CHARLESTON, W.Va — An investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board says a detailed investigation will begin Monday into what caused a small plane to crash Saturday afternoon at Yeager Airport killing a woman and injuring a man.
“I cannot even guess about something probable cause right now,” NTSB investigator Dan Boggs told reporters Sunday evening. “We gather all of the facts and then we figure out what the probable cause will be.”
The initial report will come in about two weeks followed by a full report which could take up to a year.
Boggs credited the work of first responders at Yeager for helping secure the scene of the crash of the Cessna 172 and moving it to a secure location. That work has put the investigation a little ahead of schedule, he said.
The names of those involved still have not been released but several media reports and social media postings identify the woman as Brenda Gilland Jackson, a Charleston flight instructor. Official information about those involved would have to come from the state Medical Examiner’s office, according to Boggs.
The plane had a problem shortly after its 12:08 p.m. takeoff. There was a small fire after the crafted flipped over on runway 5. The victims were pulled from the wreckage at 12:47 p.m. and taken to CAMC General. The woman died a short time later. The man, who was piloting, was in serious condition Sunday.
Investigators will be looking for any perishable evidence while in Charleston along with any eyewitness statements, Boggs said.
“We will probably be here for two or three days and our mission here is to not only find out what happened but why it happened,” he said. “I do have the airframe manufacturer and the engine manufacturer here with me and we will be going through that aircraft piece by piece.”
The plane was registered in Charleston and was being operated by a private citizen, Boggs said.