CYNTHIANA, Ky. (LEX 18) — The National Transportation Safety Board has released its preliminary report into the crash of Piper Cub that killed a woman and seriously injured a man at the Cynthiana-Harrison County Airport in early August.
According to the report, the pilot and his passenger took off in the two-seat airplane for a "brief personal flight" around 5:00 PM on August 3rd. About ten minutes after the plane took off, witnesses reported an "intense" storm approaching the airport.
They said there was a wall cloud, heavy rain that they could see from miles away, and a rapid wind shift.
Around the same time, a witness told investigators the airplane returned to the airport at an unusually low altitude, just above the trees, and joined the traffic pattern to land on runway 29.
As the airplane made its final turn over the numbers to land on the runway, the witness said it spun and crashed into the ground next to the runway.
Almost immediately after the crash, witnesses said heavy rain and wind arrived at the airport.
A preliminary report does not include a probable cause. That is included in a final report, which may take months to compile.
One person died in the crash, and another was seriously injured. You can read the full report here.
