Report: Plane crash that killed two near Las Vegas went down minutes after takeoff

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report following the investigation of an April 11 plane crash that killed two people.

According to the report, the single-engine Glasair plane intended to fly from the victims’ winter residence in Nevada to their primary home in Iowa, with an overnight stop planned in Dallas. The flight left at 4:08 a.m.

Security footage from a private residence nearby showed that the plane “rapidly descended to the ground” and crashed at 4:19 a.m.

Wreckage from the crash was found distributed over a distance of 920 feet. A post-accident investigation found large plastic shards in two intake sections of the plane’s engine. The report also noted that “the fuel selector was in an over-extended position” and the fuel filter and cooling reservoir were both punctured.

The plane was last inspected six days before the crash. The mechanic that signed it said that he “wasn’t familiar with the engine,” and added that the pilot performed all the maintenance on the plane. That last inspection indicated that the plane had a total time of 446.6 hours in the air.

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