Dana F. Gray
Tony and Dana Gray, Jerry Gray
Aviation Accident Final Report - National Transportation Safety Board
Investigator In Charge (IIC): Aguilera, Jason
The National Transportation Safety Board traveled to the scene of this accident.
Additional Participating Entities:
Christopher Cotton; Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Houston, Texas
Continental Motors Inc; Mobile, Alabama
Cirrus Aircraft Corporation; Duluth, Minnesota
Hartzell Propeller Inc; Piqua, Ohio
Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board:
Safe Aviation LLC
Location: Houston, Texas
Accident Number: CEN16FA211
Date and Time: June 9, 2016, 13:09 Local
Registration: N4252G
Aircraft: CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR20
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Loss of control in flight
Injuries: 3 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal
Analysis
The pilot was attempting to land the airplane at a busy airport with high volume airline traffic. While attempting to sequence the airplane between airplanes, the air traffic controller issued numerous instructions to the pilot, which included changing runways multiple times. The pilot was instructed to go around twice by the local controller; the first time because an air carrier airplane was overtaking the accident airplane and the second time because the airplane was too high to make a safe landing. During the airplane's third approach, a new local controller came on duty. On this approach, the pilot again had difficulty descending fast enough to make a safe landing, and she elected to perform another go-around. The new local controller then issued the pilot a lengthy clearance as the pilot was performing the go-around procedure. Data retrieved from the airplane revealed that, during the go-around, the pilot did not follow the recommended go-around procedure; specifically, the pilot did not attain a speed between 81 to 83 knots indicated airspeed (KIAS) before raising the flaps. Rather, the airplane's airspeed was 58 KIAS when the pilot raised the airplane's flaps while in a left turn, which resulted in exceedance of the critical angle of attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall and spin into terrain.
Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The air traffic control instructions given to the pilot during the three approaches were complex and potentially distracting. The initial local controller elected to keep the airplane in the traffic pattern rather than transferring the airplane to an approach controller for resequencing when airline traffic interrupted the pilot's first landing attempt and when the pilot displayed difficulty landing the airplane on her second landing attempt. The complex instructions from the second local controller during the pilot's go-around following her third landing attempt, were unnecessary at that time and likely distracted the pilot from monitoring critical flight parameters.
The pilot was attempting to comply with ATC instructions throughout the flight and the pilot's actions are understandable as the instructions were largely consistent with the pilot's goal to land at the busy airport. However, compliance with ATC instructions greatly increased the pilot's workload as it led to an extended period of close-in maneuvering at a Class B airport due to the larger and faster airplanes converging on the airport. During this extended period of maneuvering the pilot did not assert the responsibilities that accompany being a pilot-in-command and did not offload the workload by either requesting to be re-sequenced, telling the controller to standby, or stating "unable." This allowed for an increased likelihood of operational distractions associated with air traffic communications and affected the pilot's ability to focus on aircraft control.
Probable Cause and Findings
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot's improper go-around procedure that did not ensure that the airplane was at a safe airspeed before raising the flaps, which resulted in exceedance of the critical angle of attack and resulted in an accelerated aerodynamic stall and spin into terrain. Contributing to the accident were the initial local controller's decision to keep the pilot in the traffic pattern, the second local controller's issuance of an unnecessarily complex clearance during a critical phase of flight. Also contributing was the pilot's lack of assertiveness.
Findings
Personnel issues Incorrect action performance - Pilot
Aircraft Angle of attack - Capability exceeded
Aircraft Airspeed - Not attained/maintained
Personnel issues Motivation/respond to pressure - Pilot
Personnel issues Decision making/judgment - ATC personnel
Personnel issues Unnecessary action - ATC personnel
Factual Information
History of Flight
Approach-VFR go-around Loss of control in flight (Defining event)
Uncontrolled descent Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)
On June 9, 2016, at 1309 central daylight time, a Cirrus SR20 airplane, N4252G, impacted terrain following a loss of control during a go-around at William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), Houston, Texas. The private pilot and the two passengers were fatally injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to and operated by Safe Aviation, LLC, Moore, Oklahoma, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a visual flight rules flight plan had been filed. The airplane departed from University of Oklahoma Westheimer Airport (OUN), Norman, Oklahoma, about 1000 and was destined for HOU.
As the airplane approached HOU, a high-volume air carrier airport surrounded by Class B airspace, the pilot was given numerous instructions by air traffic controllers to sequence it between several Boeing 737 airplanes. An air traffic control (ATC) group was formed to review the interactions between the controllers and the pilot. The following information was extracted from the ATC group report, which is available in the public docket of this investigation.
1252:47 – The pilot contacted HOU tower, and the local controller cleared the pilot to land on runway 4 and told her to follow a Boeing 737 that was on a 3-mile final approach to runway 4.
1254:39 – The local controller directed the pilot to maintain maximum forward airspeed due to a Boeing 737 on a 9-mile final approach that was trailing the airplane and traveling 80 knots faster.
1256:58 – Due to the trailing Boeing 737, which was overtaking the airplane, the local controller directed the pilot to go around and fly runway heading.
1257:37 – The local controller instructed the pilot to make a right base to runway 35, informed her of another Boeing 737 on a 5-mile final for runway 4, and stated that she would be landing before the Boeing 737.
1258:16 – The local controller told the pilot that he would call her base turn.
1258:48 – The local controller issued a traffic advisory for an additional Boeing 737 inbound to runway 4, and the pilot reported that traffic in sight. The local controller told the pilot to pass behind that traffic and land on runway 35.
1259:20 – The local controller asked the pilot to turn left 30° to resolve a perceived traffic conflict between the airplane and the inbound Boeing 737.
1259:30 – The local controller asked the pilot if she would like to follow the Boeing 737 to runway 4. The pilot responded that she would, and the local controller cleared her to land on runway 4. A few seconds later the local controller told the pilot, "just maneuver back for the straight-in, I don't know which way you're going now, so just turn back around to runway 35."
1300:13 – The local controller asked the pilot which direction she was turning. She responded, "I thought I was turning a right base for 35…" The controller asked her to keep the right turn "tight," and the pilot acknowledged.
