The National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary report Wednesday on a plane crash in northern Wyoming in late July that killed all seven on board, including three members of a popular gospel music group.
The report says the pilot told the Salt Lake City Air Route Traffic Control Center that he’d lost his autopilot function, as the plane performed sharp right and left turns while climbing and dropping through the air about 12 miles northeast of Recluse, Wyoming, the afternoon of July 26.
Three members from the Gospel Hall of Fame quartet The Nelons died in the crash, as did the pilot and three other people on board. The deceased were identified as Jason and Kelly Nelon Clark, Amber and Nathan Kistler and their assistant Melodi Hodges, along with the pilot, Larry Haynie and his wife, Melissa.
The Pilatus Aircraft LTD PC-12 plane left Nebraska City Municipal Airport at about noon that day, flying on a northwest track toward the Billings Logan International Airport in Montana, according to the NTSB report. It climbed to a maximum cruise altitude of about 26,000 feet above sea level.
At about 1:02 p.m., the plane shifted right from its course and climbed to about 27,550 feet, then performed a 270-degree right turn. In the first 180 degrees of that turn, the plane dropped about 2,300 feet. Then it climbed again, up to 27,025 feet in the final 90 degrees of that turn, the report says.
Federal Aviation Administration data showed the plane making a slight left turn, then starting a descending 180-degree right turn, says the report. The last data point showed the plain heading south at an altitude of about 21,900 feet and level with a groundspeed of 256 knots, or 294.6 mph.
Lost Autopilot
During that final portion of the flight, the pilot told the Salt Lake City air route traffic controller that he’d lost his autopilot function and was in an emergency.
The controller asked the pilot where he’d like to land, the report says.
The pilot said he was trying to get control of the plane, and the controller told him to let them know if he needed any additional assistance.
The controller gave the pilot some guidance on maintaining the right altitude, but heard no further response from the pilot. Radio and radar contact then vanished.
The FAA issued an alert notice for the airplane.
Witnesses
One witness located near the accident later reported a “loud whining noise” that diminished and grew, followed by smoke pluming from the area. Another witness watched the plane “barrel roll,” heard its engine roaring loudly then heard it hit the ground, according to the report. That witness also noted the post-wreck smoke.
Local law enforcement agents found the wreckage in remote terrain about 12 miles northeast of Recluse, along with a post-impact fire of about 40 acres to the west of the main wreckage.
The plane’s main wreckage was embedded in the ground on a roughly 20-degree slope, leaving a 10-foot-long, 41-foot-wide and 6-foot-deep ground disturbance. Burnt vegetation surrounded the impact crater, and small fragments of the plane were scattered throughout an approximate 300-foot radius from the main wreckage, says the report.
Two sections of the left wing and various fragments of the plane were found along a debris path extending about 0.8 miles from the main wreckage. All major components of the airplane were contained within the accident site and the debris path.
Investigators moved the ruins to a secure facility for further examination, says the report.
The lowest cloud conditions were clear in that area, and the temperature was about 77 degrees Fahrenheit. The wind speed was 10 knots – or 11.5 mph. Visibility extended for 10 miles, the report says.
A Wyoming-based aviation expert was not immediately available to comment Thursday.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
