LITITZ – The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report of the March 9th plane crash at Brethren Village in Lancaster County. The report says that during takeoff, the pilot heard a loud “pop” and was unsure what it was. He pulled the throttle back and when he realized the cabin door had opened, he thought he pushed the throttle back forward, but was not sure. He noticed the plane’s airspeed was not increasing and immediately looked for a place to land. He was unable to recall anything that happened after that point. A passenger in the rear seat behind the pilot stated that during takeoff, “as soon as the airplane left the ground,” the front door opened. The pilot contacted the air traffic control tower and requested to return. The front seat passenger was holding the door closed. The airplane turned left, started “shaking,” and she knew the airplane was going to crash at that point. A security camera located across the street from the airport captured the plane departing the runway and turning left. The airplane’s wings were rocking left to right and the tail of the airplane was low. The plane then impacted several cars in a parking lot. Two people suffered serious injuries and three others suffered minor injuries.
