A preliminary NTSB report found that the small plane that crashed into a warehouse near Fullerton, California, on Jan. 2, killing two people and injuring more than a dozen others, appeared to have had one of its doors open while it was in the air.
The NTSB said in its preliminary report made public Wednesday, Jan. 29, that the pilot had made “numerous alterations” to the doors of the “amateur-built” small plane, a Vans Aircraft RV-10,
which affected its “indicator system,” which would have alerted the pilot that the door was not fully closed.
The report states, “The door latch indicator system supplied with the [aircraft building] kit consisted of four magnetic reed switches…On the accident aircraft, it appeared that only two reed switches were installed, one mounted on the rear pillars of each of the two doors.”…
The report concludes, “As such, the modified system would not have warned the pilot if the forward latch pin was not fully engaged.”
The report also includes several statements from witnesses, including one who was on the airport ramp and said he saw the plane’s “left door was open and up” shortly after the plane left the runway.
The report reads, “He then saw a hand reach up and pull the door down. By this time, the aircraft had moved so far that he was no longer able to understand what was happening, and he assumed the pilot was able to correct the situation.”
Several witnesses who “were all pilots” and “watched the plane during the final stages of the flight” said they saw it “flying at a lower altitude than normal” and “turning aggressively to the left.” They said they became concerned the plane might “stall” after it “rolled aggressively again” and that they could “almost see” the “outline of the entire wing” of the plane.
“The plane then rolled to the right and headed toward the warehouse, where it crashed into a fireball,” according to the NTSB’s preliminary report. “All witnesses said they saw a white piece fall off the plane just before the impact. They described the piece as panel-like and said it was ‘floating’ or ‘fluttering’ to the ground.”
The Fullerton Police Department said the two people killed in the incident “are believed to have been on the plane at the time of the crash.” The Huntington Beach High School girls’ soccer and flag football teams identified them as Kelly Reed and her father, Pascal Reed.
In a tribute on Instagram, the flag football team remembered Kelly as “the sweetest teammate, friend and a wonderful human being who touched many people’s lives with her kindness and warmth.”
Aviation enthusiast Tim Olson described Pascal to the Orange County Register as a “hardworking” and “responsible” pilot and aircraft builder.
“It’s very sad to hear that this happened to him,” Olson told the outlet. “I know from conversations that he traveled, camped many times around the country with his aircraft.”
Nineteen other people were injured while working in the warehouse building the plane crashed into in the 2300 block of Raymer Avenue in Fullerton. The NTSB said eight people were seriously injured in the crash and 11 others suffered minor injuries.
