FRESNO, Calif. — The National Transportation Safety Board has issued a preliminary report on the Sept. 5 plane crash in northwest Fresno that killed four members of the Eady family. The victims were pilot Danna Eady, her husband, Craig, and two of their youngest sons.
Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators shows Danna and the three other passengers boarding a Grumman American Avn. Corp. AA-5 at the owner’s home at Sierra Sky Park Airport.
The aircraft started its takeoff roll but aborted the attempt about halfway along the runway. It then turned around at the runway’s end and returned to the owner’s residence.
Text messages exchanged between Danna and the owner indicated that the aircraft was experiencing a radio problem. The owner subsequently contacted a mechanic to investigate the issue.
Several minutes later, the mechanic arrived to examine the airplane. Soon afterward, the aircraft was recorded taxiing toward the runway for a second takeoff attempt.
ABC News aviation consultant John Nance said the timing suggests the mechanic may have focused only on the radio.
“I seriously doubt it was anything more than the radio at that particular point, or probably the takeoff would’ve not continued,” Nance said.
Witnesses near the runway told investigators they saw the airplane begin its takeoff before the nose abruptly pitched upward as the aircraft lifted off.
Nance described that detail as significant, saying it raises additional questions about what happened during the takeoff.
“It pitched up suddenly at the end of takeoff, which an experienced instructor would not normally do. Would not do, except in response to something,” Nance said.
Witnesses also reported that the engine sounded weak, although they did not hear it misfire or sputter.
The preliminary report states that the airplane continued along the runway in a “nose-high attitude,” reaching an estimated 30 to 40 feet above the ground.
A second surveillance video shows the aircraft farther down the runway before it disappeared from the camera’s view.
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The NTSB said the crash occurred roughly 1,000 feet northwest of the runway’s end, near trees at the top of a slope.
The aircraft’s first recorded impact was with a large branch near the top of a 40-foot tree. The tree had recently been cut down to meet Federal Aviation Administration requirements for the airport.
The airplane ultimately came to rest upright. Its nose landing gear had separated from the aircraft and was found uphill near the trees it struck.
Nance said the preliminary findings offer an early look at the events leading to the fatal crash but leave many important questions unanswered.
“There’s a real puzzle here that gets to the heart in my view, looking closely at weight and balance, and anything else that might’ve affected the flight controls of the airplane,” Nance said.
A post-crash fire destroyed most of the aircraft and burned approximately one acre surrounding the crash site.
Investigators transported the wreckage to a secure facility for additional examination.
Emergency crews found Danna and Craig Eady outside of the wreckage with severe injuries, while the couple’s sons were later found dead at the scene.
Danna and Craig were both taken to the hospital.
Danna died on Sept. 5 in the evening from injuries suffered in the crash.
Craig had suffered severe burn wounds and died two days later, on Sept. 7, surrounded by family, including his oldest son and daughter.
The two surviving children were not on the plane at the time of the crash.
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