NTSB Releases Preliminary Report On Deadly Collinsville Plane Crash

The National Transportation Safety Board has released its Preliminary Report on a plane crash in Collinsville that killed two people earlier this month.

Tuesday, April 16th 2013, 9:40 am

By: Richard Clark

NTSB Releases Preliminary Report On Deadly Collinsville Plane Crash

The National Transportation Safety Board has released its Preliminary Report on a plane crash in Collinsville that killed two people earlier this month.

The crash on April 7, 2013 killed the pilot, 71-year-old Ron Marshall and his 40-year-old passenger, Chris Gruber.

According to the report, the single-engine Mooney M20J took off at 5:47 p.m. from Tulsa International Airport headed to Manhattan Regional Airport in Kansas.

The investigator says communication with the tower at TIA was normal, with the last acknowledgement from the pilot being that the airplane was cleared to 6,000 feet. There were no emergency or distress calls from the pilot, according to the NTSB.

The plane crashed into a house near downtown Collinsville at 6 p.m.

The NTSB says radar information shows the plane leaving TIA and heading northward in a shallow climb. The investigator says the plane reached an altitude of 4,100 feet before making a descending right turn. During the turn, the airplane disappeared from radar.

Read the NTSB's Preliminary Report on the crash.

The NTSB's Preliminary Report is the first of three reports the board will release on the crash. The next will be the Factual Report, which could take months or even years to complete.

The Preliminary Report makes no mention of any parts of the aircraft being found some distance away from the crash site, which contradicts reports from two witnesses.