HOT SPRINGS, Va. – The Atlanta Air Recovery arrived on site Tuesday afternoon to start the process of getting what’s left of the private jet that was involved in a crash that left five people dead. They are hoping to haul out the wreckage in the next couple of days.
The plane departed from Fort Lauderdale on Sunday afternoon and was attempting a landing at the Ingalls Field Airport when the plane came up short and trailed through the trees. The plane crashed into the hillside, burst into flames and killed everyone onboard, including a 3-year-old boy.
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“We don’t have any knowledge of any recent accidents, but again, I don’t know whether or not there have been, but we will look at every factor of the complexities to landing at this airport just like it would be in any safety investigation,” said Adam Gerhardt, senior air safety investigator.
From looking into the recent crashes, there have been three other plane accidents since 2000. In 2015, the crash occurred due to the plane losing parts of its engine power and the pilot’s decision to fly the plane without a current annual inspection.
The next two were in 2012 and 2010, with both crashes due to pilot error failing to compensate for windy weather.
“Just like any investigation, we’ll be looking into those weather conditions of the arrival,” Gerhardt said.
We still don’t know the cause of the crash, but we do know that winds during their arrival were up to 40 miles per hour. NTSB will also be looking into the pilot’s qualifications.
“We don’t know the extent of the flight crews’ qualifications, but with any investigation, we’ll be looking at their experience and experience at this airport, so right now we don’t know that, but there will absolutely be a normal part in our fact-finding,” Gerhardt said.
The NTSB is set to be here for a few more days, but even then, the final report on this crash won’t be completed for at least a year to a year and a half.