Moments before horrific crash that killed Fresno family revealed: NTSB

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A plane that crashed in Fresno on Sept. 5, killing an Auberry family of four, had aborted an earlier takeoff after the pilot reported a radio issue before taking off again and struggling to gain altitude, according to a newly released preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.

The NTSB said the accident happened during the initial climb and identified the key event as a loss of control in flight.

The crash killed pilot Danna Eady, 41, her husband, Craig Eady, 44, and their two youngest sons, Pavel and Remus.

Danna and Craig initially survived the crash but later died from their injuries.

The family is survived by children Lucien, 17 and Felicity, 18.

The family was on their way to an airshow when their plane crashed, a source told the California Post earlier this month.

The NTSB report shows that the family was headed to Atwater, California.

Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators showed Eady and the three passengers boarding a Grumman American Aviation Corp. AA-5 at the aircraft owner’s residence at Sierra Sky Park Airport before taxiing toward runway 30.

The plane started down the runway but abandoned the takeoff about halfway through. It continued to the end of the runway, turned around and taxied back, NTSB said.

Eady then sent the aircraft’s owner a text message reporting a problem with the radio. Roughly two minutes later, the plane returned to the owner’s residence, where the owner contacted a mechanic to help troubleshoot the issue.

After the aircraft was shut down, a mechanic approached it. A short time later, the plane taxied back toward the runway for another takeoff attempt.

Witnesses told investigators that during the second takeoff, the plane became airborne about 1,000 feet before the departure end of runway 30 and then “pitched up hard into a nose-high attitude.”

The engine sounded weak but did not appear to misfire or sputter, according to witnesses.

Surveillance footage showed the plane flying roughly 30 feet above the ground while remaining in a steep nose-high position.

The plane crashed into a washout along the top of sloping terrain about 1,000 feet northwest of the runway’s departure end.

Investigators determined the aircraft first struck a large branch near the top of a roughly 40-foot tree. The plane eventually came to rest upright before a fire that started burned much of the plane.

The wreckage was later recovered and taken to a secure facility for more investigation.

The preliminary report does not identify a cause for the crash.

The NTSB investigation is continuing, and the agency cautioned that information contained in the preliminary report could change as investigators gather more evidence.

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