued to roll to the left at a steady pace, of an average rate of 2 degrees per second. “At the peak altitude of 925 ft msl at 09:20:40, the roll angle was about 35° left, the track angle was about 200°, and the airspeed was about 172 knots. The airplane then started to descend while the left roll continued, and the airplane reached a roll angle of 70° left at 09:20:52, while it descended through 600 ft msl, between 2,000 and 3,000 feet per minute,” according to the NTSB report.

According to the FAA, a low altitude alert was issued by the air traffic controller to the pilot when the plane was heading down. However, the pilot did not respond. There was also no mayday or emergency transmission from the pilot as well.

“Several witnesses stated that it sounded as if both engines were at a high rpm. Multiple witnesses observed the airplane appear out of the low cloud bank in a steep, left-bank turn. One witness stated that the airplane rolled wings level just before it struck the trees and transmission lines on the south edge of Verot School Road,” the report clarified.
The plane continued to land across the USPS parking lot, where 2 USPS employees suffered minor injuries from flying glass inside the building

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The right wing, the outboard left wing, both engines, both elevator controls, the rudder, the instrument panel, and forward cabin separated from the main fuselage and pieces were located in the debris field. The main wreckage consisted of the main fuselage and the inboard left wing,” said the report.

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