Preliminary report issued on Ada plane crash

Wednesday, August 3rd 2005, 10:09 am

By: News On 6

ADA, Okla. (AP) -- A preliminary report on the plane crash that killed the son of an Oklahoma businessman and his family says the pilot may have been trying to land on a closed section of highway.

The July 24th crash near Ada killed pilot Brent Stonecipher, his wife Tina and daughter Nicole. Brent Stonecipher was the son of Pre-Paid Legal Services found Harland Stonecipher.

The report from the National Transportation Safety Board says the plane had just taken off from Ada Municipal Airport and a witness told investigators it was flying very low.

The witness says the plane was banking to the right as if the pilot was trying to land on a closed section of US Highway 377. But the witness says the right wing hit the ground and the plane cartwheeled before coming to rest and catching fire.

The preliminary report doesn't offer a possible cause of the crash. The suspected cause will be in a final report that's expected in several months.