The airplane that crashed at Rogers Municipal Airport last month sustained substantial structural damage after the pilot reported turbulent winds and ice buildup, according to a preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Board officials will likely not release a full report for 12 to 18 months, according to the board’s communications office.
The pilot and three passengers aboard the single-propeller Piper aircraft were uninjured when their plane made a crash landing at the Rogers airport March 10, the preliminary report states. Firefighters doused the plane with retardant foam as a precaution to prevent a fuel fire, officials said.
The airport was temporarily closed while the plane was cleared from the site.
The crash nearly sheared off the right wing, which caused a fuel leak when the plane slid off the runway. The plane’s fuselage also sustained substantial damage, according to the report.
The pilot said a quarter-inch of ice built up while approaching the airport. The plane had been flying well, but the air turned turbulent during the descent, the report states.
The flight originated from Chattanooga, Tenn., with a destination of Rogers.
