NTSB: ‘No anomalies’ with flight controls, engines in plane that crashed at DuPage Airport

A plane crash that left two people dead at DuPage Airport last month occurred after takeoff, the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed in a preliminary report.

The Piper PA-30 crashed around 1:49 p.m. on Dec. 17 at the airport in West Chicago. Both the pilot and a pilot-rated passenger were killed.

Preliminary air traffic control information revealed that the pilot was cleared for takeoff from runway 20R, and there were no other radio calls made by the pilot after he repeated the takeoff clearance, according to the NTSB report.

Initial examination of the plane found “no anomalies with the flight controls or engines that would have precluded normal operation.”

Two witnesses also saw the crash sequence at the airport and reported that the airplane engines sounded normal.

Airport surveillance video captured the plane during takeoff. In the video, the plane appeared to drift to the right of the runway centerline during the initial climb and reached a maximum height of about 75 feet, according to the NTSB report.

The plane appeared to maintain a “nosehigh attitude” and banked to the left and right before the right-bank angle increased to about 90 degrees, the report stated. The plane then crashed in a “nose-low, right-wing-low attitude.”

The aircraft was heavily damaged. Both engines remained partially attached to the wings through control cables and wire harnesses.

The main wreckage came to rest about 567 feet west of runway 20R, south of taxiway T. The initial point of impact was about 106 feet east of the main wreckage.

The NTSB is leading the investigation. A probable cause of the crash, along with any contributing factors, will be detailed in a final report. That’s expected to be a year to 24 months after the crash.