1300:31 – The local controller cleared the pilot to perform a straight-in approach to runway 35, and the pilot replied, "straight in to runway 35 and I don't believe I'm lined up for that." According to radar data, at this time, the airplane was about 2 nautical miles south of runway 35. The local controller told the pilot to turn right to a heading of 040° and climb to 1,600 ft.
1301:16 – The airplane was southeast of runway 35, heading 040°, and the local controller told the pilot to make a right turn to land on runway 35. 1302:02 – The local controller prompted the pilot to begin her descent to land on runway 35, and the pilot replied that she was "trying to lose altitude."
1303:25 – The local controller told the pilot that she "might be too high." The pilot replied that she would perform a go-around, and the controller acknowledged and told her to fly a right traffic pattern for runway 35.
1304:38 – The local controller told the pilot that she was cleared to land on runway 35 and that no other traffic was expected inbound.
1306:00 – The local controller advised the pilot of a Boeing 737 on a short final to runway 4 ahead of her, and the pilot acknowledged that she had the airplane in sight.
1307:03 – The local controller provided a wind check and cleared the pilot to land on runway 35, and the pilot replied, "35 cleared to land trying to get down again."
1307:49 – A new local controller took over the position.
1308:21 – The airplane was over runway 35, and the pilot called that she was going around. The new local controller responded with the following 16-second transmission, "OK, Cirrus 52G, just go ahead and make the left turn now to enter the downwind, midfield downwind for runway 4, if you can just keep it in a nice tight low pattern, I'm going to have traffic 4 miles behind you so I need you to just kind of keep it in tight if you could." The pilot responded, "OK, this time will be runway 4, turning left, 4252G." The controller continued with the following 23-second transmission, "And actually I might end up sequencing you behind that traffic, he's on 4 miles a minute, um, it is gonna be a bit tight with the one behind it so when you get on the downwind, stay on the downwind and advise me when you have that 737 in sight. We'll either do 4 or we might swing you around to 35, uh, uh, ma'am, ma'am, uh, straighten up, straighten up!"
Witnesses saw the airplane at a low altitude when it turned to the left and descended. A security camera video showed that the airplane spun to the left and was about 45° nose down in a slightly left-wing-low attitude before impact with terrain. The airplane impacted an unoccupied automobile in a hardware store parking lot about ½-mile north of runway 35. The video showed that the airplane's airframe parachute rocket motor activated during the impact; however, the parachute remained stowed in the empennage and did not deploy.
Pilot Information
Certificate: Private
Age: 46, Female
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used: 4-point
Instrument Rating(s): None
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: Yes
Medical Certification: Class 3 Without Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 10/28/2014
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: 05/02/2014
Flight Time: 332.6 hours (Total, all aircraft), 303.6 hours (Total, this make and model), 253 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft), 28 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 7 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft), 0 hours (Last 24 hours, all aircraft)
A review of the pilot's logbook revealed that she received her private pilot certificate on May 2, 2014. According to the logbook, she had landed within Class B airspace at least four times. Her most recent flight in Class B airspace was to Dallas Love Field (DAL), Dallas, Texas, and consisted of a landing on May 30, 2016, and a takeoff on June 3, 2016. There was no evidence that she had flown to HOU before the accident flight.
Interviews with the pilot's flight instructors and review of her logbook did not find evidence that the pilot had completed a flight review in the previous 24 calendar months, as required by 14 CFR 61.56(c). (Title 14 CFR 61.56(c) states that a person may not act as pilot-in-command of an aircraft unless that person has accomplished a satisfactory flight review within the preceding 24 calendar months.)
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Manufacturer: CIRRUS DESIGN CORP
Registration: N4252G
Model/Series: SR20
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 2012
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: 2217
Landing Gear Type: Tricycle
Seats: 5
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 01/16/2016, Annual
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 3050 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection: 42 Hours
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 429 Hours at time of accident
Engine Manufacturer: CONT MOTOR
ELT: C126 installed, activated, aided in locating accident
Engine Model/Series: IO-360-ES
Registered Owner: SAFE AVIATION LLC
Rated Power: 200 hp
Operator: SAFE AVIATION LLC
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
The manufacturer's checklist for a balked landing/go-around states that the airplane should be pitched to maintain the best angle of climb, between 81 to 83 knots indicated airspeed (KIAS), before raising the flaps. The manufacturer's published stall speed at 0° bank angle, idle power, and flaps up is 69 KIAS. The stall speed at 0° bank angle, idle power, and flaps full down is between 59-61 KIAS. An excerpt from the pilot's operating handbook concerning stall speeds is located in the public docket of this investigation.
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KHOU, 47 ft msl
Observation Time: 1753 UTC
Distance from Accident Site: 1 Nautical Miles
Direction from Accident Site: 164°
Lowest Cloud Condition: / 3600 ft agl
Temperature/Dew Point: 32°C / 22°C
Lowest Ceiling: Broken / 3600 ft agl
Visibility: 10 Miles
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 12 knots/ 16 knots, 100°
Visibility (RVR):
Altimeter Setting: 29.94 inches Hg
Visibility (RVV):
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: NORMAN, OK (OUN)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: VFR
Destination: Houston, TX (HOU)
Type of Clearance: VFR
Departure Time: 1000 CDT
Type of Airspace: Class B
Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed that, at the accident location, at 1309, the altitude of the sun was about 83° above the horizon, and the azimuth of the sun was about 158°.
Airport Information
Airport: WILLIAM P HOBBY (HOU)
Runway Surface Type: Concrete
Airport Elevation: 46 ft
Runway Surface Condition: Dry
Runway Used: 35
IFR Approach: None
Runway Length/Width: 6000 ft / 150 ft
VFR Approach/Landing: Go Around
HOU has 4 runways: 4/22, 35/17, 13L/31R, and 13R/31L. According to HOU tower personnel, in the period leading up to the accident, HOU was landing runways 4 and 35 and departing runways 4, 12L/R, and 35. Most of the traffic was landing on runway 4 and departing from runway 12R.
