NTSB: Part Fell From Plane Before Crash That Killed Two In Collinsville

A new report on a plane crash in Collinsville last year that killed two people confirms what witnesses said about the aircraft.

The Mooney M20J crashed into the backyard of a vacant house just west of downtown Collinsville at about 6 p.m. on April 7, 2013. The crash killed the pilot, 71-year-old Ron Marshall, and his passenger, Chris Gruber, 40.

Marshall was a retired doctor who specialized in obstetrics and gynecology. Gruber was Director of Development for Kansas State University's College of Veterinary Medicine.

The two had flown to Tulsa from Manhattan, Kansas earlier in the day and had taken off from Tulsa International Airport for the flight back just minutes before the crash happened.

4/8/2013: Related Story: Victims Of Collinsville Plane Crash Identified

According to the National Transportation Safety Board's newly-released Factual Report, investigators found part of the airplane's skin about a mile and a half northwest of the crash site.

It's called a fiberglass belly panel, and it covered the bottom of the airplane from the engine cowling to the trailing edge of the wings. The report doesn't say how the panel fell off or how that would have affected the pilot's ability to control the aircraft.

On the day of the crash witnesses told News On 6 they saw something fall off the airplane just before it crashed.

Read the Factual Report

The flight took off to the south before turning north to head to Manhattan, according to a radar track included in the report. The plane had climbed to 4,300 feet when it suddenly made a descending turn to the right and crashed. There were no distress calls from the pilot.

The report says an autopsy wasn't performed on the pilot because of extensive trauma to his body.

The last report on the crash will be the Probable Cause which the NTSB usually releases shortly after a Factual Report.