NTSB releases preliminary report

The National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday released a preliminary report of its investigation into a plane that crashed in West Goshen, killing its two occupants on March 29. The plane had taken off from Brandywine Airport and flown over Route 202 before it crashed into a field behind a residence in the 1000 block of Saunders Lane around 1:34 p.m.

The cause of the crash has not yet been determined, and the in-

formation detailed in the report is subject to change, as the investigation is ongoing. Due to reports of the plane’s engine making sputtering sounds, a mechanical failure with the fuel sump or fuel supply system could be responsible for causing the crash, according to the report.

The report revealed the plane that crashed was a Piper PA-28-140, which is a single-engine, four-seat, propeller-driven aircraft. The plane was registered to Joseph Deal of Drexel Hill. Deal had reportedly not flown since 2011, the NTSB said.

Deal was piloting the plane when it crashed, under the supervision of certified flight instructor Richard Poch of West Chester. Deal, 64, and Poch, 67, both held active pilot certifications issued by the Federal Aviation Administration. The purpose of the flight was to conduct a flight review, which is required of FAA-certified pilots every two years to keep their pilot certificates active.

According to a witness account, a takeoff was initi- ated and then aborted, and the plane was taxied off the runway before it had a successful takeoff.

Witnesses’ descriptions of the events leading to the crash varied, depending on their locations in relation to the plane, the NTSB said.

Several witnesses reported hearing the airplane’s engine making a sputtering or popping sound during takeoff and flight, and it was observed that the engine’s power was heard to be restored when the nose of the plane was leveled.

By several witness accounts, the sputtering sounds continued during the plane’s ascension, and the plane was observed struggling to maintain altitude; the plane was observed banking sharply left with its wings steepening to what one witness described as “wings vertical,” the NTSB said.

Ultimately, the plane was observed making a nose dive before it crashed into the backyard of a residence, and a post-crash fire that consumed most of the plane began 10 seconds after impact, the NTSB said.

The NTSB has not yet announced an estimated date for when the investigation will be completed and the final report will be released.

Joseph Deal, left, and Richard Poch were killed in the crash.