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 2 Fatal
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 3 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 29.660000, -95.289444 (est)
All major airplane components were accounted for at the accident site. The nose of airplane was aligned about 330° magnetic. The propeller was separated just aft of the propeller flange. All three blades remained attached to the hub and displayed curling, chordwise scratches, and leading edge nicks and gouges. The wing remained attached to the fuselage.
Medical And Pathological Information
The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, Houston, Texas, conducted an autopsy on the pilot. The cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries, and the manner of death was ruled an accident.
The FAA's Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, performed forensic toxicology on specimens from the pilot. Testing was negative for carbon monoxide and ethanol. The following substances were detected:
Ibuprofen detected in urine
Naproxen detected in urine
Zolpidem detected in heart blood
Ibuprofen and naproxen are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and their use would generally not present a hazard to aviation safety. Zolpidem is a prescription medication used to treat insomnia and may impair mental and/or physical ability required for the performance of potentially hazardous tasks, such as driving, flying, and operating heavy machinery. Due to adverse side-effects, the FAA recommends waiting at least 24 hours after use of zolpidem before flying.
On the pilot's most recent medical application, she reported the use of doxycycline and dapsone for acne. The use of zolpidem was not reported.
Tests And Research
The airplane was equipped with a Garmin G1000 Integrated Flight Deck and a Heads Up Technologies recoverable data module (RDM) data recorder. Flight data recorded by these devices were downloaded by the National Transportation Safety Board's Vehicle Recorder Division in Washington, DC. Review of the data revealed that, at 1308:19, the airplane began to pitch nose up, while at 63 knots indicated airspeed (KIAS) and 102.8 ft mean sea level (msl). The airplane began climbing at 9-11° nose up, while traveling at 66-74 KIAS with full flaps extended. According to ATC communications, at 1308:21 the pilot reported the go-around and the tower controller begin transmitting a clearance. At 1308:26, the airspeed was 74 KIAS, which was the highest airspeed that the airplane achieved during the climb out, and the airspeed then began to decrease. At 1308:36, the tower controller finished his clearance and began another part of the clearance at 1308:42 and continued transmitting past the last recorded point. At 1308:45, the airplane entered a left turn with the airspeed decreasing through 64 KIAS. At 1308:52, power was reduced from 94% to about 81%, with a corresponding reduction in engine parameters. The flaps were moved from full to half flaps at 1308:56, with the airplane at 13° nose up, 18° of left bank, and 62 KIAS. The flaps were fully retracted (0° flaps) at 1309:02 with the airplane in a 26° left bank and travelling at 58 KIAS. One second later, the airplane was in a 71° left bank, the pitch dropped to 5° nose low, and engine power increased to 90%. No further data were recorded.
Additional Information
FAA Advisory Circular (AC) 61-98C, "Current Requirements and Guidance for the Flight Review and Instrument Proficiency Check," dated November 20, 2015, states, in part, that the intent of a flight review is a routine evaluation of the pilot's ability to conduct a safe flight. The AC further states that, regardless of the pilot's experience, the flight instructor should review at least those maneuvers considered critical to safe flight such as stabilized approaches to landings, slow flight, stall recognition, stalls, stall recovery, and spin recognition and avoidance.
FAA Safety Team AFS-850 16-08, "Fly the Aircraft First," dated August 2016, provides a reminder to pilots to maintain aircraft control at all times. It states, in part, "The top priority – always – is to aviate." It further states, "Rounding out those top priorities are figuring out where you're going (Navigate), and, as appropriate, talking to ATC or someone outside the airplane (Communicate). It seems simple to follow, but it's easy to forget when you get busy or distracted in the cockpit."
NTSB Identification: CEN16FA211
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, June 09, 2016 in Houston, TX
Aircraft: CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR20, registration: N4252G
Injuries: 3 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On June 9, 2016, about 1309 central daylight time, a Cirrus SR20 single-engine airplane, N4252G, was substantially damaged after it impacted terrain following a loss of control during initial climb at the William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), Houston, Texas. The pilot and the two passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by Safe Aviation, LLC, Moore, Oklahoma, as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 business flight. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed and a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan had been filed. The airplane had departed from University of Oklahoma Westheimer Airport (OUN), Norman, Oklahoma, about 1000 and was destined for HOU.
After arrival at HOU the airplane was on a visual approach for a landing to the northeast on runway 4 when the tower controller directed the pilot to go-around and enter right traffic for runway 35. During the second approach the pilot was again directed to go-around and to expect another approach to land on runway 35. On the last approach the airplane was landing to the north on runway 35 when the pilot radioed they were going around. Witnesses saw the airplane at low altitude when it suddenly turned to the left and began descending. A security camera video image showed that the airplane was spinning to the left and was about 45 degrees nose down in a wings level attitude when it impacted an unoccupied automobile in a hardware store parking lot about one-half mile north of runway 35. The video image also showed the airplane's airframe parachute rocket motor deployed at the moment of impact, however the parachute remained stowed in the empennage and did not deploy.
At 1253 the automated surface observation system at HOU reported wind from 100 degrees at 12 knots, gusting to 16 knots, visibility 10 miles, broken clouds at 3,600 feet above ground level (agl), broken clouds at 25,000 feet agl, temperature 32 degrees Celsius (C), dew point 22 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 29.94 inches of mercury. Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed that, at the accident location, at 1309, the altitude of the sun was about 83 degrees above the horizon and the azimuth of the sun was about 158 degrees.
Balloons are released at a prayer service Monday at Community Christian School in Norman for Tony, Dana and Jerry Gray, who were killed last week in a plane crash in Houston. All three have children who attend Community Christian.
If there’s one thing Tony Gray loved — other than his wife, Dana, brother, Jerry, his roofing business and the company of friends — it was his toys.
Tony and Dana were regulars out at Thunder Valley Raceway Park, where he enjoyed racing dragsters and roadsters, the competition and time with friends. While the engines may not be running heavy the next time competitors take to the track, hearts certainly will be.
“He didn’t care if you were a competitor driving a million-dollar rig or if you were emptying the trash cans at the track, he treated everybody the same,” said Eric Casperson, owner of Boyd’s Racing Engines in Norman, where Tony has been a customer for at least 20 years.
