Two weeks after two men were killed when their plane crashed into an Akron home, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued its preliminary report on the incident.
The four-page report provided a timeline of events involving the aircraft in the days leading up to the May 14 crash that took the lives of David Garcia and Colin Albee, plus a review of the flight data and wreckage.
The Piper PA-28-180 aircraft arrived at Akron Fulton Airport (AKR) on May 11 for the purpose of conducting flight training over several days, according to the airport’s manager.
Garcia and Albee flew the following day for just over three hours. On May 13, officials say a mechanic serviced the plane, “performed an engine run and conducted a flight in the airport traffic pattern before landing and parking the airplane overnight.”
At about 2 p.m. on May 14, the aircraft departed AKR for an instructional flight. Data showed that the plane flew south to Cambridge, “flying at various altitudes and headings, common to flight training.” The NTSB says the Piper then turned north back towards Akron, maintaining a flight level of 2,500 feet for most of the trip.
While on final approach to land at Akron Fulton Airport, the pilot aborted the first landing attempt and announced a “go-around” over the radio for reasons the NTSB says are unknown. However, the agency says the reported wind at the time was 19 knots, gusting to 32 knots.
“Once reestablished on the downwind leg, the flight track of the airplane showed that it was about 3/4 mile and perpendicular to the runway, consistent with a normal traffic pattern. As the airplane approached the end of the downwind leg, the distance from the runway had decreased to about 1/4 mile. The flight track then showed a right turn of about 15°, widening the distance from the runway,” the NTSB reported.
After the pilot reported “a left base for runway 7,” and started to turn the plane left, the NTSB says the airplane entered “a steep, uncontrolled descent.”
“Eyewitnesses observed the airplane flying straight and level, then observed the left wing drop followed by a spiraling descent,” the report stated. “One witness stated that the airplane did two complete revolutions before appearing to recover from the spin, but the airplane continued to ‘dive’ into the neighborhood. Dashcam video from an automobile parked across the street about 300 ft south of the accident site, captured the airplane immediately before impact in a steep, non spinning descent. After the airplane disappeared from view behind trees and houses, a large fireball was observed. Home security footage showed the airplane impact on a residential street, where it slid into the attached garage of a 2-story home, impacting an electric vehicle before coming to rest.”
At approximately 3:45 p.m., investigators said the plane impacted the ground and struck a home in the 2200 block of Canterbury Circle. The impact of the crash resulted in a “significant post impact fire” that was initially caused by breached fuel tanks and then was intensified by damage to an electric vehicle’s lithium-ion batteries. It took the Akron Fire Department approximately 20 minutes to extinguish the blaze.
Three of the home’s residents — two children and their father — were unharmed and able to escape from the house.
Emergency personnel from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Akron Police Department, Akron Fire Department, Coventry Fire Department, EMS, and utility crews all responded to the scene.
According to the OSHP, “fire suppression, evacuations, and safety operations were completed, and the scene was fully cleared later that evening.”
In its initial review of the plane’s wreckage, the NTSB reports that “the instrument panel and all digital and analog instrumentation were destroyed by impact forces and postcrash fire that rendered all avionics and instrumentation unable to be read or downloaded.”
The engine was also damaged by the impact of the crash and fire, although investigators say there was no evidence of catastrophic damage to the engine’s crankcase.
You can read the entire preliminary report below. The final, “factual report,” will be released in approximately 12 to 14 months, along with a probable cause issued by the NTSB shortly after.
On May 26, the Summit County Medical Examiner officially identified the two people killed in the crash.
The pilot, who officials say owned the 1963 Piper PA-28-180 aircraft, was identified as David Garcia, 38, of Hammond, Indiana. The flight instructor in the plane was identified as Colin Albee, 39, of Allen, Texas.
The ME’s office previously announced that it would be necessary to use DNA testing in order to identify the victims of the crash since their dental records were not available.
According to an online fundraiser, Garcia leaves behind a wife, their four children and a baby on the way.
A family member wrote Garcia’s wife now “faces the challenge of raising their children and preparing for a new arrival without her husband and partner. David’s sudden passing has left a void in our hearts and a tremendous challenge for his family as they adjust to life without him.”