OWLS HEAD (AP) — A preliminary report of a small plane that hit a truck on the runway during takeoff and crashed near the Knox County Regional Airport indicates the truck driver followed proper safety procedures.
The National Transportation Safety Board says the driver, Stephen Turner, used a common radio frequency to announce his intention to cross the runway before the fatal crash last week. The three people on the plane were killed.
The report doesn’t indicate whether Turner felt or heard the collision.
The plane had also lost a key part when it struck the truck. The Cessna 172 singleengine plane had lost its right elevator, also known as the right horizontal stabilizer, when it struck the pickup. The report said the loss of the stabilizer amounted to substantial damage to the plane.
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