Safety Board to open fatal plane crash investigation on Monday

Flowers were left in memory of pilot Tom Hausfeld and his daughter, Kacie, who were killed in a plane accident at the Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport in Miamisburg. Staff photo by Mark Gokavi

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By Mark Gokavi, Staff Writer Updated 10:12 PM Friday, April 2, 2010

The National Transportation Safety Board investigator assigned to the plane crash that killed 50-year-old pilot Tom Hausfeld and his daughter, Kacie, 21, on Thursday, April 1, will begin his work Monday.

An NTSB spokesperson said Friday that Chicago-based investigator Tim Sorenson will arrive Sunday and on Monday compile information the Federal Aviation Administration inspectors have gathered from the crash at Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport.

Planes were flying at the airport Friday against the backdrop of a small memorial of flowers placed against a fence. The wreckage of the Beechcraft Bonanza had been removed from the scorched grass south of the runway.

The NTSB spokesperson said a preliminary report would be released within 10 business days.

The NTSB spokesperson also said several witnesses had been interviewed by the FAA, that all pilot radio communications will be reviewed further and that the pilot had filed an instrument flight plan to fly to DuPage County (Ill.) Airport near Chicago.

FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Cory said her organization’s responsibilities include the rules of flight, if the pilot had the proper certificates, if the plane was properly maintained and the effectiveness of navigational aids.

“The investigations are going to take as long as they need,” Cory said. “Often times, they’re about year or more before they are completed.”

The NTSB spokesperson said a factual report often takes nine months to a year while the probable cause usually takes 12 to 18 months.

At about the same time as Hausfeld’s crash, another small plane went down northeast of Detroit in Algonac, Mich., killing one person.

On Friday, the pilot of a small plane died in a crash near Hillsboro, 60 miles east of Cincinnati.

NTSB incident records show the Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport had 29 prior reported incidents since 1981 and six since 2003, none resulting in deaths.

In three of the six most recent incidents, pilots failed to lower landing gear. Most resulted in minor aircraft damage.

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