Communities in both Moore and Norman are mourning after Tony, Dana and Jerry died Thursday when the single-engine plane they were flying in crashed while trying to land at William P. Hoby Airport in Houston.
A prayer service was hosted Monday on the Community Christian School football field in Norman, where children of all three attend. More than 450 people attended, said Jill Porter, a family friend.
Balloons were released into the sky at the conclusion of the prayer service.
Tony and Dana owned the family run Statewide Roofing in Moore. The company has not issued a direct statement to the media, but a message on Statewide’s Facebook page was posted June 9: “We were devastated to learn of the tragic accident claiming the lives of 3 of our loved ones today. Tony and Dana Gray touched the lives of everyone around them with their huge hearts. It is a difficult time for us all. We want to thank everyone that has reached out to us with your kind thoughts and prayers. Please keep the prayers coming!”
Statewide also announced that a remembrance service will be 1 p.m. Saturday at Crossroads Church in Oklahoma City for friends and family.
Porter said the group was flying to Houston to see Tony and Jerry’s father, who is receiving cancer treatment at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dana was piloting the aircraft, she said.
The family has been in the Moore-Norman area for many years, Porter said, and is well known.
Casperson remembers Tony as a fastidious race car enthusiast who always looked for the best.
“He always wanted everything first class,” he said. “He wanted parts from the top shelf, top quality, and he wanted it to look the best, too.”
It wasn’t just Tony that got involved in the effort, either.
“If we were out in the shop working on a car, she (Dana) was bringing sandwiches and drinks out to us,” Casperson said.
The Grays ran their business in similar fashion. In a statement on its Facebook page, Thunder Valley referred to Statewide as a longtime sponsor and supporter of local racing. Many went to the business for its level of service.
“We built a relationship with him over the years,” Casperson said. “He’s put roofs on our business, and every one of our families and extended families have Statewide roofs.”
The value of the Grays and Statewide was even more evident following the 2013 tornado. Casperson said the business was a big help as the community rebuilt.
“It seemed like profit was secondary to him,” he said. “He wanted to have a good job done, and customer satisfaction was the most important issue.”
The National Transportation Safety Board reported that the plane crashed on its third attempt to land and came to rest in a business parking lot northwest of the airport.
A spokesman said a preliminary report on the crash is expected to be ready next week, but a full report may take much longer.
The Cirrus SR20 (N42526) is registered with Safe Aviation LLC of Moore, according to FAA registration records.
Original article can be found here: http://www.normantranscript.com
International Hot Rod Association Family Loses Tony And Dana Gray In Tragic Plane Crash: http://www.ihra.com
Memorial at crash site.
Tony and Dana Gray
Dana Gray is pictured with her son Jared, 21, in the Cirrus SR20.
HOUSTON - For nearly 20 minutes, air traffic controllers at Hobby Airport tried to guide a single-engine plane down safely. Instead, it crashed in the parking lot of an Ace Hardware store. All three people on board were killed.
Below is a timeline of selected radio traffic transmissions, according to the website liveatc.net:
12:50 p.m.
Air Traffic Control: “Cirrus 5-2 Golf, maintain maximum forward speed. If able, proceed directly to numbers. 737 is on a nine mile final following you with an 80 knot overtake.”
12:52 p.m.
Air Traffic Control: “Cirrus 5-2 Golf, tower.”
Pilot: “42-52 Golf.”
Air Traffic Control: “Yeah, I got traffic behind you. Just go around and fly runway heading now. Maintain VFR to put you back in a downwind for runway 3-5. The winds are zero niner zero at 1-3. Gusts 1-8. Can you accept runway 3-5?”
Pilot: “We’ll go around and line-up for runway 3-5. Downwind.”
Air Traffic Control: “Fly runway heading for four for right now.”
Pilot: “We’ll fly runway heading for four. 42-52 Golf.”
12:53 p.m.
Air Traffic Control: “A 737 on five mile final, runway four. You’re going to be in front of him.
Pilot: “42-52 Golf, turning around for runway 3-5.”
Air Traffic Control: “Okay 52 Golf, let’s just, just enter the right downwind for runway 3-5.
Pilot: “Right downwind for 3-5 42-52 Golf.”
Air Traffic Control: “52-Golf, I’ll call your right base now.”
12:54 p.m.
Air Traffic Control: “Cirrus 52-Golf. 737 at your two o’clock and three miles at niner hundred feet inbound for runway four. Advise when you have traffic in sight.”
Pilot: “I have traffic in sight. 42-52 Golf.”
Air Traffic Control: “42-52 Golf, make a right base behind that traffic for me, 3-5. Clear to land. You’re going to be following them. They’re going to be landing crossing runway prior to your arrival.”
Pilot: “We’ll make a right base following them. 42-52 Golf for 3-5.”
Air Traffic Control: “Southwest 35-64. Cirrus traffic ahead and to your right. Has you in sight. Going to make a right base behind you. Landing crossing runway behind you.”
Southwest Pilot: “Southwest 35-64.”
Air Traffic Control: “Cirrus 5-2 Golf. Make a, turn left 30 degrees.
Pilot: “Left heading 30 degrees. 42-52 Golf.”
Air Traffic Control: “November 5-2 Golf, did you want to follow the 737 runway four?
Pilot: “Yes, that would be great. 42-52 Golf.”
Air Traffic Control: “November 5-2 Golf, roger. Follow the 737 and it’s runway four, clear to land.
Pilot: “So am I turning a right base now 42-52 Golf?”
Air Traffic Control: “November 5-2 Golf, roger. Just maneuver back for the straight in. I don’t know which way you’re going now. Just turn back around to runway 3-5.
Pilot: “Turning to 3-5. I’m so sorry for the confusion. 42-52 Golf.”
Air Traffic Control: “That’s okay. We’ll get it.”
12:56 p.m.
Air Traffic Control: “November 5-2 Golf, I need to you, okay, there you go. Straight into runway 3-5. Clear to land.”
Pilot: “Straight into 3-5. Cleared to land. And I don’t believe I’m lined up for that. 42-52 Golf.”
