Feds’ preliminary report gives more details on plane crash that killed 2 near South Lake Tahoe
The National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday released its preliminary report on a plane crash last month that killed the pilot and the passenger near South Lake Tahoe.
Raphael Jones Jr., 74, of San Jose and his cousin, Nannete Singer, 80, of Lodi, died in the crash in mountainous area between Alpine and El Dorado counties, authorities have said.
Family members said they had spoken to the pilot earlier in the day, and the pilot said they were running late and would be arriving about 3:30 p.m. June 12 at the Lake Tahoe Airport in South Lake Tahoe, according to the NTSB report on the plane crash.
The plane had departed from Lodi. An alert notice for the plane was issued by the Federal Aviation Administration after a concerned family member reported that the pilot and passenger did not arrive at their intended destination at the Lake Tahoe Airport in South Lake Tahoe.
About 1 a.m. June 13, the Alpine County Sheriff’s Office was notified of an overdue aircraft. Sheriff’s officials have said the aircraft’s GPS transponder was marking it in the Willow Creek area near Luther Pass. Deputies responded and found the crashed single-engine plane near Willow Creek Road.
The NTSB has determined the Luscombe 8A aircraft crashed at 3:25 p.m. June 12. The plane “was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident” about 10 miles south of the Lake Tahoe Airport, according to the NTSB report.
The plane came to rest inverted in a clearing about 75 yards from a service road. The NTSB said the first point of contact was a 75-foot-tall tree that was missing limbs and a portion of its tree trunk, which were located within the debris path.
NTSB investigators also found in the debris path, about 25 feet from the first point of contact, a portion of the plane’s tail section lodged in the top of a tree about 15 feet tall. The plane’s main wreckage was found about 10 feet beyond the tree. All major structural components of the plane were found throughout the wreckage debris path.
The information in the report is preliminary, and the NTSB investigation into the plane crash will continue.
