Four days before his plane crashed into a median on I-285, killing everyone on board, former Asheville police officer Greg Byrd told his mechanic and flight instructor he was having trouble elevating his single-engine aircraft on take off.
The mechanic estimated only 50 feet separated Byrd’s Piper Lance from trees at the end of the runway at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport, according to a report released Wednesday by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Three minutes after take-off, Byrd told the control tower he was “having some trouble climbing” before reporting he was “going down at the intersection.” A witness told NTSB investigators the engine sounded like it was at “wide open throttle” before it crashed, exploding into flames.
According to the NTSB, the plane was 24 pounds above the maximum takeoff and landing weight for the aircraft.
The report details evidence collected by investigators but offers no opinions on what may have caused the May 2015 crash, which brought traffic in both directions to a standstill for hours but resulted in no injuries on the ground. The NTSB’s final report on the crash is expected next month.
Additional details can be found on myajc.com.
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