Early report shows high winds during deadly plane crash in Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas. During a fatal small plane crash last month near Little Rock, “weather conditions changed/worsened during taxi, takeoff and crash,” according to an initial report released Friday by the National Transportation Authority. Security Council.

“A CCTV camera at the 3M plant (near the crash site) showed that the plane crashed into the ground in the lower right position with its nose down,” the agency’s investigation revealed. “The video also showed heavy rain and flying debris near the impact site.”

CONNECTED: Five people die after Columbus-bound plane crashes in Arkansas

The twin-engine plane crashed on February 22 a few miles south of Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport, killing five people. At the time of the crash, the airport reported winds of 19 knots (35 kilometers per hour) with gusts up to 27 knots (50 kilometers per hour), according to the report.

“As soon as the plane was out of sight, the camera recorded an ascending plume of smoke about 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the end of runway 18,” the report said. “Shortly after the smoke plume appeared, the camera seemed to be shaking in the wind, and recorded flying debris and heavy rain on the ramp where the camera was located.”

The flight was carrying rescuers from Little Rock, Arkansas to Columbus, Ohio in response to an explosion at an alloy plant in Bedford, Ohio that killed one worker and sent more than a dozen to the hospital. The aircraft was owned and operated by an environmental consulting firm.

According to the report, “no pre-impact airframe anomalies were found” and no anomalies were found in the aircraft’s engines or propeller assemblies.

The report also notes that “during takeoff, the aircraft was approximately 300 lb (136 kg) below its maximum gross takeoff weight.”

The final report will be ready in many months.