Air Traffic Control: “Okay 5-2 Golf. Roger. Turn to the right. And climb, maintain 1,600. Right turn.”
Pilot: “1,600 right turn. 42-52 Golf.”
Air Traffic Control: “5-2 Gulf, yes ma’am. Heading about 0-4-0.”
Pilot: “0-4-0. 42-52 Golf.”
12:57 p.m.
Air Traffic Control: “Okay 5-2 Golf. Let’s do this. Can you do a right turn back to join the straight in to 3-5? Could you do it like that?”
Pilot: “Yes, right turn back to 3-5. 42-52 Golf.”
Air Traffic Control: “November 5-2 Golf, okay so you’re just going to make a right turn all the way around to runway 3-5. And now you’re clear to land.”
Pilot: “3-5 clear to land. 42-52 Golf.”
1:05 p.m.
Air Traffic Control: “5-2 Golf, there’s a 747 on short final. Runway four touching down right in front of you. Just caution wake turbulence right at that intersection. “
Pilot: “Okay. I’ve got that in sight. Thank you. 42-52 Golf.”
1:07 p.m.
Pilot: “Runway 3-5 in sight. 42-52 Golf.”
Air Traffic Control: “5-2 Golf, winds zero niner zero at 13. Gusts at 1-8. Runway 3-5, again cleared to land.”
Pilot: “3-5, cleared to land. Trying to get down again (laughs). 42-45 Golf.”
Air Traffic Control: “No problem.”
1:08 p.m.
Air Traffic Control: “Cirrus 42-52 Golf just go ahead and make the left turn now to enter the downwind, midfield downwind for only four, if you can just give me a nice tight pattern, I’m going to have traffic four miles behind you so I need you to just kind of keep it in tight if you could. And actually I might end up sequencing behind that traffic it’s going four miles a minute, it is going to be a little bit tight with the one behind it, so when you get on that downwind, stay on the downwind and advise me when you have that 737 in site, will either do four or we might swing you around to 3-5. Uh ma’am, ma’am straighten up straighten up.”
The plane then appeared to flat spin to the ground, landing on a car parked outside the store. Relatives confirm that Tony Gray, his wife Dana and brother Jerry were on the plane.
Original article can be found here: http://www.khou.com
Work crews meticulously gathered up every piece of glass or metal from the crash site to be sent with the Cirrus SR20.
Pieces of the Cirrus SR20 and crash debris were put on a trailer to be taken to a secure storage facility for investigation.
Tom Latson, an air safety investigation from the NTSB gave reporters an update on the Cirrus SR20 crash near Hobby Airport.
Here is an assembled track for N4252G. The crash site is marked with a red X. I added runway 04 and 35. Wind was 13-18kt from 090, so on her final left turn, she had a strong tail wind without sufficient ground speed. -Martin
FULL VIDEO: Deadly plane crash near Hobby Airport (Warning: Graphic video)
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Video was just released of a small plane crash near Hobby Airport that killed three members of an Oklahoma family.
A National Transportation Safety Board spokesman says the plane crashed at 1:12pm Thursday into a vehicle parked outside an Ace Hardware store in the 6800 block of Telephone. No one was inside the parked car, but all three people aboard the plane died immediately.
Police in Moore, Oklahoma, have identified the victims as Tony, Dana and Jerry Gray. Dana and Tony were married; Jerry was Tony's brother. They were flying from Norman, Oklahoma, to Houston to visit the brothers' father, who is a patient at MD Anderson Cancer Center, according to a family friend. Dana Gray was the pilot.
"Dana was a very safe pilot. She loved flying. She's been flying that plane for a very long time," said Jeremy Lewis, a family friend and also a sergeant for the Moore Police Department. "Pretty much anyone in Moore know who the Grays are. They're very involved with the community. They're just the best people and it's just unbelievable three of them are gone."
The NTSB said the Cirrus SR-20 plane, a fixed wing single-engine aircraft, was en route to Hobby Airport. Gray was trying to land but the plane was too high, so the air traffic controller told them to go around the towers and try again. The air traffic controller also warned about wake turbulence from a nearby 737. During a second attempt, the spokesman said the plane nose-dived into the ground.
Audio released by air traffic control revealed the final moments before the crash: "Ma'am, ma'am, straighten up! Straighten up!"
"I saw the plane. It was going everywhere, all over the place," Navisa Artani said.
That model plane is equipped with a parachute. NTSB investigator Tom Latson said the rocket motor deployed but the parachute never did and it's unclear whether the deployment was before or during the crash. There was no mayday call.
In the seconds before the plane crashed, eyewitnesses say they heard something that could prove critically important to investigators.
"You ever listen to those guys playing with toy airplanes? How they spit and sputter -- that's what he sound like," said eyewitness Don Howard.
That sound was corroborated by others nearby.
As the plane crashed outside the Gateway Ace Hardware, Ann Maryland was at work inside.
"It was like a transformer had blew, it was real, real loud and it shook the building," she said.
Houston Fire department Capt. Ruy Lozano says there was no HazMat spill or fire as a result of the crash.
The NTSB plans to return to the crash site Friday to continue the investigation. The aircraft manufacturer and engine manufacturer will join federal investigators.
Dana and Tony Gray had four children and owned a roofing business. Some family members traveled to Houston Thursday evening to speak to investigators.
Story and video: http://abc13.com
HOUSTON - The National Transportation Safety Board continued its investigation Friday into the private plane crash that left three dead near the Hobby Airport.
The aircraft, which investigators said was a Cirrus SR20, left its home base at University of Oklahoma Westheimer Airport in Norman, Oklahoma around 10 p.m. Wednesday before attempting to land just after 1 p.m. Thursday in the 6800 block of Telephone Road near Airport Blvd. in southeast Houston.
The control tower reportedly told the aircraft it was too high to land and to go around again.
"(The plane) was in a flat spin before the moment of impact," Latson said. As opposed to falling in a nose dive, he said.
Surveillance video from the accident has been released, but KPRC is choosing not to show the impact of the crash due to the graphic nature of the scene and out of respect for the families involved.
