NTSB begins probe of Hanover Township plane crash
Oct. 31—HANOVER TWP. — Representatives from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) arrived Sunday morning at the scene of a plane crash that killed the aircraft's two occupants on Saturday.
Saint Mary's Road at the entrance to the Liberty Hills development was currently closed to all traffic while investigators look to piece together the incident and determine what led to a single-engine, fixed wing aircraft coming down at the entrance to Doran's Farms just before 3 p.m. on Saturday.
The plane's pilot and passenger, whose names have not yet been released, were killed. There were no injuries on the ground.
Lynn Spencer, an air safety investigator from the NTSB based out of Virginia, spoke with reporters on Sunday just a few yards from the wreckage of the plane.
"We're still very much in the preliminary phase of our investigation here," Spencer said.
Spencer confirmed that the plane, tail number N964RS, had departed from the Wyoming Valley Airport in Forty Fort at approximately 2:51 p.m. on Saturday.
She described the plane as a "2020 experimental amateur-built Bearhawk Patrol airplane."
"[The plane] climbed to about 750 feet above ground level, and about three minutes after flight, impacted terrain here in this residential area," Spencer said.
Pulling from eyewitness testimony, Spencer told reporters that it was believed that the pilot departed the aircraft and impacted the tail of the airplane before the final impact.
Hanover Township Police Chief David Lewis said on Saturday that one of the victims was located behind a home off of Saint Mary's Road, while the other was found with the aircraft.
Autopsies on the victims are scheduled for Tuesday.
Spencer said that the investigation onscene will continue Sunday and through Monday, with the wreckage of the aircraft to be recovered and transported to Delaware for further examination and layout.
While the NTSB remains on scene investigating, they will be continuing to search the area for pieces of debris from the aircraft, as well as taking witness statements and examining any possible video footage of the incident that could be obtained.
"We're looking at the man, the machine and the environment," Spencer said.
She explained that the investigation would look into the pilot's health and fitness for flight, the aircraft's functionality and the engineering of the craft, and the wind and weather that may have impacted the plane's flight.
Spencer said that the public could expect a preliminary report within about 14 days, a factual report in 9-12 months and a probable cause report "a few months after that."
Saint Mary's Road will be closed throughout the day Sunday, and is expected to be reopened Sunday evening. Spencer urged motorists to avoid the area if at all possible while the investigation continues.
She also asked members of the public, in addition to coming forward with anything they may have seen, heard or recorded of the incident, to keep an eye out for debris from the aircraft that may have fallen into their yards.
"In this area, we have a relatively large debris field," Spencer said. "I would ask the public to be on the lookout for any pieces of aircraft wreckage that they might find, and to notify the Hanover Township Police Department if they locate anything...and to encourage their kids not to be touching anything [that they find]."
Anyone with video footage or any other kind of information about the incident is asked to contact the NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov or at 1-866-328-6347.
