NTSB issues preliminary report for Texas plane crash that killed 4 from Germantown church

Katherine Burgess, Memphis Commercial Appeal
·2 min read
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The lone survivor of a Texas plane crash that killed four was able to pull himself from the wreckage and call first responders on his cell phone, according to the preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board released Wednesday.

The crash last week killed Bill Garner, executive pastor at Germantown’s Harvest Church, Steve Tucker, an elder at the church, and church staff members Tyler Patterson and Tyler Springer.

Kennon Vaughan, the church’s lead pastor, is currently in a Texas hospital. As of Tuesday, he was “doing well in his recovery,” but had developed a fever and minor infection overnight.

“Kennon is doing extremely well in his progress overall, and the doctors continue to be encouraged with how quickly he has progressed,” Harvest Church posted on Facebook. “We know that this is due to the many prayers of saints across the county and world interceding on his behalf. For that, we are eternally grateful.”

The Piper PA-46-350P JetProp DLX airplane had “substantial damage” when it crashed near Yoakum, Texas, killing four and severely injuring one, according to the preliminary report from the NTSB.

A full investigation typically takes 12-24 months to complete and determine cause of a crash.

The report released Wednesday says the plane was damaged at around 10:39 a.m. central time on Jan. 17. The day was clear with a visibility of 10 miles.

The plane had departed from the Memphis International Airport at 7:48 a.m.

It had been cleared to land at the Yoakum Municipal Airport, but about one mile south of the approach end of the runway “turned to the east, descended, and impacted terrain.”

The plane landed upright, with both wings separated from the fuselage. There was no fire.

“The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage,” according to the report.

The preliminary report did not mention a possible cause of the crash. The crash site was about 45 minutes north of Victoria, Texas.

Katherine Burgess covers county government and religion. She can be reached at katherine.burgess@commercialappeal.com or followed on Twitter @kathsburgess.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: NTSB issues preliminary report for Texas plane crash