NTSB: Clean takeoff at Long MacArthur Airport before fatal crash
The scene of the July 22 plane crash at Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma that killed the pilot and his passenger. Credit: Newsday / James Carbone
Video footage taken moments before the fatal crash of a single-engine plane at Long Island MacArthur Airport shows the aircraft taking off without incident then disappearing "out of the camera frame," according to a preliminary report released Monday by the NTSB.
The report did not specify any focus of the investigation. In a statement Monday, the National Transportation Safety Board told Newsday: "The preliminary report contains only factual information. There is no analysis included."
Previous witnesses accounts to the NTSB about hearing "sputtering" and a "loud pop" before the crash, were also included in the report.
The July 22 crash of the 1973 Beechcraft Bonanza A36 killed pilot Christopher Kucera, 46, of Fredericksburg, Virginia, and his passenger, Zachary Hatcher, 43, of King George, Virginia.
Both were pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.
"Security video taken from a camera located at the airport terminal showed the airplane during the takeoff roll, liftoff, and initial climb, which all appeared normal, " the NYSB report said. "The landing gear retracted before the airplane disappeared out of the camera frame."
Information obtained by the Federal Aviation Administration from what is known as Preliminary Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast data indicated the takeoff roll was about 1,200 feet long before the plane took off, with groundspeed of about 82 knots — or 94.5 mph — during its initial climb.
However, the NTSB said, just after the landing gear was retracted, ground speed "began to steadily decay" to just 62 knots — or, about 71 mph. The Bonanza began "a descending turn to the left," and crashed in a grass area alongside the end of the runway.
The NTSB report said of the crash scene: "The initial impact and ground scar consisted of an 8 ft long gouge in the grass [alongside the end of the runway], followed by propeller slash marks in the ground, then a large crater that contained plexiglass and engine compartment pieces."
An initial examination by investigators found: "The flap actuator extension measurements correlated to the flaps being in the retracted position."
An aviation expert contacted by Newsday noted that flap setting would appear normal for the Beech A36, according to the plane's Pilot Operating Handbook.
However, online data available from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) indicated the stall speed of a Beech A36 to be between 62 and 64 knots in "clean configuration" — meaning with flaps and gear retracted.
The NTSB report but did not give any indication of what factors might have led to the diminished airspeed.
The report gave no indication of any engine abnormalities or fuel line obstructions and indicated all the fuel injectors "appeared normal," as did the spark plugs.
The aircraft wreckage was retained for further examination by investigators.
A final report on the crash is expected in about "12 to 24 months," the NTSB said.
John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”
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