The National Transportation Safety Board is seeking witnesses to the Thursday plane crash that claimed the life of an Augusta pilot.
Witnesses reported the plane fell from the sky shortly after takeoff from Daniel Field Airport about a mile away. The plane left the airport around 7:12 a.m., authorities said.
Killed was Jason McKenzie, associate director of philanthropy at Augusta University.
NTSB officials said McKenzie was en route to New Haven, Conn., and had logged about 800 hours of flight time last year. He held an instrument flight rating and a private pilot certificate.
The plane, a Raytheon Aircraft Co. A36 or Beechcraft Bonanza, crashed in the front yard of a home at the intersection of Belmont Drive and Hillcrest Avenue
Thursday, NTSB officials arrived in Augusta to begin documentation of the airplane wreckage and crash site, officials said in a statement. The wreckage will then be recovered to a secure facility for further evaluation.
NTSB investigations involve three primary areas: the pilot, the aircraft and the operating environment, the statement said. Investigators will gather flight track data, air traffic control recordings, maintenance records, weather, lighting, the pilot’s experience, a 72-hour background of the pilot, electronic device information and any surveillance video, including from doorbell cameras.
Witnesses to the incident or those who have surveillance video or other information that could be relevant to the investigation are asked to contact the NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov.
The NTSB will release a preliminary report within 30 days that includes factual information gathered during the investigation. A final report with the probable cause of the crash and any contributing factors will be released in 12-24 months.
