Deadly Hicks Airfield plane crash happened within a minute of takeoff, report says – Dallas News

Deadly Hicks Airfield plane crash happened within a minute of takeoff, report says  Dallas News

The small plane that crashed near Fort Worth’s Hicks Airfield earlier this month went down about a minute after taking off, according to a preliminary report released Friday by the National Transportation Safety Board. The Oct. 7 crash killed pilot John Unangst, 67, the only person aboard the Lancair IV-P. The federal agency’s preliminary report gives the clearest account yet of the plane’s final moments but doesn’t say what caused the crash. The NTSB investigation remains ongoing. The agency said the information in the preliminary report could change as investigators continue examining the wreckage and other evidence. Related: Pilot identified in fatal crash near Hicks Airfield in Fort Worth Flight-tracking data reviewed by investigators showed the plane took off from Hicks Airfield about 9:51 a.m.

It climbed to about 875 feet, made a left turn and reached about 1,000 feet, according to the report. The plane then slowed and began descending before crashing about one minute after takeoff. The plane struck power lines along the south side of a road near the airfield, investigators said. Pieces of the propeller and other parts of the aircraft were found beneath the power lines. The plane continued across the road before crashing into a ditch. The main part of the plane came to rest upright in the ditch and caught fire. Most of