Plane’s engine ‘went silent’ moments before deadly Mulberry crash: NTSB report
MULBERRY, Fla. - Officials are giving more details about a plane crash in Mulberry that killed a 76-year-old pilot earlier this month.
According to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB), a man who lives along the runway of the South Lakeland Airport in Mulberry said at first nothing seemed unusual when he saw an experimental amateur-built Merlin Lite motorglider taxi toward the end of the runway, but after it took off, he said the engine "went silent" when the plane was about 100 to 150 feet above the ground.
Investigators say surveillance video shows the plane lifting off the ground and then turning to the right and then the left before pitching up. Then, investigators say, the left wing dropped, and the plane began spiraling downward before crashing into the ground, damaging its body and wings.
Post-crash examination showed that the stabilizing surfaces at the tail of the plane were partially separated from the aircraft's body and were attached by the elevator and rudder control cables and rods.
One person was killed in a plane crash in Mulberry.
The wings were also damaged in the crash, according to the report.
After the crash, an examination of the single-cylinder engine found that the propeller attachment bolt was fractured upon impact.
Investigators say both sparkplugs were removed, and melted aluminum was present on their electrodes.
The cylinder head was also removed and showed about a 1-inch diameter hole in the top of the piston. The cylinder head, cylinder, and piston were saved and sent to the National Transportation Safety Board Materials Laboratory for further examination.
Investigators at scene of deadly plane crash in Mulberry.
According to the NTSB, the right-wing fuel tank was breached and there was no fuel inside. However, fuel was seen in the left-wing fuel tank and a sample was saved for further examination.
Plus, four fuel cans were found in the pilot’s hangars, and samples were saved for more testing.
The wreckage was also saved for further examination.
The plane crashed at South Lakeland Airport.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said the pilot, Arthur Canning, had been flying ultralights for 10 years. He added that the plane was a brand new experimental amateur build (EAB), that received its certificates last fall.
According to Judd, Canning flew the plane for the first time, less than a week before the crash.
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