NTSB releases preliminary report on Dartmouth plane crash that killed 2

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released their first report into the deadly plane crash that happened on Route 195 in Dartmouth last month.

According to the report, the pilot filed a flight plan from New Bedford Regional Airport to Kenosha, Wisconsin. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot said he would be returning to the airport. The report does not indicate if the pilot gave a reason for turning back.

Air traffic control asked the pilot if he needed assistance upon landing, but he reportedly said no and that he, “should be okay.”

The report said the tower and the pilot communicated for another minute or so, then goes on to say, “About one minute later, the controller provided the pilot with a low altitude alert and the altimeter setting that was current at the time. The pilot confirmed the altimeter setting. Shortly after, the pilot made an unintelligible exclamation.”

The plane went down shortly after, roughly three miles from the airport.

Investigators reported they found no signs of fuel leaks, nor any sign of an engine fire prior to impact.

Weather information in the report show winds at the time around 22 miles-per-hour, with gusts up to 30 miles-per-hour, and two-and-a-half miles of visility. A nor’easter swept through the region that day.

Investigators recovered an electronics system from the cockpit, and said they hope data from it may contain clues about what went wrong.

The single-engine plane crashed along Interstate 195 during the busy morning commute, shearing the tops off nearby trees, scattering debris, and leaving a trail of fire across the highway. The highway was closed for hours as a result.

Two people were killed in the crash, a married couple from Rhode Island.

One woman in a car was also hit by the plane as it slid across the highway. She was shaken up, but otherwise okay.