NTSB lead investigator Todd Gunther explained how the investigation will proceed into the crash that killed two people.
At a news conference at the scene of the plane crash at the Briarcliffe RV resort, NTSB lead investigator Todd Gunther explained how the investigation will proceed into the crash that killed two people.
The pilot of the Cessna 172 Sky Hawk has been identified as Kenneth Thode, 62, from Plymouth, Massachusetts. The plane was registered to him.
His plane hit an RV belonging to a couple from Sunappe, New Hampshire. Eva Sullivan, 70, was killed. Her husband escaped with first degree burns.
Gunther spoke at the news conference for about five minutes. He said the plane crashed 1.2 miles from the Grand Strand Airport. We previously learned Thode had been practicing touch and go landings at that airport before the crash.
Gunther said the plane hit a tree, then a trailer, and then the RV before catching on fire. He said there was no evidence so far of any in-flight structural failure, control failure, or fire.
In the coming days, the National Transportation Safety Board team will be examining the engines and systems, the weather conditions at the time of the crash, the physiology of the pilot, the structural integrity of the plane, air traffic control radar and voice data, and witness statements.
The wreckage will be taken to a secure facility for a more thorough examination.
Gunther said the team keeps an open mind in any investigation and they don't develop any theories on scene. He said by law they can only deal in facts, conditions and circumstances.
The Federal Aviation Administration will help them look into the pilot's background and flight history.
In seven to ten days, the NTSB will issue a preliminary report detailing the faces and circumstances as they know them at that point.
It will be nine months to a year before a statement of probable cause will be given.
Stay with CarolinaLive.com and NewsChannel 15 as this story develops.
Link to today's updates.
Link to Tuesday's coverage.