Plane Crash Surveillance: http://www.click2houston.com/video
Cirrus SR20, N4252G
Officials released new information on Friday as investigators continue to piece together what caused a small plane to crash into the parking lot of an Ace Hardware store, just blocks from Hobby Airport on Thursday afternoon.
National Transportation Safety Board investigator Tom Latson said security footage from the store revealed the plane was “relatively wing-level, relatively nose-level and spinning counterclockwise to the left” when it crashed onto a car in the parking lot at 6860 block of Telephone.
Latson told reporters noon Friday that the air traffic controller at Hobby airport directed the pilot to fly around the airport and retry landing a second time. The controller told the pilot that the plane was too high up on the second approach and would have to try re-entry a third time.
"And for some reason, the air traffic controller directed them to go around," Latson said. "The pilot made a right turn, was directed to land on runway 35, to the north. During that second approach to runway 35, the pilot was again instructed to go around because the pilot appeared to be too high." It was during the fly around on the third entry that the plane began to fly slow and low, according to witnesses that spoke to authorities.
"Witnesses saw the plane bank to the left and impact at the 6800 block of Telephone," Latson said. He said that he didn't know the level of the pilot's experience or how the pilot flew. The pilot was also instructed to fly into a different runway on the second attempt. It's unclear to Latson why this instruction was made.
“I have confirmed with the fixed-base operator at the Norman (Oklahoma) airport that the plane was topped, it should give five hours of flight time,” Latson said when asked if the plane crashed due to lack of fuel. The airplane departed from the airport in Norman at about 10:15 a.m. Thursday for the flight to Houston, and crashed approximately 3 hours later.
Latson noted fuel tanks on the plane were completely disrupted, so officials will have to investigate the fuel lines to see if an empty tank was a factor in the crash.
The plane, a Cirrus SR20, comes equipped with an Airframe Parachute System (CAPS), which did not deploy before the crash.
The parachute, which is activated via a handle in the plane's cockpit, was still in its casing, although the rocket motor used to deploy the chute was ejected on impact.
Investigators do not currently know if the handle was pulled, but a digital record of what happened will be analyzed at a later date, according to the NTSB.
Latson confirmed the pilot was a woman and that he did meet with the family of the three victims.He did not disclose their names or any additional information about them.
However, in a Facebook post on Thursday, the Thunder Valley Raceway Park in Noble, Okla. identified the victims as Tony Gray, his wife Dana and brother Jerry.
"Everyone at (Thunder Valley Raceway Park) would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the Gray family. We have no words to describe the loss to the (Thunder Valley Raceway Park) family, as the Gray family have been long time racers, sponsors, and friends at the track," they said in the Facebook post. They ended it with: "Race in Peace."
FAA records list a Dana Frances Gray from Moore, Okla., as having a license to be a private pilot. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the airplane is owned by Safe Aviation LLC in Moore, Okla.
An investigator with the NTSB on Thursday said the tower at Hobby Airport told the pilot the airplane was approaching the runway at too high an altitude.
"On the second approach, they were also too high. The air traffic controller again directed the aircraft to go around," said NTSB investigator Tom Latson.
As it was making a third attempt to land at Hobby, the airplane apparently stalled and lost power. Witnesses saw it dive nose-first toward the ground, Latson said.
The airplane collided with a car but narrowly missed any nearby buildings, power lines and a propane tank. There were no other reported injuries.
Original article can be found here: http://www.chron.com
OKLAHOMA CITY - A family is devastated and "in complete shock" after a plane crash claimed the lives of those they loved most.
Dana Gray, her husband, Tony Gray, and his brother, Jerry Gray, died after their single-engine fixed-wing aircraft came down in the parking lot of an Ace Hardware store near Houston's Hobby Airport Thursday afternoon.
Family friends said the trio was traveling to Houston to visit a relative in the hospital fighting cancer.
Dana was at the controls of the Cirrus SR20, a plane friends said she had owned for more than two years and flew frequently.
Experienced pilots call it "one of the safest airplanes on the market."
"They're a fast, powerful airplane, but it's well constructed," said Hal Harris, a flight instructor at AirOne Flight Academy with more than 40 years of experience. "If they have the proper training and just fly the airplane the way it's supposed to be done, it's a safe airplane."
Cirrus is a relatively new company, Harris said, and its products are state of the art, featuring new technology that can get confusing or overwhelming at times.
"It can also be a bit more complicated flying it," he said. "It's like working two or three computers at the same time."
In addition to the 40 hours required for a pilot's license, Cirrus requires additional training in its aircraft, Harris said, because it is considered "technologically advanced."
The NTSB said the initial signs point to stalling as the plane attempted to land.
"Since the witness saw the aircraft had a steep angle of attack and impacted the ground at a steep angle of impact, that is likely the case, yes," said investigator Tom Latson.
Audio transmissions between the cockpit and control tower indicate the pilot was having trouble making her final approach.
Twice, air traffic controllers told her she was coming in too high.
The last communication is a controller telling the pilot to "straighten up."
"That's the most challenging part of flying is landing," Harris said, citing the precision required at high speeds.
Cirrus SR20 planes are equipped with parachutes, but Dana's did not deploy, Houston's KPRC reports.
"It would be extremely rare that you need to use that parachute for anything," Harris said. "You're too low to the ground to use the parachute when you come into land it. You get below a certain altitude, and there's just not enough room for recovery."
Story and video: http://kfor.com
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Why did the plane carrying three family members from Oklahoma go down in an Ace Hardware parking lot, killing everyone on board?
That's the question investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) hope to answer. They arrived at the crash site around 8:00 Friday morning and immediately began taking pictures and measuring where and how the plane sits in the taped off parking lot.
A spokesperson with NTSB says aircraft and engine specialists will arrive late morning to take notes. Then, the plane will be cut up and loaded onto a flatbed. It will be driven to a warehouse in Dallas where the investigation continues. It could be months before investigators learn what happened.
Investigators are looking for clues as to why a small plane crashed near Hobby Airport, killing three family members.
