ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. – The National Transportation Safety Board released its report on a plane crash two weeks ago that killed the pilot of a small plane. It indicates several factors in the Alachua County crash.
The report points to weather as an issue before takeoff from Orlando, but conditions cleared enough for the pilot to takeoff. His destination was Keystone Heights.
Recommended Videos
Flight track data shows the plane performed several “erratic 360-degree turns” as well as “numerous climbs and descents.” The plane lost radar contact and descended at a rate exceeding 5,000 feet per minute.
The pilot radioed “mayday” during the flight and said he was “lost in weather.” The pilot also reported multiple times he was having issues with his instruments, he “mistakenly flew into weather, that “it’s completely white” and he could not see anything outside.
The plane crashed on November 14 in a wooded area of Paynes Prairie State Park, according to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. The plane was a Piper PA-28-180 no series. The pilot has not been identified.