The National Transportation Safety Board has released its final report on a 2018 plane crash off the Northeast Florida coast that left a father and son dead.
In December 2018, a Piper airline crashed into the ocean off Huguenot Park, killing the pilot, 51-year-old Peter Renzulli of Bridgewater, and his 18-year-old son, Daniel.
The wreckage and their bodies weren’t recovered until February 2019.
PREVIOUS STORIES: NTSB details chilling final moments before deadly plane crash | Plane crash that killed father & son near Mayport ruled accidental in preliminary report
The NTSB’s final report was released April 21. Investigators determined Renzulli had been flying for 20 minutes in heavy precipitation above the freezing level and the ice accumulation put the plane into a stall. The right wing separated, and it plunged into the ocean.
“Although the pilot did not access specific icing forecasts, which likely understated the potential for icing conditions, there was sufficient information available to the pilot to indicate possible icing at his chosen cruise altitude,” the NTSB said in the report.
The plane was flying near the top of a cumulus cloud formation at about 23,000 feet, and the conditions “exceeded the capability of the airplane’s icing protection system,” the report states. The icing “resulted in an uncontrolled descent and subsequent inflight breakup,” the report says. The NTSB also cited the “pilot’s failure to maintain and appropriate airspeed for flight in icing conditions.”
Tragically, Renzulli and his son knew they were in trouble. The crash happened at 9:04 a.m. At 9:03 a.m., one of the occupants told the tower, “We’re not OK. We need help.” The pilot told the tower, “I’m not sure what’s happening, I have anti-ice, everything.” A few seconds later, an occupant told the tower the plane was flying inverted and then radar contact was lost.