No Evidence of Engine Failure, Bird Strike in Maryland Plane Crash
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Photo Credit: Donna Broadway(GAITHERSBURG, Md.) — Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Tuesday that there was no evidence that the plane that crashed in Gaithersburg, Maryland on Monday struck a bird prior to crashing into a residential area.
Investigators found no indication of a bird or bird parts in the planes engine. Further, they said, there was no indication that the engines had failed. The investigation did discover that a stall warning — which occurs when a plane is going too slow and nearing a stall — was triggered on the plane about 20 seconds prior to the crash.
The NTSB is looking into whether the pilot may have failed to maintain adequate airspeed.
The crash killed all three people onboard the plane and three more — a mother and her two young children — in one of the homes damaged in the crash. Two additional homes were damaged in the crash and the ensuing fire.
The plane was traveling from Chapel Hill, North Carolina and planned to land at the Montgomery County Airpark in Maryland.
The man whose wife and two sons were killed in their home said he’s grieving after the “horrific event,” and trying to find some sense of normalcy for his surviving 5-year-old daughter.
Ken Gemmell and his daughter weren’t home when the small plane crashed on Monday and one of its wings was catapulted into the family’s home in Gaithersburg, Maryland, erupting into flames.
“No words can describe the enormity of our loss and sadness over yesterday’s tragedy,” he wrote on Facebook Tuesday. “We lost Marie, the love of my life and college sweetheart, and our two young, innocent, and joyful sons — a loss that no person should ever endure.”
“The outpouring of support has been overwhelming, and my daughter and I are appreciative for the prayers and well wishes from friends, neighbors and the community,” Gemmell added. “We also appreciate the dedication and hard work of the firefighters, police and other first responders who did everything in their power to try to save my family during this horrific event.”
He requested privacy as his family grieves, so that he can, “provide my daughter with some degree of normalcy as we try to rebuild.”
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