The crash happened Thursday at 1:12pm at the Gateway Ace Hardware store in the 6800 block of Telephone Road in southeast Houston.
The plane slammed into a parked car, killing all three people aboard. There was no one inside the car at the time of the crash.
Dana, Tony and Jerry Gray were flying from Norman, Oklahoma to visit Jerry's father, a patient at MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Dana Gray was the pilot of the Cirrus SR-20, and attempted to land three times before the plane made a fatal spin into the ground. Surveillance video shows the spin just prior to the impact.
Investigators say there was an attempt to deploy a parachute, but it did not launch in time to make a difference.
The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to give an update later today about their investigation into the crash. A preliminary report may be made available next week on ntsb.gov.
Story and video: http://abc13.com
HOUSTON - Three people were killed Thursday in a small plane crash near Hobby Airport, according to the Houston Fire Department.
We have been told by friends at the family business in Oklahoma that they believe Jerry Gray, his brother Tony Gray and Tony's wife Dana Gray were all on the plane headed from Norman, Oklahoma, to Houston to visit Jerry and Tony's sick father, who is being treated at MD Anderson Cancer Center.
The crash happened just after 1 p.m. in the 6800 block of Telephone Road near Airport Blvd. in southeast Houston.
Air traffic control audio reviewed by Channel 2 and provided by liveatc.net reveals there was initial confusion between the tower and the pilot about the landing path and which runway to use.
The control tower reportedly told the aircraft it was too high to land and to go around again.
The plane was equipped with a motor to deploy a parachute. The motor did deploy near or at impact, but the parachute never did.
The wreckage will be taken to a secure storage facility in Dallas and will be examined further.
According to Federal Aviation Administration registration records, the plane is a 2012 Cirrus SR20 fixed wing, single-engine plane registered out of Oklahoma.
A witness, Nicole Andrews, told KPRC 2 that she was stopped in traffic on Telephone when she saw the plane on top of what appeared to be a black Honda Accord in the parking lot of an Ace Hardware store.
No one was inside the car, fire officials said.
Andrews said as she passed the scene she could see a body inside the plane.
“Witnesses were more shocked than anything. The alarm [in the car] was going off and there was smoke,” she said.
HFD Captain Ruy Lozano said there was no threat of a fuel spill that could cause a fire or explosion.
All three victims died at the scene. No other injuries were reported, according to Lozano.
“We found out the impact killed all three passengers. It actually struck a vehicle. You can see [it] didn’t strike a building and there was no one in the vehicle," he said.
Lozano said the plane was equipped with a parachute but it did not deploy.
“A lot of these aircrafts have parachutes that will deploy on impact," he said. "Well that parachute's system is still intact so we’re always worried after impact it could go off spontaneously. That’s why we asked everyone to move back”
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Story and video: http://www.click2houston.com
Tom Latson, National Transportation Safety Board investigator, walks from a press conference Thursday, June 9, 2016, in Houston.
NTSB's Tom Latson talks during a press conference Thursday, June 9, 2016, in Houston.
Dana and Tony Gray
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Three members of an Oklahoma family were killed this afternoon in a small plane crash near Hobby Airport.
A National Transportation Safety Board spokesman says the plane crashed at 1:12pm into a vehicle parked outside an Ace Hardware store in the 6800 block of Telephone. No one was inside the parked car, but all three people aboard the plane died immediately.
Police in Moore, Oklahoma have identified the victims as Tony, Dana and Jerry Gray. Dana and Tony were married; Jerry was Tony's brother. They were flying from Norman, OK to Houston to visit the brothers' father who is a patient at MD Anderson Cancer Center, according to a family friend. Dana Gray was the pilot.
"Dana was a very safe pilot. She loved flying. She's been flying that plane for a very long time," said Jeremy Lewis, a family friend and also a sergeant for the Moore Police Department. "Pretty much anyone in Moore know who the Grays are. They're very involved with the community. They're just the best people and it's just unbelievable three of them are gone."
The NTSB said the Cirrus SR-20 plane, a fixed wing single-engine aircraft, was en route to Hobby Airport. Gray was trying to land but the plane was too high, so the air traffic controller told them to go around the towers and try again. The air traffic controller also warned about wake turbulence from a nearby 737. During a second attempt, the spokesman said the plane nose-dived into the ground.
"I saw the plane. It was going everywhere, all over the place," Navisa Artani said.
That model plane is equipped with a parachute. NTSB investigator Tom Latson said the rocket motor deployed but the parachute never did and it's unclear whether the deployment was before or during the crash. There was no mayday call.
In the seconds before the plane crashed, eyewitnesses say they heard something that could prove critically important to investigators.
"You ever listen to those guys playing with toy airplanes? How the spit and sputter. That's what he sound like," said eyewitness Don Howard.
That sound was corroborated by others nearby.
As the plane crashed outside the Gateway Ace Hardware, Ann Maryland was at work inside.
"It was like a transformer had blew, it was real, real loud and it shook the building," she said.
Houston Fire department Capt. Ruy Lozano says there was no HazMat spill or fire as a result of the crash.
The NTSB plans to return to the crash site Friday to continue the investigation. The aircraft manufacturer and engine manufacturer will join federal investigators.
Dana and Tony Gray had four children and owned a roofing business. Some family members traveled to Houston Thursday evening to speak to investigators.
Story and video: http://abc13.com
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Three siblings were killed this afternoon in a small plane crash near Hobby Airport.
A National Transportation Safety Board spokesman says the plane crashed at 1:12pm into a vehicle parked outside an Ace Hardware store in the 6800 block of Telephone. No one was inside the parked car, but all three people -- two brothers and a sister -- aboard the plane died immediately.
The spokesman said the Cirrus SR-20 plane, a fixed wing single-engine aircraft, was en route to Hobby Airport. The pilot was trying to land in Runway 3 but the plane was too high, so the air traffic controller told them to go around the towers and try again. A second attempt was made but yielded the same results. The spokesman said the plane nose-dived into the ground during the third try.
Audio released by air traffic control revealed the final moments before the crash: "Ma'am, ma'am, straighten up! Straighten up!"
Narissa Artani was watching from below.
