Federal authorities from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating a small plane crash at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport that killed four people on Friday afternoon, including two children. The crash involving the 1978 Cessna P210N Centurion six-seater aircraft occurred near the runway, seconds after takeoff. Investigators from the NTSB spent the weekend interviewing witnesses and air traffic control tower workers and collecting videos that might help them to determine the cause of the crash. The plane was moved to a secure facility where they could begin analyzing the surviving components of the plane, while acknowledging that it will be a difficult process as the plane was extensively damaged by fire.
Investigators report that the plane underwent recent modifications, including replacing the Cessna engine with a Rolls Royce turbine engine and adding an additional gas tank that was filled with fuel — which likely contributed to the intensity of the fire. The investigators have sought paperwork on those modifications. The NTSB was also planning to look at factors such as the weight of the passengers and cargo that were on the plane at the time of the crash, the condition of the engine, who serviced the plane and when, and the training of the pilot. It is not believed that weather is a factor in the crash.
The NTSB is the federal agency tasked with investigating all civil aviation accidents in the U.S., along with significant accidents involving other modes of transportation, such as multi-car pileups on interstates, railroad accidents, marine and pipeline accidents. The board is expected to release a preliminary review of the accident within about two weeks, with a final assessment — complete with potential safety recommendations to prevent such accidents from occurring — within 12-18 months.
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