NTSB SAYS PLANE IN MADISONVILLE CRASH HIT TREES NEAR RUNWAY, WAS OPERATING NORMALLY
A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says a fatal plane crash in Madisonville on June 13th was the result of a tree crash.
The report states that the plane’s engine, propeller and other mechanical components were working properly when the plane hit trees while attempting to land at the Madisonville Municipal Airport.
According to the report, the plane, identified as a Piper PA32-260 Cherokee Six, left from Port Isabel, Texas with Madisonville being its scheduled landing destination at 11:55 p.m.
The report said the trees that the plane struck were located 680 feet south of runway 36 at the airport, and measured about 50 feet tall.
Post-accident investigation found that the plane’s propeller showed S-shaped bending consistent with engine power, and that the trees along the wreckage path had slash marks consistent with propeller strikes.
The pilot, 68-year-old Apolo Diaz of Kansas City, Missouri, was killed in the crash. Five passengers were critically injured and airlifted to area hospitals.