The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released the preliminary report for an April plane crash in Copake that killed six people. The report said the Mitsubishi MU-2B-40 airplane traveling from Westchester County to Columbia County on April 12 crashed nose-first.
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NTSB officials said in the report that the pilot received clearance to start descending as the plane approached the Columbia County Airport at 12:02 p.m. One minute later, air traffic control tried to notify the pilot of a low altitude, lost communication with the plane, and lost the plane’s radar contact.
According to the report and authorities, the plane crashed into a snow-covered flat agricultural field near State Route 23 and Two Town Road. Fragments of the plane were scattered within a 150-foot radius of the crash site, and all major parts of the aircraft were contained within the crash debris area.
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The plane was certified under Federal Aviation Administration standards. During the crash, NTSB officials also said security camera footage showed the plane in a deep descent through a low-overcast cloud layer before impact.
The National Weather Service did not report any significant meteorological, convective, or center weather advisories near the accident site. However, the report said they did have “several AIRMETs current for IFR and mountain obscuration conditions, low-level wind shear (LLWS) and occasional moderate icing conditions.”
The six people who died in the crash, according to the Associated Press, were a “close-knit family of physicians and distinguished student-athletes.” The NTSB will release a more detailed report in the coming months.