"I saw the plane. It was going everywhere, all over the place," Artani said.
In the seconds before the plane crashed, eyewitnesses say they heard something that could prove critically important to investigators.
"You ever listen to those guys playing with toy airplanes? How the spit and sputter. That's what he sound like," said eyewitness Don Howard.
That sound was corroborated by others nearby.
As the plane crashed outside the Gateway Ace Hardware, Ann Maryland was at work inside.
"It was like a transformer had blew, it was real, real loud and it shook the building," she said.
Maryland wasn't sure what happened or what she should do. For a second, she says she froze.
"I just ducked, like it was inside the building itself. It's nothing I could do except stand there in shock," said Maryland.
A family friend tells abc13 the siblings are from a well-known family in the Moore, Oklahoma area. Eyewitness News is not yet reporting their names because family members are still being notified.
The family friend says the victims were in Houston to visit their father, a patient at the MD Anderson Cancer Center.
The sister, according to the family friend, was piloting the plane. She managed to miss a propane tank just feet away from the crash site. Witness Yudel Guajardo thinks that was done on purpose.
"Intentionally avoid a big tragedy," he said. "Chose to crash into the car than the propane tank or the building itself."
HFD spokesman Ruy Lozano says there was no HazMat spill or fire as a result of the crash.
The NTSB plans to return to the crash site Friday to clean up. The aircraft manufacturer and engine manufacturer will be helping the agency investigate the crash.
The crash investigation is not hindering air traffic at Hobby Airport.
Original article can be found here: http://abc13.com
HOUSTON - Three people were killed when a small plane crashed near Hobby Airport Thursday afternoon. It's a miracle no one on the ground was hurt, investigators say.
The Cirrus single-engine SR-20 crashed in the parking lot of an Ace Hardware Store just after 1 p.m. It narrowly missed the store full of people.
The plane went down a few yards from a large propane tank but there was no fire, according to HFD. It also missed power lines in the area.
"Yes, that's remarkable," said NTSB investigator Tom Lathson.
Lathson said the pilot was "too high" on her first two attempts to land and was told to "go around."
In a recording from the Air Traffic Control tower just before the crash, a controller is heard telling the pilot, "Ma'am, ma'am, straighten up! Straighten up!"
"After executing a go-around maneuver, the aircraft was seen to descend suddenly nose-first into the parking lot," Lathson said.
The plane apparently stalled before it nosedived, according to Lathson.
Relatives told KWTV in Oklahoma City that Tony Gray, his wife Dana and brother Jerry were on the plane. Dana Gray was piloting the plane. She got her pilot's license in 2014.
Relatives say they were flying to Houston to see Tony and Jerry Gray's father, who is being treated at M.D. Anderson.
A witness said the plane just "fell right out of the sky and plummeted to the ground."
Kendrick Mickens also saw the crash happen.
"I feel sorrow, I have children, I have a family," Mickens said. "And that family, I pray the best for them. I was thinking all of those things that you think when you get that close to death, because that was pretty close."
An employee inside the store said it sounded like a "loud boom" when the plane hit. She said the car that was crushed by the plane belonged to a store employee.
It happened on Telephone Road near Airport, northwest of the airport.
The plane is registered in Moore, Oklahoma and was headed from Norman, Oklahoma to Hobby.
Air traffic controllers at Hobby Airport on Thursday twice ordered the pilot of a small private plane to go around and make another attempt at a safe landing before it crashed into a nearby parking lot, killing the three people who were aboard.
The Cirrus SR20 crashed shortly after 1 p.m., striking a car parked at an Ace Hardware store in the 6800 block of Telephone - about a mile northwest of the airport. The pilot and two passengers were killed on impact.
An investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board said the tower at Hobby Airport told the pilot the airplane was approaching the runway at too high an altitude.
"On the second approach, they were also too high. The air traffic controller again directed the aircraft to go around," said NTSB investigator Tom Latson.
As it was making a third attempt to land at Hobby, the airplane apparently stalled and lost power. Witnesses saw it dive nose-first toward the ground, Latson said.
The airplane collided with a car but narrowly missed any nearby buildings, power lines and a propane tank. There were no other reported injuries.
"That is remarkable," Latson said.
The airplane departed from the airport in Norman, Okla. about 10:15 a.m. Thursday for the flight to Houston. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the airplane is owned by Safe Aviation LLC in Moore, Okla.
Latson did not identify the pilot or passengers, saying that would be up to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, the Thunder Valley Raceway Park in Noble, Okla. identified the victims as Tony Gray, his wife Dana and brother Jerry.
"Everyone at (Thunder Valley Raceway Park) would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the Gray family. We have no words to describe the loss to the (Thunder Valley Raceway Park) family, as the Gray family have been long time racers, sponsors, and friends at the track," they said in the Facebook post. They ended it with: "Race in Peace."
FAA records also list a Dana Frances Gray from Moore, Okla., as having a license to be a private pilot. But, it wasn't immediately known Thursday whether she was at the controls during the fatal crash.
The airplane was equipped with a unique parachute system that is designed to prevent such crashes. If necessary, the pilot can pull a handle on the cockpit ceiling that will trigger the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System. It is designed to provide a crucial extra layer of safety.
When the handle is pulled, a rocket will shoot out and draw out a parachute. The force of the rocket also releases straps once connected to the fuselage that within seconds become part of the harness for the unfurling parachute.
"It appears the rocket motor deployed either immediately before or just after impact," Latson said. "The rocket motor did deploy (but) the parachute did not."
On Thursday, a spokesman for the Duluth, Minn.-based Cirrus Aircraft could not be reached for comment. Last year, a private plane with the same parachute system successfully set down in a neighborhood cul-de-sac in northwest Harris County after the pilot reported having engine problems. Company officials have said their system works when the plane is at least 500 feet above the ground and flying about 130 knots.
The investigation into Thursday's fatal crash will continue Friday. The manufacturer of the aircraft and the engine will be involved in the inquiry. After that, the aircraft will be taken to Dallas and stored in a secure facility until the investigation continues, Latson said.
Original article can be found here: http://www.chron.com