I-26 plane crash: Preliminary report details smoke-filled cockpit, several engine failures

Ryley Ober, Asheville Citizen Times
·4 min read
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ASHEVILLE - Over two weeks after a single-engine plane crashed into I-26 on Dec. 14, shutting down a section of the highway overnight and causing one person on board to undergo spinal surgery, the National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report indicating the plane’s engine lost power multiple times before the crash landing.

A flight instructor with Lift Training Academy and a student pilot were conducting a cross country flight at night from Knoxville, Tennessee, to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in a Diamond Aircraft Ind. Inc. DA-40 NG airplane, N907L, according to the preliminary report.

Soon after departing from Knoxville, the two pilots felt a “shudder” followed by a loss of engine power, loss of oil pressure and dual engine control unit failure, the report details. The flight instructor, identified by the North Carolina Highway Patrol as 25-year-old Parker Riley Klehr, took control of the airplane and used a checklist to restart the diesel engine.

Initial reporting: Small plane crashes on I-26 West near Asheville Airport; road closed 'indefinitely': NCDOT

“The engine restarted momentarily but again lost power shortly after,” the report reads. “The flight instructor was able to restart the engine again, but the cockpit began to fill with smoke before the engine lost power a final time.”

Klehr then made a forced landing onto the highway at about 8:13 p.m. Dec. 14. Just before landing, the airplane struck an energized power line and caught fire after impact with the ground, according to the report.

Both Klehr, of Pewee Valley, Kentucky, and Eduardo D. Vargas, 23, of Greenwood, Indiana, escaped from the plane before it erupted into flames. Klehr suffered minor injuries while Vargas was seriously injured, the report says, and both were transported to Mission Hospital.

A small plane crashed on Interstate 26 West, December 14, 2023.
A small plane crashed on Interstate 26 West, December 14, 2023.

The Citizen Times spoke after the crash with the pilots, who said they both doing better. Vargas confirmed he had a broken back from the crash and underwent spinal surgery Dec. 15.

Spokesperson Jon Austin with Lift Training Academy previously confirmed with the Citizen Times that Klehr and Vargas were conducting a training flight at the time.

“Our certificated flight instructor used their training and experience to land the aircraft without serious injury to themselves or any injury to persons on the ground," Austin said. "We are proud of the skill and composure our pilot and flight student demonstrated throughout the event and grateful to the first responders who attended to the scene to aid our pilots and secure the site.”

Buncombe County EMS, an Asheville Regional Airport public safety officer, Skyland Fire Department, N.C. State Highway Patrol and the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office responded to the plane crash.

Citizen Times speaks with pilots: Student pilot has spinal surgery in Asheville after plane's crash landing on I-26

Details on the aircraft and the aftermath of the crash

The airplane received its airworthiness certification less than three months before its engine failure, on Sept. 25, 2023, according to the report. Its last 100-hour maintenance expectation was completed five days before the crash, on Dec. 9, 2023. At the time of the maintenance inspection, the airplane and engine had completed 95 flight hours.

The aircraft underwent three separate flights earlier in the day, according to FlightAware.com, a multinational technology company that provides flight tracking data.

Following are the flight logs for Lift Academy's plane on Dec. 14:

  • 7:47 a.m. Departs Myrtle Beach International Airport; 9:07 a.m. lands at Myrtle Beach International Airport.

  • 11:51 a.m. Departs Myrtle Beach International Airport; 12:49 p.m. lands at Myrtle Beach International Airport.

  • 1:51 p.m. Departs Myrtle Beach International Airport; 5:09 p.m. lands at Knoxville Downtown Island Airport.

  • 7:36 p.m. Departs Knoxville Downtown Island Airport; 8:13 p.m. crash landing near Asheville.

Once firefighters from Skyland Fire Department arrived at the scene, the plane was “fully engulfed in flames,” Fire Chief Trevor Lance previously told the Citizen Times.

The airplane wreckage was later moved to a secure facility for further examination, the NTSB’s report says. When it was recovered, a connecting rod was separated from the engine.

During the crash landing, the plane struck a tractor trailer, Lance said. The person in the tractor trailer did not sustain any injuries, according to Lance. The Citizen Times has reached out to the Highway Patrol for the name and condition of the driver.

Update on I-26 plane crash: Update: NCDOT: All Asheville I-26 lanes reopen near airport after plane crash closures

Because of the power line that was damaged by the plane, about 7,300 Duke Energy customers briefly lost power around 8:15 p.m. Dec. 14.

"Our grid operators were able to begin rerouting power to other lines within a few minutes, and power was restored to all customers by 8:48 – about half an hour,” spokesperson Bill Nettles with Duke Energy previously told the Citizen Times.

The ongoing investigation into the crash is considered Class 3, meaning the NTSB is seeking to identify safety issues that reveal underlying causes of the accident. NTSB is investigating the crash along with the Federal Aviation Administration, both agencies confirmed.

This story will be updated.

Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at rober@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: NTSB releases update on I-26 plane crash detailing engine failures