LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The National Transportation Safety Board has released a preliminary report on an aircraft crash that killed a couple in Cal-Nev-Ari last month.
The report indicates that the crash occurred on Tuesday, April 11 around 4:19 a.m. in Cal-Nev-Ari, located 65 miles south of Las Vegas.
The Clark County Coroner's office identified the pilot as Glen Robert McKenna, 72, and the passenger as his wife Bonnie Jean McKenna, 70, both of Cal-Nev-Ari.
According to investigators, the aircraft was "an experimental amateur-built Glastar airplane" and was found "substantially damaged" at the crash site.
The couple would be later identified by the Clark County Coroner as Glen Robert McKenna, 72, and his wife, Bonnie Jean McKenna, 70, of Cal-Nev-Ari.
Investigators say the purpose of the flight was for the couple to "depart from their winter residence in Nevada to fly to their primary residence in Iowa," and their first stop was intended for Dalhart, Texas, where they would refuel and spend the night.
A video taken by a friend of the pilot showed the plane departing from the runway, making the initial climb, and turning right until it disappeared out of frame.
Surveillance footage from a private residence on the south side of the airport also showed the plane departing and leaving the frame, before re-entering the frame from the east around 4:19 a.m., as it "rapidly descended to the ground."
The wreckage was found "distributed over a 920-foot distance," investigators wrote.
According to maintenance records of the plane, the last 100-hour inspection was recorded on April 5, which was six days prior to the accident. The mechanic conducting the inspection also said he "wasn't familiar with the engine and the pilot performed all the maintenance on the airplane."
Records indicate that the pilot "installed new fuel injectors and changed the manifold, temperature, and oxygen sensors" before the crash. Though, investigators say there was no evidence of "disconnect or failure" in the wreckage afterward.
All information in a preliminary report may be subject to change, according to the NTSB, and a full report on the crash will be released following a complete investigation.
