A preliminary report from federal investigators says a pilot radioed “abort, abort” and started turning shortly after takeoff from Crystal Airport last month before the plane crashed, killing both people aboard.
The passenger on the plane was North Dakota lawmaker Liz Conmy. The pilot was her partner Joe Cass, a retired surgeon.
The April 25 crash happened as Cass and Conmy were traveling from Crystal to Park Rapids. Cass had flown the single-engine Beechcraft F33A from Park Rapids to Crystal the previous day, and refueled on arrival.
The initial report from the National Transportation Safety Board does not indicate a cause of the crash — that’s still under investigation.
But it includes information from air traffic control communications, witnesses, surveillance camera footage and an examination of the wreckage.
The NTSB report says air traffic control cleared Cass to depart on Runway 32 just before noon on April 25, and that Cass correctly read back those instructions.
Shortly after takeoff, the NTSB report said, “the pilot said, ‘abort, abort, 32X.’ Air traffic control told the pilot that he was cleared to land on any runway. Airport video surveillance captured the airplane turn left before it descended behind trees. Shortly after, a large plume of black smoke appeared from behind the tree line.”
A witness told the NTSB that he thought it was unusual that the plane’s landing gear remained down as it reached about 150 feet in the air. Another witness said the takeoff didn’t seem abnormal — but that the plane appeared to be low and wasn’t climbing.
Witnesses — and also audio from several surveillance cameras in the area — indicated the plane’s engine was running up until the crash. The plane went down in Southbrook Park near the airport, crashing “near vertical nose down” and catching fire, the NTSB report said.
The report also includes findings from investigators’ initial assessment of the wreckage — and said the plane is being “retained for further examination.”
